Why SMS is the perfect match for your loyalty program
Loyal customers are worth their weight in gold. And SMS is a brilliant way to nurture them.
Let’s start with the facts. Members of customer loyalty programs are 75% more likely to buy something else from you after you’ve given them a reward. Plus, your loyal customers spend 67% more than new customers.
As well as these bottom-line benefits, loyal customers become a handy extension of your marketing team – spruiking the best bits about your business to all their friends and family. We’re talking money-can’t-buy referrals.
Question is, how do you make sure they stay loyal? With a stellar loyalty program, that’s how. And, these days, this means SMS.
Acquiring a new customer is 5-25X more expensive than retaining a current one.
Source: HubSpot
Why SMS is the perfect match for loyalty programs
Your customers are busy people. There’s no point inviting them into a loyalty program that makes it hard for them to redeem rewards. That’ll only frustrate them. Instead, you want to make things as simple as possible. And simplicity means SMS.
Hands down, SMS is the easiest way to get in touch. People always have their phones on them, and they’re quick to pick up a message. So quick, in fact, that 90% of text messages are read within 90 seconds. Boom.
And the best bit? SMS is a super cost-effective way to connect with your customers – with SMS Broadcast, for example, it costs as little as 3.7 cents per message.
How to get started with an SMS loyalty program
First things first. You need phone numbers. If you’ve only got your customers’ email addresses, then send them an email asking to share their phone number and opt-in to SMS rewards. Explain the perks of SMS and consider offering an introductory incentive for them to sign up.
For new customers, add a phone number field to your online checkout, with an opt-in checkbox on the form. If you’ve also got a physical store, then ask for customers’ phone numbers when they pay.
Next, you’ll need a platform to send bulk SMS from. A platform that makes it as easy as pie for you to schedule, automate, and send text messages to your loyal customers (hint: SMS Broadcast has you covered here).
Finally, it’s time to hatch a plan for what your loyalty program looks like, and when to send out messages. For example, do you give loyal customers a monthly discount? A birthday treat? Savings when they spend over a certain amount? Once you’ve got your plan in hand, it’s time to write those text messages.
Inspo for your text-based loyalty messages
Now that you’re ready to go with your SMS loyalty program, here are some sample text messages to get you inspired.
1. The feel-good welcome message
Make sure your first message to loyal customers leaves a warm glow. You want people to feel good about getting texts from you. Kind words, coupled with an introductory deal or offer, should do the trick.
2. The everyone-loves-a-discount message
Does your loyalty program involve the occasional treat, deal or discount? Use SMS to spread the word quickly and cost-effectively to all your loyal customers.
3. The spend-and-save message
Who doesn’t love getting their tenth coffee for free? Giving your customers something for free once they spend over a certain amount is a popular loyalty perk.
4. The happy-birthday-to-you message
Tap into those feel-good birthday vibes with a cute message and gift. Hook your SMS program up with your CRM to automate the sending of birthday messages to your loyal customers.
Ready to go?
Try for freeGet a free trial of SMS Broadcast, with 25 SMS credits, to test and run an SMS loyalty program for your customers.
