The benefits of creating a customer loyalty program are well known. However, it takes lots of effort and research to create a successful loyalty software. You have to choose the rewards after evaluating many factors. The program has to be kept as simple as possible. It should be easy for your customers to understand and follow. The rewards should also add value to the overall experience. There are many such points to be considered when creating the program. The following tips should help you create the perfect loyalty program.
Conduct Thorough Research
If you want your custom loyalty program to be effective, it is crucial to conduct thorough research. Choose the right research model based on your goals and requirements. Keep the following points in mind when conducting the research:
- Consider the goal of your campaign
- Customer behavior
- Customer expectations
- Market trends
Customer data can be sourced from sales, web analytics, and many other areas to learn about customer expectations and behavior. The data can then be analyzed to build the loyalty software.
Reward Customers
Make sure that your loyalty program rewards your customers in different ways.
- Digital Rewards Cards: You can compare these digital cards to the traditional punch cards handed out in the past. Customize your offers and easily send out rewards in digital format.
- Give Out Small Gifts More Often: It pays to offer smaller gifts more often to your customers than bigger gifts over longer periods of time. The more often you offer gifts, the better it is for your loyalty program.
- Special Discounts through Social Media: Email subscribers and social media fans are loyal followers but most of them may not be big customers. If you offer special discounts you can turn them into loyal customers.
You may even reward customers for providing feedback.
Create a Simple Rewards Program
If you make your loyalty program complex, you are going to send away more customers from the program. Never create a program that is difficult for anyone to understand. First and foremost, you should make it easy for them to sign up.
Points system may be a traditional system, but it is highly effective because of the ease of understanding. It is also easy for you to keep track of. All customers should get points when they complete a purchase. Make it clear for everyone to understand how the points can redeemed.
Plan the Incentives Carefully
When determining what incentives to offer, it is important to consider your customers requirements and behavior. Choose incentives that seem to be exclusive. It may seem like great to offer a freebie, but make sure that it isn’t devaluing your products/services in any way.
The rewards should also add value to your customers’ lives. It is also recommended to provide different methods of creating an account. You can provide them the traditional way of signing up. Then you can give them the opportunity to sign-up after downloading your app.
Always stay Connected
Always stay connected with your customers. Outside of whatever rewards you offer them, staying connected can go a long way in help you build a loyal customer base. Implement this strategy to your loyalty program too. Reach out to your customers and non-customers through email, social media, and other mediums so that they will always come in contact with your brand name.
Email campaigns can be the most effective way to stay in constant touch. Run campaigns that let them know about special deals, offers, and renewals. Reminding about the loyalty program can further help bring them back for more purchases. You can also use live chat to keep in touch with your customers.
So make sure to follow all these tips when creating your loyalty program.