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Published August 15th, 2016 by

An Information Buffet on Email Marketing for Restaurants

There’s a popular misconception that email marketing can only be used for companies that do business online. Sure, some companies with physical locations also use this marketing strategy but most of these are retail companies that ship their products to the consumers. So how does a restaurant owner like you reap the benefits of the popular and effective email marketing strategy?

An Information Buffet on Email Marketing for Restaurants

To start off, you need to understand exactly what email marketing is. Once you get the true definition of this marketing tool, you can start exploring how you can use it to promote your food business.

Starters and Appetizers

As in every meal, you start off with the basics to prepare your palate for what’s to come next. In this case, you will begin with the most basic definition of Email Marketing. It is simply a marketing strategy where business owners like yourself get in touch directly with your customers. These could be existing customers such as the folks who had the rib eye steak for dinner last night or prospects such as the ones who walk past your restaurant every day after work. The goal is to get them to come through your doors and order your sumptuous meals.

Email marketing campaigns are a way for you to reach out and invite them without physically knocking on the doors with a menu in hand. Instead, you send them emails that showcase the food you serve and entice them to come over and try it out.

So, who do you contact? You send emails to those who have agreed to receive them. Collecting these can be done in various ways. You can ask your diners at the restaurant if they are willing to provide you with their email addresses so you can let them know of any special and exclusive events. Once they agree they become a part of your email list.

The other way you can collect emails is by adding an opt-in option on your website. When you decided to have that website put up, your goal was to get people interested in trying out your food. This is the reason you put up pictures of those gorgeous steaks and mouthwatering deserts. By having the opt-in feature, you can ask visitors on your site if they would like to receive newsletters or notices from your restaurant. If they agree, they put in their email and voila, they too are part of your list.

You want to avoid sending emails from third party lead providers as these may be considered spam. Customers are rarely excited to receive that type of mail and you certainly wouldn’t want to be classified as a nuisance.

Once you have your list built, you can start sending out emails such as newsletters to let customers know of a new dish or an event that you will be hosting at your restaurant. You can include special discounts or promotions to give them an extra reason to dine at your place.

Main Course

Now that you understand what email marketing is, it’s time to look at how it works. Running this type of campaign is much more sophisticated than opening your personal email client and writing a message like you would your friends. You don’t have to manually type the email addresses one by one each time you send out a promotion or invitation. You can use top email marketing tools to make the process more efficient. These come with special basic and advanced features that you can use to have a successful marketing campaign. Here are some of the most useful features available.

Templates

An email marketing tool already have predesigned templates that you can customize with pictures and logos to make it represent your brand more effectively. You no longer need to have years of experience in embedding and creating all the technical stuff to be able to create a professional looking online flier or newsletter. Your email marketing templates still allow you the freedom to be creative yet reduce the risks of errors.

Contact List

This feature makes adding the contact information as easy as 1-2-3. You can import data and create segmented lists to manage your communication more efficiently. So, if you want to send a gift certificate to loyal customers who have been regulars for years, you can make sure that it’s not sent to anybody else.

Triggered Emails

Imagine being able to send a invitation to a customer who has just sent you an inquiry on the website about making reservations. The email marketing software can create emails that are triggered by certain website activities. This feature allows you to respond to your customers and make them feel extra special.

A/B Split Testing

This feature saves you from the old process of trial and error. You can check the numbers of the campaigns you want to run and make adjustments even before you send out a single email. It basically allows you to see beforehand how effective a free dessert campaign will be based on data available.

Email Preview

Before you send out your food, you definitely make sure you check it for quality control. Not a slice of carrot is out of place and the dishes are cooked to perfection, just as the customer asked it to be. You can do the same thing with your emails. The software has a preview feature that lets you see exactly how the recipients will be seeing the email. It can adjust to different platforms so you know if it’s going to work for mobile and desktop screens. This is an important feature as statistics gathered by Litmus Inc shows that 48% of emails are opened on mobile devices.

Automated Emails

If you have a regular event at your restaurant and you want to make sure invites are sent out, you can create an automated marketing email. You no longer have to panic about forgetting to send the email and worry about people not knowing about your event. Imagine it as your pantry auto refilling every time you’re short on any ingredient.

Just Desserts

As with all great meals, desserts are the spectacular finish. In this section, you will learn why it’s worth your time and money to invest in email marketing tools.  When preparing a satisfying dessert, it is important to take note of the amount of ingredients. Numbers are very important. This is also true when talking about the benefits of an efficient email marketing campaign.

  1. Wider Market

According to a study done by The Radicati Group Inc, a market research firm based in California, as of 2013, there were 3.6 billion email account holders worldwide and 91% of these folks check their Inboxes daily. That means the person who walks past your restaurant everyday is more likely than not to have an email account. That person may have gone to your website and checked your menu and just needed an extra push to walk through the doors. Sending him or her an email may just be that push they need.

Email Marketing is also a great way for tourists to get exclusive information about your restaurant. Even if it’s their first time in town, receiving your newsletters and emails will help them feel at home and more comfortable at your restaurant. Your market will no longer be limited to the locals.

  1. Increased Customer Loyalty

Consumers nowadays respond well to a personal touch. While sending emails may not be a face to face interaction, sending event notifications or simply letting them know that there’s a new dish being offered in your restaurant can make them feel valued. You can take it a step further by offering exclusive deals to them as a way of showing your gratitude for their continued business.

  1. Smarter Marketing Campaigns

You’ve probably had a brilliant idea once or twice about a great way to get more customers but had gotten heartbroken when it didn’t work. With email marketing tips, you can start coming up with campaigns that work. You can send out surveys to your customers to ask their opinion and build your next promotion on the information they provide. While you can do the surveys at the restaurant, you’ll get more details when customers can fill it out at their own convenience.

  1. Customer Satisfaction Information

Another thing you can add to your email marketing is a customer satisfaction survey. This can be sent a day or two after they dine at your restaurant. It will be a pleasant surprise to find an email from you thanking them for their patronage. You can also offer a small treat such as a free dessert the next time they come in. This will be your way to show how much you appreciate the feedback they will be giving.

  1. Never Be Out of Mind

You’re probably familiar with the old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind”. Customers do tend to have a short memory even if they had a great dinner at your place. There are always new places to try and other restaurants to eat at. By sending out newsletters or friendly email invitations, you can remind them of that night they had the juiciest steak or sinful dessert.  The emails will certainly have them craving to come back for another great meal.

While email marketing strategies tend to sound like these are designed for online businesses, your restaurant can certainly take advantage of what it can deliver. Check out the email marketing tools review on CrowdReviews so you and your restaurant can start reaping in the benefits.

Trevor Price

Trevor Price helps small businesses leverage mobile technology to reach their audience and extend their capabilities in delivery, information, and tracking.

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