The moment a new customer walks in to your business they begin to experience your brand. Everything about the interaction they have with you will leave an impression that will either encourage them to return or send them on to one of your competitors next time. You have a limited opportunity to turn them into a regular customer and having a point of sale system that integrates a seamless loyalty marketing program can give you a great advantage.

When you put some strategy behind the power of software to automate your outreach and calls to action, you are much more likely to succeed. Here at Marketing 360 Payments we know you are always thinking about how to stay ahead of your competitors and we want to be your partner in those efforts. So, we’ve put together some simple rules that will help you create a successful loyalty program your customers will love.

Train employees to inform and invite.

Enrolling customers is the responsibility of your employees, so make sure they are well informed about the perks of your loyalty program and how to efficiently register people. The approach is key – the pitch should sound like an invite, not another sale.

Decide if you’ll make it time sensitive.

If you are using a loyalty marketing software like Thirdshelf, then setting up how and when you’ll offer rewards is easy to do. Sometimes offering a time sensitive reward like a discount for the next 24 hours is a great way to reward your regulars as you know they’ll be more likely to take advantage of it if they are in a habit of coming in. If you are using the segmenting feature in your loyalty marketing software then you can target customers that come in more than once a week with a time sensitive discount. For new guests offer them a bonus gift the next time they come in.

Speak to lifestyle.

No one likes to be sold, so remember that when you plan outreach to your customers. Provide a broader context for how your product fits into their lifestyle. How do you do that?

• Include great photos of people using your products.
• Send tips for caring for their latest purchase.
• Create content that is relevant to your customers’ hobbies and interests.

Understand what your customers’ value.

The fastest way to kill a loyalty program is by offering rewards that are complicated to redeem or that your customers don’t care about. Never miss an opportunity to learn something about your customers by carefully watching the information you receive when your software automatically segments purchases. Frequency, sale vs. full price purchases, amount of average sale and brand selections will all tell you something valuable about what your customer cares about. Make adjustments as you go instead of waiting to pull the trigger until you feel you have mounds of data. A well-integrated software will power your POS to show you the roadmap to success.

The team at Marketing 360 Payments is ready to help your business grow richer. We’ll make sure that the point of sale system you are running is the best choice for your business and that you understand the tools that can help grow your business. Contact a Marketing 360 Payments Account Executive now to get started.

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Are Loyalty Programs Worth It?

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