Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels for restaurants. It is a direct way to communicate with your customers, increase brand loyalty, and drive sales. In this post, we will explore the importance of email marketing for restaurants and share a case study of how JF Digital helped The Salt House, a new restaurant in town, build an organic following of 1000+ customer contacts within a month using email marketing.
Why Email Marketing Matters for Restaurants
Email marketing is a powerful tool for restaurants because it allows them to directly communicate with their customers. Here are some reasons why restaurants should invest in email marketing:
- Direct Communication: With email marketing, restaurants can reach their customers directly in their inbox, which is a highly personal and trusted space.
- Increased Brand Loyalty: By sending regular emails to customers, restaurants can keep their brand top of mind and build loyalty.
- Higher Engagement: Compared to social media, email has a higher engagement rate. According to a study by Campaign Monitor, the average open rate for restaurant emails is 23.06%, which is higher than the average engagement rate for Facebook posts (6.4%) and Twitter posts (4.8%).
- Drive Sales: Email marketing is a great way to drive sales by promoting special deals, events, or new menu items.
Case Study: The Salt House
The Salt House is a new restaurant in Barnsley that wanted to create a buzz and generate interest before its opening. JF Digital helped The Salt House to utilise email marketing in its pre-launch campaign by creating an email sign-up landing page. The goal was to build an organic following and encourage people to sign up for their email list.
To incentivise sign-ups, we offered customers the chance to win a £250 bar tab at the VIP opening. We promoted the offer on social media and directed users to the landing page. We also used high-quality content to keep users updated with the building’s progress, such as behind-the-scenes photos of the restaurant’s development.
The Results
The email marketing campaign was a success. Within a month, we were able to build an organic following of 1000+ customer contacts. This enabled us to directly remarket updates about the launch, events, and more to The Salt House customer base. We also saw a high engagement rate, with an average open rate of 25% and a click-through rate of 10%.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful tool for restaurants that can help build customer loyalty, increase engagement, and drive sales. By using an email sign-up landing page and incentivising sign-ups, restaurants can quickly build a customer base and directly communicate with them. The Salt House’s successful pre-launch campaign is a testament to the power of email marketing for restaurants.
