Guest post: How to create an epic loyalty program with customer reviews

This blog post was written by Okendo and shares how to level-up your loyalty program with customer reviews.

Successful brands don’t just expend resources attracting new customers. They also dedicate time and energy to nurturing the ones they already have. After all, research shows that gaining a new customer is 5-25x more expensive than retaining an existing one. 

Even improving retention rates by just 5% can make a huge difference to your bottom line. And, loyalty program software provides an effective way to celebrate your customers and make sure they feel valued. 

The challenge lies in creating a successful loyalty program for customers. If you can master this, you’ll drive significant brand value and start to see serious growth. 

This is because loyalty points are an excellent way to reward VIP customers (not all customers are driven by cold, hard cash — in fact, the majority of consumers are partial to a variety of different incentives). 

By inviting buyers to share their feedback, photos, and brand-related content in exchange for points, you can drive adoption rates for new loyalty programs and engage your most loyal customers. 

Why should you use customer reviews in exchange for loyalty points? 

Reviews are key to attracting new customers. Stats show that most consumers will seek out reviews before investing in a brand. Rewarding customers for sharing their experiences will generate more reviews which in turn boosts brand visibility. 

Making reviews the core of your loyalty program is a simple way for loyal customers to rack up their points. It’s a win-win situation. And it’s a fairly low-key way for customers to get started in a loyalty program which helps drive adoption rates for new programs. 

You’ll see a knock-on effect, too. Loyal customers are crucial for building brand trust and community. The more loyal customers you have, the better chance you have at growing your brand and reaching more markets. 

Exchanging reviews for loyalty points is an easy way to reward customers for their commitment to you. Software for loyalty programs, like LoyaltyLion, makes it really simple to set up and manage your program, and reward submissions. 

How to encourage reviews in exchange for loyalty points

So how do you encourage your most loyal customers to share their reviews in exchange for points?

1. Email marketing campaigns

Email allows you to land directly in your customers’ inboxes and soften them up with the prospect of points. Create a campaign to go out to your best customers — the ones that have spent the most with you, keep coming back, or have the highest LTV — and invite them to share their experiences.

2. Social media campaigns

Reach your customers where they’re already hanging out. Social media ads, Stories and posts are an excellent way to get on the same level as your buyers and start a conversation. From there, you can open up a discussion about their experiences and encourage them to publicly share their thoughts.

3. Create a tiered reward system

When it comes to reviews, quality is better than quantity. “Great product!!” doesn’t really tell potential buyers much. Avoid ending up in a situation where you have a mass of vague reviews but nothing of real value. Instead, reward customers that create detailed, considered and personalized reviews by showering them with more points.

4. Leverage pop-ups 

Catch customers who are in the right mindset by integrating pop-up feedback forms on your website. This helps you capture the experiences of people who are buying from you in the moment, which means their reviews will be fresh and timely. 

5. Review generation software

Okendo helps automate the review request process so you can sit back and let your loyalty programs run like clockwork. It identifies valued customers and invites them to share their experiences via a review which can then be used to populate the buying journey for future customers. 

Top tips for driving loyalty program performance with customer reviews

Ready to get in on the loyalty program action? Here are some critical do’s and don’ts to get the most out of this tactic. 

• Don’t do what Birchbox did when they suffered PR and social media kickback for dialing back their loyalty program offer. Instead, start small to ensure you get the kind of quality reviews you need, while still keeping customers happy
• Do encourage both positive and negative feedback. Transparency is key in building customer loyalty, with 95% of consumers stating that trusting a company automatically increases their loyalty levels
• Don’t disappear after a customer leaves a review. Instead follow up, thank them, and actively make product improvements based on their suggestions. 

Reviews are vital for brand growth and community

Driving the performance of your loyalty program will boost brand visibility, reward your most valued customers, and increase trust amongst your buyers. Reviews are so versatile for this purpose — not only do they allow customers to share their experiences and product suggestions, but they can be used to populate pages throughout the buyer’s journey to convert future shoppers. 

Rewarding customers who share valuable reviews is a low-effort way to cement trust, gain incredibly valuable insights about your brand and products, and turn loyal customers into your biggest brand advocates. 

Learn more about how Okendo can help automate the review request process and help you build a thriving community around your brand.