Most businesses treat their clients like names on a list. Therefore, you have an opportunity to stand out when you have a thoughtful incentive strategy. After all, everyone loves being rewarded for taking action.

An incentive is a reward or token of appreciation you give to a client in response to them doing something. That action can be positive, like filling in a feedback form, or negative, like reporting a problem with your service.

The incentives are designed to help you build a relationship with your client so they remain loyal for life.

Incentives work because people love being rewarded for something they’ve done. Even actions as small as posting a comment, leaving a review, or sharing a competition online are opportunities to thank your clients and encourage them to continue engaging with you.

When done well, incentives can help you increase sales, customer retention, and brand loyalty.

When you’re building your incentive strategy, think about the different interactions your clients (and prospects) have with your business and which moments you can reward them for.

Then, look for rewards that align with their personal goals, taste, and interests. Combine these, and you have a winning incentive strategy.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are 10 ideas for incentives to get your clients and prospects take action:

1. Provide Discounts

Discounts are a popular sales incentive because they’re easy to set up and manage, and they work well for most situations. BUT… Most businesses offer discounts for new clients. Nothing alienates your existing clients more than finding out that while being loyal to you they pay higher prices. Find ways to offer discounts and special deals for your loyal clients first.

2. Give Early Access

When it comes to getting existing clients to take action, getting early access to something new and exciting is often better than deep discounts. Make sure to introduce any new product/service first to your existing clients… And make a big deal out of it.

3. Give Access to Exclusive Perks

Offering access to exclusive sales is another strategy that often works better than discounts. The key here is to make your clients feel valued and exclusive.

4. Offer Free Bonuses When Purchasing

A great incentive to offer clients is a free gift with their purchase. It can be anything, like a digital download or even a smaller package of one of your products. People love free stuff. Use this incentive to encourage people to spend more to unlock a gift or to buy more often.

5. Give JV Complimentary Products

Expand what you offer to your clients by partnering with small businesses that target similar clients and sell complementary products. That way, you’ll be able to create additional opportunities for your potential clients to discover your business and for your existing clients to stick around for longer – all on a budget.

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

7. Offer (Regular) Free Upgrades
If you are selling software or another type of application that has regular updates that improve the user experience, offering free upgrades to the most recent version can be an excellent way to keep previous customers engaged in your business.

8. Give Birthday and Anniversary Perks
Consider sending out small gifts or greeting cards when your customers are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. This can also be a great way to build an email marketing list for your business – free gifts on special days in exchange for signing up for your list.

9. Use Gamification

Introducing gamification elements is an excellent tool for engaging your clients and keeping them motivated to purchase. Invent ways for your clients to collect points they later can convert to gifts or discounts (e.g. social sharing, commenting on your blog, leaving a review, referring…)

10. Give a Percentage of Their Purchase to Charity

Giving a portion of your profits to causes that matter to you (and to your clients) is not only a great way to give back, but it also shows your clients you care about more than just the bottom line. Above all, though, make sure your choices are authentic. If not, your customers are likely to sense it and you may end up doing more harm than good.

Now It’s YOUR Turn

For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what could YOU as incentives to get them to take the action you want them to take?