It feels great seeing familiar faces walk into your bar, night after night because they’re excited to be part of something special.
But here’s the struggle: keeping customers coming back isn’t always easy, especially with new bars popping up everywhere.
A loyalty program could be the perfect magnet that attracts loyal regulars who can’t wait to visit. Let’s explore some simple yet effective strategies to help you build a loyalty program that drives repeat business.
1. Create a clear reward structure
Setting up a clear reward structure is super important for your loyalty program for restaurants. It shows your customers exactly how they can earn and use their rewards.
Figure out what actions will earn them points like making purchases, coming to events, or even referring to their friends. Make sure it’s easy for them to see how many points they need for different rewards so they know what to aim for.
A straightforward system encourages them to come back more often and also makes them feel valued and excited about being a part of your bar community!
For example, The Brook Bar and Bistro has a fantastic landing page dedicated to its loyalty program, making it easy for customers to understand how it works. On this page, they clearly outline the benefits of joining such as birthday bonus points, function host bonus and much more.
2. Select enticing rewards for your bar loyalty programs
When picking rewards for your loyalty program, think about what your customers really want! You want to choose perks that’ll make them excited to come back for more. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Free drinks – Who doesn’t love a complimentary cocktail or beer?
- Discounted meals – Offer a percentage off their next meal or a special deal for regulars.
- Exclusive access – Give loyal customers early entry to events or special tasting nights.
- Birthday treats – Celebrate their special day with a free dessert or drink.
- Loyalty points – Let them accumulate points that can be redeemed for rewards or special offers.
- Special merchandise – Offer branded merchandise like t-shirts or drinkware for loyal patrons.
- VIP experiences – Treat them to behind-the-scenes tours or meet-and-greets with chefs or bartenders.
- Free appetizers – A complimentary appetizer with their next meal can make a big difference.
- Referral bonuses – Reward customers who bring friends along with extra points or discounts.
- Seasonal rewards – Switch things up with limited-time offers that tie into holidays or special events.
These rewards can really make your loyalty program shine, and they show your customers that you appreciate their support! You can use PosterMyWall to design professional yet visually attractive loyalty cards for your customers!
3. Promote your bar loyalty programs with various marketing strategies
Promote your loyalty program on social media accounts. Post fun pictures and details about the program to show off the cool rewards. You can share eye-catching graphics with fun captions that highlight the benefits, like special discounts or exclusive events.
Email marketing is another great way to reach your customers. Send them visually appealing emails explaining the loyalty program and how to sign up. PosterMyWall has a huge variety of bar email templates that can help you design attractive emails in minutes!
In your bar, make sure you have posters or flyers around that explain the program so people can see it while they’re hanging out.
Also, get your staff on board! They can tell customers about the program when they’re placing orders. You could even throw a little launch event where people can sign up and earn double points on their first visit. This way, you can give them a reason to join right away!
4. Analyze the program based on customer feedback
Tracking, monitoring, and adjusting your bar loyalty programs based on customer feedback is super important to keep them fresh and exciting. Pay attention to how many people are signing up and if they’re actually using their rewards. If a lot of them sign up but don’t come back, it might be time to shake things up.
You should also ask your customers what they think, with quick surveys, social media posts, or just chatting with them when they’re at the bar. Find out what rewards they love, how easy it is to earn points, and if there’s anything they wish was different. Their feedback is gold!
Once you have their thoughts, be ready to make changes. If a certain reward isn’t getting much love, consider swapping it for something else or introducing seasonal rewards to keep things interesting.
5. Use a digital platform for easy tracking and engagement
Using a digital platform for your customer loyalty programs makes everything so much easier for you and your customers. With an app or a website, you can easily track points and rewards, so you don’t have to worry about keeping everything on paper or trying to remember who earned what. Customers can also check their points anytime.
Here are a few popular platforms:
- Loyalzoo: Loyalzoo helps you create a digital loyalty program where customers can earn points with every purchase. It offers a user-friendly interface for tracking rewards and sending out promotions.
- Square Loyalty: If you use Square for payments, their loyalty program integrates seamlessly, allowing you to set up rewards easily and track customer engagement directly through the platform.
