In loyalty it is important to understand the full relationship with your customer. Businesses are constantly seeking strategies to bridge the gap between online engagement and tangible sales. One key goal of a loyalty programme is to build brand advocacy and a simple way of achieving this is by intertwining the power of social media with your loyalty programme. Such an integration not only enhances customer experience, but also boosts brand visibility and engagement. Social media integration is much more prevalent in B2C than it is in B2B, however we think that it has a really valid place in the customer experience. A high proportion of your customers will start their search for new products and providers using social channels, word of mouth and online referrals.

Here's how you can effectively integrate your loyalty programme with social media:

The Power of Peer Recommendations

Your customers will easily be able to see which of their network already likes, follows or interacts with your business on social media, so using this to nudge members into joining will have a big impact on customer numbers.

Social Sign-ups

Make it easy for users to join your loyalty programme directly from social platforms. By doing so, you can reduce friction points and capitalise on impulse sign-ups.

Reward Social Actions

Loyalty programmes need to go beyond just rewarding transactions to truly generate customer loyalty. Think about how you can reward social actions such as:

• Sharing your content
• Referring friends via social platforms
• Writing reviews
• Engaging with polls or quizzes
• Participating in hashtag campaigns

According to a 2021 study by PwC, 45% of consumers said they were more likely to be loyal to a brand that actively engages with them on social media. This indicates that brands that actively use social media to interact with their customers, share valuable content, and respond to inquiries can build stronger customer loyalty.

Exclusive Social Media Offers

Promote exclusive deals or reward opportunities on your social media channels. These exclusive offers can serve as a double incentive – for following you on social platforms and for participating in the loyalty programme.

Showcase Loyalty Member Testimonials

Highlight positive reviews and testimonials from your most loyal customers; when others see real members benefiting, they'll be more inclined to join.

Gamified Engagement

Use both your loyalty programme and social media to create gamified experiences. Challenges, quizzes, or contests can drive engagement and offer loyalty rewards as prizes; you can then get members to join the programme to claim any rewards.

Personalised Engagement with Chatbots

You might not have a big enough customer service team to manage interactions so why not integrate AI-powered chatbots into your social platforms to answer queries about the loyalty programme, guide users on how to earn more points, or to update them on their current status.

Highlight Redemption Stories

Showcase stories of members redeeming their loyalty points. Whether it's a free product, a huge discount, or an exclusive event, it serves as proof of the programme's tangible benefits. The point of redemption is a critical time to engage with members, as they are now seeing the value of the programme, and are more likely to share feedback and stories positively.

Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

Encourage members to share their experiences or products using a unique hashtag. Featuring this content on your stories, reels and in your communications, gives them a sense of contribution and recognition, highlighting their value to you as a brand.

Seamless Integration with Social Shopping

With platforms like Instagram enabling shopping features, make sure that your loyalty programme is seamlessly integrated. Try and allow users to earn and redeem points while shopping directly from social media. The opportunity here will depend on how your ecommerce capabilities are set up, but consider how you can incorporate this on your roadmap, as it will become more of a necessity in the future.

In Conclusion

Social media offers a great platform to engage with customers and members in a personal way, generating a sense of community and value. By integrating your loyalty programme into this space, you can tap into this massive potential, driving both loyalty and social engagement. The key lies in creating experiences that are rewarding, engaging, and shareable, as well as also being able to measure actions to drive behaviours.