Offering exclusive content to customers is a popular loyalty tactic among growing brands, but does it actually work?
One of the bigger challenges for any brand is building loyalty among first-time or single-purchase customers. But exclusive content often just rewards customers who were already planning to stick around, rather than converting new customers into true brand loyalists.
We spoke with Luke Reynebeau, our Vice President of Customer and Retention Marketing, to find out which types of exclusive content move the needle and what to keep in mind when creating your loyalty program content.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What counts as exclusive content in loyalty programs?
Exclusive content is any content that’s only available to loyalty program members. Exclusivity can take many forms, depending on your brand’s product offerings, target audience, and customer base. This could include limited-edition products, VIP experiences, early access to new features, or behind-the-scenes content.
“A software provider may offer exclusive access to betas, talks with leaders, or a sneak peek at content,” Luke says. “It’s best brought to those who show an interest in and affinity for that exclusive content.”
Your exclusive content’s effectiveness will depend on what your customers value. There should be an incentive for customers to interact with the content—otherwise, it won’t build lasting brand relationships.
Why converting one-time buyers is harder than reinforcing loyalty
Customers who are new to your brand may still be skeptical or hesitant about what you have to offer. They have enough brand recognition to make a purchase, but they may not be ready to engage with your loyalty program on a deeper level.
Say your software company is sharing behind-the-scenes interviews as one of your exclusive content offerings. While these interviews will be valuable to long-term customers, new customers may not get as much out of them.
In many cases, it can be more effective to target your exclusive offerings to existing members of your loyalty program. With this approach, you can take advantage of loyalty “inertia”—the idea that customers who are already interacting with your brand are likely to continue engaging and purchasing.
Luke shared his take: “Rewarding customers who are more likely to be loyal can actually be the way to go. You want to focus on those ideal customers who are likely to make repeat purchases or renew.”
Measuring the real impact of exclusive content
To measure the impact of your exclusive content, you’ll need to determine which loyalty program metrics to track. Monitoring KPIs will help you identify whether your content is driving loyalty from the ground up or just rewarding your existing customers.
Before you can measure the impact of your exclusive content, you need to get a baseline of customer engagement levels. This means tracking key data points like engagement levels via Bitly Analytics, average purchase value, and customer satisfaction before you launch your exclusive content.
Then, test different exclusive offers and content variations and continue to track the same metrics to measure direct impact. Be sure to break down engagement levels by different customer profiles, as some groups may respond more to your offerings than others.
When evaluating the success of your exclusive content strategy, there are two key perspectives to consider:
- The first is financial: What’s the ROI of your exclusive content, and is it worth continuing to invest in?
- The second is customer-based: What is the content’s perceived value, and how does it impact their perception of your brand?
Answering these questions can help you fine-tune your loyalty program strategy moving forward.
Why exclusive content strategies fail
When exclusive content fails to generate loyalty, it’s often because there’s a difference between customer values and the brand’s desired actions.
“Too many times, exclusive content aligns with a company’s objectives and not with what motivates or creates connection with the user,” says Luke.
When you’re working toward specific marketing goals, it’s easy to focus on the specific actions you want customers to take, rather than prioritizing what those customers find meaningful.
To prevent this, make sure you’re getting qualitative feedback from your target audience about their values, expectations, and preferences. Then use those insights to inform your content strategy.
Examples, lessons, and best practices for exclusive content
So what does successful exclusive content look like in real life? Let’s take a look at how major platforms have implemented these strategies into their marketing, plus best practices to emulate.
Enterprise examples of exclusivity done right
When done strategically, exclusive content can drive real results. Here’s how some of today’s leading enterprises have incorporated this tactic into their loyalty programs.
- McDonald’s uses in-app rewards to keep customers coming back for repeat purchases. The key to success here is low friction. The MyMcDonald’s app gives users a free order of fries with their next purchase just for downloading the app, so users start reaping the benefits right away. Additionally, the app uses QR Codes that integrate directly with in-store kiosks, so earning and redeeming rewards doesn’t slow down transactions.
- Nintendo’s Switch 2 launch was a “masterclass in loyalty,” according to Luke. “It was a true surprise and delight that built up strong affinity for those with access.”
By ensuring that the console would have backward compatibility with original Switch games, Nintendo showed they were considering the needs of existing fans. Nintendo also planned in-person launch events at physical retail stores to generate even more hype.
- Adobe Creative Cloud is a membership program that gives users access to a huge range of perks and resources. This includes a royalty-free image library, exclusive fonts, and early access to Adobe’s beta features. Members also get access to discounts and offers from Adobe’s software partners. This loyalty program has found success by offering value-adding content that makes creative work easier.
