Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit…there is certainly no shortage of online channels to help you keep in close contact with your restaurant guests. But sometimes, using that many channels can make it tough to keep track of things.
To keep your patrons coming back, you don’t necessarily need to be an expert in all the latest social channels, you just have to find out where your guests congregate online, choose the biggest ones, and keep current.
But at the end of the day, all that any of us want is simplicity with solid results.
With the explosion of social media marketing in recent years, traditional email marketing may seem outdated. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, restaurant email marketing is more powerful than ever before. According to McKinsey & Company, email is still a significantly more effective way to acquire guests than social media.
A Little History
When Gary Thuerk sent the first marketing email in 1978, he viewed the new tool as a faster, more streamlined way to reach customers with product information when a deadline was looming. And that’s exactly what email marketing quickly blossomed into. As time passed and the whole world eventually joined the bandwagon, the way we did business had to change.
Legislation and policies, like the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and the Sender Policy Framework meant that businesses who had been relying on passively sending out emails to “cultivate” customers had to up their game.
Passively sending out solicitation after solicitation began to sour businesses’ relationships with their customers. A better plan was needed to nurture those contacts than just sending out email after email.
Why Email Marketing Still Works
In terms of digital outreach, it’s important to acknowledge that potential guests of your restaurant may frequent various social media platforms, presenting a scattered landscape for effective communication.
However, approximately 90.9% of the U.S. population utilized email, offering a broader and more reliable reach compared to a select few social media platforms.
Plus, email as a marketing channel offers unprecedented creative freedom. Unlike social media platforms that may enforce character restrictions or stringent formatting guidelines, emails provide an uncluttered canvas. There are no explicit word limits and no predetermined formatting rules.
When your audience opens your email, it captures their sole attention, free from competing stimuli. This means that the adaptability of your emails is only bound by your creative vision, opening up a world of possibilities for unique and engaging restaurant marketing.
Restaurant Email Marketing Tips
Here are a few things you need to know to execute email marketing to its fullest potential.
- Be Reliable and Consistent – The two biggest reasons people unsubscribe from an e-newsletter are that they’re getting too many emails, or they don’t remember signing up in the first place. Set up an automated welcome email so that as soon as someone subscribes to get emails from you, they receive a message. Use this welcome message just like you use a WiFi landing page. Orient them to your business, tell them the community of guests they’re joining, offer them a deal, and talk up an upcoming big event. Then, once you’ve welcomed them, stick to a consistent schedule, once a week, once a month…it almost doesn’t matter as long as you are consistent. Most people open their emails first thing in the morning, or just before they go home, so time your emails so they’ll be at the top of their inbox.
- Content Is King – If you email your guests ten separate tidbits a week, the reasons for your customers to open the emails are similarly small. Craft your message in advance and think about what you want to do for them. Is this email about making their lives more convenient? Is this email about giving them a break from the rat race? Find your objective and design your email to that end. Also, make sure that your email establishes and maintains a relationship. Today, photos and videos are where it’s at. Videos can triple your click-throughs. Likewise, personalized emails have a higher chance of success. Just remember that a bad video or improper personalization equals bad content.
- Simple Designs Work – White space can increase comprehension by as much as 20%. It also gives the air of thoughtfulness, elegance, or intention. About 80% of readers are only going to scan your email, so keep your writing short, simple, and clear, with compelling subheadings that summarize your main point. Also, more than half of your customers are opening your email on their smartphones, another reason to keep things simple, short, and elegant.
- Know Your Audience: Understanding your audience is a fundamental aspect of effective restaurant email marketing. When you know who your guests are, their dining preferences, favorite dishes, frequency of dining out, and even special occasions like birthdays, you can tailor your email communications to resonate with them on a more personal level. This personalized approach to email marketing not only enhances customer engagement but also fosters a sense of loyalty toward your restaurant. In an industry where repeat guests significantly contribute to the success of the business, making the effort to comprehend and meet your audience’s unique needs can truly set your restaurant apart and ensure a steady stream of patrons eager for a dining experience that feels specially curated for them.
- Send Personalized Emails: Personalizing your emails in restaurant marketing is not just a nicety—it’s a necessity. In a world where consumers are inundated with generic promotional emails, personalization serves as a powerful tool to cut through the noise and truly connect with your patrons. When you tailor your emails based on your guests’ preferences, dietary restrictions, past orders, or even their special occasions, you demonstrate that you value them as individuals, not just as sales figures. This personalized approach can significantly improve engagement rates, as recipients are more likely to open and interact with emails that feel specifically catered to their interests and needs.
