Apply the same logic to customer loyalty programs like frequent flier miles, credit card rewards and online club accounts.

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"Points for the sake of points is just buying off the customer, it doesn't drive loyalty, " says Gartner Research analyst Adam Sarner, who tracks customer loyalty programs.

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Your social media strategy includes everything you do to build, connect with and serve customer communities, including: the new stuff, email marketing, customer loyalty programs and, the original social media, face-to-face.

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Analytics and marketing applications-oriented software companies are today providing new solutions that enable marketers to target communications based on behavioral patterns revealed in data from social networks, customer loyalty programs, call centers or transaction histories.

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My preferences for clothing and home goods brands change from year to year, but are strongly influenced by loyalty programs and customer support.

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Many daily deal sites will become part of loyalty programs rather than customer acquisition programs.

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Loyalty programs can show that a person is not a useless customer, if the firm knows how to use the information.

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Retailers that get the most payback from loyalty programs are careful to measure vital metrics, like gross margin per customer and the lifetime value of a customer, which is tracked by using surveys and following forwarded emails to see who's recommending your store.

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