Restaurant Owners Need Email Marketing More Than Ever: Here Are 6 Easy Way to Grow Your List

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Ever heard of the Cookiepocalypse?

Yeah, I know, sounds like something Dr. Frankenstein whipped up in his lab. But it isn’t, I guarantee it.

Cookiepocalypse is a term coined by marketers to describe the impending termination of the use of digital cookies. You know, cookies, those little snippets of codes that track web visitors and garner information about them?

Well, Google is getting rid of them by 2022. This means that you will no longer be able to track your website visitors and once they are gone, they are gone forever!

This would cause many businesses’ conversion to crater like a rogue meteor.

How to prevent this from happening?

You guessed it, email.

Getting customers is important. But keeping customers is even more important, especially with the coming cookiepocalyse. It is more cost effective for you to keep your customers than to get new ones.

Keeping your customers will ensure that you have repeat business. In an industry such as the restaurant industry, where the competition is high, it is crucial that you find ways to keep your customers coming back.

How, you ask?

Simple. You grow your email list. Websites and social media are great and we’d look into them in a bit. But email is the best way to keep your customers.

Using emails, you can keep your customers in the loop. You can send them newsletters at intervals informing them of what’s going on in your restaurant. You can send the emails about new menu items, special deals, upcoming events, and more. This will put you in their minds and will make them consider your restaurant first next time they want to eat out.

So the question is how do you encourage your customers to join your email list?

People are skeptical about giving out their personal details such as email addresses. But do not worry, in this article I have outlined 6 easy ways to get your customer to subscribe to your email list.

Here they are:

  1. Organize Weekly Or Monthly Draws For Lunch Or Dinner

In life there’s no such thing as a free lunch. This doesn’t mean people won’t hop at the offer of one. Give your customers a chance to win a free lunch or dinner on a weekly or monthly basis.

The only criterion to enter the draw is their email address.

Place writing pads on your tables for customers to write down their names and email addresses. Or have your waiters bring your customers a digital tab after their meal for them to type in their email addresses.

To encourage more people to join in, display the winners of the outgoing week’s draw.

  1. Just Ask Them

Sometimes, to get something all you need do is ask. How hard is that? Customers may not be willing to give their details, but they will if they stand to gain something in return. Tell them that you’d like to add them to your email so that you can keep them informed about special deals, recent changes, and new menu items.

Also promise not to spam them. Let them know how often to expect your emails. Nobody likes to be bombarded with 50 emails a week.

  1. Organize An Event

People love to socialize. But you know what they love more? To be specially invited for an occasion. Announce to your customers that you’d be hosting an event. It could be a wine-tasting night or an unveiling of new dishes you are coming out with. The only catch is that they’d have to submit their email address.

From the emails you collect, you will generate enough revenue to more than cover the cost of the event.

  1. Use Every Marketing Media You Have

Make a habit of putting your website on every marketing medium you use. This includes your website, social media page, receipts, take-out packs, business cards, etc. On each medium, include a strong call-to-action urging your customers to subscribe to your email newsletter.

On your website, embed icons of your social media pages. Then on your social pages, ask your followers to sign up for your restaurant email list. You might want to offer them something in return to make the decision easy for them.

  1. Add A Forwarding Option To Your Emails

You likely have an email list right now. To get more people to join that list, include an option to forward every email they receive from you. The forwarding option allows your customers to forward your emails to a friend or family who may be interested in your services.

If their family or friend gets interested in your newsletter, they may want to sign up to your list. Make it easy for them to subscribe by putting a link to your sign up form in every email you send out.

  1. Offer Free Guest Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is a must-have feature for modern day restaurants if they hope to draw in customers. Research has shown that many people will walk into a restaurant when they see a “free Wi-Fi” sign displayed outside.

But that’s not all…

For customers to get access to your Wi-Fi network, they will need to fill a login form with their name and email. People have a need to stay connected and so they will readily give their email address in exchange for Wi-Fi access. Read how free Wi-Fi can help boost your restaurant business to learn more.

Again, that’s not all…

Offering free Wi-Fi is good. But integrating it with a Wi-Fi marketing and analytics software is even better.

I’ll tell you why…

That’s because with it you can much more customer data than just name and email address. Wi-Fi analytics can collect:

  • Demographic data such as age, gender, location, etc;
  • Purchasing data such as how much a customer spends per visit;
  • Behavioural data such as how often the customer visit, how long they stay when they do, and more.

Using this data you can measure you churn rate, attrition rate, spot at-risk customers, and make prompt decisions on these data.

What’s more is that the customer data is collected in real-time which helps you spot trends on time. The data is also gathered on autopilot which means you don’t have to do anything.

Our product is easy to set up and is inexpensive compare to traditional means of collecting data.

Want to know more? Contact us and we’d give you more information.

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