In this article we’ll explain how to use our loyalty calendar to run the best possible loyalty promotions. If you haven’t got your copy of the loyalty calendar yet, then download it here.
In order to drive the greatest performance from your loyalty promotions, it’s important to consider:
Let’s explore how to use the loyalty calendar more effectively.
How your loyalty promotions tie into wider marketing activities
Loyalty promotions can be perfectly effective when run as standalone activities. However, if you don’t explore whether or not you can tie them into wider marketing activities then you miss an opportunity to increase exposure for both your promotion and your program as a whole. If you can combine your loyalty promotions with broader marketing initiatives then you increase the chances of your promotion being included on social media, in adverts and in emails outside of your program.
There are multiple ways to tie your loyalty promotions into wider Marketing plans.
Combining loyalty promotions with product launches
Your Marketing team are likely to have a view on the comms they plan to send out around new products or collections going live through the year. Ensure that you’re aware of these launches, and integrate them into your loyalty promotion plans. This will help to drive exposure for the new items being launched, but also increase the performance of the launch campaign as a whole.
Combining loyalty promotions with company milestones
Everybody loves a celebration, so look for opportunities to celebrate your company milestones with loyalty promotions. Whether it’s your 1000th customer, you’re 10th birthday or your 100th employee, there are lots of opportunities to tell the great story of your growth, and use a loyalty promotion to thank your loyal customers for their part in it. If you’re lacking milestones, you can always get creative and bring them about yourself through competitions - for example, incentivize customers to follow you on social media and then celebrate hitting the 10k follower mark.
Combining loyalty promotions with seasonal events
Once upon a time we only celebrated traditional holidays and Marketers had short windows to get all their promotions out there amidst a lot of noise. Now, there is a special day to celebrate something almost every day, from World Health Day in April, to National Ice Cream Day in July, to World Animal Day in October. This creates plentiful opportunities to launch loyalty promotions on days that align with your brand and the products you’re selling. This gives you more chances to stand out from the crowd and run promotions at times when other brands aren’t - a far more effective approach than only running promotions during seasonal sales when all other brands are too.
What kinds of loyalty promotion are most effective and when?
Ultimately, it’s your decision which loyalty promotions you run, and when. However, there are certain types of promotions that we recommend deploying in specific circumstances.
Double/triple points periods
Double or triple points promotions are used to enable loyalty program members to earn more points over a defined period of time. They are extremely effective as an alternative to discounts, as a way to drive sales, and as a way to build up points balances so customers return to buy again sooner.
We recommend using double or triple points promotions if you are running a blanket promotion across a larger volume of products for an extended period of time rather than on one day - for example, over the Black Friday Cyber Monday sales period. We also recommend using these promotions when you know people could be shopping for an occasion over a period of time for example in the run up to valentines day or Mother’s Day.
Bonus point promotions
Bonus point promotions allow you to reward customers with additional points on top of those they would receive for a purchase normally. They can be applied to specific products or collections, or used more widely and it’s up to you what multiplier you want to use for each promotion.
We recommend using bonus points promotions for shorter, sharper promotions - for example a one day promotion tying into a relevant holiday or celebration.
We also recommend deploying bonus points promotions when you are trying to drive sales of a particular product or collection. This could be a new product you’ve launched and want to promote, or it could be an old product with excess inventory that you need to sell.
How to map out your loyalty promotions
When it comes to planning your loyalty promotions, there are a key things to take into consideration:
Timing of your promotions
Are you planning enough promotions to keep customers engaged with your program and feeling rewarded?
Are your promotions evenly spaced so that customers will not become overwhelmed, and your profit margins will not suffer?
Are you making the most of unique opportunities where there won’t be too many other brands deploying promotions at the same time?
Are you picking dates that allow you to make promotions really relevant to your brand, rather than generic days or days that don’t seem as authentic?
Who can access your promotions
Are the promotions you’re planning relevant to all of your customers, or could you segment and send only to those most likely to engage?
Could the promotions you’re planning work to re-engage at-risk or churned customers as well as your loyal customer base?
Who else can support your promotions
Can your loyalty promotions be distributed via social media, social ads and email or will there be a calendar conflict?
Are your helpdesk staff aware of the promotion and could they be pushing loyalty program members towards particular products or collections?
Are there in-store staff who should be made aware of your loyalty promotions?
Do you need help planning your loyalty promotions?
Need a hand thinking through your loyalty promotions? We’re here to help - just contact support@loyaltylion.com.