Email Marketing Can Boost Your Restaurant Brand

Many business owners believe that emailing is an obsolete form of marketing. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even for a unique niche like restaurants, the power of email marketing can boost brand awareness and ROI. Paired with features like a striking restaurant logo and using a color palette so your brand is easily recognized, emails can help you get the customers you’re after. 

Eighty-three percent of global consumers state that they prefer emails when receiving communications from businesses. So, if you’re in the restaurant industry sending emails is an effective way to boost your brand, attract new leads and increase your sales. 

Email marketing isn’t going anywhere and here are tips to boost your restaurant’s brand.

Is Email Marketing Effective for Restaurants? 

Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing for restaurants because of its high return on investments. Additionally, the average open rate for restaurant emails is 20.39 percent which greatly surpasses the retail industry (18.39 percent). 

With an effective email marketing strategy, you can entice new customers, improve brand awareness and boost your online presence. 

The Importance of Email Marketing for Restaurants

If you aren’t implementing email in your restaurant’s marketing campaign you’ll miss out on opportunities to convert general consumers into paying customers. Furthermore, email marketing allows you to connect your audience to your website which is your core online presence. 

By boosting your brand with email marketing, you can also maintain the identity of your restaurant. It also gives your customers an idea of the type of food you serve.

Here are additional benefits of email marketing: 

• It’s cost-effective 
• Easy to share mails with multiple people 
• Helps you collect important data 
• Generates traffic to your website 
• Increases leads
• Provides valuable information to customers

Even by sending at least one email a week you can significantly improve your restaurant’s brand awareness. 

Types of Email Marketing 

There are various types of email marketing that you can use to promote your restaurant. However, you should start with the basics. Here are some email ideas to get you started. 

Welcome Email 

A welcome letter is the first email you should send to new customers. You can send out welcome emails regardless of whether customers sign up for a newsletter or not. The goal of this type of message is to build rapport and encourage guests to visit your restaurant. 

Your welcome email should include the customer’s name and a friendly greeting. You can also include options that your customer can click on such as:

• Signing up for newsletters
• Visiting your website 
• Clicking on promotions 
• Viewing your menu

Eighty-two percent of consumers open welcome emails so don’t skip sending this type of message to your customers. 

Newsletters

The purpose of a newsletter is to give your customers updates concerning your business and services. It’s also a cost-effective solution to build relationships with your audience. You want to give your viewers the option to sign up for newsletters so they can stay updated on the latest restaurant news and be continually reminded that you’re there when they get hungry.  

Celebrations 

Celebration emails allow you to send your customers discounts or promotions on special days such as their birthdays or specific holidays. For example, if it’s the customer’s birthday you can send a coupon for a free meal. Alternatively, create a dish or beverage to celebrate Christmas or Valentine’s Day and invite your customers to come and taste. 

Promotions 

A promotional email is an excellent way to increase your list of regular patrons. Consumers are attracted to businesses that offer incentives. This shows that you value your customers. With a promotional email, you can offer discounts when people make reservations or offer add-ons such as free drinks or prizes when they order a specific meal.  

Tips to Boost Your Restaurant’s Brand with Email Marketing

Before you start sending emails you need to develop a strong marketing campaign. Here are tips to help boost your restaurant’s brand. 

Brand Your Emails 

If you want customers to recognize your restaurant then you’ll need to brand your emails. Your customers won’t open your messages if they don’t know who you are. Adding your restaurant logo design with a branding focus to all emails you send out and link to your website so customers can confirm that you’re a legitimate business. 

Collect a List of Quality Contacts

Before sending out your branded emails you’ll need to curate a list of contacts. To achieve this you can promote a subscription on your social media pages and website. Offer promotions and coupons to those who sign up to your mailing list so customers have something to look forward to and are willing to share their personal details in exchange for the special offer. 

Targeted Promotions 

After building your contact list you can start sending out promotional material to your contacts. However, not all your contacts are the same. Your contacts will have different interests and needs so you’ll need to utilize segmentation.

Email segmentation is when you divide your subscribers into smaller groups so you can send them personalized promotions. Customers aren’t going to perform an action on an email that isn’t of interest to them. You can group by age, gender or other features, and then send targeted promotions that will be relevant to that niche. 

Avoid Spamming Contacts 

You don’t want your contacts to start unsubscribing from your emails. Consumers don’t like spam so be careful about how many emails you send per week and at what time. Experts suggest that you should send one email a week because it increases click through rates. 

Additionally, if you don’t want your email to drop down to the bottom of a customer’s inbox then consider sending the message at these times: 

• 10 a.m. 
• 3 p.m. 
• 4 p.m.

Tip: most people will check their emails in the mornings so try sending your mail at around 10:00 am. Email marketing helps you build a strong reputation for your restaurant. If you’ve created excellent branding with a well-designed logo then people will easily recognize your emails when you send them.