All of these examples have one thing in common: They offer exclusive content that provides tangible benefits and value for customers.
Lessons from Netflix and Spotify
Subscription services are on the rise, with the average American spending a whopping $1,080 on subscriptions per year. The prevalence of subscription services has completely changed the way people perceive exclusivity and brand loyalty.
Netflix and Spotify are two brands that have led the way with subscription models, becoming household names among modern consumers. However, both brands have adjusted their offerings in recent years to maintain financial sustainability.
Netflix recently switched to a tiered pricing model—with a basic tier that contains ads—and also increased subscription prices in many countries. “Netflix adding ads and right-sizing the plan packaging means they assessed their exclusive content was too exclusive,” Luke explains. By introducing a more affordable ad-supported option, Netflix made their service accessible to a wider audience.
Spotify, on the other hand, has taken the opposite route. Spotify began as a free, ad-supported streaming service and later added premium, ad-free subscription models. The brand has recently upped their value even further with audiobook offerings.
What can we learn from these brands? The key is to focus on building strong relationships with customers, rather than turning exclusive content into a transactional rental. When content has a high perceived value, it keeps customers coming back.
Quality vs. frequency in exclusive content
One of the biggest challenges when building a loyalty program is balancing the quality and frequency of your exclusive content. You’ll need to share new content frequently enough to keep members engaged, but if the quality of that content is poor, it could damage your reputation and perceived value.
Offering frequent but shallow perks can function as an effective acquisition tool, but it won’t build lasting loyalty. Instead, Luke recommends focusing on high-quality exclusive content that deepens engagement in the long term, even if it takes longer to produce and release.
Communicating value clearly to customers
Your loyal customers want to know that you care about their needs and appreciate their business. “Be sure to communicate that you value the user. Not to brag,” Luke clarifies, “but to make sure the user knows you appreciate them.”
If customers receive perks in silence, without recognition or appreciation, this exclusive context will feel transactional or, worse, go unnoticed.
You can also show users you value them by seeking feedback and implementing it directly into your content offerings. This shows that you’re willing to go the extra mile for them and is one of the best ways to get repeat CPG sales.
The danger of diluting exclusivity
While it’s important for exclusive content to be accessible to your target audience, beware of making this content accessible to everyone. To maximize impact and maintain the content’s value, keep your audience narrow and targeted.
Luke puts it simply: “You offer it to everybody, and it dilutes the value for those who would have taken you up on it anyways.”
Exclusive content vs. public content ROI
Both exclusive content and public-facing content should have a place in your marketing strategy. Public content builds affinity and positive brand perception among people discovering your brand for the first time. Exclusive content complements it by generating further engagement and brand loyalty.
It’s important to track the ROI of both content types to see which strategies are most effective. But ROI shouldn’t be the only thing dictating your content strategy, especially when it comes to public content. “Don’t overmeasure and end up squeezing out the goodness that exists,” says Luke.
Is exclusive content just a paywall?
Poorly-designed exclusive content can feel like a paywall—which is not an experience you want for your audience. High-quality loyalty programs, on the other hand, generate true engagement. Many brands even use technology like augmented reality (AR) and gamification in loyalty programs to make them more engaging.
Luke explains that the difference between a loyalty program and an offer is that a loyalty program builds relationships over time: People are more interested in joining a community than just accessing paywalled content.
How Bitly supports exclusive content loyalty programs
Bitly has the tools you need to seamlessly connect your exclusive content with the rest of your marketing strategy.
You can use Bitly Links to direct users from your social media posts or email newsletters to your loyalty program sign-up page, then use Bitly QR Codes on in-person marketing assets like brochures or signage. Branded short links and QR Codes build trust and brand recognition to strengthen those customer relationships.
With Bitly Pages, you can also create stunning branded landing pages for your loyalty program, no coding experience needed. Once you’ve launched your content, use Bitly Analytics to track your clicks, scans, and page views and make adjustments in real time.
Use exclusive content as part of the loyalty mix
Exclusive content is a great way to build brand loyalty, but you have to design it with your customers in mind. Focus on creating content that brings real value to your audience, and engagement will follow.
But don’t be afraid to experiment and test out new ideas and strategies. Finding a content strategy that aligns with your unique brand and customers may require some trial and error.
And don’t forget the right tools. Bitly Links, QR Codes, Pages, and Analytics can help you thoughtfully implement your loyalty program strategy, making it easy for your rewards members to access exclusive content.
Sign up for Bitly today to start building an exclusive content strategy that drives customer loyalty!
