GiftCard Partners Blog

When a company used to create a marketing plan the process was more of an art than a science.  Information was gathered, numbers were crunched, and then essentially, one would go with their gut. Creating a marketing plan today is more of a science.  With all the data we are able to receive from point of sale, credit cards, loyalty care, and social media platforms, marketing has transformed and we are given a new look into consumer insights.

When employees are motivated, happy at work and supportive of a company's mission they can make the best brand advocates. In the age of social media, 24/7 news cycles and constant media messages
, it is important to have brand advocates that will evangelize your brand and its mission. Since brands don't have social capital, you need people working for you, willing to put their social capital behind your brand. Employee brand advocacy can provide a variety of social benefits including:

Achieving customer loyalty is no doubt one of the biggest challenges our clients face…it’s a moving target. Not only are consumer needs evolving by the day, but retail marketing is impacted by new consumer technologies, for online and brick-and-mortar buying. We have a general picture of how technology is effecting our brand content flow, buying experience, and rewards and loyalty – we are consumers ourselves and we participate in one or all of these brand experiences every day. But how are these technologies effecting our clients? They are retailers and merchants who partner with us to promote their gift cards in programs such as customer loyalty, engagement, and rewards. They are on the front lines of technology evolution, retail marketing, and customer loyalty and engagement and their challenges are multiplied by selling in the B2B marketplace. Check out the
Ten Ways Technology Can Enable Customer Loyalty Infographic posted on the Huffington Post online. Click image to enlarge >>

A positive customer experience is something that every company strives for on a daily basis; experience is the main driver for loyalty. Happy customers are loyal customers and loyal customers are brand advocates. Oracle released a global survey of 1,300 senior-level executives from 18 countries that yielded new insights on succeeding in the ‘customer service era.’ Key findings from the survey included:

Promo Marketing released an article this week that gave some insight into customer loyalty and the need for revolution. The simple, straight forward formula they offer does not necessarily lead you to the customer loyalty "pot of gold" but it's definitely a treasure map. Introducing, The 3 R's. Reward, Recognition, Relevance These three words should be constantly intertwined with the term customer loyalty, but how well are they being implemented? Maybe another ‘R’ word will catch your attention...Repetition. Reward, Recognition, Relevance The
Reward can be as simple as a Thank You. Thanking your customers for their loyalty to your brand or business is easy and inexpensive. Try giving them a discount, a chance to earn points, or rewarding the women in your office with a gift card to The Limited or the men in your office with a gift card to AutoZone.
Recognition is a way the show your customer that you appreciate them for choosing your brand or business when they could have just as easily gone to your competitor. Lastly,
Relevance is key. In a day in age that throws more information at customers than pick-up lines at a singles bar, you could be reaching a customer who is overwhelmed and exhausted; the last thought in their mind being to process your message. So, keep it relevant, put yourself in front of the eyes that want to see you. Don't try playing football at a baseball game. As hard as it might be to practice, quality is better than quantity in the case of customer loyalty. Remember the 3 R’s and it could put you on the track to success.
Read more on The Three ‘R’s to Successful Customer Loyalty, here.