Marketing Your Small Business: Building Loyalty With Your Patrons

Building loyalty among your patrons can often be a difficult proposition for small businesses due to the sheer amount of competition that is currently in the market. Businesses are finding it harder than ever to retain customers, and for good reason. Businesses, large and small, have realized the effect that a loyal customer base can have on their business and, as a result, many have poured a lot of their resources into building loyalty with their customers. These effects are realized in the following statistics, gathered by explodingtopics.com:

• The average American consumer belongs to 17 loyalty groups
• 59% of Americans say that once they’re loyal to a brand, they’re loyal for life
• Around 60% of people spend more on a brand after signing up for its loyalty program
• Loyal customers spend more. 90% of customers will spend more with companies that personalize their customer service to them
• 64% of business leaders say that customer service has had a direct impact on growth

In an increasingly competitive environment, it’s important for gaming establishments to build loyalty among their patrons. Here are a few tips you can implement to better retain your customers and help turn them into true regulars.

Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Customer service is a major area of importance in your efforts to build more loyalty among your patrons. People want to frequent and spend their money at places where they feel valued; by providing the best possible customer service, you create a positive customer experience in your bar that encourages your patrons to return. Think about the brands you feel loyalty toward and how you are treated as a customer, this can often be a key step in forging a positive experience for everyone who enters your gaming establishment.

Accumulate Reviews

Customer reviews are a fantastic avenue for building loyalty in your bar or restaurant. By asking your customers to leave you reviews on websites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, or a Google Business profile, you communicate to your patrons that you value their opinions and are committed to creating the best possible customer experience. You could also try using a Google Pop Card, which is a new tool that helps streamline the whole review process.

Utilize a Loyalty Program

You can help build customer loyalty and facilitate repeat purchases through the creation of your very own loyalty program. There are many potential options for a loyalty program but the main goal is to reward your customers for choosing your location to make a purchase decision.

You can also actively promote Accel’s player loyalty program, AE Player Rewards. With over 100,000 active players, promoting AE Player Rewards can go a long way to attracting new loyal customers. You can try promoting AE Player Rewards on social and in your physical location to reach as many people as possible.

Use Your Terminal Operator

Accel Entertainment offers a myriad of ideas to our partners that can help them build loyalty with their patrons. Through the Accel Loyalty Engine (ALE), you gain access to a host of benefits as well as valuable insights into your players. You can run digital punch cards for your loyal slot players and/or run custom tablet promotions, all designed to promote gaming within your establishment and to reward your patrons’ loyalty to your establishment. This is all while gaining helpful insights into your patrons’ playing habits which can be of great value to your location and for future promotions you may run.

Creating the best possible customer experience can go a long way in building loyalty with your patrons. People are always looking to connect with the brands that they like; by following the above tips you can forge a true connection with your customers and create a sense of loyalty within them.

Looking for more ways to better market your small business? Read our other blogs!