BRANDPAY rewards customers who post on Instagram about their favourite venues, and earn money back to spend there with businesses who have signed up.
So far Mizu Japanese Izakaya in Bicester, The Duke in Woodstock, Back Lane Tavern in Woodstock, 100% Pasta in Oxford OXTWO in Summertown, Seni, Sauna at the Farm in Frilford, BBuona Pinsa Bar in Oxford, The Cluster in Summertown, Woodstock Pilates Studio, Fitness At The Farm, Jericho Coffee in Osney and Bash Bites have all joined, their customers already reaping the benefits.
‘why would you spend a lot of your time creating your own content when you can actually pay your customers to do it for you and they can spend the money with you?’
But what is BRANDPAY, and how does it work? Launched in Oxford at the OXINABOX FOOD AWARDS, having already been rolled out globally, the reward scheme is reshaping how businesses think about social media marketing.
Because while BRANDPAY helps businesses reward their customers for sharing their experiences on social media, while also driving foot traffic and sales, the public can earn rewards for sharing their experiences on social media, support their favourite local businesses and get rewards in their BRANDPAY account to spend.
‘Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and what we have seen is that people have started to plan their days and weekends around which venues are with BRANDPAY’
Just snap a photo or video, and post it on Instagram with a mention of the business to earn cash based on the post’s engagement (likes). The cash can then be spent back at the same business, creating a cycle of loyalty.
The brainchild of Mike Haywood, who was living in Australia running a retreat and began rewarding his customers who posted about the business, he soon realised there was a gap in the market.
“If you are in hospitality and running a business we get joy from delighting our consumers and guests because it’s our baby and our business, but that doesn’t mean that you’re great at social media,” Mike explains.
‘I didn’t particularly like dancing on reels to try and gain the attention of of my customers, but how else do you get through to them?’
“I was terrible at creating pretty pictures and building an Instagram page and and I’m an introvert so I didn’t particularly like dancing on reels to try and gain the attention of of my customers, but how else do you get through to them?
“And I think this applies to the majority of businesses because you still need to attract them. But as consumers spend their time scrolling on Instagram and social media these days, it’s where you have to be if you want to get through to them.
“And that’s where BRANDPAY comes in, because I think a lot of small businesses sit back and scratch their heads and think ‘am I building a restaurant or dancing on reels on social media’?
‘customers are already posting to their friends, family and loved ones about how they spend their day, and businesses can tap into that and reward their customers’
“Yet their customers are already posting to their friends, family and loved ones about how they spend their day, and so if businesses can tap into that and reward their customers when they mention their businesses, it saves them having to come up with fresh and new content themselves.
“So it stands to reason that why would you spend a lot of your time creating your own content when you can actually pay your customers to do it for you and they can spend the money with you? And up to 80% of a business spend comes back as in-venue revenue.
“And as we know when we see our friends creating content, we are far more engaged with what they’re doing and interested in, where they recommend, that it is the most trusted content you could have.
“So if I post a picture of myself enjoying an Aperol Spritz at The Back Lane Tavern, my friend is 10 times more likely to want to go to the Back Lane and have an Aperol Spritz. Marketing research shows that we just trust our friends more than we trust anyone else.
‘BRANDPAY has spread all over the world, from Australia to Dubai, and now OxfordSHIRE’
BRANDPAY was launched in Bali earlier this year and grew very quickly grew with close to 70 businesses signing up within four months, including most of the major beach clubs, hotels, bars and restaurants.
And now it has spread all over the world from Australia to Dubai and now Oxfordshire. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and what we have seen elsewhere in the world is that people have started to plan their days and weekends around which venues are with BRANDPAY.
“So while this is not a habit, yet, of the everyday person, we do believe it will become one as people start to realise their content is valuable. But for the businesses signing up, the magic of BRANDPAY is that they don’t actually need to know anything about social media because their customers do.
‘you can register with BRANDPAY in minutes’
“We have made the process as simple as possible,” Mike adds, “so if your business has an Instagram page, you can register with BRANDPAY in minutes and we provide all of the necessary marketing materials so that you can just sit back and do what you do while your customers are they scanning the QR code and our team is ready to support all the businesses that sign up.
“So BRANDPAY goes beyond loyalty because it’s about you spending money in the venue you are actively engaging in. Its experiential. And everyone loves a discount!”
To find out more, sign up as a consumer or check out live campaigns go to brandpay.io, or register your business at business.brandpay.io
