How to Create a Rewards Program for your Business (with Examples!)

This article is part of The Huddle, Upper Hand’s quick tips and best practices for customers. Want to join the community? Schedule a walk-through of the platform today.

As a sports business owner, have you thought about implementing a sports rewards program for your business? Rewarding clients with discounts and special promotions is a great way to incentivize repeat purchases, improve client satisfaction, and build brand loyalty.

This guide will discuss setting up a membership rewards program for clients and creating coupons inside Upper Hand’s sports software.

The first step: Identify what your rewards program will look like, and establish goals

Setting up a rewards program for your clients is an excellent way to generate loyalty and engagement. It can be a great opportunity to let your clients know they are valued and appreciated while incentivizing them to return repeatedly.

Things to think about:

• What exactly will your rewards program will look like?
• How many tiers would you like to have?
• What kind of rewards do you want to offer?
• How often should points or discounts be given?

Once you’ve identified the particulars of the program, you’ll need to establish goals for it to be effective. Setting these goals lets you track engagement, sales growth, and client satisfaction progress. Ultimately, knowing what your program will look like and establishing clear objectives for success can help ensure that your rewards program is an invaluable asset for your business.

How to set up a rewards program for clients

Reward clients through membership perks

As you finalize the rewards clients would appreciate, you can utilize Upper Hand’s sports training software to create event discounts within a membership.

Example: Offer event discounts

Here is how you can create an event discount within a membership in just 3 steps with Upper Hand:

1. Click “Create Discount” (underneath “Event Discounts”) to create a percentage discount for all or any event types.
2. Choose the percentage discount that you would like these members to receive
3. Choose what event types you’d like these discounts to apply to.

Note: You can create multiple different discounts for different event types by selecting “+ Additional Discount”.

Example: Award Session Credits within a Membership

Based on your business model, it may make more sense to offer “credits” towards certain programs or events as a membership perk or reward. Here is how to create session credits with Upper Hand.

1. Click “Create Session Credits” on the right hand side of your “Create Membership” page.
2. Set the number of credits you would like to provide members on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Or, you can choose to provide unlimited credits.
   1. Note: Clients must schedule these credits during that membership billing cycle, unless you opt to grant credits ahead of time. For more information about managing credits, check out this help article here.
3. Determine how your credits will be applied. You can have credits apply to all events, certain event types (i.e. lessons, rentals, etc.), or specific events.

Create custom coupon codes to reward loyal clients

Another way to reward loyal clients of your sports training business is through using coupon codes and discounts. Upper Hand offers a few different ways to build and utilize custom coupons.

1. Single: a coupon type that can be applied to any non-recurring payment (example: open booking events, retail items, credit passes) and join fees for memberships
2. Recurring: a coupon type can be applied to any event or membership that has a recurring payment and the coupon will deduct from every future payment
3. One-Time: a coupon type that can be applied to payment plans or memberships and will only apply to the first payment.

To learn more about how to create a coupon code with Upper Hand, check out this help article here!

How to promote your rewards program to clients

It’s important to spread the word through different channels to inform new and existing clients about your rewards program. It can include advertising on social media, sending emails, word of mouth, or telling clients in person. By spreading the word about the rewards program through various channels, more clients will be aware of it and motivated to sign up.

• Social Media: By regularly posting about the reward program on social media, new and existing clients will be informed about the latest rewards, promotions, and benefits, encouraging more sign-ups and participation. Additionally, social media provides an opportunity for your business to create a sense of community around its rewards program.
• Email Campaign: Keeping your current clients up to date on the newest promotions, discounts, and advantages by regularly sending them emails about the rewards program. Also, email marketing gives businesses a chance to highlight the benefits of the rewards program. Businesses can encourage customers to act by emphasizing the unique perks and rewards that clients can obtain.
• Word-of-Mouth: Word of mouth is a powerful tool that can help businesses generate buzz and build credibility among their existing clients.

To encourage current clients to promote word of mouth for your rewards program, you can offer various incentives that make it worth their while to share the program with others.

Example: 3 ideas to build up your rewards program

1. Referral rewards: Offer clients a reward for each new member they refer to the rewards program. This can be a discount, a free gift, or bonus points. If a new client mentions an existing clients’ name during their first session, you can then reward that existing client in some way.
2. Exclusive benefits: Provide clients who refer others to the program with exclusive benefits or rewards that are not available to the general public. This can help to create a sense of exclusivity and encourage clients to spread the word. For example, with Upper Hand, you can offer members-only events that are only available to those who are in a membership.
3. VIP status: Offer clients who refer a certain number of new members to the program, which can include special privileges or benefits that are not available to other members.

Ready to take advantage?

Now is the time to implement a successful rewards strategy in your business, entice clients with special promotions, and create lasting impressions with clients. Your rewards should be easy to access, enjoyable, and generous enough to impact client loyalty. These rules will help ensure that you form strong relationships with loyal patrons of your store. Plus, you can also stay ahead of your competition while improving an aspect of your services. Take action today by starting with small changes or improvements to create a more rewarding experience for all involved.

To see our sports scheduling software in action, schedule a call with a member of our team today!