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When you do a radio or tv ad, besides the actual message, the most important thing is frequency.
One 30 second spot won't reach a large audience.
The more you get your ad in front of people, the greater the chance they will hear you.
It is the same with your emails.
Send more, not less.
Make sure it is relevant, personalized and short.
As we get closer to putting this year behind us, you have two choices.
Don't get stuck in the cycle of the first one; it won't help.
These are the people that will spread the word and tell everyone about your incredible restaurant.
With 91% of people tying your restaurant based on a friend or family recommendation, you need to keep your superfans engaged outside your four walls.
Incentives, birthday programs, and engagement recognition are great ways to build your army.
Automating the process to make sure the right messages is always sent at the right time lets you focus on service.
The Restaurant Funnel Marketing system is all you need.
Got 60 seconds? Check out the video.
If you come up with a new menu item, what do you charge?
Do you pull the numbers out of the air and hope that it covers your costs or calculate the ingredients' cost to come up with the price?
Do you adjust menu items based on their profitability and popularity?
When it comes to your marketing if you can't measure your cost related to actual new guest visits, how do you know if you are on the right track?
It seems like that the same as just giving a menu item a price without knowing what it costs!
There are many people looking at what they got for presents today and making big piles to be returned.
There are many people complaining about what someone said on a zoom call that may have offended.
There are many people feeling empty and unsatisfied that they didn't get enough.
Why do we concentrate our energy on focusing on making these people happy?
There are so many people that are the complete opposite.
Accepting, forgiving and positive.
Those are the people you want to focus your energy on.
Start the next year off right with your restaurant marketing.
Use permission-based email to deliver messages to people who want to hear from you instead of just broadcasting to people who may not care.
No matter where you are or if you even celebrate Christmas, today, December 25, 2020, is so much different than last year.
But you are resilient, you are tough, and you will survive.
Be just like Santa, no crying over spilled milk, no complaining about the ghost pepper cookies, little Johnny left out as a joke.
Santa is jolly and positive, and although his work is now done for 2020, he gets up the next day and starts planning for 2021
So take today, be present with the ones around you. Be Jolly and grateful for what you have, and tomorrow get up and forge ahead.
Good things are coming.
Relationships take work.
David Meerman Scott says in his book Fanocracy,
To be successful in a world where fans rule, we must be convinced that relationships with customers are more important than the the products or services we sell to them.
What are you doing to build and maintain your relationship with your fans outside of your restaurant's 4 walls?
But don't just take our word for it; read the book.
Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott
Food vs Service, is like what comes first the chicken or the egg.
They go hand in hand for your restaurant, and both need to be exceptional to help your restaurant stand out in a crowded market.
But who would create more of a loyal following?
a restaurant with good food and GREAT service
or
a restaurant with GREAT food and good service
Having excellent service will win, nine times out of ten.
It's the connection, the engagement, and the act of being served that makes people come back.
So why do most restaurants mostly market their food?
Because it is easy to post a picture of an amazing looking plate.
Stop just doing easy!
Create an engaged marketing strategy.
Creating a personalized connection outside your restaurant will win nine times out of ten compared to just posting pictures.
Your restaurant's heart is the center of the passion for serving every guest.
Your restaurant has relationships and brings guest joy.
However, if you treat your restaurant like a factory where orders come in and food just gets served, you will not be true to what it means to have a full-service restaurant.
Be true to why you are in this business; if it is only to profit, this is the wrong business for you.
Successful restaurants have a pulse. And it is that pulse that keep guests engaged, coming back, and referring their friends.
Marketing your restaurant starts with having a great experience delivered by great people.
75% of first-time guests are there because of the recommendation of a friend or family member.
You were recommended because you were great.
If your restaurant is not achieving the sales it needs to survive, think of ways to ensure that every guest visit is above average.
Marketing puts a magnifying glass on the experience you provide.
Before you spend any money on marketing, be great.
Sending out a newsletter is not the same as sending an "e-mail".
E-mail is an electronic letter, a note, a personally engaging message.
Restaurants tend to overcomplicate their e-mail programs by creating graphic newsletters packed with information and then only sending them out once a month. Twelve e-mails a year is not a way to keep your brand top of mind and engage your contact list.
Your e-mail program is intended to keep your restaurant on their mind so that when they decide they want to go out for an experience, you are their first choice.
Keep your e-mails to less than five sentences.
Make it, so it fits within one screen view of a phone.
Create a link for more information to a relevant webpage.
Less is more when it comes to content.
Send an e-mail at least once a week to stay engaged.
It's essential to communicate the correct message.
Pictures are great, but the words you choose help a potential new guest visualize themselves having an experience in your restaurant.
What does your website say?
The most significant advantage that email marketing has over social media is the ability to customize your message to be more relevant to the person you communicate to.
Asking people on your email list questions is a great way to learn more about your guests, and then it enables you to send out messages tailored to someone's likes.
In the book, Ask, Ryan Levesque explains how finding out more information helps you improve your products and market them.
For example, finding out if they prefer beef or chicken could segment them into different lists.
The people who like chicken could only receive emails about all the excellent chicken dishes you serve.
But what if this week's special is a beef dish?
Send out a message saying, "We know you love chicken, but this beef dish might make you change your mind......"
Knowledge is power, and the more you know about the contacts on your list, the more powerful your messages can be.
But don't just take our word for it; read the book.
Ask by Ryan Levesque
