Customer loyalty programs have been around since most of us can we remember. As kids, whenever we’d receive a “Buy 9 Get 1 Free” punch card from our favorite ice cream shop, we were dedicated to only getting ice cream from there. But promising your customers a freebie in the future just isn’t going to cut it anymore, not if you expect your customers to turn to social media and promote your brand for you.

Social media has become a lot of things these days. We use them to communicate with distant family, reunite with high school buddies, and share hundreds of pictures of our new puppies; but social media is still evolving. Businesses are finally starting to catch on that the likes of Facebook and Twitter can be used to promote their brand, and the best part is that most of the work lies on the user, not the company. So how can you take the age-old loyalty program and apply it to new age social media brand development? Keep on reading to find out.

Incentive For Joining

In the days of punch card loyalty, the immediate gratification was that they’d “punch” the ice cream you just purchased, meaning you’d already be one step closer to earning your freebie. Today, however, most consumers care more about local businesses, trustworthy brands, and customer service than a free ice cream. In other words, simply joining the loyalty program isn’t enough of an incentive.

Try getting customers to join by offering notifications of members-only sales, coupons upon sign up, and access to behind-the-scene content. When someone Likes your company’s Facebook page, they can receive a free coupon, a free yogurt, or be automatically entered in a new contest you have going on. Ultimately, there needs to be incentive to join the loyalty program, not just an incentive after nine purchases.

If you can make a great offer to make people join your company’s loyalty program, they’ll have even more reason to talk about your brand through social media channels. If you have an ice cream and frozen yogurt shop, imagine the buzz a tweet can create that reads like, “Just signed up for The Local Ice Cream Shoppe’s loyalty program. Got a free ice cream in hand!” Before you know it, you’ll have many more customers coming in for a loyalty card.

Rewards For Sharing

Since you’re already thinking about how your customers can promote your brand and its loyalty program for you, think about showing your appreciation for when they do. Today’s consumer cares more about brands interact with them than how great their prices are. And with all the companies they can interact with on Facebook and Twitter, picking yours is something you should be thankful for.

Start monitoring your company’s mentions on social media platforms. When you see people leave positive reviews, mention their shopping experience, or tweet about how much they loved their fro-yo, give them a thank you and tell them to come back for another free yogurt. You can even encourage your customers to tweet and share their experience, and if they get enough friends to re-tweet, then they win a prize. Publicly appreciating your customers can be a great move towards building brand loyalty and trust while generating positive PR buzz.

On the other hand, you might notice some negative comments as you monitor your company’s presence on social media. A customer might have had a bad shopping experience, a heated argument with one of your employees, or compared your service to a seemingly better company. Don’t write these people off just yet, as they can still be perfect candidates for your loyalty program and generate positive PR buzz, too.

Publicly reply to your naysayers and offer to make their next shopping experience right. Tell them they can contact you directly, come into the store, or call you up on the phone to talk about their negative experience. Find out what went wrong, offer them a solution, and then get back on social media to put a positive spin on things. Your other customers will be sure to follow the case and they’ll feel even more loyal to your brand after they hear about your above-and-beyond customer service. Just because people are saying negative things online doesn’t mean you can’t make some lemonade out of lemons.

Loyalty programs have long been relegated to keychains and forgotten wallets. Punch cards get lost, rewards have expired, and there’s been little incentive to sign up in the first place. But with the advent of social media, you can turn your company’s loyalty program around. Incentivize your customers to join up, share your brand, and tweet about their experience. Keeping your customers happy in a public setting will paint your company out to be a trustworthy brand with a loyalty program worth joining.