FLIPPIN’ GOOD DOUGH BOARDS, BOXES & TRAYS

PROOFING BOARDS

» Designed for use with standard proofing racks

» Lightly textured surface

» Can withstand temps -60o to 250oF

» Safely holds heavy loads with no bending or sagging

DOUGH BOXES

» Fiberglass strength and durability outlasts plastic

» Color matching available

» Secure stacking with no bending or sagging

» Easily cleaned in any standard or commercial high-temp washer

» Snap-on lids and dollies available

» Resists scratching & shipping

» Smooth, sanitary surface

» Won’t bend or sag

» Many colors & sizes available

Encourage signups. Now that you have customers interested and informed, it’s time to finish the transaction. “When it comes to signing up for loyalty programs, the simpler, the better,” Easton says. “Online, create a clear call to action (such as ‘Click here to sign up’) that directly takes the customer to the signup page. From there, the process should be streamlined and include basic information, such as email address and phone number. Explain the straightforward nature of the signup process to reassure your audience that it’s a quick and easy click-through.”

Fired Pie promotes its loyalty program through every channel possible. The bottom of each receipt encourages signups; social media and website pages push the option; and the QR codes at the cashier naturally spark interest to start conversations in-store. If the store isn’t busy, guests can download right there at the register and start accumulating points. “We also do a regular e-blast to customers that are on our Facebook and in our database, which is 40,000 strong, to encourage joining our app,” Morgan adds. “And, with the deals that we send to everyone, some are good only for app users, so we’ll encourage them to download it to get the two-for-one special or whatever we are running.”

SOCIAL MEDIA TIE-INS

Once you have the basics down, kick your loyalty program efforts into high gear by tying in social media. First, Easton recommends promoting the rewards program on social media. “Social media platforms provide direct access to current and potential customers that will not only be enticed to sign up for a loyalty program, but engage with the content on the restaurant’s social account,” Easton says. “This provides a more supportive community, where both customers and the restaurant owners can feel excited to coexist.”

Indeed, social media is an uber-important feature of Fired Pie’s loyalty program. App-using customers can post on or browse deals on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, Easton believes that owners should speak to the audience on each platform. “Tweak content per social media platform based on its audience—and the best way to know who your audience is on each platform is through analyzing the results of content,” Easton explains. “Test creative approaches, messages and calls to action with different types of posts. Then take a look at the results and see if there’s a difference in your demographics, which can be found per post on Facebook and Instagram.”

For example, Easton notes that, typically, older audiences are more present on Facebook, compared to younger audiences on Instagram. Hence, certain loyalty perks that appeal to an older audience should be predominantly on Facebook, whereas other perks may be better off posted front and center on Instagram.

Also on social media, incorporate what Easton calls “thumb-stopping assets”—in other words, messaging and imagery that stop scrollers in their tracks. “Choose a creative asset (video or static image) that still embodies the restaurant’s brand,” Easton advises. “The creative asset should catch the audience’s attention, while the copy includes more details about the benefits and registration process. Remember that all social media posts must be concise, creative and on-brand.”

Additional Tips

Fred Morgan, co-owner of Fired Pie, recommends these additional tips for making the most of a loyalty program:

Engage with guests. Communicate reminders through email, text—any way you can. You can use location tracking to shoot a message when they’re near the pizzeria. Or, if the year is ending and they’re close to reaching a goal, send a message saying, “You’re just $10 away from your reward!”

Make it trackable. Choose a rewards system that tracks how many times customers visit, where they’re coming from, and what they’re ordering. This way, you can target them with appropriate offers. For example, if they haven’t visited in 30 or 90 days, you can send them a nudge to order.

Mind your timing. Review stats on the best times to send promos and reminders. At 9:30 to 10 a.m., people are at the office and thinking about lunch. At 3 to 4 p.m., they’re deciding on dinner. And, to more frequent guests, you might offer specials at offbeat times, like 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, to pep up slow days.