Earn and sustain customer loyalty by leveraging on email

This post is sponsored by Epsilon.Loyalty goes beyond points, it is an entire experience between a brand and a customer and email is a big driver of that relationship. The ability to recognise the customer and their needs and wants from the brand at any moment in time is an expectation that consumers have today. Brands see all activity across channels and over time, and bringing that knowledge into the conversation with any customer is critical but even truer for your loyal customers.So how can you leverage email to drive and support customer loyalty? Following are some tips, tricks and considerations:Recognise loyalty These are your best, most loyal and most engaged customers – loyalty doesn’t have to start and stop with a loyalty program so be sure to recognize them through your email efforts. Also look at email engagement and purchase behavior as a way to identify other loyal customers to woo.Hyper-personalisation Loyal customers have a deep expectation that you know them, sometimes even better than they know themselves. Content cannot be generic. Messaging needs to be hyper-personalised and relevant to the individual.Know what they want Get predictive. Based on what you know about the customer you may be able to determine what (or when) their next logical purchase or engagement may occur. Help lead them there.Provide surprises Everyone loves a surprise – periodically show your gratitude for loyal customers with special treats or offers – just for them – and not just on their birthday.Be timely and current Loyalty information needs to be accurate – points are like currency and no one wants to see their balance wrong. Leverage live content to serve both a timely and accurate experience through email.Don’t forget the special days Every relationship has its special days to celebrate – anniversaries, birthdays the first time you met – acknowledge them and celebrate together.Continue the dialogue Continue and learn about the customer over time, hearing their feedback and incorporating it at every stage of the relationship. But the most loyal customers don’t feel talked at – they feel heard.The writer is Kara Trivunovic, vice president of digital solutions at Epsilon.