Your Facebook Friends are Now In YOUR Reward Program

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Technology – specifically the social space – is always, read that again – always changing.  It’s tough to keep up, with let alone actually leverage.  Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, a new idea, application, approach, comes along and makes what you just spent 10 weeks on so “2008” or just lame.

Here’s a new one for you reward and recognition fans... SolidPunch.

SolidPunch Is YOUR Reward Platform

SolidPunch (name choice aside) sounds interesting.  It is an app, currently in private beta, provided by PunchTab (iphone only right now – sorry Android folks) that connects with your Facebook friends and allows you to “punch” their ticket when they do something nice for you – just like those old-timey punch cards at the car wash or fast food restaurants.  Pulling from the TechCrunch article where I found out about it...

"Did a friend buy you lunch? You can give them a punch. Similar to the way your Subway Club Card works, your friends earn punches. When they accumulate, 6 punches you can send them a reward or coupon from the PunchTab catalog for free (PunchTab makes money when a friend uses the coupon to buy an item).

PunchTab’s website allows publishers to give reward points to users who check in to your site or blog every day. Visitors, which authenticate via Facebook Connect, can earn points for Facebook comments, WordPress comments and Facebook likes. Once a publisher rewards a users, the visitor can redeem the reward through the PunchTab rewards catalog. The startup says the integration is simple, only requiring a publisher to add a few lines of code."

So in effect, through this little app – and only with those folks that connect with me on Facebook – I can run an incentive and reward program.  Nice.  

Prediction – while today it’s Facebook specific – I’d expect to see the concept roll to twitter, Linkedin, discus (social network app for commenting on blogs – for those of you in Rio Linda) or “insert social network here.”  

The idea is the same regardless of network – and I’m sure with the technology today it’s a simple matter of connecting.

Where Would I Use this?

Couple of things I can think of off the top of my head...

Consumer brands – no brainer...

• Like our Facebook page – get a punch
• Refer a friend on Facebook – get a punch
• Mention us in a status update on Facebook – get a punch
• Get 10 Punches get a badge for your Facebook profile.
• Check in with Facebook at a retail location – get a punch

(BTW – the brand gets the data so just imagine what that might provide in terms of market intelligence.)

Today SolidPunch is Facebook only so the B2B applications are maybe a little less obvious (although some B2B brands have a good Facebook following – I just haven’t seen the real killer app for B2B and Facebook – maybe this is it?)

• Comment on a blog post – get a punchRetweet our tweet on our blog post (and have it go to your Facebook update) – get a punch.
• Go to our webinar – get a punch.
• Attend our conference – get a punch
• Stop my our booth at a trade show – get a punch

What is interesting to me is that this really allows anyone with a big Facebook following the ability to run a reward program – and shape behavior through the various activities that lead to behaviors.  

What’s your take on this?  Will it take off?  Is it just another interesting idea that won’t go anywhere?

I personally think there is something here – but not sure what it is just yet.  Needs more fermenting time.

 

Comments

[AkaBruno]

Will we start using our friends as commodities? Will friendships be damaged because he/she didn't deliver a "punch" in a timely fashion, if at all?

[Paul Hebert]

Thanks Matt - and you're right. Right now if someone doesn't "like" my status update - no big deal because there is nothing attached to it. Add a possibility of reward and uh, oh.

And you know there will be few folks out there that will find a way to do exactly what you're suggesting - friends as resources and assets to leverage for their own good. It is always an interesting ride this SM stuff.