Texting Guide for Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs thrive on timely touches, clear rewards, and simple actions. Short, personalized texts can remind members to earn, redeem, and engage. TextUs helps you run program communications that feel human and move members toward value.

How TextUs Fits Loyalty Program Workflows

TextUs Campaigns can reach members with points updates, redemption prompts, and tier milestones pulled from your CRM or commerce system. You can attach PDFs or images like reward catalogs, tier charts, or limited-time promos so members can act inside the thread.

Keywords such as JOIN, POINTS, REDEEM, or HELP can enroll contacts in Sequences that send links or confirmations automatically.

Replies can appear in the Shared Inbox so marketing and customer service can coordinate responses. Integrations can sync membership status, point balances, and message history back to your system of record.

You can review deliveries, replies, and clicks, then export CSVs to connect messaging with enrollments, redemptions, and repeat purchases.

What to Set Up First

Connect your CRM or commerce platform so membership IDs, point balances, and tier fields can sync both ways. Register 10DLC numbers and keep opt-out handling active so STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE can process automatically.

Define your program events that trigger messages, including enrollment, points earned, threshold reached, reward expiring, and tier upgrade.

Create templates for recurring moments. Useful sets include welcome, points summary, reward expiring, double-points promo, and tier upgrade. Assign Shared Inbox coverage by team and hours so questions about balances or redemption receive fast answers.

Build segments such as New Members 0 to 30 Days, Reward Expiring in 7 Days, High-Value Members, and Lapsed Members 60 Days. Clean targeting can raise engagement and protect deliverability.

How to Create an SMS Campaign With TextUs

1. Choose your audience: Open Campaigns in TextUs and select a segment such as “Reward Expiring in 7 Days.” This can make sure the right members get timely prompts.
2. Write your message: Keep it short and benefit-led. Example: “Hi {{first_name}}, you have [Points] points expiring soon. Want a quick link to redeem a reward today? Reply REDEEM.”
3. Attach media: Add a one-page reward catalog, tier chart, or promo card. Visual context can help members decide faster.
4. Set up an A/B test: Test two openings or two CTAs to find which earns more replies or clicks. Keep the winner for the next send.
5. Schedule your campaign: Send expiring reminders 7 days and 24 hours before the deadline. Schedule monthly points summaries for engagement.
6. Create a keyword: Add a keyword such as REDEEM, POINTS, or JOIN and reference it in your message. When someone replies, TextUs can route and respond automatically.
7. Link to a sequence: Connect the keyword to a two-step sequence. For example, “Step 1: Send a personalized link to redeem. Step 2: Follow up after 48 hours if there is no action.”
8. Send and monitor: Launch your campaign, track replies and clicks, and prioritize high-value members in the Shared Inbox.

Example sequence messages:

• Step 1 (auto-reply): “Here is your redemption link: [short URL]. Need ideas on what to choose?”
• Step 2 (reminder): “Your points can unlock a reward today. Want a quick suggestion based on your past orders? Reply HELP.”

Segmentation and Personalization Strategy

Segment by tenure, points balance, tier, and redemption history so each text drives one action. Useful dimensions include category preference, location, and purchase recency. Exclude opted-out members and anyone who already redeemed the featured reward.

Personalize with first name and one safe data point, such as points balance, tier, or preferred category. Example: “Hi {{first_name}}, you are [Tier]. You can redeem [Points] points for a [Category] reward today. Reply REDEEM for the link.” Set fallbacks so messages look clean if a field is missing.

Refresh expiring and high-balance segments daily. Refresh preference and tier segments weekly. Accurate lists can increase redemption rate and reduce noise.

Template Library for Loyalty Program Scenarios

Maintain a focused set of reusable templates that match common loyalty moments. Keep each message to one promise and one action.

