Marketing in all ways is incredibly important when you run a business, especially a restaurant; passion will only get you so far if no one knows about your business. Restaurant Marketing means many things, including social media, digital advertising, printed flyers, loyalty programs, email newsletters, and more. All are important, but for the program where you can have maximum control over your marketing messages and capabilities, email marketing for restaurants is especially vital. There are many reasons why you should seriously consider implementing a regular email marketing campaign into your business. See below for an explanation of the importance of email marketing for your restaurant:
Importance:
Email marketing for restaurants is a fantastic way to reach people who actually have a vested interest in your your food. Once you have a list of regular subscribers, you can email them consistently with offers, information on the restaurant, tips for dining, and more, for an interesting mix of content and direct marketing. When you include links back to your restaurant or table-booking page within the email, you can also help to consistently drive traffic, both digitally (for online orders) and hopefully physically if you have dine in options or a bar.
Email marketing is (should be) an integral part of your restuaraunt marketing campaign because it’s a direct-to-consumer communication method that you can completely manage; with other types of marketing, you may not know who you’ll reach exactly, or how much information you can put in front of them regularly, but with email marketing, you have a unique opportunity to craft your message and layout and to build loyalty by consistently reaching your very own demographic. As we’ve discussed in a previous post about email marketing ideas for resturants , be as detailed and specific to your audience as possible for the best results. 9Fold has created some automated email flows that build right into your customers order history that handles the heavy lifting and can pinpoint your audience almost on auto-pilot.
Statistics and Tips:
Include a sign-up form on your website to collect email addresses, and also gather email addresses from feedback forms, physical sign-up forms on-location, and any digital or physical place where customers can leave their email (with a checked box indicating they agree to be contacted). In this way, you can quickly gather a large list of high-quality customers that you can regularly reach out to.
Be aware of open rates and click-through rates that you should be able to expect with each email. What does this mean? Not everyone is going to open every email in their inbox, so naturally, not everyone on your subscriber list will read each email. For the restaurant industry, a typical open rate is about 21-22%, meaning about 22% of your subscribers will open the email. An average click-through rate may be between 1-2%, meaning that many people will click a link from your email to then visit your website or another link. While you can use this as a metric to gauge your success, you should absolutely be aware that this is a broad industry standard, ranging from large national brands to small, independent, local restaurants, and depending on the curation of your client list, your rates could go higher or lower. Keep in mind that social media impressions and advertising rates are similar in that only a portion of available targeted audience members may see and interact with your content as well.
To optimize your content for higher click-through rates and open rates, consider the following strategies:
- Keep your subject line short and tease the content on the inside to raise interest
- Keep the length of content in the body of the email low, and only include 3-4 different types of content, so you don’t dilute your audience’s attention or lose their focus
- Include more than just promotional material; share fun information and stories to showcase your emails’ ability to be valuable consistently to the audience
- Include calls to action (“Click here to read the full story”) to encourage readers to visit your website and further interact with your business
Email marketing can be an incredibly effective way to stay top-of-mind for your customers and to boost business. Consider implementing these tips and strategies for your restaurant, and watch as you build customer loyalty and interest. For more on marketing strategies for your restaurant, contact us now.
