How-To Guide: Drive Footfall to In-Person Events and Locations with Unlock Codes and Personalized Promotions

Encourage attendance at your in-person events by distributing unique unlock codes that provide exclusive access to personalized promotions.

1. Prerequisites

To set up this workflow, ensure you have:

1. A BeeLiked Account: Ensure you are on a Premium plan and have a Private Promotion setup.
2. Communication Channels: Tools to distribute unlock codes, such as email marketing services (e.g., Mailchimp) or SMS platforms (e.g., Twilio).
3. Audience List: A list of potential customers/attendees to whom you'll send the unlock codes.

 

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2. Setting Up Your Promotion in BeeLiked

Step 1: Create a Private Promotion

1. Log into your BeeLiked account.
2. Select "Create New Promotion," and on the Launch Control page, set it to be a private promotion.
3. Configure the promotion settings:
   • Eligibility Rules: Define who can participate and add appropriate T&Cs.
   • Branding: Add logos, colors, and custom messaging.
   • Promotion Parameters: Set the start and end dates, sub-domain for the microsite, and any tracking you may want.
     
     

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Step 2: Configure Coupons for Rewards (Optional)

1. Set Up a Coupon Collection:

   • Go to the Rewards Center from the main left-hand menu.
   • Create new Coupon Collection(s) to manage the rewards.
   • Add coupons to your collection(s)

2. Assign the Coupon Collection to Your Promotion:

   • In your promotion result message(s), add the coupon collection to the promotion using the appropriate Shortcode.
     
     

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Step 3: Use ShortCodes for Personalization

ShortCodes dynamically insert personalized details, such as unique rewards or participant information, into messages.

 

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3. Generating and Sharing Unlock Codes

The unlock code is the code that is appended to the end of an InviteLink and controls access to the promotion.  Using a platform such as Twilio and Zapier, you can create a fully automated solution. 

 

3.1 Automated Process

This option uses Zapier and Twilio to automate the generation and distribution of unlock codes in response to an incoming SMS message.

 

 

Alternatively, if you only want to send someone an unlock code once, then use this.

 

 

Automated Workflow Overview

• Trigger: A new SMS is received at a specified Twilio number.
• Action 1: Generate an unlock code for a BeeLiked private promotion.
• Action 2: Send the unlock code back to the sender via SMS.
  
  

Automated Workflow Steps

Step 1: Set Up the Trigger

• Create a Zap in Zapier.
• Trigger App: Twilio.
  • Event: "New SMS Received."
  • Configure the Twilio number to monitor incoming messages.

Step 2: Generate Unlock Code Using Zapier

• Action App: BeeLiked.
  • Event: Use the "Create InviteLink" action in the BeeLiked Zapier integration.
• Configure Action:
  • Promotion ID: Select the private promotion you want to use.
  • Participant Identifier: Map the sender’s phone number or other unique data from the incoming SMS.
• Extract Unlock Code:
  • After generating the InviteLink, extract the unique unlock code (this is appended at the end of the InviteLink).

Step 3: Send the Unlock Code

• Action App: Twilio.
  • Event: "Send SMS."
  • Recipient: Map the phone number from the trigger (the SMS sender).
  • Message Body: Include the unlock code in a reply message

 

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3. 2 Manual Process

Step 1: Generate Unlock Codes

1. Create the InviteLink:

   • Go to the Share Center from the main left-hand menu
   • Locate the Share Links section within the Share Centre and generate your InviteLinks
     
     
     
     
     
   • If you need a refresher on what to do next, go here
2. Get the Unlock code:
   • Go to Manage InviteLinks in the Share Center
   
    
   • Export the appropriate InviteLinks.
   • Strip out the Invite Code in Excel.

 

Step 2: Distribute Unlock Codes

Once you've got your unlock codes, you need to share them with your audience. Two possible options are email and SMS.

 

Email Distribution via Mailchimp

1. Prepare Your Audience List:
   • Ensure your customer list is uploaded to Mailchimp.
2. Create an Email Campaign:
   • Design the email: Highlight the exclusive promotion and include the unlock code.
   • Personalize the content using merge tags to insert unique unlock codes.
3. Send the Campaign:
   • Distribute the email to your target audience.

SMS Distribution via Twilio

1. Set Up Twilio:
   • Ensure your Twilio account is active and configured.
2. Compose an SMS Message:
   • Draft a message that includes the unlock code and event details.
3. Send Messages:
   • Use Twilio’s messaging platform to send SMS messages to your audience.
     
     

 

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4. Redeeming Unlock Codes at the Event

1. Your Device:

   • Enter Unlock Code: Attendees provide their code, which staff input to grant access to the promotion.

2. Entrants Device:

   • Mobile Access: Entrants use their devices to scan a QR code that takes them to a landing page, where they input the code to unlock the promotion.

 

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Best Practices

1. Promote Exclusivity:

   • Emphasize that the unlock code offers exclusive access to encourage attendance.

2. Clear Instructions:

   • Provide detailed guidance on how to use the unlock code.

3. Monitor Redemption:

   • Track which codes are redeemed to assess the promotion's success.