How are messages used in a SessionM campaign?

At the core of any campaign is communication. Member loyalty is built by listening to members so that you can understand what they want from the relationship with your brand, and then communicating with them to demonstrate that you understand what they want and value their loyalty. When members believe that a brand understands their needs and seeks to fulfill those needs, members are more likely to reward them with a long and loyal relationship.

Within the SessionM platform, messages give you the ability to reach members with personalized communications in their preferred channel. Messages can be activity feeds and emails as well as push and in app notifications. They can be sent as emails and external messages, or as SMS messages. In addition, you can configure messages to be sent once, on a recurring basis, according to a schedule, or triggered by a behavior.

When planning a campaign, you need to decide:

How many messages you plan to send.
What the messages say.
When the messages are delivered.
How the messages are delivered.

Determine number of messages

A campaign typically includes multiple messages. One message might inform the member that a new campaign has been launched, describe the rewards available in the campaign and explain how to earn them. A later message might inform a member that they are nearing the threshold for earning a reward and include an offer to help them cross that threshold. Still another message might thank the member for participating in this campaign and preview an upcoming campaign.

As a campaign runs, find ways to keep loyalty program members informed about their savings in the program, how many points they've earned, and what rewards are available to them. The key is balance. You don’t want to send so many messages that the member tunes you out, but not so few that the member loses the sense of being in an ongoing relationship with your brand.

Determine content of message

A compelling message informs and motivates. Your intent in sending the message is to inform the member of a reward and then motivate them to pursue it. Send targeted marketing offers designed to appeal to the critical purchase motivations of the member.

Determine delivery method

Decide how and when to send the messages. SessionM supports two delivery methods:

Messages can be delivered according to a schedule. For example, you could send a message the day before the campaign begins to alert members about the impending campaign.
Message can be triggered by a specific member action. Messages that are triggered by a member action often have an offer associated with it. For example, when a member visits a new restaurant in Singapore, a message that includes a discount of 20% off their next visit to the restaurant.

Determine message type

An effective loyalty program provides a variety of channels so that members can choose the method of communication that is most comfortable for them. Brands can improve member loyalty by using email, social media, apps, and mailings among other methods to keep them informed.

In addition to different members favoring different channels, different business processes are generally best supported on specific channels. For example, flash sales or daily deals are best served on mobile.

SessionM supports the following message types.

Message Type	Description
Inbox Messages	Sent to a mobile app inbox and delivered the next time a member logs into the app (after the defined send time/date). Inbox messages consist of a header and a message body.
Email Messages	Sent to member's designated email address. Use templates to construct more elaborate email messages.
SMS message	Text messaging service component of most telephone, internet, and mobile-device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols to enable their reception by mobile devices
Push notifications	Sent directly to a member’s mobile device at any time regardless of whether or not the member is actively using the device or a specific app.
External Message	Executed through an external integration, whereby the SessionM Platform instructs another system (email service provider, SMS provider, etc.) to send a message to a specific member. You can also add an offer to be delivered in concert with the external message. When the delivery time or triggered event arrives, the platform first issues the offer to the audience and then sends the external message. The following offer information is available in the data payload sent to the External Provider, letting you create a personalized and tailored experience for your members: Offer ID User ID POS Discount ID Logo Title Description Terms Redemption End Date
In App Notification	Sent directly to a member’s mobile device and received by the member only when they are using a specific app.
Graphic Display	Static, interstitial display rendered within a mobile app as an execution. It can include a destination URL or deep link for the member to click through. This is often known as an “in-app message”.
Video	Embedded piece of video content. A video allows the platform user to define what static images are displayed before and after the member plays the video content, and has the option of including a destination URL or deeplink.