So You Think Email Marketing Is Dead? Think Again
If you think email marketing is a thing of the past, think again. Targeted, personalised communication highlighting all the things that make your venue fabulous is a great way to stay in touch with your valued customers and attract more business.
In the era of social media, keeping in contact with your customer base can seem as easy as a quick post on Facebook or Instagram. But these platforms are becoming increasingly monetised and have ever-changing algorithms deciding who sees your posts and when. The personalised, targeted marketing of an email tailored to your customers is more relevant than ever.
Why Have An Email Marketing List
Building a list gives you direct access to communicate with your customers
You own the list unlike Facebook and other social platforms where you need to pay to play
These people have asked for info about your brand and want to communicate with you
Think of email marketing like dating. You’ve done the flirting at the Instagram Bar, you’ve told them stories and anecdotes and now they’ve handed you their number because they want to know more.
And then you don’t call.
But guess who did call them? Your competition, the one with the great-looking food and sexy bartender. And now they’re not just flirting, they’re getting cosy on the regular and your date’s attention is no longer on you.
Benefits of An Email Marketing List
You can email them directly- which is the best way to sell out your events and increase your bookings
Communicate special events
You can upload the list to the back of Facebook and retarget your audience
Keep your business top of mind and keep the relationship with your customers
You can use it to survey your customers about potential future products or events
Promote a new revenue stream- ie meal boxes during Covid
Want to make the most of email marketing? Yeah, you do! Here’s how!
Target your existing customers
Build an email list from your existing client base through online bookings – or even a pen and sign up card in the bill slip at the end of their meal. This is a great way to directly target an audience that you already know love your brand. These are customers who trust and love you already. They know you serve a great product, they just need access to the right info to get them back in the door.
Own It!
With Facebook and other social media platforms moving towards a pay-to-play format, having your own email marketing list means that you own the list. You can communicate directly with your customer base, increasing bookings, selling out events, and moving products in a way that you can control.
Consider this statistic. An average post on Facebook or Instagram is seen by 1.6-2.5% of your followers (unless you pay). Your email will be read by 20-40% of your email list, depending on the average engagement rate. Think back to the dating analogy above.
Get in touch quickly and be seen
As we’ve seen with the COVID crisis, businesses need to be dynamic and flexible. If things change quickly, you need to be able to get the word out to your customers ASAP. Updating your socials is great, but if your post gets lost in a busy feed then you’re leaving your customers in the dark. Touching base via email will make sure your customers know exactly what’s going on. Businesses with strong email lists have fared the best during COVID and they’re in the best position to keep moving forward.
Shifting from in-house dining to take away? Get the word out via email to keep everyone in the loop, drive traffic back to your website, and get those orders rolling in!
Set a regular schedule- Absence makes the heart go wander
Are your customers getting radio silence from you? If you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. Sliding into your customer’s inbox at least once a month will keep your business at the top of their mind. Even if they don’t take you up on this week’s offer, you’ll be the venue they think of when they next need to make a booking. Keep yourself present and relevant and you’ll have a loyal customer base that’s always got you in mind.
A question of etiquette
We’ve all received intrusive or unsolicited marketing emails that just don’t know when to quit. Whether you have no idea how you ended up on their list, or they’re bombarding you day in, day out, nothing is worse than a guest who overstays their inbox welcome.
Some points to keep in mind:
Keep your email list limited to your customers or potential customers who proactively sign up – you know your product or venue appeals to them, so you know that your communication will be welcome.
Arrange it so they can easily unsubscribe – making unsubscribing difficult comes across as dishonest, and just downright annoying.
Make it clear who the email is from – you want to pique their interest from the moment they see your name and subject in their inbox.
Remember WIIFM! “What’s In It For Me”. Make sure you talk about the benefits for the people who will be reading your email. e.g. We would love to know your opinion of our new menu? Instead of “We have a new menu”.
Email marketing is just as important as building a strong social media presence, and when used effectively, allows you to engage with your customer base in a way that is relevant and responsive to their interests and builds lasting loyalties.
