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Is your e-marketing strategy missing these 10 things?

Email is an often-overlooked and effective tactic in the marketing mix, and restaurants should use it to tell customers about delivery and carry-out specials available via COVID-19.

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April 16, 2020 by Nancy A Shenker — CEO, theONswitch, LLC

Successful brands have added and ramped-up take-out and delivery as the core revenue-generating component of their business models.

They're participating in national and local campaigns to raise awareness of their offers and deals and have created new and innovative menus and systems for no-contact deliveries and pick-up. They are investing in colorful signage, social media, and community-based marketing.

But e-mail is an often-overlooked and highly-effective tactic in the marketing mix. Now it the time for you to build a high-quality list of fans, frequent diners, and local influencers who keep that traffic turning in to YOUR locations.

These 10 tips are based on my 12+ years as an effective e-marketer and Constant Contact All-Star for many years.

1. Build a high-quality and targeted list. Make sure that every customer — new and old — has an opportunity to sign-up for offers from your brand. Loyalty clubs and deals of the day/week are great ways to provide incentives. Customers must opt-in to get your e-marketing, so be sure your message is clear — whether you use electronic sign-up or an old fashioned business card fishbowl.
2. Invest in a system that will enable you to organize your list, deploy regular campaigns, and analyze results.
3. Set a schedule for e-mail blasts and analyze and monitor results to ensure that you're sending out messages at the right times and that you're not over-communicating. Check your opt-out rates regularly and adjust your messages and frequency accordingly. Remember that people get 100's of messages daily. Make your yours is the one that gets open and read. See #5.
4. Make sure you have the right talent in place to create your e-marketing plan. If you have employees with experience in marketing, leverage them first. Budget permitting, invest in people and companies with specific expertise in e-mail marketing.
5. Create appetizing and fun messages that are snackable (highly visual and brief) and shareable on social media. Keep in mind too that many people are viewing messages on smartphones and tablets, so be sure your e-messaging is mobile-friendly. Subject lines should be compelling, unique and pithy.
6. Humanize your brand. Communications featuring local managers and their teams adds a level of intimacy and trust and distinguishes you from your competitors. If you're involved with local community events or non-profits, share that with your customers and prospects. You may even want to encourage diners to send in their own pictures of themselves enjoying their meals.
7. Include your sanitization policies in a friendly and caring way. But don't bog down your e-mails with scary and negative news. Link to a web or social media page that contains details.  
8. Segment your list. "Talk" to first-time diners about different topics from brand loyalists. Welcome them and ensure that their first communication experience (following their experience of your food and service) is special and memorable. Incorporate polls and satisfaction surveys.
9. Include your business hours, location, dine-out options, and social media sites (and hashtags) in every communication. Give consumers multiple ways to interact and engage with you. Integrate your e-marketing into a multi-media campaign and keep your deals and creative consistent across marketing channels — conventional and digital.
10. Reviews are more important than ever before. Monitor and respond to them quickly and non-defensively. Your team may be coming up to speed on new procedures and you should use every criticism as an opportunity to evaluate and train.

Above all, think of your e-marketing strategy as an ongoing effort. Once you can open your doors to diners again, you can still use your e-mail list and system to stay close to those people who love your brand and can spread that love to new customers.

Although food tastes are all different, no one wants SPAM in their inbox!

About Nancy A Shenker

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Nancy A Shenker is a freelance content strategist and virtual CMO with extensive experience in the food, restaurant, and technology space. She is the Founder/CEO of theONswitch marketing and nunu ventures and a professional speaker.

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