By Laura Kutch, Contributor
People use their phones all the time when it comes to restaurants. They look up nearby places to eat, read reviews, scan QR codes to look at menus, order delivery — the list goes on. Why not use it to your advantage with SMS marketing? Best of all, customers like the idea too: 89% of people say they would rather text with a business than speak with them on the phone.
And believe it or not, there’s massive untapped potential for this strategy: Roughly 60% of marketers aren’t currently taking advantage of text message marketing.
Read on to discover how SMS marketing can change the game for your business.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is when a business sends marketing materials to customers via text. You can share things like business news, exclusive deals, reservation reminders, new menu promotions, and more straight to their cell phones.
SMS Marketing Benefits for Restaurants
With 7.4 billion SMS subscribers in the world, there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of text message marketing. Let’s go over some of the benefits below.
Strong KPIs
First and foremost, SMS marketing offers excellent KPIs, key performance indicators. The proof is in the data: SMS campaigns boast an open rate of 98% (compared to 20% for emails) and have an average click-through rate of 19%.
Cost Efficiency & Scalability
SMS marketing is also cost-effective and easily scalable. Unlike other expensive marketing strategies, like pay-per-click ads or media buys, text message marketing is an affordable way to reach more people. Plus, you can scale your marketing efforts as your subscriber base grows.
Opportunity to Build Trust with Guests
Because SMS marketing is permission-based — meaning your guests have to opt-in before you can send them messages — it can help you build trust with your customers. When people opt in, it means they want to hear from you and likely already believe in what you’re offering.
Powerful Segmentation
Since your guests/subscribers are essentially asking to hear from you when they opt-in for texts, you have plenty of opportunities to get to know them, what their specific needs are, and how you can meet those needs.
Quick Customer Engagement
Did you know that the average person checks their phone 90+ times per day, and 95% will read and respond within three minutes? In this way, SMS marketing allows for nearly instant communication with your customers.
More Flexibility
In addition to marketing and sales announcements, you can integrate SMS into other parts of your business, like sending reservation reminders or cancellation confirmations.
5 Ways Restaurants Can Use Text Marketing
Let’s go over how you can incorporate SMS marketing into your current strategy to boost engagement and grow your business.
Share Discounts & Specials
SMS messages are one of the fastest and easiest ways to communicate with customers about special offers and discounts. This can include promoting holiday specials and events, seasonal menu items, or even a discount for returning customers. Plus, the high SMS open rate means you’ll likely see high engagement with these offers.
Offer Personalized Promotions
To take it a step further, you can utilize text message marketing to send hyper-personalized promotions. For example, you could send special birthday offers to customers, like a free appetizer or dessert.
Integrate Loyalty Programs & Rewards
Show loyal customers how much you appreciate them by making texts part of your loyalty or rewards program. You can send info about special events, student discounts, monthly contests, or other loyalty program information.
Request Customer Surveys & Reviews
Text messages can also help you gather valuable feedback from customers. After a customer orders delivery or dines in person, for example, send them a personalized survey asking about their experience. You can then use this data to inform future decisions.
Don’t Forget About Remarketing
Finally, consider utilizing SMS for remarketing efforts, which is a critical component of digital marketing. Send things like reminders to complete delivery or take-out orders, purchase follow-ups, or review requests directly to your customers’ phones.
3 Steps to Start a Successful SMS Campaign
If you’re wondering how to get started with SMS marketing, check out the steps below.
1. Sign up Subscribers
As we mentioned earlier, customers have to opt-in for business text messages sent for marketing purposes. TCPA and CAN-SPAM laws clearly outline how businesses need to request and get permission before messaging customers, so be sure to review those materials before moving forward.
2. Automate Essentials
Save time and ensure your customers get the right messages at the right time by automating certain communications. These may include welcome texts, incomplete order reminders, and reservation cancellation alerts.
3. Build Out Your Restaurant’s Marketing Campaigns
SMS marketing is meant to complement other marketing efforts. Consider these tips as you get started:
Don’t send too many texts. You don’t want to bombard your customers with excessive texts. Limit your messages to two or three per week.
Announce sales and specials. Give subscribers exclusive access to discounts, as well as birthday, holiday, and other special occasion reminders.
Promote new menu items. Announce seasonal menus or new dishes via SMS to make subscribers feel like they’re part of your brand’s community.
Closing
Strong communication and customer service are extremely important aspects of building and maintaining a successful brand, especially in today’s competitive market. The ability to communicate directly with customers via their preferred channel makes SMS marketing a powerful tool. Consider adding texting to your marketing strategy today and watch your business flourish.
