Before you start a customer loyalty program, or if you are evaluating your existing program, consider the 3 C’s of Loyalty. These are essential components to any loyalty marketing program and can provide you a structure to build from.
Capture: The foundation of a good customer loyalty program is collecting customer data by offering your customers a reason to give it to you. A customer rewards program gives your customers a reason to complete a form that provides you all the relevant data and contact information to effectively manage a loyalty marketing program.
If you are going to ask customers to enroll in your program, it is suggested to train your wait staff to present the program and ask for them to complete the form PRIOR to them receiving their meal and offer them immediate gratification for enrolling. One idea is to offer a free soft drink if they enroll at that time. Partner with you soda provider to give you free product to absorb your cost in exchange for putting their logo on your rewards card.
Communicate: Once you have the information what do you do with it? You communicate WITH your customers on and ongoing basis vs. talking TO them with unspecific and generic direct marketing. A key feature of the nTouch Loyalty program is that if delivers automated emails to your loyalty program members on key occasions: A Welcome Email sent once a customer enrolls. A Birthday email sent the day before a member’s birthday. An Anniversary email sent every year on the date they enrolled in the program. And 3 Inactive Customer Emails sent when a customers has not visited for 30, 60 and 90 days.
The key to communicating is making your message specific, relevant and valuable. Make them feel important for being part of your program and give them special perks they simply couldn’t get otherwise. Say on top of their mind all the time.
Calculate: Anything worth marketing is worth measuring. As with all your marketing activities make sure that you measure everything you do. Test, Measure, Evaluate. This is a key formula for marketing success. In loyalty marketing it is important to measure reward redemptions and the effectiveness they are having on specific customers, the return on your marketing communications and to compare your group of loyalty program customers vs. your business as a whole.
If you would like more information on loyalty marketing or the nTouch Loyalty program visit
www.ntouchloyalty.com or
www.restaurantpartner.com. A complete Gift Card and Loyalty Marketing program from nTouch costs only $3.16 per day and includes a free registration to restaurantpartner.com.
