Communication with your customer reward program members is key to fostering engagement. Below are 3 ways this can be done effectively.
Communicating effectively across your rewards program is very important for engagement as it strengthens the relationship between your brand and its members. There are many ways to communicate with your members, but some ways work better than others. Below are 3 effective ways to communicate with your customer reward program members.
Sending Emails
Emails are mainly used to communicate account changes and confirmations but can also be used in other ways such as sending birthday reminders, new reward offerings, welcome letters, monthly point statements, and survey notifications. Sending something as simple as a birthday reminder is a great way to make your program feel more personalized because it lets members know you appreciate them.
You can keep your customers more informed by sending out reminders that they have enough points to purchase a certain reward or are close to having enough. This also gives the opportunity to upsell since members will now be browsing your gallery and may stumble upon something else that they want. Another great reminder email to send is one that gets inactive members to come back and pay a visit to your reward program. The best way to know that your reward program is successful is if your customers are spending points and motivating them to do so is a great way to make sure they are engaging with your brand.
Sending emails that contain a tangible value such as promotions, bonus points, and discount coupon codes also provide great value to your members. It can give them the little extra points they needed to get that reward or can double as a reminder for an item they wanted to redeem at an earlier date.
Utilizing Your Newsfeed
The newsfeed is a very effective communication tool since it’s the first thing your members see when they log into their member portal. It is used to display the latest news or program updates such as upcoming promotions, available surveys, anniversaries, awards received, birthdays, and many more. It can also be used to support other means of communication such as emails, by reiterating what was said. A great example is sending out a promotions email and having a newsfeed post complementing the email by containing the same information with links to the promotion.
The main purpose of your newsfeed is to give members updates, and these should include any program updates that provide new features. You can also have your newsfeed be more personal and show unique messages to members such as happy birthdays and anniversaries. Once a good newsfeed flow is established, your members will look to at your newsfeed as an update hub and will feel more part of a community.
Using Widgets
Widgets provide the ultimate support for campaigns and other forms of communication since they are easy to use and can be positioned strategically on your dashboard. They provide a separate graphical interface that can give access to metrics or links that you feel are important for viewing. Placing widgets to support campaigns such as surveys, promotions, gallery updates, new games, and many others keep members better informed. A great example is having a widget that displays how many games and gameplays are available to support a new game campaign that your program launched.
Providing a widget with quick links to commonly viewed pages is a great way to improve your user experience as it puts the most relevant information first. Another commonly used widget is one placed at the top of the dashboard that allows program members to easily view their current points balance and earned rewards. Positioning widgets at the top of the dashboard presents users with information right away and these types of metrics create a more personalized experience. Always make sure your widgets are strategically positioned and contain relevant information to your members.
Effective communication isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Your program should already have all the tools you need, and it is up to you to implement these methods using the tools at your disposal. Sending out emails, utilizing your newsfeed, and implementing widgets works in the same manner as keeping a conversation going by getting your members to connect with your program as they would their friends or family. If used correctly, these few ways to communicate can go a long way in increasing member engagement and improving your rewards program.