Sandwich chain Togo’s is revamping its loyalty program by rewarding members with bonus points in exchange for interacting with the brand on social media, showcasing how quick-service restaurant marketers can incentivize engagement on mobile.

Togo’s is teaming up with conversational conversion platform Chirpify and reward program solution Paytronix to bring a heavy dose of social to its loyalty program and gain new ways of collecting valuable data about members. Consumers who interact with the sandwich chain on social media and include its official handle in their posts will receive additional rewards points to add to their accounts, a strategy that has previously paid off for other brands.

“Social triggers play an important role for QSR chains looking to implement social loyalty programs as they help define what a brand listens for on social media and what they would like to reward for,” said Chris Teso, CEO of Chirpify. “Triggers can include anything from hashtags to photos, links to sharing, and more.

“Well-defined triggers help support business initiatives, rewarding people for activities that further specific marketing goals,” he said. “It should be noted that triggers don’t need to be static.

“For example, if a QSR has a limited-time menu item, it could set up a trigger designed to reward sharing of the item while it lasts. Triggers define for QSRs what the brand will listen for and then automation allows them to immediately reply and reward people who set off the trigger. This allows QSRs to reward and convert activity at scale.”

Togo’s Eateries operates more than 250 locations on the West Coast.

Serving up social triggers
Togo’s participation in the Chirpify-Paytronix collaboration will offer the chain additional access to valuable consumer data – especially regarding social media behavior – as well as enhanced brand engagement.

The Togo’s Tribe loyalty program consists of a mobile application that allows users to earn points for each purchase, order from any Togo’s location and receive notifications regarding special offers and new products.

By rewarding social media users for interacting with its brand on channels such as Instagram and Twitter, the chain is well-poised to collect more information on each user, which can be used to inform future mobile marketing initiatives.

The three-pronged collaboration enables Togo’s Tribe members to redeem their points through an account linked to a Paytronix wallet.

The partnership is kicking off with a promotion that invites Tribe members to link their social media handles to Togo’s official account, an action that will yield them 10 bonus points per channel. Additionally, loyalty members who follow Togo’s Sandwiches on any of its social platforms will receive 15 rewards points for each follow.

Individuals can also earn five loyalty points for any Tweet or Instagram post containing the hashtags #Togos or #TogosSandwiches.

Chirpify’s engine listens for social triggers that, when prompted, immediately reward Tribe members with bonus points in exchange for their interaction.

Chirpify also links to Paytronix’s system and API, which enables it to identify existing Tribe members and create accounts for new customers.

“This new integration will help Togo’s motivate social behaviors,” said Michelle Tempesta, head of marketing at Paytronix Systems, Inc. “It will extend the brand’s direct reach and voice.

“It will likely increase membership since members will be able to join using the channel they prefer. Since more members will join, sales will be impacted in a positive way.”

Slicing up brand benefits
Chirpify’s platform collects campaign conversion data by identifying each user’s social ID and linking it to an existing Togo’s Tribe account and Paytronix wallet. Receiving access to this data enables Togo’s to see when users redeem their points.

It can also better gauge cross-channel campaign success, thereby helping the fast-casual sandwich brand to optimize its rewards program and angle for greater customer satisfaction. Additionally, Togo’s can leverage Chirpify’s geo-targeting tools to spread the word about upcoming events, such as the opening of a new location.

“We see the benefit of adding social triggers to our Togo’s Tribe Rewards program as three-fold,” said Leslie Lopez, senior brand manager at Togo’s Eateries, Inc. “Firstly, we get our guests talking about Togo’s on their social platforms, which has a strong and organic reach.

“The more they talk, the more we are seen and as research shows, people believe their friends more than any other source for brand messaging,” she said. “Secondly, connecting with our Tribe members’ social accounts allow us to see how they are behaving toward our brand. We can not only see if they are posting about us, but if those posts turn into visits.

“Lastly, we can use targeted campaigns to control the type of messages that are getting posted. For example, it might be National Sandwich Day and we can encourage posts for our top sandwiches. Or we can incent posts about a new product launch or program we are supporting.”

Togo’s is not the only brand employing social triggers to boost brand engagement.

Marriott is also perfecting the art of doling out real-time rewards by targeting social media users mentioning the brand and offering them loyalty points that are instantly added to their accounts, resulting in a 100 percent conversion rate (see story).

Ultimately, Togo’s will likely see an uptick in new Tribe member signups, as well as mobile-driven sales.

“I think that this new partnership will result in more loyalty signups for the Togo’s Tribe,” Chirpify’s Mr. Teso said. “This will initially be led by Togo’s promotion of the program in which it rewards its customers for joining and participating with it in social channels.

“On an ongoing basis, Chirpify research tells us that customers are four times more likely to engage with social loyalty brand posts because there is a reason to do so,” he said. “As people participate more with the brand, they create earned media that helps spread the word about the program to their social networks.

“By creating more active Tribe members who spread social advocacy and implied social proof, new customer acquisition will grow. Last, we know from research by Paytronix that loyalty members who are active on Facebook, and are fans of the brand, spend better than seventy percent more than the brand’s average program member.”