Restaurant Promotional: Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Email Newsletter?
My grandfather owned and operated a small restaurant. He did it for many years, and back then he didn’t need to worry about restaurant promotionals, such as email newsletters, that kind of thing. For my grandfather having good food and sometimes running a small ad in the local paper was all he needed to run a good business.
We all wish it was that simple.
Today restaurant operators need to worry about restaurant promotionals. Period. If you want to keep your patrons interested, maybe even encourage some new customers over, a monthly newsletter is the budget-friendly way to do that.
Here are some tips on what not to do with your restaurant newsletter.
1. Don’t be a cheapskate.
Subscribers will get tired of your newsletter quickly if they think of it as nothing more than an advertisement.
Solution: Don’t give them a reason to think it’s just a virtual ad. Instead give them something they wouldn’t find at the restaurant—dessert coupons, invitations to special events, chef profiles, exclusive recipes, etc.
Co-owner of Niche Restaurant Jody Richardson says,
People love feeling like they are getting insider info and a sneak peak behind the scenes.
Simply put, give your subscribers an offer they can’t refuse.
2. Don’t be boring.
Subscribers aren’t going to bite your promotions if they’re the same old same old.
Solution: Get creative with your restaurant promotionals. In my experience, the funnier the promotions, the better. I remember receiving an email from Four Corners bar inviting me to join their “Merry Moustachemas” event party. Anyone with a moustache gets a free beer, even women with hand-drawn facial hair.
3. Don’t be brief.
Subscribers are like selfish children. They’ll walk away as soon as they get what they want from you.
Solution: Build anticipation for events.
Ali Mackani is the managing partner at Restaurant 55 Degrees. She tries to build excitement by focusing on just one or two events per newsletter, no more. The method paid off. Their monthly newsletter currently has an open rate of 400, just about, out of 2,200 subscribers, well above the average rate for online newsletters.
4. Don’t send newsletters like there’s no tomorrow.
There really won’t be any tomorrow for your newsletter campaign if you keep sending spam every other day.
Solution: Send at the right time. Most restaurant operators send their online restaurant promotionals in the evening when mail servers aren’t loaded. Big mistake. Think about it. What’s the first thing you do when you open your email in the morning? Clear out the spam. There goes your funny and creative newsletter.
I found that sending newsletters in the morning achieves the highest open rate. Elliot Feldman agrees.
I would launch campaigns between 9:30 and 10:30 in the morning, to avoid being grouped with overnight spam.
Feldman is the owner of Nova Bar and Restaurant establishment in San Francisco.
If you’re looking for a cheap, efficient way to market your restaurant—I mean come on, who isn’t?—then the path of email newsletters is the way to go. But here is the thing. Email newsletters are definitely inexpensive, and they are very effective ways to promote your restaurant too, if used right. Keep that in mind.
Here’s my final tip. Don’t make these mistakes with your online restaurant promotionals.