Whenever I talk of loyalty marketing, I almost first hear the public is overwhelmed by the major loyalty programs! If so, why does nearly everyone else do it? Can they not count? For example, I went to a small car parts shop today and was told of their loyalty program. The same happened when I went to a homeware shop. The homeware shop was in a big shopping centre. You might think they do not need a loyalty program as the major loyalty program brings customers in the centre, but they were keen to sign me up too. They even offered a $10 discount to sign up on my first buy.
Loyalty marketing works. That is why retailers use it.
The most successful technique in loyalty marketing is *Birthday Marketing*.
It is so simple to do with our loyalty program. Put in the customer's birthday when entering them into the loyalty program. Although it is much better to use their actual birthday if they do not tell you, make it an anniversary date with their joining date. You can always correct it later if they point it out. Do not worry if it's the wrong date. It will work almost as well anyway. Once done, they enrol on your customer's birthday program. This will allow them to receive special offers and discounts on your products and services on their birthday.
Several years ago, when we did a calculation, we saw about 25% success with our clients in our clients. Here are some figures from Experian which show a higher figure.
) People buy on birthdays
) Birthdays are all year round
To do Birthday marketing, you must send a simple 'Happy Birthday' message. It will be appreciated and read. Almost everybody reads these emails. To start, here is a simple email to send, which I am sure you can improve to your needs with little effort.
Happy Birthday Email
Happy birthday, <name of customer>
Thank you for being with us. We want to make your birthday as memorable as possible. To celebrate, we're are <something>.
We appreciate everything you do for us and hope you have a wonderful day and year!
Wishing you all the best,
The friendly crew at <your shop>
Set up here.
Then towards the end of the month, send a VIP email or letter to all your clients who have birthdays next month with your birthday email.
Start now!
Tips For Creating A Great Customer Birthday Program
- Try to make the emails personalized with the subscriber's name.
-Send emails a few weeks before their actual birthday and then again about their birthday. Two hits are better then one.
-Use a special offer or a voucher rather than a discount percentage. They are more like a present.
-If you have a website, include a link to a particular page with a few items or offers. If what you offer did not appeal may be something on that page that will appeal.
-Track the results, so you will know how well it goes for you. Our enhanced targeted, data-driven marketing reports let you know.
I doubt you will stop once you start it, as the cost is almost zero and it will produce sales.
