It’s been a while since we’ve been asked to develop a loyalty program for businesses. Of course, we regularly perform very specific interventions that employ direct marketing (traditional or web) such as loyalty techniques. But a loyalty program which integrates planning, the development of marketing tools and their execution is less frequent!
And yet, this is the type of mandate that I enjoy because it’s a challenge that comes from “the science of marketing.” Yes, creativity has its place, but in terms of percentage of efforts allotted to a loyalty program, it has nothing to do with “that works” or “that doesn’t work.” What’s important is the data and what you do with it. Or better yet, what you can do with it! Any good marketing expert will tell you: database rich in relevant information for both marketing and sales, updated regularly and in the hands of a good analyst and a good strategist, allows for a company to make rapid progress.
Once this concept is understood, you can begin your project. One of the most important steps is that of sales analysis. This is where business rules are applied in order to check trends concerning buying behavior and the product/market pair, the most or least popular services or products, profit margins, etc. This step is the basis for what follows:
- Customer survey
- Client segmentation and micro segmentation
- Competitive environment analysis
- Strategy
- Tool development
- Execution
- Performance measurement and optimisation for each segment
One thing is certain: rigor, discipline and follow-up are essential criteria for success. Creativity and execution will follow with a dedicated team.
