It used to be pretty easy to build loyalty. Give customers rewards, promotions and points, and you’d own them. Not so much anymore.

For years the airlines built loyalty using frequent flyer programs. One might argue that they don’t really reward passengers for loyalty, they reward them for airline segments. It might be smarter to reward customers based on the amount of money they spend. If airlines did, they would know who’s really profitable. The way it is now, no one feels very special, and it doesn’t matter how much you spend. With free seats being an “endangered species” loyalty is really tough.

These days everyone gives points including the Goodwill Store. Because everyone gives points, no one really stands out.

With the multi–dimensional digital world, customers are fragmented in many more places, and they’re not so easy to find. The Internet gives customers a lot of places to hang out and hide. Once you find them, what do you do to build loyalty? You build communities.

Social media is on your side, but most businesses need to step up their game. A few Facebook posts, a Tweet now and then and a blog written in 2008 won’t do it.

Check out Part 2 for how Google + pages can help you build customer loyalty!