> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.extole.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choosing a Program for a Goal

> Start from the result you want — a first signup, a repeat purchase, a thank-you — and pick the program type that gets you there. You may already have one that does.

# Overview

Don't start from the template list. Start from what you want customers to do, then pick the program that gets you there.

Most of the time that goal is one of three things: bringing new customers in (acquisition), giving the ones you have a reason to stay (retention), or getting them to take a specific action (engagement). If you already run a program that does that, change it. Don't create another one for the same goal.

Why those three matter — and why one program is rarely enough — is in [Why Clients Need More Than Referral](https://docs.extole.com/product/best-practices/program-strategy/why-clients-need-more-than-referral.md). If a moment in the business is already a reason to add one, see [Signals You're Ready for a Second Program](https://docs.extole.com/product/best-practices/program-strategy/signals-youre-ready-for-a-second-program.md).

# What Are You Trying to Do

A program type is a starting template: campaigns, rewards, and rules already pointed at a kind of result. The useful question is which result you actually want.

* Someone who isn't a customer yet signs up or buys for the first time — that's **acquisition**.
* Someone who already bought has a reason to stay — that's **retention**.
* Someone who is already a customer does a specific thing: buys again, downloads the app, leaves a review — that's **engagement**.

The same sentence can mean two different goals. "Reward a purchase" is engagement if your existing customers are buying again, and acquisition if a new visitor converts on their first visit. "Thank existing customers" is retention if you want an ongoing relationship, and engagement if you want one action.

# Which Program Fits

Pick one type, and be clear about what you're leaving on the table. The full map is on [Why Clients Need More Than Referral](https://docs.extole.com/product/best-practices/program-strategy/why-clients-need-more-than-referral.md). Here's where people usually land.

| Goal | Program | Other option |
| :- | :- | :- |
| Existing customers rewarded for a purchase or another specific action (engagement) | [Offer / Reward for Action](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/offer/index) | [Welcome Offer](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/welcome-offer/index) if the buyer isn't a customer yet |
| A first signup or first purchase from someone new (acquisition) | [Welcome Offer](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/welcome-offer/index) | [Refer a Friend](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/refer-a-friend/index) if they should arrive through someone they know |
| Thank existing customers, or keep a selected group close (retention) | [Ambassador](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/influencer.md) | [Loyalty](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/loyalty/index) if they earn points over time rather than join a selected group |
| Customers to bring in people they know (acquisition) | [Refer a Friend](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/refer-a-friend/index) | Welcome Offer if the people you want aren't already connected to a customer |

This isn't a rulebook. A few of these land on the same program, and the right pick still depends on what's already live.

Rewarding a purchase once is an Offer program. Rewarding purchases over time, with points they redeem later, is Loyalty. Loyalty still starts from Reward for Action — you're adding a bank of points, not a one-time payout. See [Loyalty](https://docs.extole.com/product/product-overview/programs/loyalty/index).

# You Might Already Have This

You need a new program when you need a new audience, a new flow, or a reward structure your current programs don't cover. If you already have an Offer program that rewards a different action, another Offer — or a new campaign in the same program — is probably enough. If Refer a Friend is already running and you still want customers to bring friends, change that program. Don't start a second one.

[Programs vs. Campaigns](https://docs.extole.com/guides/platform-overview/programs-vs-campaigns.md) is the split. Once you know the type, [Creating a Program](https://docs.extole.com/guides/platform-overview/creating-a-program.md) is how you start it from that template.


## Related topics

- [Creating a Program](https://docs.extole.com/guides/platform-overview/creating-a-program.md)
- [Acquisition, Retention, Engagement: Why Clients Need More Than Referral](https://docs.extole.com/product/best-practices/program-strategy/why-clients-need-more-than-referral.md)
- [Signals You're Ready for a Second Program](https://docs.extole.com/product/best-practices/program-strategy/signals-youre-ready-for-a-second-program.md)
- [Choosing the Right Report](https://docs.extole.com/guides/dashboards-and-reporting/configuring-reports/choosing-the-right-report.md)
- [How to Manually Create a Referral or other Event](https://docs.extole.com/guides/rewards-management/reward-fulfillment/how-to-manually-create-a-referral-or-other-event.md)


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