- Use Eye-Catching Subject Lines: The significance of crafting compelling subject lines in restaurant email marketing cannot be overstated. The subject line acts as the front door to your message—it’s the first thing recipients see in their inbox and often the determining factor in whether they open the email or scroll past it. An enticing subject line can spark curiosity, encourage clicks, and drive guest engagement. It can tease a new menu item, highlight a special offer, or simply reflect your restaurant’s unique personality. Conversely, a poorly composed subject line can lead to lower open rates, or worse, your carefully crafted emails being relegated to the spam folder.
- Leverage Special Events and Holidays: Capitalizing on special events and holidays in restaurant email marketing offers a golden opportunity to connect with customers in a timely and relevant manner. Whether it’s Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, local festivals, or even your restaurant’s anniversary, these occasions provide the perfect backdrop for unique promotions, special menus, or exclusive events. By tying your marketing efforts to these celebrations, you can tap into your customers’ existing excitement and anticipation, making your communication more resonant and engaging.
- Regularly Share Menu Updates: In restaurant email marketing, sharing updates about your menu serves as a crucial strategy for driving customer engagement and business growth. Whether it’s introducing new dishes, announcing seasonal specials, or even alerting customers to discontinued favorites, these updates can create a sense of anticipation and exclusivity, tempting patrons to visit your establishment to try something new. High-quality photos of your offerings can significantly amplify this effect, creating a visual appeal that whets the appetite and stimulates the senses. Regular menu updates not only keep your communication fresh and interesting, but they also signal your commitment to innovation and quality, further solidifying your restaurant’s reputation in the minds of your subscribers.
- Ask for Feedback: Soliciting feedback is a critical component of restaurant email marketing. It serves as a two-way communication channel, allowing you to understand your patrons’ experiences, preferences, and expectations more deeply. By asking for feedback, you’re not just collecting valuable data that can help improve your services and offerings, but you’re also expressing to your guests that their opinion matters to you. This can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, guests who provide feedback often feel more invested in your restaurant, which can lead to increased patronage and positive word-of-mouth.
- Use High-Quality Images: Integrating high-quality photographs into your restaurant’s email marketing strategy is of paramount importance. As the old adage goes, “we eat with our eyes first,” and this rings especially true in the digital world. Photos of your dishes, when done professionally and creatively, can elicit a near-tangible craving, convincing subscribers to book a table or order a delivery. Beautiful imagery can also elevate the perceived value of your offerings, helping to justify premium pricing or special promotions. Moreover, visually captivating emails are more likely to be shared on social media, extending the reach of your marketing efforts.
- Don’t Overdo It: While keeping in touch with your guests is important, sending too many emails can lead to fatigue and unsubscriptions. Find a balance that keeps your restaurant fresh in your patrons’ minds without overwhelming them.
- Track and Analyze Your Results: Tracking and analyzing the results of your restaurant’s email marketing campaigns is vital for their continued success. By monitoring key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and bounce rates, you can gain valuable insights into what’s resonating with your audience and what isn’t. This data-driven approach allows you to continuously refine your strategy, tailoring your content, offers, and even send times to better align with your audience’s preferences and behaviors. Understanding the return on investment from your email campaigns can help justify your marketing spend and inform future budget allocations.
There is no shortage of online platforms for you to choose from when developing a marketing strategy. Just keep in mind that you don’t have to go wild to be effective.
Email marketing has been with us for half a century, and for universality, adaptability, and thoughtful communication, it continues to be the best choice for marketers around the globe.
Schedule a Free Demo Today
Bloom Intelligence is an AI-powered restaurant marketing platform that includes a powerful customer data platform, automated data collection, automated WiFi marketing, and reputation management tools.
Guest data is collected from many different sources and aggregated into one single platform, making it simple and easy to analyze and segment your restaurant’s guest personas.
Bloom makes guest data collection effortless, allowing you to quickly execute the strategies listed above, saving you time, increasing customer lifetime values, attracting new guests, improving your reputation, and boosting your bottom line.
To see more of what Bloom can do for your restaurant, schedule a free demo today, or call us at 727-877-8181.
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