May 22, 2023
The restaurant industry is going through a big phase of transition these days. Earlier it was all about food, ambiance, and taste; now, there’s one more thing –faster delivery and convenience. Foodies are eager to enjoy their favorite meal without having to dress up and go out for long distances. So, what if they know each and every new discount, and new food offer all at one place? Their SMS inbox.
The restaurant industry is quite innovative to identify and use the SMS marketing business for its growth and consumer outreach. However, it’s crucial to execute and maintain a professional image while doing so. Below are some significant points restaurants should consider while deploying SMS marketing –
People are often busy at times and simply sending texts with no actual value can result in a loss of interest. Maybe next time, they will not bother to open your text messages. So, use a text message thoughtfully and only when there’s something worthy, something interesting, and something beneficial for the consumers is there from your end.
Getting a positive nod from your consumers is all businesses desire. However, it’s best to ask them what type of messages they will prefer to receive. Restaurant marketers lay emphasis on broadening the text zone so that all types of promotional texts can find their way into your prospective consumer’s cellphone. Pricing is an important variable in determining the accessibility and acceptance of restaurant app development cost among customers and business owners. For example – if someone has opted for offers, they will receive timely information once a new offer is up in the particular restaurant.
Foodies and consumers in general read texts on the go, so make it a point to craft short and meaningful messages that are apt for your audience. The long, useless, and mundane stuff always finds its place in the junk folder.
Every customer wants to feel special and that’s quite obvious for your restaurant guests too. Try to maintain a database of customers and what they prefer to eat in your restaurant. This way, you can chase them when their favorite menu is available or there’s some special occasion where a new type of cuisine is available.
When you send your first opt-in text to consumers, always make it a point to add an opt-out link with easy-to-follow instructions. Let them make up their mind on whether to follow your messages or not. The simple clickable opt-out link should be embedded into every text that goes out from your end.
SMS marketing for a restaurant brand is tricky at times but knowing the pulse of your customers is the master key. Although there’s no hard and fast rule for a successful restaurant marketing campaign, all you can do is learn effective modes and ways which have already been proven a success. Some of these are –
Your customers want to feel special when they buy from you for the very first time. Encourage them to do so and offer discounts, free meals or complementary goodies, etc. Marketers believe this puts you a step ahead of your competitors. With improved food delivery, you can also invite your customers to make the purchase online.
Consider that your first-time customers like your food, now encourage them to make a second purchase and offer a promotional code or discount code. They are now more likely to read your future texts and refer you to someone they know. They will also now keep track of special offers and discounts. So, it turns out great for them and you too.
In busy schedules, people tend to add stuff and completely forget. That’s obvious with the food industry too. Do periodic follow-ups with your customers and encourage them to check their cart and complete their orders. So many times, customers do a purchase if they are reminded and especially if there is a decrease in prices. Using SMS marketing tactfully here to regain your client and lost sales.
Customers can easily forget a business or completely forget to try again as there are so many options to choose from in the market. Keep track of customers who have ordered from you in the past and encourage them to order again with a discount code. Do not forget to ask for feedback from time to time as positive feedback helps prospects with useful information to make up their mind. Goof feedback over a period of time also helps you build a dependable restaurant brand in your locale. You can also use data analytics to observe consumer retention rates in this way.
Every day, consumers like to order food using their mobiles and it’s a great opportunity to send them offers, discounts, and important announcements right onto their phones. According to AdTheorent, around 70 percent of consumers open and read the text sent to them while 42 percent search for discounts and offers on their mobiles. According to a survey done by Nation’s Restaurant News, 45 percent of buyers said that they prefer to order food online if there’s a discount or some additional perks available.
Make it a point to make your customers aware of new launches and new schemes that are season specific, so that they feel encouraged to buy from you. Once they enjoy your services, chances are better that they will like to try out new dishes added to the menu or complementary offers once in a while.
These days, it has become so crucial to attend to the right audience, and at the right time. Suppose, you offer a discount for a particular location, and use your text messaging to target only prospects living in that specific area, revenue generation will be higher. Many restaurants use geo-targeting to send geographically selected SMS to their consumers.
Encourage your customers to redeem their points every time they enjoy takeaways or street-side curb pickups. In this way, they can order and enjoy your food while on the go. Ideally, it’s a winning situation for both.
Simply providing a link to download your app in the SMS is helpful. Once your prospects download and install your app, they can search easily and order conveniently using your app. Using a food delivery App makes them frequent visitors to your app and hence improves your business revenue too.
A restaurant business can easily fade away from consumers’ minds if they don’t make the much-needed effort of brand awareness and restaurant marketing. So, using SMS as a cost-effective tool to embark on your brand promotion and awareness journey is highly recommended. SMS is easy to send, and receive and requires less time for clients to process and in turn, take action.
All the above-shared ways can be combined with further innovative ways that can cater to a particular location, business, or consumer. But SMS marketing can for sure create better presence, awareness, and revenue for restaurant businesses everywhere.
