Influencer marketing, chatbot marketing, and live streaming are all so hot in digital marketing right now. However, trusty old email is still the most powerful way to acquire new customers and retain them.
If your restaurant doesn’t have an email strategy in place, the best time to start implementing one is right now.
Research shows that around 1/5 of the entire sales boost is because of email marketing. That’s because people are actively looking for deals and discounts, and you can easily take advantage of this by getting into their inboxes and making attractive offers. Aside from that, there are several other reasons why you need to get your email game up.
1. Email is personal
Marketing experts recommend to segment your list of subscribers and send them separate emails based on what they’re interested in the most. This lets you address each person according to their interest and even by their names. For example, if you have a list of subscribers who are interested in your restaurant’s bar area, you can email them about a new commercial ice maker, commercial refrigerator, or walk-in freezer that you got to improve your services. By sending emails that you know they will be interested in, you can increase engagement and boost sales.
2. Email is cost-effective
Unlike other marketing efforts, such as advertising on TV or social media, email marketing is extremely cost-effective. For every dollar you spend sending out emails, you receive a huge return of investment because of the higher engagement rate. The email also lets you provide follow-up information that wouldn’t normally be available to your audience when using other communication channels by letting you provide links to your website or social media pages.
3. Email is action-oriented
People view emails as transactions. When people receive an email, they have to do something about it. Either they reply to the email, forward it, send it to trash, or open a link in it. You can take advantage of this by asking them to do something for you and providing a call-to-action at the end of the email. For instance, you can ask your subscribers to send the email to their friends if they find it helpful or direct them to your online ordering page where they can use exclusive coupons or discount codes.
4. Email is everywhere
More people spend their time checking their email on their phones than they do browsing the Web or connecting with others on social media. That means it is easier for you to reach more of your customers because they’re almost always inside their inbox.
5. Email is measurable
There’s a wide range of email marketing tools that are available for free or at a premium that let you send out mass emails to your subscribers. These tools have a lot of features, but one of the most valuable is the ability to track how effective your emails are. For instance, you will know who opens your emails, who reads to the very end, what links are clicked, and who unsubscribes from your list. This provides helpful data that you can use to improve your strategy and increase engagement even more.
