Tag Archives: college loyalty programs

How Can Schools Raise Student Engagement? By Using Loyalty Tactics.

September 19, 2012

Last week, we looked at ways that college students can benefit from a number of excellent loyalty programs as they make their way back to hallowed university halls for the start of the school year. Furthermore, we highlighted why college students are an ideal demographic for brand marketers.

This week, we’re turning our back-to-school thinking around, on the universities themselves. While there’s plenty to be learned at these fine institutions, we believe that colleges could take a lesson from loyalty programs when it comes to engaging their students.

The thing is, higher education has been making attempts to better connect with their students over Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets. But according to a recent article from Inside Higher Ed, schools aren’t making progress when it comes to measuring success. What’s more, they don’t seem sure of what they’re looking for.

We think that we have some answers for them. Imagine if universities were not only to increase student followers, but also actively increased their participation in on-campus activities, bettered their study habits, and made them an even more loyal, active, and dedicated members of the university community?

Go Mobile

Mobile is clearly at the forefront of effective loyalty practices these days, something that Loyalty Lab has embraced wholeheartedly as of late. And no one is more attached to their mobile phones than students. Universities should take advantage of  location-based technology by offering students deals when they are near on-campus dining locations, campus bookstores, and even the library.

College football fansBy encouraging check-ins in class, at extracurricular clubs and activities, and again, at that often avoided library, students could earn points to receive free cups of coffee, discounts on textbooks, or University-branded swag.

Get Spirited

When you start talking about encouraging ‘loyalty’ among students, it begins to sound a whole lot like encouraging school spirit. Getting students excited about and involved in school events, performances, and athletics will not only enrich their college experience, it increases the likelihood that they’ll be loyal alums post-graduation.

Tweeting at dedicated hashtags, checking in at games, and showing serious spirit could allow universities to reward students for their involvement. Imagine discounts on season tickets for basketball, great perks at on-campus restaurants and coffee shops — real, tangible rewards for students who show that they are dedicated members of the community.

Ask for Feedback

Sure, kids may head to college to learn a thing or two, but often, they’re savvier than we are. Especially when it comes to the kinds of rewards they want, and the kind of engagement they’re willing to participate in. So, ask them! Similar to our great loyalty programs that request customer feedback, universities should find out from their students just what it is they’re looking to gain. And make these inquiries worth their time, too — allow them to benefit from promotions or be entered into contests for answering your questions and bettering your understanding of how to best engage.

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The College Student: A New Kind of Loyal Customer

September 12, 2012

Ah, September. The leaves begin to change, the air grows crisp, and there’s an electric crackle of anticipation as the kids head back to school. For some, that means yellow school buses and lockers; for other it means a cross-country flight and an empty dorm room to decorate.

College students may not be the first demographic that comes to mind when considering loyalty programs, but we think they’re a prime audience for some of the great offerings that loyalty programs can provide their members.

Think about it. College students never have enough money. And furthermore, they’re in a position to take their first steps into independent adulthood, when making smart choices both financially and personally becomes some of the most important things to learn.

Whether you have a college student of your own flying the coop or want to rethink your marketing strategies, here are a few ways that some loyalty programs are perfectly suited to the university-bound among us.

  1. More and more kids are going to school’s far from home, making now the optimal time to joining Virgin America’s Elevate program. In addition to servicing major US cities, Elevate will allow students to earn points every time they fly home, use points to book flights even during high-traffic holiday times, and be updated on flight deals to the best spring break locations (LA, New York, Cabo…).
  2. Empty dorm rooms, campus apartments, and houses filled with friends are a surefire way to spark the decorators bug in your college kid. Orchard Supply Hardware’s Club Orchard can help give kids a head-start in putting together their new homes, without being too painful on their budgets. Club Orchard offers points back for every dollar spent purchasing products in-store. Plus, Orchard Supply employees will take time to show your ever-ready-to learn students how to assemble their new dresser or even teach them to repair that hole they put in the wall during a particularly aggressive ‘study session.’
  3. A not-so-glamorous part of college life is the, hmm, less than sanitary conditions. So, it’s not so surprising when kids find themselves getting sick a little more frequently than they did back at home (especially when dorms are more or less a 100-person sinus infection waiting to happen). Pharmaca’s Feel Better Rewards Program will help your kids make sure they have the best products to help them feel better, plus a number of in-store experts to help them become more informed and aware about their own health. Pharmaca’s rewards programs will also get them discounts on products, which will make them (and their parents) feel even better.

While Loyalty 101 may not be in the course catalogue, now is the time to get college-age students involved in your loyalty program. Help them make the right decisions for them, and for their bank accounts. Let’s put it this way — as soon as they realize they have more money for beer (uh, we mean books?) they’ll be as glad to be your loyal customers as you’ll be to have them.

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