Why your restaurant can’t afford to ignore email marketing
Without a solid email marketing strategy, you’re leaving revenue on the table. Email helps you not only attract new guests but also keep past customers coming back. It gives you a direct, cost-effective way of communication to a captive audience and allows you to make your communications highly relevant to each member of that audience.
How much work is involved and what results can you expect?
According to Campaign Monitor, email marketing produces 174% more conversions than social media and costs less in time and effort than other forms of marketing. It’s also a more reliable way to reach people than social media as you are using data you have collected to contact people directly.
Restaurants can also guarantee a strong return on investment (ROI) using email marketing. In Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing Trends 2022 report, research shows that email marketing delivers a $36 return for every $1 spent. There’s proof that a growing number of customers are responding to email marketing, making it a more effective means to reach them now and in the future.
What makes email marketing so effective for restaurants?
Email marketing works so well because it reaches people where they already are- right in their inbox. With 99% of email users check their inbox daily, there’s a high chance your message gets seen the same day you send it. Unlike social media posts that are seen by a fraction of your audience, emails can be highly targeted and personalised. Using a restaurant CRM system, you can segment your audience and send tailored messages, made bespoke to each subscriber. This combination of immediacy, accessibility and personalisation is what makes email marketing one of the most powerful tools for restaurants looking to drive engagement, fill tables and grow their brand.
9 effective email marketing ideas for restaurants with examples
1. Welcome email to new subscribers
This type of email is a great way to kick off the relationship with new subscribers and if designed well, it will make them feel valued from the moment they join. It should clearly outline the benefits of being part of the restaurant’s loyalty scheme, setting expectations for rewards and encourage an immediate engagement.
A strong welcome email might include:
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Clear welcome: Directly addressing the new member, making them feel included from the get-go.
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Highlighting the benefits: Outlining the rewards and perks clearly (earn points, surprise perks, birthday gifts, exclusive offers).
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Actionable next step: Encouraging immediate action with simple instructions on how to get started (adding the membership ID to their wallet).
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Personal touch: Using the customer’s name and a friendly tone makes the email feel more personalised and engaging.
Zizzi’s Zillionaires' Club welcome email is a great example of a successful welcome campaign. They have effectively used all of the above strategies to create a welcoming and engaging experience for new subscribers: they directly address the new member, clearly highlight the benefits of their loyalty program and include actionable steps like adding the membership to a mobile wallet for easy access.
2. Birthday email
Sent out on or near the customer’s birthday, this automated email isn’t just good for the customer – it's good for your business, too. Offering a free treat to your customer won’t cut into your profit – they probably won’t be dining alone, plus, it creates the opportunity for upselling and increasing the overall bill.
A great birthday email should include:
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Personalised greeting: Make them feel extra special by addressing them by name and acknowledging their big day.
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Exclusive birthday offer: Whether it’s a free dessert, drink or special discount, offer something they can’t resist.
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Easy redemption: Include a simple, clear way for them to claim their gift, like a unique voucher code or a QR code.
Coco di Mama does an excellent job of driving excitement and engagement around their customers’ birthdays. They don’t just send a one-off email; instead, they build up the excitement in the weeks leading to the big day. Their email series kicks off with a “It’s Almost Your Birthday!” message, reminding the customer about their upcoming treat. When the time finally arrives, the customer gets an email with a unique voucher code for a free dish, ready for them to redeem whenever they visit.
3. Seasonal promotion with future visit incentive
Your customers might expect some promotion around Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day or any other major holiday – and truth is, their inbox might even get crowded around this time with similar offers. How to stand out from the crowd? Let’s look at this example of Gaucho, who not only successfully leveraged seasonal a offer, but also guaranteed a return visit in January, typically a slow season.
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Interactive and engaging: The virtual Christmas Cracker provided a fun, engaging experience.
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Clear incentive: The voucher encouraged customers to plan a visit after the holiday rush, increasing bookings for January.
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Data capture: Gaucho used the QR code to capture valuable customer information, which can be used for future personalised offers.
4. Interactive campaigns
Interactive campaigns are a fun and engaging way to capture your customers' attention while driving them to interact with your brand. Whether it's a spin-to-win game, a quiz or a competition, these campaigns can generate excitement and increase engagement, making your promotions (and your brand!) more memorable.
Fuller’s love fun thrill and even better – they know their customers love it, too! Their ‘Spin to Win’ campaign combined gamification with instant rewards alongside easy participation and real-time interaction. This type of interactive campaign drove engagement, and the use of rewards ensured customers felt rewarded and motivated to visit again.
5. Data capture and reward campaigns
This type of campaign is ideal for gathering valuable customer data while offering an incentive that encourages immediate action. By incentivising customers to share specific information - like their birthday, with a compelling offer, you can fill gaps in your data while boosting sales in the short term.
And that’s exactly what Ask Italian did – offering £20 off £50 to customers who provided their birthdate which was a missing part of their Single Customer View (SCV). The £20 discount encouraged customers to make a purchase right away, while the promise of a birthday treat encouraged future engagement –and thanks to this additional info about the customer, they can ensure their personalised content will resonate better in the future.
