One of your best assets as a small business is your connection with your clients and the connection they feel to you in return.

In order to remind your customers how much you appreciate their continued business, and in order to run an efficient business, you want to implement a customer loyalty program.

These programs might be very different depending on the type of business you run (B2C businesses will show customer appreciation differently than B2B businesses, for example).

Here are 10 proven customer loyalty program ideas:

1. Reward Referrals

If a client refers a friend to your business, don’t just reward the referrer; reward both of them! And rather than giving a straightforward discount to the person who referred your business, go out of your way to thank them. Give them a little gift. Consider offering a larger reward if they refer five or more friends…

2. Use Gamification to Award Points

Everything works better when it is turned into a game. Simply give your clients points for every action you want them to take – buying, referring, commenting on your blog, sharing your posts on social media, posting a review… Then reward them based on the number of points they collected. Create a friendly competition between your clients by putting up a “leaderboard” – featuring those with the most points.

3. Offer Exclusive, Members-Only Deals

Any type of deal – buy-one-get-one, free gifts, special offers, discount coupons and special events – when offered exclusively to your members – will increase their loyalty (and gratefulness).

4. Employ Outreach Marketing

One of the best ways to keep people involved in your loyalty program is by reaching out to them via text, WhatsApp or email. Let your loyal members know about your upcoming sales or discounts, remind them of their points and rewards, tell them about new products or exciting changes, or offer them an exclusive deal.

5. Celebrate Special Events

Offer exclusive discounts or gifts for member’s birthdays, special events and anniversaries as well as celebrating special days and holidays. These limited-time and event-centered promos are highly effective at motivating people to take action.

6. Reward Them with Free Upgrades 
If you’re selling software or a service that requires regular updates – offer free upgrades to reward your loyal clients and make sure they don’t leave to competitors.

7. Treat Them Like VIPs
By creating a members-only VIP loyalty program for your customers, your clients will return to your business for repeated purchases to get exclusive perks like VIP-only discounts, exclusive deals, free gifts, new product introductions.

8. Reward Them for Giving Feedback
Survey your clients regularly to receive their feedback and find out what their expectations and needs are. This allows you to improve their experience and your products/services. Reward them for their feedback, and let them know when you implemented any of their suggestions…

9. Emphasize Your Social Responsibility

When you  incorporate your position on important social issues by creating meaningful benefits and rewards in your loyalty program, you will be able to increase client engagement and retention as clients are eager to support businesses that support a social cause close to their own hearts.

10. Turn Them into Celebrities


Very loyal clients deserve more attention. Ask if you can highlight them in a newsletter, on your website, or in a social media post. Your  interviewed or featured client will enjoy their few moments of “fame” and the rest of your clients would love the small snapshots into the lives of others.

Now It’s YOUR Turn

For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what could YOU do to make your clients more loyal to you and to your business?