Crucial and Effective Ways to Promote Your Sales Promotions & Loyalty Programs

By now, you're no doubt well aware of the wide array of benefits that sales promotions and loyalty programs bring with them to businesses of all shapes and sizes. People want to be loyal to the brands that they love—but at the same time, they're not going to do it out of the kindness of their own hearts. They want this relationship that they're forging to be a two way street, which means they expect a little something in return for their patronage.

For years, loyalty programs have been a way to accomplish precisely that, and many organizations have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success as a result. We all know how they work: sometimes you get points after spending a certain amount, which can then be redeemed for discounts or free products in the future. Other times people move up various tiers as they spend more money, bringing with it a higher percentage of savings on every order.

Regardless, simply instituting this type of sales promotion or loyalty program is in and of itself only one part of a much larger story. But how do you get the word out about it in an effective way that attracts the attention of your customers?

Thankfully, there are a number of crucial and effective ways to promote your sales promotions and loyalty programs that you can start using right away. They simply require you to keep some important things in mind as you execute your loyalty program promotion both online and off to make sure that your customers can reap the benefits and that you can hit those essential KPIs at the exact same time.

On-Pack Communications

By far, one of the most effective ways to promote your sales promotions and loyalty programs involves making use of on-pack communications.

If you were trying to encourage people to sign up for your loyalty program, for example, including specific step-by-step directions on the packaging of your products would be a great way to do it. Kelloggs and Starbucks are just two of the many, many examples of brands that have enjoyed success to that end. You're reaching someone after they've already made a purchase, so you know they're interested in what you have to say. If they want to take that relationship one step further, they now know exactly what they need to do so. Advertisements on product packaging are also a great way to get the word out about your programs.

In-Store Displays

In-store displays are another technique to utilize, which involves informing your customers at the point of purchase that they can participate in an exciting new program if they choose. If you walk into your average Starbucks location, the register is decorated with signage letting people know that they can earn points on every purchase just by downloading an app on their phone. Sparkling ICE and Jacklinks use similar techniques to reach their customers as this critical moment in their relationship.

Email Marketing

Of course, email marketing through your customer relationship management (CRM) program is also an effective way to raise awareness for these types of promotions. People want to be kept in the loop about what you offer and about how they might be able to save additional money—provided that you're not being overly "salesy" in the process. If you're about to launch a great new loyalty program, take to your existing email lists and let them know all the relevant details. Just make sure you frame every message in a way where it reads less like an advertisement and is more centered on "here's what participating in this program brings to you" and "here are the benefits you'll get to enjoy above and beyond what we already offer."

Digital & Social Media Ads

Beyond that, you'll also want to leverage digital ads on both traditional websites and on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Starbucks is once again another great example of a brand that has been using this successfully, as is Kelloggs (and Huggies, in the specific case of building a social media presence).

With the precise type of targeting that platforms like Google Ads and Facebook offer, you can make sure that ads for your new sales promotions and loyalty programs appear in front of the exact type of person who is likely to become your ideal customer. You can target precise demographics based on not only things like age and education, but also on where those people live as well. You can easily use these features to target your existing, satisfied customers to make sure that they know these programs exist and to get them excited about signing up as quickly as possible.

Plus, once they have a positive experience they'll be far more likely to tell their friends and family members about it, thus bringing a steady stream of new customers right to your (virtual) door.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can amp up your promotions strategy, check out our white paper: Power Up Your Promotion – The Amplification Toolbox.