How Restaurant Marketers Build Big Email Newsletter Lists
Email followup is an awesome way for virtually any small business to sell more and keep customers happy. Restaurant marketers may be puzzled about how to convince patrons to join their opt-in email lists—there's a disconnect between sitting down for a fabulous meal and opening an email some other time. Overcome this barrier by taking a two-pronged approach to getting diners on your list.
Make It Easy to Join
Restaurant-goers come at you from a lot of different angles. Make sure they know about your email newsletter no matter how they find you. Add an opt-in box to your webpages—all of them. Add an opt-in box to social networking sites like Facebook, and mention the newsletter in your Twitter feed. Online Yellow Page writeups should include a newsletter blurb. Don't forget those occasional business listings across the web such as your local Chamber of Commerce, local newspapers, Yahoo! City Pages, etc.
Offline, include an option for the customer to write her email address on contact forms, printed coupons, in your guest book, on surveys, and on your take-out bags. Run a contest among your servers to see who can collect the most customer emails. Ask people who call in for reservations. Be polite—always tell diners you have an email newsletter so they aren't surprised to hear from you.
Stress the Benefits of Opening Your Emails
Make your specials truly special. The “buy one get one half off” deal is old-school. Do a free bottle of wine with the purchase of four dinners. Try a first-date special, good only for first dates. Run a coupon that gives couples a percent off for each year they've been together. Capitalize on the weather by offering 20 percent off if it's raining, or 30 percent off if the sun is shining.
Coupons are a powerful motivator for restaurant customers, but to keep them opening your emails every time you must offer something more. A chef's corner with exclusive recipes, perhaps? How about short profiles of local celebrities? Or, talk about your community—festivals, block parties, fairs and celebrations.
Build Big Email Lists and Keep the Value Coming.
By taking a multichannel approach to your opt-in invitation, more customers will give you permission to email them. Keep the newsletter in mind while planning every online and offline marketing initiative. Offer value beyond saving money and customers will keep opening your newsletters. Use your imagination to make specials special, and both you and your customers will be happy.
For more information, contact Fidelity Square Marketing.
Make It Easy to Join
Restaurant-goers come at you from a lot of different angles. Make sure they know about your email newsletter no matter how they find you. Add an opt-in box to your webpages—all of them. Add an opt-in box to social networking sites like Facebook, and mention the newsletter in your Twitter feed. Online Yellow Page writeups should include a newsletter blurb. Don't forget those occasional business listings across the web such as your local Chamber of Commerce, local newspapers, Yahoo! City Pages, etc.
Offline, include an option for the customer to write her email address on contact forms, printed coupons, in your guest book, on surveys, and on your take-out bags. Run a contest among your servers to see who can collect the most customer emails. Ask people who call in for reservations. Be polite—always tell diners you have an email newsletter so they aren't surprised to hear from you.
Stress the Benefits of Opening Your Emails
Make your specials truly special. The “buy one get one half off” deal is old-school. Do a free bottle of wine with the purchase of four dinners. Try a first-date special, good only for first dates. Run a coupon that gives couples a percent off for each year they've been together. Capitalize on the weather by offering 20 percent off if it's raining, or 30 percent off if the sun is shining.
Coupons are a powerful motivator for restaurant customers, but to keep them opening your emails every time you must offer something more. A chef's corner with exclusive recipes, perhaps? How about short profiles of local celebrities? Or, talk about your community—festivals, block parties, fairs and celebrations.
Build Big Email Lists and Keep the Value Coming.
By taking a multichannel approach to your opt-in invitation, more customers will give you permission to email them. Keep the newsletter in mind while planning every online and offline marketing initiative. Offer value beyond saving money and customers will keep opening your newsletters. Use your imagination to make specials special, and both you and your customers will be happy.
For more information, contact Fidelity Square Marketing.
No comments:
Post a Comment