Five Tactics Guaranteed to Increase Revenue With Email

If you knew you would make at least $300-$500 at each of your restaurant locations, every time you sent an email to your guests, how often would you send email?

Every week?

Every DAY?

EVERY HOUR??!?!

If you listen to the podcast I host, The Restaurant Marketing Podcast , you know that I interview multi unit marketing executives and ask them a bunch of questions about marketing tactics.

One of my favorite questions to ask is “what’s the best channel for guest retention?” Asked another way, what’s the best way to increase repeat visits, lifetime, value and average order value?

What I think we’re all trying to figure out is .. what is the cheapest fastest and easiest way to get your guests to come back for another purchase…

And if you do listen to that podcast, you know that almost every single person I’ve ever had on the show has the exact same answer:

“Email!”

Yes, new guest acquisition is important. Yes, Loyalty is important. Yes, social media is important. Yes, etc

Getting your guest’s to share their email with you is the Holy Grail. Because once you have it, there is a whole lot you could and should be doing with it.

Here are Five Tactics Guaranteed to Increase Revenue With Email

1. SEND WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS

Guess what! Your guests are happy to give you their email address. They’re also happy to receive a weekly email from you. They want to know about your menu items, your specials, your interesting events and your stories.

If you want the answer to the question “what is the fastest easiest, cheapest way to increase, repeat visits and order value?” this is it: send a weekly email.

But what else?

2. CREATE EMAIL AUTOMATIONS

OK. I lied! Automating email communication is actually the fastest easiest cheapest way…but you have to know how to do it.

My favorite is creating a welcome email flow.

It won’t take you that long to create one but restaurant using an automated welcome email flow see a 33% higher 30 day return rate. Would you agree that creating set it and forget it emails and sending them to every single guest in your database is easy?

3. USE LOOKALIKE AUDIENCES TO REACH NEWS GUESTS.

I know a lot of you out there are doing Facebook and Instagram awareness ads. Good for you. You should. That is the cheapest fastest easiest way to drive local awareness.

Want to take it up a notch? If you have more than 10,000 people in your database create a look like audience in your Meta Business Suite and tell Facebook to go find more people like that in your geo targeted area with ads.

4. ADD FOLLOWERS TO SOCIAL MEDIA ACOUNT

“What? Rev we’re talking about email here. What are you talking about?”

What’s the easiest fastest, cheapest way to grow your follower account on social media?

Cross pollinate your audiences! When you have multiple touch points with your guests its easier to stay top of mind.

If you are capturing your guest emails:

1. Include icons and links to your social media accounts and everyone of your newsletter emails.

2. Occasionally send an email to your database and ask them to follow you on social media.

5. GET LOYALTY SIGN UPS

OK, by now you’re thinking "right Rev, I get it email my database and tell him to sign up for Loyalty." Yes, but there’s something to think about before that step.

I think most restaurants are doing it wrong. Yep. I said that.

I think loyalty is super important, and it should be a major priority. However, there’s a significant portion of your guests that have no interest in trying to earn points and rewards. However, they would be happy to receive an occasional email from you. What are you doing for those people?

Your newsletter should be a VIP club. If you can focus on getting people’s email addresses, you can promote loyalty to them later when it aligns with the right point in THEIR journey. Those who are interested in signing up will sign up.

Do the two-step process focus on getting email then focus on driving to Rewards.

I just gave you the playbook but incase you need help with any of this, that’s what I do. Hit me up if you have questions or need some support.

Send me an email: [email protected]