As a seasonal restaurant, you have one time of year to make a good impact on customers. If you miss that window, you have to wait until next season! The best way to keep up with your customers and remind them about your seasonal deals is with a well-timed email marketing campaign.
You might think email marketing is outdated in 2023, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, it’s one of the most effective marketing platforms available! The average email marketing campaign generates $36 for every $1 spent! If you want some of that 3,600% ROI, here are five email marketing tips to help you promote your seasonal restaurant details.
Use email templates for professional layouts
Your emails are a representation of your business, so they have to be perfect! A boring text-only email tells customers that your restaurant — and its seasonal specials — are equally as boring. You need a layout designed to impress. That’s where food email templates come in.
You’re busy running a restaurant. You don’t have time to spend designing email layouts from the ground up. With a food email template, you can choose a pre-made design that fits your restaurant, fill in the information, and you’re ready to send it to your contact list. It’s the best way to get professional-level email layouts without needing professional-level skills (or time).
Start planning your campaign early
Email campaigns, like any marketing effort, take time to be effective. Most marketing professionals say potential customers need to see a message at least seven times before they’re provoked to take action. And since your restaurant details are seasonal, you want to make sure you start your email campaign in enough time for customers to mark their calendars.
Ideally, your email marketing campaign should begin at least one month before your seasonal deals begin. For example, if your busy time is in the summer, you want to start sending emails during the spring. That way, you can remind your customers about your amazing food specials while they’re planning their next trip. With enough notice, you can be sure your customers will remember your restaurant and still have enough time to schedule a meal in their future plans.
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Build your contact list
If you want to create a successful email marketing campaign, you need people to send emails to. That’s why building your contact list is one of the most important parts of any email marketing campaign. If you want to promote your restaurant’s seasonal deals, you need to have a large group of readers to send them to. When it comes to contacts, the more the merrier!
Always be on the lookout for ways to collect more email addresses. These are a few of the most popular ways to generate more contacts for your email campaigns:
- Offer emailed receipts for your restaurant
- Include an opt-in form on your website
- Put an opt-in form at the cash register
- Just ask!
The more email addresses you can collect, the more likely your email marketing campaign will be a success!
Make an offer they can’t refuse
People don’t like to give up their contact information (or free time) for no reason. If you want people to show up to your restaurant’s seasonal promotions, you need to give them a reason!
For the most part the seasonal festivities will encourage plenty of customers. But it never hurts to sweeten the deal with a few discounts or special dishes.
Give your email readers an offer they can’t refuse. For example, offer 10% off every meal for early-bird customers who arrive a week before your official season starts. That way, you can get some extra business early, before the big rush shows up.
Offers are also great for getting people to sign up for your emails — and subsequently to expand your marketing reach for future email promotions. Offer email-only discounts, like a percentage off a dish or meal just for signing up for your newsletters. It’s a great way to collect more addresses and get more people into your restaurant for seasonal deals!
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It’s all about the subject line
Did you know that 78% of emails never get that much needed click? They stay unopened in the inbox or sent straight to the trash without even a glance. Why? Because the subject line wasn’t catchy enough to encourage the reader to open it!
The subject line is arguably the most important part of your email. Without a great subject line, nobody will ever read your amazing message, see your incredible layout, or take part in your restaurant’s seasonal deals.
The key to a great subject line is to put your offer front and center. You never know how many characters someone sees in their email inbox preview, so you want to make sure everyone can see your offer clearly.
For example, the subject line “We’re opening next month! Come between the 5th and the 20th for 20% off your entire meal!” doesn’t put the offer up front. Some of your readers might just see, “We’re opening next…” Instead, give your offer immediately: “20% OFF – Special summer dishes between the 5th and the 20th.” That way, no matter how many characters someone sees in their inbox, they’ll get a glimpse of your amazing offer and be more likely to click on your message.
Email your way to a full house for your restaurant’s next seasonal promotion
The best way to pack your restaurant during your next seasonal promotion isn’t through social media; it’s with the old-fashioned email! Use the power of email marketing to remind your customers about your next seasonal promotion by using high-quality food email templates, planning your campaign early, building your contact list, providing an irresistible offer, and using a catchy subject line. If you can implement a great email marketing campaign, you’ll have a line down the block for next season’s opening!