Retain and Engage Customers With a Loyalty Program
Faced with the many variables of owning and running a restaurant, loyalty programs are more valuable than ever to attract, engage and retain customers. A customer is always looking for more – while good food and great service are important to keeping customers coming back, having a rewards program is added value to their dining experience and will enhance the total experience of dining in your restaurant.
Nourish your diners by following these few suggestions and they will be coming back for more.
Make your rewards rewarding – Statistics tell us that guests prefer to frequent restaurants that offer a rewards program. Yet the program must be worthwhile ie; customers won’t come back on a regular basis if the reward is not corresponding to your customer’s spending ie; dine with us 10 times and get a baseball cap. Rather offer rewards that include value added to their dining experience – ie: reach 10 reward points and earn a free bottle of wine or free appetizer.
Make it fun – make earning points a game. Customers love competition. Set up a leader board to track diners who have earned the most points where it can be seen. Many customers thrive on competition and this is a fun way to keep your customers engaged.
Promote your Rewards – make sure your employees are familiar with your rewards program and how it works. Train them to be enthusiastic about the program explaining the benefits that will encourage them to participate.
Update Your Loyalty program – to maintain interest in your program keep it fresh. You might want to offer double points for those customers who refer friends or family or keep customers engaged by offering double points by sharing it on their social networks.
Cross market and Partner with other businesses – by cross marketing with like minded businesses you and your partners can benefit. This creates awareness to of your loyalty program as well as with who you are cross marketing. This can be a win-win for your customers as they can reap the benefits from your restaurant while introducing them to other complementary reward programs.
Restaurant loyalty programs are a great way to tell your customers how much they are valued. Not only are they influential in retaining their repeat business but also plays a big part in your marketing efforts to attract new customers. Be sure to create a winning loyalty program that invites newcomers, is easy to participate in and accessible to all.
