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Every restaurant has them; successful restaurants have lots.
But what good are superfans if you have no way to communicate with them when you're community is in lockdown?
Find a way to collect a first name and an email address from every guest who takes-out or dines-in.
If you're not doing this, the rest of your marketing efforts are pointless.
This list will be priceless to your future self!
Typically, you would be heading into the busiest three weeks of the year. However, just like everything else in 2020, this holiday season is a lot different.
You are just hanging on, trying to make it through.
But whatever you do, don't give up on your marketing.
At the very least, collect a name and email from every guest that visits you this month.
Then in the first week of January, send them an email to thank them for the visit and support.
Offer them an incentive to come back for another visit.
Marketing to people who have had a great experience in your restaurant has the most significant return on your effort.
So the question is, are you a content provider or a service provider?
The lines get blurred when it comes to restaurant marketing.
It is important to be top of mind and be active on your social accounts, review sites, and emails.
But, should you be spending time writing blogs and creating videos?
Nope.
It's not bringing value to your restaurant experience.
With 90% of new guests visiting your restaurant because of a trusted friend or family member's recommendation, your time is best spent making sure that every guest has an amazing experience.
Take 2hrs at the start of your week, plan and schedule your content.
Don't overthink it.
Done is better than perfect.
Take 15min every day, replying to comments and messages.
Less than 4hrs a week, providing consistent touches to your followers and subscribers will go a lot further than spending hours writing a blog post or editing a video that no one will read or watch.
There are many great lessons in this book; this is a favourite.
“Understanding the distinction between service and hospitality has been at the foundation of our success. Service is the technical delivery of a product. Hospitality is how the delivery of that product makes its recipient feel. Service is a monologue—we decide how we want to do things and set our own standards for service. Hospitality, on the other hand, is a dialogue. To be on a guest’s side requires listening to that person with every sense, and following up with a thoughtful, gracious, appropriate response. It takes both great service and great hospitality to rise to the top.”
Before you spend any time or money on your marketing, ensure that you provide hospitality within your restaurant, not just service.
But don't take our word for it; read the book.
SETTING THE TABLE BY DANNY MEYER
Posting to social media is part of a megaphone marketing strategy.
Shouting your message into a crowd through a megaphone and hoping someone out there hears it.
You hope that the algorithm will be kind to your restaurant and show your post to the right people at the right time.
Only 10% of your followers are shown your posts.
When you scream through a megaphone, it needs to be generic and can't make it personalized.
This seems like the opposite of the experience a full-service restaurant is trying to achieve.
Wouldn't you want your digital strategy to reflect the personalized, engaging experience you provide within your restaurant?
Got 60 seconds? Check out the video
You tell your kids this over and over again.
Why don't they get it the first time?
It's not as important to them as it is to you.
So do you give up?
No, you keep reminding them, and one day they surprise you and do it all on their own.
Your guests are the same; they need to be always reminded about your restaurant.
Your emails are not being read by everyone every time.
If you send out a long-form email, AKA a "newsletter," once a month, most people on your list won't open it, and even fewer people won't take the time to read it. It's too much information all at once. Your restaurant is not that important to the guest for them to spend more than 30 seconds reading a message from you.
Try this. (Takes less than 90min once a month.)
Less is more when it comes to content!
More frequent touches keep you top of mind!
Being top of mind increases your restaurant's opportunity for the next dining out experience.
Hang up your Jacket!
The jacket doesn't belong on the floor.
Have you heard about the jacket on the hook?
Jackets, where should they be kept?
Should you need any ideas or help to create and schedule an email, book a free call.
With all that's going on in the world, running your restaurant and being thankful takes some conscious effort. However, showing gratitude and being positive makes the daily grind not so much of a grind.
So how do you use gratitude in your marketing?
Be thankful for your staff!
What would happen if, instead of pointing out all the mistakes, you pointed out all the fantastic things your staff does that make a guest feel special?
Sometimes a guest doesn't notice every little thing that is done to make their experience memorable, but you can.
Having your staff engaged and passionate about doing whatever it takes to create an amazing experience establishes a culture within your restaurant that is focused on guest satisfaction.
Ensuring a repeat visit is essential in your marketing system for steady sales growth.
The Marketing Hare comes up with a promotion, spends time creating posts and stories and paying for ads on radio and billboards. As the promotion runs, they don't think about planning the next campaign, and the foot is off the gas. The promotion ends, and things have slowed down. Now they panic and need to start the process over again.
The Marketing Tortoise spends its time connecting with the guests coming into their restaurant. They build a contact list and send short personalized emails consistently and frequently. They automate their digital marketing to continually stay top of mind; they can spend their time and money taking care of the actual guest. With a list of superfans, it's as easy as sending out an email to a friend and letting them know about a new promotion.
Being a Tortoise takes patients but always pays off in the end.
The dollars spent in your full-service restaurant are in most people's entertainment budget, not grocery budget.
Those budgeted dollars are in the same group as movies, concerts or anything else that provides an element of fun.
Wouldn't it make sense to focus your marketing on the experience people are going to have?
How do you accomplish that?
Start with your website. The words you choose to put on our website help potential new guests visualize the experience you provide.
Look at your website.
Within the first 5 seconds, is it clear what style of service you provide?
Most restaurants showcase their most beautiful food above the fold on their homepage. But how does that tell someone if your style is casual or formal?
Is the music pumping where you would want to hang out with friends?
Or
Soft and subtle where you would want to have an intimate dinner with someone special?
Be clear in your communication, not abstract.
If you are not providing a memorable guest experience, stop wasting your time and money on Marketing.
90% of new guests visit your restaurant because of a trusted friend or family member's recommendation.
Once you spend money on marketing, it will magnify guests' recent experiences in your restaurant, good or bad. The point of marketing is to magnify an amazing experience worth someone taking a chance and trying your restaurant for the first time.
Providing a fantastic experience, or as the book Amaze Every Customer Every Time by Shep Hyken says, Moments of Magic is how you earn a guest's loyalty.
How are you creating moments of magic?
But don't take our word for it; read the book.
Amaze Every Customer Every Time by Shep Hyken
Learn about your guests.
Use that knowledge to communicate with them.
Build a relationship.
All of a sudden, your restaurant means more to a guest than just a place to eat. It becomes a place where they feel cared about, listened to, and recognized.
By building an engaged email list, you are doing more than just marketing; you create a family.
Many elements go into your house, like a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, windows and doors. These elements can be arranged in various ways, but how they all fit together is thought of before construction starts.
Your marketing plan is the same way. Social media, SEO, Email, Direct Mail, Website...... These are all components of a marketing system. For them to work, you need to have a plan.
Are you providing the experience you want?
or
The experience the guest is looking for?
What do you know about your guests?
Do you know what's important to them?
Listen to your guests.
Is anyone there?
I just entered my email to subscribe but I am not getting anything? Should I check back tomorrow?
If you do not have an instant welcome email that goes out to a subscribes you are missing out on the most captive time that lead will ever be.
They are on your website, they are thinking of you, they become vulnerable and give you personal information and you cant even set up an automation that sends them a message?
Thanks (First.Name) for joining our email list.
We are so happy that you are part of our network of friends.
We are always here to serve and we are looking forward to your next visit.
Thanks
OWNER NAME
Or
GENERAL MANAGER NAME
Yup, it's that simple. Get this figured out and you'll be in the top 1% of all restaurants that have an email marketing program.
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