Essential Marketing Tools to Maximise Profit
Engaging customers and encouraging their repeat patronage are pivotal to your hospitality business’s success. Marketing automation provides a sophisticated approach to achieve these objectives efficiently while maximising impact. Focusing on targeted adverts, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and loyalty programs enables your restaurant or café to cultivate a dynamic marketing ecosystem that attracts and retains customers effectively. Drawing on many years of experience in restaurant marketing, we’ve identified the three most effective tools that have consistently delivered the best results for our clients, significantly boosting their turnover.
Crafting the Perfect First Impression with Targeted Ads
Campaign Example: Localised Advertising for Seasonal Menu Debut
Imagine launching a new seasonal menu designed to entice local food enthusiasts. By leveraging platforms like Facebook or Google Ads, you can craft localised advertising campaigns targeted specifically to users within a certain distance from your restaurant. These adverts can feature the fresh appeal of your menu, displaying enticing images of your dishes or the welcoming atmosphere of your restaurant. This strategy is equally effective for promoting events or functions, targeting individuals celebrating life milestones or professionals in the event planning industry.
Automation Aspect: Configure your advertising campaigns to dynamically adjust bids based on the time or day of the week, focusing on when potential diners are most likely to be making their meal plans. Use A/B testing to experiment with different versions of your adverts, tweaking headlines, images, and calls to action, to determine the most effective approach. The platform can then automatically prioritise the best-performing ads.
Personalising the Customer Experience with CRM
Campaign Example: Birthday Club Celebration Offers
Expanding on the concept of a Birthday Club, utilise your CRM to send a personalised email or SMS invitations to club members, offering them a special birthday deal, such as a complimentary birthday dessert or a discount on their meal. This gesture not only makes the customer feel special but also provides a compelling reason for them to celebrate at your restaurant.
Automation Aspect: Your CRM can trigger these birthday messages automatically based on the customer’s birth date, ensuring no one is overlooked. It can also send a follow-up reminder if the offer remains unredeemed as its expiration date nears. After the visit, automate a request for feedback to gain insights into their experience, aiding in the refinement of your future marketing efforts.
Encouraging Repeat Visits with Loyalty Programmes
Campaign Example: Points-Based Loyalty Programme
Introduce a points-based loyalty programme where customers accrue points for every pound spent at your restaurant. These points can be exchanged for rewards, such as a free starter, a discount on their next visit, or a special chef’s table experience for those accumulating high points.
Automation Aspect: Employ marketing automation to monitor customer purchases and point accumulation in real-time. Automatically inform customers via email or SMS when they’ve accrued enough points for a reward, inviting them to redeem their points on their next visit. Further, segment your loyalty members based on their spending habits and frequency of visits, dispatching targeted offers designed to encourage patronage during quieter periods or to sample new menu items.
Integrating targeted adverts, CRM, and loyalty programmes into your marketing strategy will enable you not only to attract new customers but also to transform them into loyal patrons. Each of these automated workflows offers a customised approach to engage with your audience, making them feel valued and appreciated. The success of these strategies lies in personalising these interactions to ensure they are relevant and timely. With these automated marketing strategies, your restaurant can distinguish itself, driving more patrons to your doors, ensuring their return and ultimately increasing your profit.
Emma Angelino