Customer loyalty is not something that can be gained easily. Customers are motivated by their own objectives, and they will remain loyal to the company that can help them in achieving those objectives.
It doesn’t matter if the customer has a positive history with your company; if a competitor offers a better deal, the customer will take advantage of the opportunity to save money.
You need a strategy that gains customers and keeps those relationships in a way that fosters loyalty. The happier and more satisfied your customers are, the higher your long-term revenue will be.
With the right customer loyalty program in place, you can keep your shooting range lanes booked, target practice classes full, and incentivize the sale of handguns and firearms that would otherwise sit on the shelf.
You can also encourage your loyal customers to use your other services, such as obtaining hunting licenses, conducting background checks, registering weapons, scope mounting and bore sighting, and general gunsmith firearms repairs.
There are many methods for rewarding loyal customers. The steps outlined below can help your company in staying ahead of the competition and build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back.
Types of Loyalty Programs
1. Point Program
Point programs are the most common and simplest in the business world. They follow a simple rule: Spend more to get more.
For example, your customer receives points for every hour or dollar amount spent. They can then redeem these points in various ways, such as ammo or training class discounts.
2. Tiered Programs
A tiered loyalty reward system functions similar to a points program, with one exception. It encourages repeat purchases by rewarding initial loyalty.
It works by rewarding your customers for accumulating more points. The more points they accumulate, the higher their level of loyalty. And the better the rewards, the higher the level.
3. VIP Memberships
Customers pay a monthly or annual fee to become members of your VIP member club, which provides them with access to exclusive services, discounts, and opportunities. Your paid program should include benefits that are only available to members.
4. Referral Programs
You can implement a referral program to encourage previous customers to recommend your shooting range to their family and friends by offering them free range time or discounts. This strategy is effective for acquiring new customers, but it can also increase existing customer loyalty.
5. Cash-back Program
Cash-back programs work in the same way that reward points programs do. When a customer spends money at your shooting range, whether taking a course, purchasing ammo, or repairing their weapon, they receive a percentage of their purchase back in credit that can apply to future purchases.
Best Practices for Rewarding Loyal Customers
1. Choose a Great Name for Your Program
As the first step toward successful implementation, choose a memorable name for your customer loyalty program. You should entice customers to take part in the program by its name, which should pique their interest and distinguish it from the plethora of other loyalty programs.
2. Reward Different Customer Actions
Another way to show your commitment to customer loyalty that goes beyond purchases is to reward different actions.
Customers who interact with your mobile app, share social media content, and subscribe to your blog are still indicators that your customers are engaged with your brand. So recognize and reward them for their efforts.
3. Offer Different Rewards
Provide more value to your customers with more rewards than just discounts.
If a customer spends a certain amount or accumulates a certain number of loyalty points, they can choose to redeem them for free time at the range, free ammo, or even charitable donations in their name.
4. Ensure The Points Are Valuable
If you’re going to ask customers to sign up for your customer loyalty program, make it worth their while in terms of points. If you ask for more of your customers, provide them with something valuable in exchange to ensure that the reward matches the effort spent.
5. Match Rewards With Your Customers’ Values
Customers are more willing to spend their money on brands and companies that take a stand on social and political issues that are important to them. Ensure that you incorporate those values into your rewards program.
6. Promote Your Programs
Once your customer loyalty program is up and running, make certain that your customers are aware of its benefits. You could put the number of points they could earn next to the price of their tickets.
Another option is to promote the program on social media and send push notifications to customers when they do something that earns them points.
Boost The Effectiveness of Your Loyalty Programs With Text Messages
Traditional loyalty programs have a low level of engagement. Customers may take part once or twice before putting it out of sight and mind until you send them an email reminder.
While rewards and incentives are essential to customer loyalty programs, customers want more than just points. They expect you to personalize your offers and provide a more customized experience.
This is where texting comes into play. Delivering your loyalty program via SMS allows you to reach out to your customers, differentiate yourself from competitors, and solve the problem of low engagement.
Otter can help track your check-ins for every customer to push text message rewards to your customers quickly. And if you don’t know what to say in your messages, here are 20 free shooting range SMS samples to inspire you!
Signup today and start your increasing sales.
