The restaurant industry is one of the most competitive industries out there. Over 70% of new restaurants go out of business within three years. This makes the search and retention of new customers a necessity. The problem is how to attract them when there are so many options available. Then, once you have them, you need to keep them coming back for more.
Building Your Customer List
The key to generating more traffic into your restaurant is getting connected with customers before their first visit. In the past, you would put an ad in the paper or direct mail, offering a discount on their first visit or a free appetizer. This was expensive and you never had a way of tracking the return on your investment.
Start with Social Media
Today, restaurants rely heavily on social media because it builds connections. Your marketing dollars go further when you can post pictures of your food, announce events, and share photos of staff interacting with customers. What restaurants often fail to do is use social media to build their customer lists. The trick is to make it simple enough for customers to submit their contact information. There are two cost-effective ways of building your customer list through social media:
Keywords
More people want to receive coupons, discounts, and other offers via text from their favorite brands. Keywords are great because they are easy to set up and simple enough for customers to use. They opt-in to your list, and you send them a reward as a thank you. Plus, with keywords, you can track how many people sign up and how many take advantage of their reward. Just remember that you need to think of a keyword that’s easy to remember and send them a reward that is worth it to them.
Email is one of the best ways for your customers to get to know you. This type of engagement drives repeat visits to your restaurant. To build your customer email list, you need to give your followers a good reason to opt-in. Offering them coupons or a reward for signing up is the best way to do it. You can have a sign-up link in your profile and occasionally post the link to your timeline.
It’s Time to Leverage Your List
Your lists are growing, so it’s time to leverage them in ways that will increase foot traffic. When sending texts, you should keep it short and make sure that it’s interactive. Your email list should be used for longer messages with multiple images.
On average, your customers will view a text quicker than an email and respond within minutes. This also plays into the message you want to send. The list below should help you decide which message is best for the campaign you want to send:
- Newsletters
- Special Events
- Press
- Store Updates
Text Message
- Coupons and Special Offers
- Loyalty Points Updates
- Reminders
- Surveys
With each message, you should use special tactics to quickly grab and hold your audience’s attention. Limited time offers are commonly used and regarded as something rare and special that needs to be taken advantage of right away. Another great message to send is one that offers special pricing during off-peak hours. This will drive down labor costs and increase profitability. Finally, you can piggyback on local events. These are a great way to say, “While you’re downtown, stop in and see us!”
Whichever message you choose, remember to have fun and be creative. Being authentic is very important, and your customers will appreciate it.