6. Event or experience reservation
Some emails have more direct purpose than others - such as those designed to drive reservations for specific events or experiences at your restaurant. Whether it’s a live sports screening, new menu tasting or a special dinner event, these emails help create urgency and encourage customers to book their spot in advance.
To make sure that these types of emails land well, it’s good to have guests’ preferences as part of your data. Sending event invitations to those who have shown interest in a specific type of event or experience ensures the message is relevant and well-targeted, just like The British Queen did – sending it to those interested in football and emphasising urgency with phrases like “Don’t take the chance, go get yourself a spot before the final whistle blows.
7. Celebratory milestone offers
It doesn’t always have to be about the customer - Zizzi proved that a significant achievement of their brand can be a great reason to celebrate with their loyal guests. As they reached 1 million members, they used this milestone as an opportunity to reward their customers, proving that celebrating your brand’s success can also drive engagement and customer loyalty.
The email, which was personalised and sent to loyal members, made the milestone feel like a shared victory - with a simple and clear call to action, customers were encouraged to claim their free drink and join the celebration.
8. Last-minute offer email
When you want customers to act fast, a last-minute offer email is the perfect tool. These emails are designed to create urgency, prompting customers to take action before it's too late.
Dishoom used a last-minute offer email to remind customers of their seasonal specials before the offer expired. The email highlighted it was the "last chance" to enjoy these limited-time dishes, creating urgency and motivating customers to act fast. They also promoted instant Christmas gifts, ensuring that customers could buy these last-minute gifts before the holidays (and as we all know, everyone’s short on time in December and buys gifts last minute).
9. New menu email
Exciting new menu updates? Let your customers know! A new menu email is the perfect way to get your guests excited and eager to try your latest creations.
The Canal House nailed it with a vibrant email announcing their new menu. Featuring mouthwatering dishes like Ribeye Steak and their Hot Board with poutine, it got customers excited to try the latest flavours. They also highlighted their Half Term fun, making the menu perfect for family dining.
Tips for getting started with email marketing
Restaurants can reap rewards by using email marketing, but it’s important to get it right. With that in mind, here are some key things to consider from the outset:
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Use the right tools. Quality technology software systems (e.g. online reservations systems, CRM and EPoS) that integrate and provide data will give you a strong framework to support your email marketing. Suppose you’re in charge of a group of restaurants. In that case, you will want one with the flexibility to send out to all customers on the database if you’re running a group-wide promotion, while also being able to segment your list according to site when relevant.
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Have a clear marketing plan. Each email should also be part of a larger strategic plan; make sure you’ve created a comprehensive plan before you start and communicate this plan across your brand so that everyone understands the ultimate goals.
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Stay on brand. Make sure you use the same branding and tone of voice throughout all communications, whether you’re sending an email, posting on social media or updating your website.
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Keep messaging consistent. Before you compile any email marketing message, ensure your website is updated with the correct details, that your social media posts are in-step and all staff are aware of promotions, to avoid potential confusion.
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Authenticate your domain. This is an important step for any email marketing. The newest guidelines mean that if you haven’t put the right authentication in place, your messages won’t get through.
Tools to help you execute your strategy
Good email marketing for restaurants requires supportive software. Here are some that will help:
CRM
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform is an essential tool to support your email marketing activity. This is where customer data is held and managed.
Some CRM systems also offer email marketing which can remove the need to source additional software.
Access Acteol can help you connect, segment, engage and measure your data through its Single Customer View, allowing you to use it in the most effective way and analyse the results of a campaign. It also has a suite of functions, including the ability to automate the sending of email which can streamline the process and avoid sourcing additional email marketing software.
Online reservations system
Having a robust and reliable online reservations system in place before sending out any email marketing campaign is a must because it will make it easy for customers to book their space so they can join you during the promotional week or take advantage of the offer you’ve told them about.
Access Collins, our booking and reservations software for hospitality, manages every stage of the customer journey. It also allows you to tailor the look and feel of email communication and the fact that email templates, menus and photos can be uploaded to one place means the process is quick and simple. Perfect for busy restaurants.
EPoS
The majority of restaurants already have a POS system in place, and it is the backbone of all technology systems used in the business. An EPoS system can gather data relating to every customer visit, including ordering habits and allergen information which can help build a better picture of each customer and help with segmentation and personalisation of email marketing campaigns.
Choose an EPoS with the ability to integrate with other systems for a seamless experience - like our hospitality EPoS.
Ready to put your email marketing ideas into action?
In this article, we’ve covered the most important considerations for restaurants and hospitality venues who are just getting started with email marketing, and we’ve shared our top tips on how to get the most out of your email campaign strategy.
Want to put these email marketing ideas into action? Whether you need expert guidance or the right tools, we can help. Book a demo today to see how Access Hospitality’s CRM and marketing tools can help turn your emails into more bookings and revenue.