Customer loyalty continues to evolve. Today’s consumers must be catered towards when it comes to their brand experience. In a digital-first environment, where a plethora of options are available at their fingertips, consumers know their worth – and will become disloyal to a brand should they not receive the experience they are looking for.
This creates significant competition between brands, and customer loyalty has never been more important. According to the Customer Service Institute, 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. It is clear that retention plays an integral role in business success. But how can brands create loyalty? First impressions matter. Engaging and attracting consumers in the first instance, providing them with an unparalleled experience in their very first interaction, gives brands the opportunity to develop long-term relationships early on. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is through the combination of interactive content and loyalty programs.
Creating engagement with interactive content
Traditional, static content only supports linear, one-way communication with potential customers, and limits marketing campaigns in their ability to attract and engage target audiences, ultimately, negatively impacting results. Measuring success through website visits or impressions does not provide the full picture of a campaign, and fails to explain the lack of further engagement and return on investment (ROI).
By leveraging interactive content, such as quizzes or games, brands gain access to useful information about their audience. Organisations can collect zero and first-party data of participants, by offering certain rewards in exchange for information, brands can then begin to segment and more accurately target leads without the need for third-party cookies. This is especially important as we are experiencing a shift towards a cookieless world.
Interactive content provides consumers with simple, fun and rewarding activities which then provide brands with useful, actionable feedback. Quizzes, polls and competitions engage potential customers immediately. From here, organisations are perfectly positioned to drive long-term customer retention.
How to create a bond
One of the key benefits of interactive content is that brands can reward consumers through loyalty programs for their participation before they have even made a purchase.
Customer loyalty is a result of the confidence consumers have in the brand and its product. A good way of learning about the target audience and creating a bond between the organisation and the customer is by creating interaction based on common values, which are closely related to the business activities. This kind of activity creates a genuine interest in brand messaging and triggers more in-depth communication.
Making customer loyalty last
Once converted, brands can entice their existing customers back through a variety of actions. One of the most important factors in creating a long-term bond involves earning their trust, not only their money. By giving regular and relatively easy-to-achieve rewards, customers will feel more connected and engaged with the company. Brands must also actively engage with their entire audience, illustrating to them the advantages of being part of a loyalty programme.
In the end, consumers want to feel like they are a part of a community. By creating that for them, customers will begin to feel a connection with a brand, creating trust and meaningful relationships, and ultimately, spending more money.
Once consumers have earned rewards, they are then more likely to become purchasing customers, where they can continue to earn loyalty points and grow their relationship with brands through rewards and accurate marketing
This type of programme speaks to a wider audience base, not just paying customers. It also rewards all types of interactions, not just purchases. Loyalty programmes are about engaging with the brand’s community throughout their whole journey, not only when they buy a product, but also rewarding their engagement as well as their spending.
However, the interactivity involved must have clear and simple rules as well as well-segmented and relevant levels that are easy to achieve, allowing for quick and easy ways of earning rewards. Otherwise, if they are too difficult, consumers are less likely to continue participating. Furthermore, a wide variety of rewards will always encourage customers to want to engage with the interactive part of a loyalty programme.
Overall, the loyalty programmes that work are the ones that take customers into account and not just their wallets.
