Set your foundation first
Ensure you’ve laid the groundwork for your program before diving into execution best practices. Make sure you’ve answered the following questions covered in the lesson “Set the foundation for your loyalty program” to make sure you’re ready to go:
- What does success look like for my program?
- What types of rewards will I offer?
- Am I migrating over from another provider, and if so, what should I do?
Engage your VIPs with mobile messaging
Your VIPs are your most special audience, and you should communicate with them in a way that makes them feel valued. Use text messages or push notifications for exclusive loyalty communications to accomplish this.
Set expectations for your VIP communications
Ensure that your VIPs know to expect their exclusive communications via text message or by push notification. Tweak your welcome flow by adding a conditional split for text or push consent, and tell non-subscribers to opt-in so they don’t miss out on rewards.
Write clearly, concisely, and follow through on promises
Mobile messaging is more direct and personal than email. Craft your messages with the appropriate tone and context for a VIP customer, and deliver your incentives and exclusives in a timely fashion.
Utilize personalization where applicable
Talk to each VIP like you know them. Use personalization tags to make each message read like it was tailored just for them.
Create a dedicated space for VIP interaction
When nurturing your VIPs, it’s important to create a forum for them to connect with one another over shared interests, your business, and your products.
Pick your platform
There are many different tools and platforms you can use to host a VIP space. Common ones include Facebook groups or community forum platforms. Select your tool and communicate clear ground rules and expectations upfront.
Engage in discussions with VIPs
Don’t leave the lively conversation to just your customers. By actively responding to their feedback, and showing your appreciation for their participation, you help strengthen these relationships even more.
Reward community participation
To encourage more community discussion, consider rewarding participation with incentives, like discounts, free shipping, or a complementary product.
Add nurture touchpoints throughout the customer journey
VIP communications far surpass just delivering rewards and incentives. Rather, you should ensure that your communication touches each part of the customer journey, from getting them into your program to winning them back when they’re lapsing.
Captivate them as they’re approaching the VIP threshold
Depending on your specific VIP criteria, you can set up flows that trigger when a customer is close to your VIP threshold. Send them a message letting them know they’re close to unlocking benefits, and what they should do next to qualify.
Impress from the start with a VIP-specific welcome flow
Build a VIP-specific welcome flow to welcome new VIPs, introduce your program, deliver any sign-up incentives, and encourage them to take their next action.
Create a winback flow for lapsing VIPs
When a VIP is becoming a churn risk, send them personalized winback messages reminding them of the irreplaceable value of your brand and loyalty program.
Personalize larger sends for your VIP audience
The way you communicate with your VIPs can and should extend past only VIP-exclusive messages. Use Klaviyo tools to personalize your broader sends so they resonate with your most loyal customers, too.
Use show or hide template blocks
Within your weekly newsletters, large product drops, and sales announcements, consider adding show/hide content to include VIP-relevant language and content, like point reminders or references to previously purchased products.
Keep things streamlined with omnichannel campaigns
Klaviyo’s omnichannel campaign builder lets you send large-scale campaigns to multiple audiences, using multiple channels, and giving you more opportunity for flexibility. Always include VIP messaging in these sends!
Encourage VIP action with Customer Hub content blocks
Remind your VIPs about their unused rewards and benefits within Customer Hub. You can even allow your VIPs to action on it via content blocks, which are customizable sections that you can add to the Customer Hub interface (e.g., to display the number of loyalty points they have left).