Reward schemes that really work

Brands need to learn that sometimes, you have to give something to get something.

No, I’m not talking about giving away an iPhone on Instagram in exchange for a follow, three tags and your firstborn child.

I’m talking about genuinely rewarding your customers, giving them something of value and trusting that the relationship you’re building will pay off in the long run.

I was recently browsing the Lush app when something caught my attention. Through its loyalty scheme, Lush allows customers to collect points and redeem them against products. Not just tiny samples or things nobody really wants, but actual products from its range.

One of the rewards I have unlocked is its Argan Naked Facial Oil, available for 125 points. Naturally, I had a look at the reviews, and what I found was a pretty brilliant example of why brands shouldn’t be afraid to give things away.

One customer wrote:

“I got this on my reward app and will definitely buy another, also contemplating buying some to gift for a few family members.”

Another said:

“I got it as a freebie on my Lush Rewards a while back and it has lasted so long! […] Will keep rebuying this product.”

Both customers received the product through a reward, and both are now talking about buying it again. One is even considering purchasing more as gifts.

A product they might never have picked up at full price has now become something they actively want to spend money on. They have also taken the time to leave glowing, five-star reviews, giving other potential customers the confidence to try it too.

That’s a pretty impressive return from a loyalty reward.

Of course, giving away a product doesn’t guarantee a repeat purchase, and there’s a cost involved. But it can remove the biggest barrier to trying something new: the risk of spending money on a product you might not like.

Once customers have experienced it for themselves, the product has the opportunity to do the selling.

Public relations is fundamentally about building relationships, trust and reputation, and those things are rarely built by constantly asking people for something.

Brands want customers to buy their products, recommend them to friends, leave reviews, share content and become loyal advocates. But what are they giving those customers in return?

A discount code every six months? Another promotional email?

The most effective public relations strategy is making someone feel valued, surprising a loyal customer with something extra, giving people an experience worth talking about, and importantly, it’s giving them a genuine reason to recommend your brand without being asked.

There are plenty of ways businesses can apply this thinking:

• A hospitality venue could invite loyal customers to preview a new menu before its official launch.
• A beauty brand could reward repeat customers with a full-sized product they haven’t tried before.
• A retailer could offer its community early access to new collections or exclusive experiences.
• A service-based business could provide genuinely useful advice, resources or insights without putting everything behind a sales pitch.

The principle is the same.

Give people something valuable before expecting something valuable from them, and the benefits can extend far beyond that initial interaction.

A customer who feels appreciated is more likely to return. Someone who discovers a new favourite product might recommend it to friends. A positive experience can become a review, a social media post or a conversation that introduces your business to someone new.

That’s word-of-mouth public relations, and it’s something no amount of advertising can completely replicate.

There’s also an important distinction between rewarding loyalty and trying to buy positive sentiment. The aim shouldn’t be to give customers something free on the condition that they say nice things about you, it should be to create an experience that’s genuinely worth talking about.

That’s what makes the Lush example so interesting to me. Those reviews aren’t simply saying, “Thanks for the free product!”. They’re saying, “I tried this, I loved it, and now I want to spend my own money on it.”

As someone working in public relations, I think businesses sometimes become so focused on what they want their audience to do that they forget to consider what they’re offering in return.

The best way to encourage someone to spend money with your business is to give them a reason to love it first, and if that means occasionally giving away a product, an experience or a little extra value? It might just be one of the smartest public relations investments you ever make.

If you would like support with your public relations strategy, get in touch with the team.