Securing the Goody Bag: How to Celebrate Your Customer and Amplify Your Business with Brand Rewards

Turning new customers into loyal clientele is how most small businesses are playing their long game – finding success along the way as they assemble a repeat client list. Building a customer base from the ground up starts with ensuring that customers remember your brand and are satisfied with the services you are providing. That happens by breaking the veil of transactions to find out their true thoughts and feelings about your business and the part your brand plays in their life. It’s a symbiotic relationship, the interests of customers, and your own prospects as a small business owner. Their opinions are expressed through the business they bring to you, while your gratitude for their business is expressed with a myriad of brand rewards that best celebrate their loyalty and solidify your relationship.

Build-A-Brand

Loyalty-based reward programs incentivize purchases so that your customers feel like they’re getting something back, even when they’re the ones doing the spending. Buy ten, get one free. Spend x dollars, get a free T-shirt. The psychology of these programs is based in trust. Customers want to trust that their money is being spent on a business they believe in. In turn, their allegiance to you can be rewarded with a mutually beneficial part of branded bonuses.

• Identify the factors that drive your customer base’s loyalty. Is it a specific price point? The quality of your product or service in comparison to the direct competitors? This will help you to develop the best possible incentivized loyalty program. 
• Collect useful data from customers. Synergize your data collection by using your web site, email platform, social media handles, and live events as information sources. 
• Select a program model best suited for your brand. Will you offer a specialized product? Premium customer service? Special events for your most loyal customers to come together and become a loyal community?
• Design the program in a manner that makes it unique to your brand, making it difficult for competitors to potentially duplicate – which, in turn, will prevent customers from shopping at competitor businesses.
• Use the benefits and privileges of the program to drive cumulative revenue, being sure to stay informed of your customers’ purchasing behaviors.
• Consider adding partners to the program, offering them additional incentives or access to your customer base.
• Formalize the program and give it an accessible name for customers to easily remember.

Brand New Attitude

Once you have an understanding of your clientele, it’s time to formulate a plot, as they say. Use your customer information, then, to develop a reward program that fits your needs as well, one that motivates positive customer behavior and enhances your brand’s image.

• Avoid putting more into your reward program than what you will see upon return. Be crystal clear about the goals you are trying to achieve and design the program accordingly. 
• Bring rewards into the orbit of your brand’s overarching strategy. High-end businesses tend to dole out high-end rewards. Make sure the rewards you choose are fitting for your business. 
• Communicate the rules clearly. Ensure customers have an understanding of what they get out of your loyalty program, how it is beneficial to them, and why you appreciate their business.

You’ve Got Them in the (Goody) Bag

So, you’ve secured your returning customer base with a loyalty-based program tailored to both their buying habits and their desired rewards. Now comes the exciting part: giving them the benefits.

• Branded shirts are a great way to share specialized items with your customers while working double-time to have some (almost) free-of-charge advertising. You can even ask your customers to share their swag via social media using a specialized hashtag. Other branded merchandise might include water bottles, coffee cups with clever sayings, or other promotional products.
• Host a special event in collaboration with an entertainment venue. These private events might include special discounts on tickets to sporting events, concerts, or even theme parks.
• Offer your most loyal customers direct exclusive discounts and access to items not available to the general public. This might even include extra specialized customer service experiences.