Launching a loyalty program is highly beneficial for businesses. This program, for starters, is effective in retaining existing customers. On top of that, it’s a smart way to make customers feel valued or appreciated.
Before you reap the benefits of a rewards or loyalty program, you need customers to become a member first. Here are five ways to increase your membership numbers:
Make Joining the Program Easy for Customers
Customers are more inclined to become part of your membership program if the joining process is simple and easy to follow. An example is to eliminate lengthy membership paper forms and replace them with a digital sign up forms.
Alternatively, you could have customers download an app. All they have to do is to save their card details and they’re all set to earning loyalty or rewards points. If you need further assistance on how to go about this, consider hiring a membership management service provider for your company.
Sweeten the Deal
Offer a bonus for customers joining your membership program. After all, a tiny bonus for your customers won’t hurt your business. If you believe that your customers need a little nudge to encourage them to sign up, offer a special but time-limited rewards bonus. A few incentives you could consider are extra discounts on all products or services, double loyalty points for a fixed period, or branded promotional freebies.
Organise an Exclusive Event
This event makes existing customers feel like they’re going to miss out on something valuable if they don’t attend. You could, for instance, launch a super sale where members enjoy huge discounts and special deals. Non-members who arrive at your store or business premises will get a chance to sign up for your loyalty program and take advantage of your wonderful offers. Apart from increasing your membership numbers, the event could increase your brand awareness.
Brand Your Loyalty Program Well
Rewards program branding is crucial in delivering a seamless experience for your existing customers. Your program is more than just an afterthought — it’s an extension of your brand responsible for increasing customer loyalty and retention.
A smart way to get started is to create an eye-catching loyalty program explainer web page. The objective is to explain the program and make customers feel special. This page should contain three important elements: How to Earn Points, How to Redeem Points, and Loyalty Tiers.
Train and Incentivise Your Sales Representatives
Your sales assistants serve as the first point of contact for your customers. Given that they’re the face of your business, they should provide customers with a highly personalised approach. Begin with a comprehensive training about your membership program. Then, get your sales team to pass the program information to customers at all points of sale.
Besides proper training, you could incentivise your sales reps for every customer that subscribes to your rewards program. Use loyalty subscriptions as part of your representative’s metrics or key performance indicators (KPI). If your sales reps hit their target, give them a sales bonus for their perseverance and effort.
These are five suggestions to increase the number of people subscribing to your rewards program. The strategy that will work for your business will ultimately depend on your brand, your products or services, and your audience.
