Not many people might associate loyalty with lottery programs. But in reality, lotteries can benefit significantly from establishing loyalty programs for their player bases. Loyalty programs offer a range of benefits and features that can help lotteries grow, including data insights & analytics, player personalization, and engagement opportunities. Here are four ways that loyalty programs can benefit lotteries.
One lesson companies took away from the COVID–19 pandemic was the importance of maintaining customer connections and communication channels beyond the in–person experience. Loyalty programs are effective ways to build a direct connection with a brand’s most loyal players. This link allows brands to send players relevant messaging such as new updates and announcements, helpful information, and exclusive opportunities.
Similarly, lottery loyalty programs play a significant part in helping lotteries stay connected to their players. During the pandemic, lotteries with player programs were able to send their members important information such as available prize payment options, office closures, game changes, updates on claims processing, and more. These types of communications not only helped players stay well–informed, but also made it easier for them to continue playing even when normal operations had changed.
The communication link goes both ways—players can also communicate with their lotteries through loyalty programs. Feedback questionnaires and surveys provide valuable insights that lotteries can use to improve their offerings, and free rewards points are a great way to incentivize player responses.
A key method for building customer loyalty is giving customers ways to interact with a brand beyond making a purchase. Loyalty programs offer players more opportunities to engage and be entertained beyond their regular lottery play. Players can participate in program–hosted interactive games and missions, second chance promotions, scavenger hunts, or social media activities, all while earning loyalty points they can later spend on rewards. Other ways lottery loyalty programs drive player engagement are by providing access to member–only events such as prize drawings, promotional giveaways, VIP experiences, and more. These types of engagement help motivate players to be regularly active and encourage long–term program participation.
Another way loyalty programs help lotteries grow and thrive is by enabling them to highlight or feature specific games and products on a rolling basis. As stated earlier, player engagement is a critical driver of lottery player loyalty. By offering loyalty members additional perks for playing specific games, such as earning bonus loyalty points or free chances to play, lotteries can drive awareness and interest in games or products that generally receive little promotional dollars. Tactics like these can help players discover and try new games they might not otherwise experience, and they might end up enjoying. If they do, then that adds another reason for a player to keep returning and participating in their lottery loyalty program.
Today’s next–gen loyalty programs incorporate customer growth strategies into their program design from the start and leverage data analytics to deliver detailed customer insights. These capabilities give lotteries a more complete understanding not only of who their players are, but also of the what, where, how, and when they’re playing. As a result, lotteries can provide more omnichannel player personalization and customized offerings than ever before—creating a more enhanced and enjoyable player experience across the board.
To learn more about how Brandmovers helps lotteries build and execute lottery loyalty programs, reach out to us today!