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Every successful loyalty program starts with a foundation of enrollment and registration. The most profitable convenience-store programs build a mass of loyal customers who visit more frequently and spend more than the occasional customer.

But building membership demands constant attention, and you need a multifaceted strategy for membership growth. Effective enrollment and registration strategies define how you will create awareness of your program, engage with customers to build their interest and enlist new members. 

These tips will help you get the word out, engage your customers and encourage them to join your loyalty program.

1. Make the program meaningful. Provide your customers with a reasonable return for a reasonable spend. Typically, a perceived value of about 5% to 7% will trigger customer spending and encourage loyalty. Quickly engage new members and keep the hurdle to the first reward low as a way to build their excitement.
2. Sharpen your pitch. Ensure that the benefits are clear and make it easy to answer the question, “Why should I join this program?” Enrolling is often an impulse decision, and you have only a brief instant to make an impression. Develop a succinct elevator pitch, use a catchy name and consider an energizing slogan to reinforce key program benefits. Make the benefits easy to articulate, simple to understand and readily remembered.
3. Utilize proper signage. Promote the program with well-placed signage designed to inform, excite and stimulate action. Leverage every customer interaction point to convey a simple, consistent message that encourages customers to join.
4. Employ multiple registration methods. Make sure there are several ways to register your customers for your program. Lower the barrier of entry to your program by allowing registration through a mobile app, website or in the store. By leveraging multiple registration methods, you can attract as many customers as possible.
5. Encourage friend referral. Tap into a powerful resource—your existing members. Offer them an incentive to invite their friends to join your loyalty program. Since they are members and come to your stores, turn their enthusiasm into advocacy.

The cornerstone element of a loyalty program is enrollment. Successful organizations commit to expanding membership and incorporate effective ways to reach members. They recognize that a dedicated long-term focus on enrollment will generate the expected boost to revenues and profits. Watch “Five Ways to Enroll More Guests” to learn more about effective enrollment methods that help boost activity so you can drive more traffic to your stores.