• “Hi {{first_name}}, welcome to [Program]. Want your first reward suggestion? Reply JOIN for the list.”
• “You earned [Points] today. Current balance: [Points]. Reply REDEEM for options.”
• “Reminder: [Points] points expire in 7 days. Want a quick pick under [Points]? Reply SUGGEST.”
• “Tier update: you are now [Tier]. Want perks and how to use them? Reply INFO.”
• “Double points this week on [Category]. Want the details? Reply DEAL.”

Review the template performance monthly with compliance. Retire low performers and keep attachments light so they open quickly on mobile.

Reporting and Attribution Workflow

Export deliveries, replies, clicks, and keyword activity from TextUs weekly. Join that data with loyalty metrics such as enrollments, redemptions, average order value, trip frequency, and tier changes. Preserve campaign name, segment, keyword, variant, and send time so you can run cohort analysis.

Track reply-to-click, click-to-redeem, and redeems per 100 sends. Compare performance by tier, category, and offer type. Publish a one-page summary that shows delivery rate, reply rate, redemption rate, and the top-performing opener.

Program Design and Incentive Strategy

Map messages to the behaviors you want to encourage. Focus on first redemption, repeat redemption, category trial, and tier progression. Keep offers simple so members can decide in seconds.

Use time-bound incentives to create urgency without fatigue. Run short double-point windows for slow days or underperforming categories. After the window ends, send a simple recap that highlights points earned and the next action.

Align rewards with known preferences. If a member buys from a category often, suggest a reward in that category first. If preference is unknown, offer a small set of curated options and learn from clicks.

Managing Replies in the Shared Inbox

All replies can appear in the Shared Inbox so marketing and service teams share context. The first responder assigns the thread to themselves so the member has one owner. Templates can standardize common answers, and you can add a personal line to keep the tone friendly.

Use tags like Enrollment, Points, Redemption, Tier, and Issue to organize threads. Add a note when forwarding to support or billing so context travels with the conversation. Keep notifications on during business hours to handle expiring-reward questions quickly.

Tracking Results and Improving Performance

Check delivery and reply metrics within a few hours of each send. Delivery below 95 percent can signal list quality or registration issues. Compare A and B variants weekly and standardize on the stronger performer.

If your text included a link or catalog, review click patterns as a preference signal. Use those patterns to adjust future suggestions and categories. Small changes to opener length, send time, and keyword choice can lift reply rate by 15%.

Tune cadence to program value. Points summaries can be monthly, expiring reminders can be 7 days and 24 hours, and double-points can have a single alert and a same-day reminder. Keep testing small and frequent so learning compounds.

Compliance and Deliverability for Loyalty Programs

Use registered 10DLC numbers for all loyalty traffic. Keep opt-out handling on so STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE can process automatically. Include a short line in the first message that says “Reply STOP to opt out.”

Avoid spam triggers by limiting links, punctuation, and all caps. Do not include payment card data or other sensitive details in SMS. Use secure links for account pages and balance lookups.

Keep attachments relevant and under 1 MB. Send during local hours and cap promos to a sensible weekly limit so messages remain helpful rather than noisy.

FAQs About Texting Guide for Loyalty Programs

Can I show point balances or tiers in messages?

Yes. TextUs supports merge fields from your CRM or commerce system. Many teams include balance, tier, or expiration dates to make messages more actionable.

Can I automate expiring-point reminders and tier updates?

Yes. You can schedule campaigns or connect Keywords and Sequences to timed events from your loyalty system. Expiring points and tier changes are common triggers.

Can I attach reward catalogs or promo cards?

Yes. TextUs allows PDFs, images, or GIFs in both campaigns and one-to-one conversations. Short catalogs and promo cards help members choose without leaving the thread.

How does the Shared Inbox help loyalty teams?

All replies appear in a shared view so marketing and service can assign owners, tag threads, and answer quickly. This setup keeps conversations consistent and reduces duplicate outreach.

What metrics should I track to prove program impact?

Start with delivery, reply, click, and redemption rates. Export TextUs data and match it to loyalty KPIs like average order value, visit frequency, and tier progression. Weekly summaries can show which segments and offers deliver the most redemptions.