Creating a successful restaurant loyalty program is about more than just offering discounts and rewards; it's about fostering a connection with your customers and building a community around your brand. One of the best ways to enhance your loyalty program's effectiveness is by encouraging members to leave reviews of your restaurant and their dining experiences. Reviews help build trust, improve visibility, and provide valuable feedback. Here’s how you can incentivize your loyalty program members to leave reviews:
Enabling customer reviews on major listing sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, Apple Maps, and OpenTable is essential. When guests leave reviews on these platforms, they often provide their names and contact information, which can be logged into your restaurant's database. This process offers insights into customer preferences and satisfaction levels. Here's how you can make the most of these platforms:
Automated Review Requests: Use customer review platforms like Ovation, which can integrate with your loyalty program. After a customer dines with you, automatically send them a request to leave a review on a listing site. Offer loyalty points or discounts as a reward for every review they leave.
Personalize Follow-Up Messages: Tailor your follow-up messages to encourage customers to share their experiences. For example, “Thank you for dining with us! We’d love to hear about your experience. Leave a review on Yelp, and earn 50 loyalty points!”
Promote Reviews Through Loyalty Programs: Encourage members to leave feedback by offering additional points or perks. This not only improves your restaurant's visibility and rankings on these sites but also increases trust and encourages repeat visits.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube are perfect for engaging your audience and encouraging reviews. Here's how to leverage these platforms effectively:
Direct Communication: Use SMS and email campaigns to connect with your loyalty members. Send personalized messages asking them to follow your restaurant on social media, like “Hey, do you follow us on Instagram? Stay updated with our latest offers and menu updates!”
Onboarding Reminders: Make social media follow-up a seamless part of joining your loyalty program. After signing up, remind new members to follow your social media channels and leave reviews with a message like, “Welcome to our loyalty program! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for exclusive promotions and review our restaurant.”
Engaging Content: Use engaging content like graphics, text, and videos to encourage customers to leave reviews and comments directly on your social media pages. Create visually appealing posts that highlight your restaurant's unique features or showcase customer testimonials. For example, you can use Facebook to run polls asking customers about their favorite dishes and then encourage them to share their thoughts in the comments. This interaction not only keeps your followers engaged but also creates a sense of community around your brand.
Contests: Run contests that require participants to follow your social media pages and leave reviews. Offer attractive prizes like bonus loyalty points or special redemption offers. Announce the contest via email and social media, e.g., “We’re excited to announce our latest contest! Follow us on Facebook and review our restaurant for a chance to win 500 bonus loyalty points!”
Build a Following: A larger social media following means more potential reviewers. Encourage loyalty members to follow and engage with your social media content, creating a community that is more likely to leave reviews and spread the word about your restaurant.
Your website is another valuable tool for collecting reviews. Here’s how to make the most of it:
Online Ordering: After a purchase, prompt customers to leave a review on the landing page. Offer loyalty points as an incentive.
Testimonials Page: Display reviews from loyalty guests on your website. Highlight positive experiences and use these testimonials to encourage others to share their thoughts.
Easy Navigation: Ensure your website is easy to navigate and prominently features a section for leaving reviews. Make the process simple and user-friendly.
Encourage reviews from guests while they’re still in your restaurant. Here's how:
QR Codes: Place QR codes on table tops and menus that direct customers to a review site. Use loyalty points as an incentive for completing a review. Simultaneously, prompt them to join your loyalty program if they haven’t already.
Friendly Staff Prompts: Train your staff to ask guests for feedback and direct them to your review sites, offering rewards for their input.
Feedback Cards: Provide feedback cards with QR codes for easy access to review sites, and mention the rewards they can earn.
Bag stuffers are a great way to encourage reviews from takeout or delivery orders. Here's how to make them effective:
QR Code Flyers: Include flyers with QR codes that take guests directly to review sites. Offer something attractive in return, like bonus loyalty points for signing up and leaving a review.
Clear Instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to leave a review and the benefits they’ll receive, such as, “Leave a review on Yelp and earn 100 loyalty points!”
Branded Materials: Make sure your bag stuffers are branded and engaging, leaving a lasting impression that encourages action.
Offering free Wi-Fi is a great perk, but it can also be used as a tool to gain reviews. Here's how:
Post-Connection Landing Page: After guests connect to your Wi-Fi, redirect them to a landing page prompting them to leave a review.
Incentives: Clearly state the rewards they can earn for leaving a review, such as additional loyalty points or discounts on their next visit.
Easy Access: Make sure the process is straightforward and easy to complete, ensuring guests can leave reviews with minimal effort.
By implementing these tactics, you can effectively encourage members of your restaurant loyalty program to leave reviews. Offering points and rewards as incentives not only boosts the number of reviews but also strengthens the connection between your restaurant and its guests. This engagement can lead to increased visibility, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, more loyal customers. Start today and watch your restaurant thrive!
Want to learn how to successfully implement these tactics in your restaurant? Schedule a demo with us.