Restaurant Chains Launch Mobile Strategies to Reach Customers

Chili's Grill & Bar recently rolled out a campaign that engages its customers through SMS marketing and social media by offering them free food when they check-in through social media sites. In the short time the campaign has been live, I have seen many of my Facebook friends redeem their coupons through mobile & social networks. I think this type of mobile campaign will be a very effective way to foster customer loyalty, since consumers can be motivated by a reward and social networking use has exploded in recent years.

The Chili's model uses Facebook Places and foursquare as part of its mobile campaign. When consumers check in to the restaurant's locations between now and the end of May, they are eligible to receive a free appetizer. This type of mobile coupon offer will encourage consumers to visit the restaurant and sample more items off the menu than just a "starter," which will help to boost sales and keep this brand firmly planted the consumer's mind.

To redeem the mobile coupons, a customer would simply show the restaurant server his or her mobile device. This is an easy and convenient way for the customer to take advantage of the special offer.

Why include Facebook Places and foursquare as part of this mobile phone marketing campaign? The numbers make sense to the company: there have been more than 1.5 million check-ins on Facebook Places and over one million on foursquare. By putting its message out where consumers are, the restaurant is giving its brand a boost and encouraging visitors to order other items from the menu, such as drinks and entree items.

Guess Using Mobile Technology to Attract Young Buyers

Guess, a clothing retailer focusing on providing fashions for men, women, children and babies, has decided to harness the power of mobile technology and social apps to bring customers into its brick and mortar stores. I think this is a really interesting concept, since young people have already enthusiastically embraced smart phones and social networking sites like Facebook.

Here’s how the concept works: Prospective Guess customers can check in at the company’s stores using Foursquare. When they do it, they are rewarded with access to a special promotion. First up for this new venture was the Urban Jungle Check-In Challenge, which is in place to promote the company’s G by Guess clothing line.

This first effort wrapped up on September 30, and now the company will need to evaluate how well this use of mobile technology has paid off for it. I find it interesting that the campaign was directed at employees as well as consumers, and I can only conclude that adding employees to the target audience helps to keep the staff engaged in the company’s products and promotions.

To keep customers and staff interested in the number of people checking in at Guess stores through Facebook and Foursquare, an online leader board was set up. Store employees and customers alike could check it out to see how “their” location was doing. What a fantastic way to create competition between stores.