Restaurant Email List is King

With all of the restaurant marketing and social media options out there, it is hard to decide which one to focus on and build. Should your Facebook page get most of the attention? Is Instagram the key? What if there was tool to reign supreme above the rest? One tool that gives you 1) control, 2) flexibility, 3) total ownership and 4) came at a really low cost? Sounds pretty good, right?

That one tool is email. You are probably think, “wait I thought email was over and we all needed to be on Snapchat?” While social media sites can help get some eyes on you and can help stay in touch, the strongest tool in your customer relationship and marketing arsenal is email.

In this post, you’ll find the Top 4 Reasons you should make email a pillar of your restaurant marketing plan. In future posts, we will share ideas for growing your list, content creation ideas to stay in touch, and the best promotion tips to boost specific products and day parts.

4 Reasons to Build Your Email List

Control

Having thousands of followers of Facebook helps you win the popularity contest–but it doesn’t really help you build sales or long-term relationships. Facebook is in control. In the last few years, they’ve boosted their revenue by controlling exactly how your “followers” see your posts. This means most of your posts go completely unnoticed. Not the case with a strong email program. You are the driver’s seat when it comes to communicating, sharing, and using email as a sales driver.

Flexibility

Again, the social networks can be helpful in sharing your message–but it is still just a “leased” space where the techies are in charge of how, when, and who you communicate. With email, you have the option to communicate in whatever way makes the most sense for your message. Want to share a video of a new menu item? No problem. Have an exciting new promotion to send a quick note on? You got it. Email gives you the flexibility you need to boost your brand.

Ownership

Because your “followers” are merely “leased” from the social networks, you don’t actually have the power to move them around as you wish. If Instagram changes a setting to drive ad revenue (which is definitely coming), then your promotion might not appear to your audience. WIth email, you have total ownership of the list. You can bring them with you to celebrate new restaurants. You can email them promotions. You can create the relationship the way you want–just like your in your restaurant.

Low Cost

Email is essentially free. You can get started with Gmail today. There are many programs like MailChimp that allow you a certain number of users for free as well (currently 2k for MailChimp). There are some ways you can spend some money to build your list with promotions, contests, and giveaways. But otherwise, it is really easy and affordable to get started.

If this hasn’t convinced you, here are some stats:

• 90% of email users check their inbox 7 times a day
• Email sees open rates of 60%-67% depending on the age of user

ChowNow offers complementary Marketing Support for each online ordering account to help you maximize your efforts. Unlike most online ordering providers, we also give you complete control and access to your email list from people who have used your online ordering system. This means that with each online order–you are building your audience and boosting your sales. Want to find out more?

— Mike Ganino | Mike is a restaurant veteran having served  as COO at Protein Bar and in key roles at Yum! Brands, Lettuce Entertain You, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop. An in-demand speaker and trainer on restaurant and hospitality industry, Mike advises ChowNow on developing the strongest online ordering solutions for restaurants.