ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

As a customer, chances are you participate in some sort of vendor loyalty program, where you accrue points, rebates, or some other perk when you do repeat business with a company. From frequent flyer miles to limited time offers to double your points when you purchase a qualifying item, loyalty marketing programs are an excellent way to keep customers engaged. Have you added loyalty marketing to your ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Training Center marketing toolkit?

Campaigns to increase repeat business are often neglected in marketing plans, as we focus our efforts on attracting new business instead. Yet a simple loyalty program can be much less expensive than advertising, and potentially more impactful, since your TC is already known to your audience, unlike advertising which can be more of a shot in the dark.

In their article, “10 Loyalty Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business,” The Balance: Small Business suggests a few ideas  we think could work well for  your emergency care training business:

VIP Club

A members-only VIP club creates a level of exclusivity that can get customers back in the store again and again. Your VIP club doesn't have to cost your customers anything, and it doesn't have to be difficult or costly for you to implement either. You can offer VIP perks like new product previews, time-sensitive deals, an expedited checkout process, free samples and more. 

In a Training Center context, perhaps your customer becomes a VIP member after booking a certain number of classes with you. Once they achieve that status, you could offer a modest discount on class fees, within whatever parameters you want to set on that discount, whether it’s completely open-ended, a limited time offer, or applicable for certain classes only.

Punch Cards 

Many businesses, particularly in the food and beverage industry, use punch cards to track and reward a customer's patronage. The more purchases the customer makes, the more freebies they receive, making a powerful case for your customers to become frequent shoppers. 

Whether you’re counting individual classes or cumulative totals of students over time, the classic “Buy 10, Get the Next One Free” punch card approach is a familiar one that comes with little overhead. If a free class is too costly a reward, how about a group discount instead?

Customer Surveys for Incentives 

Customer surveys are an excellent way to find out what your customers think about your business and what they would like to see more (or less) of in the future. There are a number of ways to get customer surveys in front of your customers; you can include a link or QR code on a receipt, you can send a postcard in the mail, or you can follow up on purchases with an email asking for feedback. Incentives can be as simple as an entry in a drawing for a giveaway or a store coupon.

Customer feedback is one of the most valuable components of successful marketing programs. Make sure you know what your customers like and give them a little reward for helping you fine-tune your marketing message and business offerings.

Birthday and Anniversary Perks

If you have a customer database, you can use the information your customers submitted to provide perks that lead to loyalty. For example, consider sending out small gifts or greeting cards when your customers are celebrating a birthday or anniversary.

For a training business, there’s no need to use something as personal as an actual birthday. A small discount on their next class, emailed to a higher-volume customer on the anniversary of their first booking with you can be a welcomed surprise.

Consider giving one of these ideas a try to support your current customer base. You never know when a referral from a satisfied client can turn into new business, and word-of-mouth marketing is the least expensive type of advertising.

Speaking of loyalty programs, are you busy accruing your Bot Bucks with us? Don’t forget this week’s Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month promotion offer: From October 15-21, 2018, receive double Bot Bucks when you complete any qualifying Bot Bucks accrual action. For a list of all qualifying actions and more about our own ASHI and MEDIC First Aid loyalty program, visit our new Bot Bucks webpage by clicking the button below.