- TapMango: This platform offers a comprehensive loyalty program that includes customizable rewards, customer engagement tools, and detailed analytics to help you understand your customers better.
- Zinrelo: This tool focuses on loyalty program management and offers features like tiered rewards, social media integration, and comprehensive analytics to track customer engagement.
- Spendgo: Spendgo offers digital loyalty solutions that allow you to create customized rewards programs and engage with customers through various channels, including email and SMS.
These platforms often have built-in features that allow you to send notifications about points earned, special promotions, or even personalized offers. Plus, many digital platforms come with analytics tools, helping you see what rewards are popular, how often people are visiting, and what changes might boost participation. This insight lets you adjust your program as needed to keep it fresh.
6. Add new twists and surprises to keep things fresh
Adding new twists and surprises to your bar loyalty programs keeps things exciting for your customers! You want them to feel like there’s always something new to look forward to.
Here are some fun examples of twists and surprises you can add to your loyalty program:
- Surprise double points days: Announce random days where customers can earn double points on their purchases.
- Seasonal rewards: Offer special rewards that change with the seasons, like festive drinks or discounts tied to holidays.
- Mystery rewards: Create a “mystery reward” that customers can earn randomly, making it a fun surprise every time they visit.
- Birthday bonuses: Give customers a special treat or extra points during their birthday month to celebrate with them.
- Referral surprises: Reward customers with extra points when they refer friends who join the loyalty program.
- Exclusive member events: Host special bar events just for loyalty members, like tasting nights or happy hours, to make them feel valued. PosterMyWall has a vibrant library of bar happy hour ad templates. Just select from a huge happy collection of happy hour flyer templates and start customizing right away!
7. Offer tiered rewards to encourage higher spending
Creating different tiers in your loyalty program can help motivate your customers to engage more and spend more at your bar. Here’s a simple breakdown of how you might structure those tiers with examples of benefits:
- Bronze tier: Basic membership with points earned per dollar spent and a free appetizer after 5 visits.
- Silver tier: Increased point earnings and a free drink after 10 visits, along with birthday bonuses and exclusive event invitations.
- Gold tier: Higher point earnings, complimentary food after 15 visits, and early access to new menu items for loyal customers.
- Platinum tier: Top-tier benefits with the most points earned, a free meal on special occasions, personalized offers, and VIP access to all events.
These tiers encourage customers to strive for higher levels by offering more enticing rewards as they spend more. Plus, it helps boost your sales as customers aim to reach the next tier!
8. Partner with local businesses to offer joint rewards
Partnering with local businesses to offer joint rewards can create a win-win situation for both you and your partners while enhancing your loyalty program. Here are some examples of how you can collaborate:
- Coffee shop collaboration: Partner with a nearby coffee shop to offer loyalty members a discount on coffee when they show their loyalty card from your bar. In return, customers who frequent the coffee shop could receive a discount at your bar, encouraging cross-promotion.
- Fitness studio partnership: Work with a local gym or yoga studio to create a joint rewards program. After attending a certain number of classes, gym members could receive a complimentary drink at your bar, while your loyalty members could get discounts on gym memberships or classes.
- Retail store tie-in: Collaborate with a local clothing or accessory store to offer a rewards system where customers earn points for shopping at both businesses.
- Food truck collaboration: If there’s a popular food truck nearby, team up to create a special event where customers can enjoy discounts at both locations.
- Event venue partnership: If there’s a local theater or event space, collaborate to offer joint rewards for customers attending shows.
Strengthen bonds with your customers
Well-structured restaurant loyalty programs can improve customer engagement and drive more sales to your bar. Implement a loyalty program today, making patrons feel valued and excited about their experiences, and encouraging them to return time and again!
To effectively promote your bar loyalty programs, PosterMyWall can be a game-changer with its eye-catching bar flyers that showcase your loyalty program details, enticing rewards, and any special promotions. Integrate PosterMyWall into your marketing strategy to increase your bar’s visibility and engagement, ultimately strengthening the bonds with your loyal patrons!
