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Following the rise of digitalisation, social media has played an active role in refreshing the pre-existing approach to online loyalty programmes. Within contemporary society, the reason that popular platforms have been able to thrive in relation to business opportunities is because of that fact that they can be delivered directly to the user.
Due to this, we’re going to consider what social media offers companies who are looking to expand their audience. In addition, we’ll also look at how numerous platforms have sought to change the general approach to reward programmes.
What Does Social Media Bring to the Table?
As of 2019, there were approximately 45 million active social media users across the entirety of the United Kingdom. Because of this, there are now more business-related opportunities than ever before, which can be enhanced using various social media platforms. Primarily, some of the sector’s most influential players, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are frequently used by organisations as they assist in extending the reach of a business. Moreover, due to the fact that each of the above platforms is free in relation to signing up, they also provide a cost-effective route to consistent consumer engagements.
One of the most vital aspects of delivering a consumer-focused loyalty programme that will maintain a growing audience base is through providing consistent content. Due to the nature of social media websites, it provides the foundations for both business owners and platform users to get the most from reward schemes. For example, if companies continue to create engaging content that rewards users for either comments, likes, or shares, then those consumers are likely to remain loyal in the knowledge that their custom is being appreciated.
How Has it Changed the Way We Work with Loyalty Programmes?
From a business standpoint, the popularity of social media has altered the way companies are promoting their products and services, as well as their loyalty schemes. Instead of seeking to market across each and every available platform, some businesses, such as Bliss, a beauty organisation, focus primarily on the potentials of specific platforms as they, for example, reward customers for following their Instagram account.
In this sense, the direction that social media has taken regarding reward programmes is similar to that of the iGaming sector, who have long sought to provide an incentivised user experience. A review of Zodiac from Bonus.net.nz states that new users are rewarded for signing-up in the form of a welcome package that includes free spins. Similarly to Bliss, the above beauty company, delivering rewards for digitally registering an interest in a business is a popular method of growing a consumer base.
The growth and implementation of social media loyalty schemes have played a pivotal role in the future development of such programmes, with Facebook even trialling a digital system that provided discounts on in-store purchases. While the concept is yet to be completed, with suggestions that it may never fully come to fruition, the idea was centred around providing their users for logging in with discounts and other various rewards at participating stores.
Convenience and Simplicity at the Heart of the Social Media Loyalty Revival
Ultimately, in modern-day society, centring the core of a loyalty programme around social media engagement is an effective way of both increasing and retaining a business’ customer base. Because of the sheer volume of social media users within the UK, developing a like-based system, for example, which incentivises interaction is both highly beneficial from a business and consumer standpoint.