Introduction
Keeping customers engaged and interested in your rewards program is key to the success of your program.These guidelines will help to boost your overall rewards program performance.
Overview
Step 1: Make your program visible
If you want customers to engage with your program, they need to know it exists and be able to find it! As a result, poor visibility is a leading cause of low engagement rates.
There are a couple of things you can do to make your program more visible:
1. Set up a homepage banner or call-to-action.
Since your homepage is where most new customers start getting to know your brand, it's the perfect place to advertise your program. The best part about homepage CTAs is that they don't have to be fancy. A simple banner at the top of the page will grab your customer's attention and direct them to learn more about your program.
2. Include it in email marketing campaigns. Email is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your customers and let them know about the value your program has to offer.
If you just launched your program:
Let your customers know that you started a rewards program
Describe the benefits of joining by answering the question "what's in it for me?"
Explain how customers can earn rewards
Invite them to join with a clear call-to-action button that links to your account creation page
Example:
If you already have an existing program:
Consistently remind customers that you have a rewards program
Explain how customers can earn rewards
Invite them to join or learn more with a clear call-to-action button that links to your account creation/program page
Example:
Both of these campaigns give customers a reason to care that you have a program and create a sense of excitement they can't wait to be a part of!
📝 Smile Pro Tip: If you're on the Starter plan and above, you can easily put together an amazing email marketing campaign with any of our exciting email service provider Smile Apps.
Step 2: Set up meaningful rewards.
Customers won't want to participate in your program if they don't find your rewards valuable. For example, if you run frequent 20% off sales, a 5% off reward isn't very valuable for your members.
Understanding what your customers want from your rewards program is critical to designing rewards that they actually want to earn.
Some popular rewards are:
Dollars off coupons
Percentage off coupons
Free shipping
Free products
Offer a variety of rewards to keep customers interested in what your program has to offer. Giving them a choice of how to redeem their points will allow them to engage with your program in the way that makes the most sense for them.
📝 Smile Pro Tip:
You can monitor whether your members are finding your rewards motivating by viewing the Rewards Issued metric in Smile Analytics.
Step 3: Keep your rewards attainable.
There are few things more demotivating than rewards that seem unattainable. For example, if a customer is required to make ten purchases and complete all of your other earning actions just to earn your program's first reward, they're not likely to participate.
Keep your program and its rewards desirable by setting challenging but realistic thresholds for each of your rewards. This will not only increase the likelihood of customers earning and redeeming rewards, but also improve your program's overall customer experience.
📝 Smile Pro Tip:
If you are running a points program, offer welcome points and birthday points as easy ways to boost each customer's points balance. This will push them closer to their next reward goal, improving their opinion of your program's value.
What's next?
Is my rewards program set up correctly?
Learn more