People go to university to study loyalty programmes; experts pontificate at any number of conferences how they can help grow your business by strengthening customer loyalty and ensuring repeat business.

From the world-leading Fly Buys (apparently it has a higher household penetration in New Zealand than any comparable scheme worldwide) to the humble coffee card we, as consumers, are awash with opportunities to get something for nothing.  Eventually. I’ve had one of those days today, when the God of Loyalty came into alignment above me. Or maybe it was all thanks to the caring, sharing Chinese New Year gods.

I filled my thirsty 3.5L car with fuel and saved 10c a litre thanks to a supermarket voucher.  At lunch I snapped up a $120 shirt on sale for $50, and paid for it using a $50 Reward Voucher.  I then celebrated with a free sushi lunch after discovering my card was filled with stamps.

And it’s only 1.00pm!  Who knows what’s in store for the afternoon.

Having a loyalty programme is one thing.  Continually marketing its existence and benefits is something else.  I frequent any number of cafes around the Cuba Quarter that have loyalty cards – but the staff almost never ask if you’d like one – you have to ask. 

And it shouldn’t be that way because improving your customers’ experience should be a priority of every member of your team.

Marketing your loyalty programme more widely may seem like a challenge but it needn’t be.  Issuing a media release about having a “buy nine coffees, get one free” won’t generate any media attention, of course. But perhaps announcing that you’ve just given away your 500^th free coffee might attract some interest, particularly if you then build a story around your most loyal customers, and set up a decent photo opportunity.

Remember, handled the right way, even the mundane can be made newsworthy.