Personalization is a key business strategy that is used by small businesses to build loyalty among their customers. Unlike big business houses, small businesses do not have a loyal customer base or past reputation to bank on.
So small organizations use several marketing techniques, like sending personal emails, giving away gift card rewards, and taking surveys, to connect with customers.
So if you own a small business and want to connect with your customers via gift cards, here are some tips for creating great gift cards.
Some Tips To Make Great Gift Cards For Your Small Business
Make The Cards Easy To Use
The whole point of gifting a gift card to your customer is to make their shopping experience more pleasurable. So if your gift card is difficult to redeem, it will become an unpleasant experience instead of a pleasant one.
For instance, if you are designing gift card rewards where the customer can exchange a hundred points for a gift item, make the instructions easy to understand. If the instructions are not clear, your customers might be expecting cash instead of a gift. And this may lead to unnecessary negotiations and arguments between your staff and the customers.
So the first rule of making gift cards is to make them as simple as possible.
Remember That Marketing Is Your Top Priority
While designing gift card rewards programs, you must always keep in mind that marketing your brand is your top priority. So irrespective of the types of rewards that you are distributing among your customers, you must always promote your brand via the cards.
So use your brand colors, logos, and slogans on the cards. Your ultimate aim should be to have the customer recall your brand every time he sees the gift card.
Use The Gift cards To Promote Referrals
When designing a gift card rewards program, you must try to use it to promote referrals. So design the program so that a customer gets more reward points if he refers your store or your products to his friends. Thus, incorporating a system of referrals into your gift card system has great potential to increase your customer base and give more visibility to your brand.
Design A Great Card At A Low Price
If you wish to expand your business via gift cards, the cards must be attractive. However, a fancy card that is printed on glossy paper and has a lovely design usually costs a lot of money. So you must make a deal with a card supplier who supplies good designs at an affordable rate.
Alternatively, you can design the card yourself and get it printed by a commercial printing house. There are several design applications that are available free of charge that you can use to design lovely cards for your business.
Know About The Laws Associated With Gift Cards
Many countries make it mandatory to have an expiration date on a gift card. So if your home country has a three-month or six-month upper limit for redeeming cards, then you must stick to it. Some countries require that a business record the number of cards that remain unused.
So if you work in a country that has such rules, then you must keep tabs on the cards that have been redeemed and those that have not been used.
Also Read: How to Best Manage Staff For Your New Business
Conclusion
Gift cards are a wonderful way to connect with your customers. However, to realize their full potential, you must know how to market them well. You should also try to print them at a minimum cost and follow the laws associated with them.