Industry tips: Restaurants

[Abigail_S]

Whether your restaurant is big or small, you're trying to fill your seats, grow your list, and build customer loyalty. Constant Contact can help you do it all:

Email designed for success

• When creating your email, start off by using the search bar at the top of the template picker to find the templates that are specifically designed for restaurants. They are all fully customizable and mobile-responsive! Once you like the style of your email, use it to create a master template and save time when it comes to creating your next email.
• Be sure to use a preheader with your optimized subject line to give your contacts a good reason to open your email. 
• These suggestions to make a great looking email will help to use color, image placement, font choice, and personalization to get your contacts to read through your email.
• Deciding how to present your material can get tricky, but our Elements of an Engaging Email will give you an example that you can follow along with when you start putting your email together.
• Finally, these Email Design Tips will give you a flyer that you can keep on hand to remind you of the features that are available in Constant Contact. 

 

What do I talk about in my email?

It might feel tough at first when it's time to sit down and create an email, but there is always something to talk about! Do you have new staff? New menu items? New decor? Let your contact list know in short, direct, and fun text blocks. You don't have to only talk about what's going on within your four walls. Are you offering your services to an awesome nonprofit? Tell your story! Did you see a cool article that you know will resonate with your contacts? Share it with them! Make sure to use your social media pages to their fullest by sharing your email in a social post.

If you need some inspiration to get going, check out some of these, organized by industry.

Selling Specials and Everyday Items

• Add a button with a clear call to action that directs your customers to your menu or to your online reservations page. Highlight seasonal and holiday offerings or limited time offers.
• Make sure your phone number is prominent in the email. Most mobile devices will let you tap the number to place the call.
• Beautiful food images in your email will help get your customers in the mood. You're probably already taking beauty shots, so make sure to upload them to your Library for use in your emails.
• Want to have some fun? Here is a list of seasonal things to celebrate. 

Build Customer Loyalty

Let your customers know that you care about them and appreciate their patronage.

• Welcome email - make a great first impression.
• Recurring birthday email  - an opportunity to say thank you for being a customer (and maybe include a coupon to use during their birthday month).
• Poll - ask your customers to rate a new dish, fast and efficient.
• Survey - gives you direct customer feedback. You can include a link to your survey in an email or send a dedicated Survey Invitation email to kick it off.

[JennieF59]

That's great. I was impressed. I am happy to see such a topic, thanks for sharing

[Abigail_S]

Happy to help! Feel free to share any ideas you implement as well!

[ACTIVATE]

Many times restaurants may feel they are limited to just email blasts and social media, but this is a great outline covering not only the nuance of email marketing and the content to put in (restaurants have it "easy" - food pics are one of the most enjoyed and engaged types of photos online if you haven't noticed) but also the ways to expand ideas like polls, surveys, and personalized birthday and anniversary emails, all bringing in tons more engagement.