How Can Roles & Privileges Enhance Your Loyalty Program?

Before diving into the advantages of roles and privileges, let’s start by understanding what each of these terms actually mean. A role can be thought of as a specific position or status that someone has within a group that establishes their identity within a digital space. For example, on a social media platform, you might have roles such as “user”, “moderator”, or “admin”, each of which carries its own set of responsibilities and criteria. 

Privileges, on the other hand, pertain to the special benefits or access granted to users based on their role or position within the platform. These privileges offer unique advantages or features that may not be available to all users. In an online gaming community, for instance, players with higher roles or levels might enjoy privileges like exclusive in-game items, access to special game modes, or the ability to interact with top-ranked players.

By assigning roles within a digital platform, brands can not only identify and spotlight their most loyal users but also provide them with associated privileges to reward them for their dedication or skill. These privileges could include access to premium content, participation in influencer chats, or exclusive events, and not only incentivizes active user engagement but also establishes a hierarchy to motivates other users to strive for higher roles.

The concept of user roles and privileges in loyalty programs is similar to that of “role-based access control” (RBAC) in computer system security. Just as RBAC assigns specific roles to users to determine their access privileges within a system, user roles and privileges in loyalty programs define a user’s position within the community and grant them access to exclusive features or content. And while both systems serve different purposes, their mechanics are quite similar. 

Integrating user roles and privileges into existing loyalty programs can yield remarkable results. By aligning these concepts with core loyalty features like points, badges, leaderboards, and quests, brands can create an elevated engagement system on their platforms.

For example, users can progress through different roles by earning points, unlocking corresponding privileges at each milestone. Take a football fan, for example, using a sports app: they may start on the platform as a “Simple Fan” and gradually progress by watching live games on the app to become a “Super Fan”, gaining access to exclusive content, training invitations, and other privileges associated with the Super Fan role.

(Roles can be determined by badges that represent specific achievements within the loyalty program, signifying users’ expertise or level of involvement. In the given example, the Super Fan role would be designated by the “Super Fan” badge.)

All in all, implementing roles and privileges within a loyalty program can significantly benefit both brands and its users—in other words, it’s a win-win scenario.

On the brand side, integrating roles and privileges allows for more or better segmentation and personalization. By introducing roles and privileges, brands can effectively identify their most dedicated, loyal users and target them with tailored marketing campaigns reserved for people they know are more familiar with the platform. Additionally, incorporating roles and privileges allows brands to create a more immersive and interactive experience, leading to increased user engagement and driving desired behaviors that align with business objectives such as subscription, churn rate reduction and increased traffic.

On the other hand, for users, the benefits of roles and privileges are just as compelling. User roles and privileges provide a clear progression path within the community, giving users a sense of accomplishment, status and motivation to work their way to the “top”. Users are incentivized to deepen their engagement as they strive to unlock higher roles and gain access to unique benefits and this, in turn, enhances their overall experience and strengthens their connection with the brand and the community. Roles and privileges also create opportunities for users to access exclusive content, participate in meaningful discussions, and connect with like-minded individuals.

At LiveLike, we not only provide brands with the tools to create loyalty programs, but we also assist in defining user roles and granting privileges within those programs. Our points system and badges help to establish roles based on user achievements and engagement, with badges serving as indicators of dedication and seniority within the community.

For example, brands can host monthly competitions with leaderboards that reward the top-ranked user with a “competition winner” badge, granting them a new role and exclusive privileges. Similarly, brands can create quests that, once completed, lead user to acquiring a badge that upgrades their status, unlocking further benefits.

In addition to defining roles, LiveLike allows for unique feature restrictions based on user roles. Specific widgets like trivia quizzes and polls can be limited to users with specific badges and roles. For example, a basketball team may launch a trivia quiz with a chance to win a free ticket to a game, restricting participation to users with a specific fan badge and role. While this may decrease the number of participants, it significantly increases the chances of winning for those eligible. This exclusivity becomes a privilege tied to a particular role or badge that users will feel motivated to strive for.

Our chat feature also presents additional options for user privileges. Users with specific roles or badges can enjoy perks such as highlighted messages, special symbols or emojis next to their usernames, or access to premium chats limited to badge holders. We have already implemented token-gated experiences based on NFT ownership and aim to extend this approach to badge owners, granting them access to exclusive chat features and communities.