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Thursday Jul 11, 2019

SMS for Restaurants

You don’t need a sommelier to tell you that SMS marketing and restaurants are a perfect pairing. With SMS marketing you are able to increase brand recognition, use more effective targeting techniques, and contact your guests directly, with an amazing open rate and a huge return on investment. If you own or manage a restaurant and you’re not using SMS marketing, you’re losing money. Here are just some of the ways you can use SMS messaging for your restaurant!

Brand awareness and recognition 

Let’s be honest; when you’re hungry, you tend to crave food from restaurants that you think of often. Make people remember your brand and your restaurant by sending out SMS messages! Consistent and strategic SMS marketing will keep your location, menu, and brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds. At least one study found that brand recognition had the biggest impact on revenues, with it being even more effective than brand loyalty. 

Reservation reminders and confirmation 

Some restaurants have reservations that can be booked months in advance. Giving your guests the option of an SMS text reminder and confirmation is a great way to add phone numbers to your text message database, as well as giving your guests the impression that your restaurant is on top of current trends and technology. 

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Campaigns and coupons 

Coupons and flash promos make people much more likely to come into your restaurant, especially during non-peak hours. If you notice that certain times of the day or some days of the week are much slower than others, run a promo for those days and times. You should notice an increase in sales! Customers also seem to prefer more utilitarian SMS campaigns, which include coupons, specials, and pertinent information, such as hours and your location. 

Smart targeting 

You can target people based on previous digital coupon usage. Sending out a special offer to only your best customers will strengthen brand loyalty as well as keep business booming in your restaurant. You can even send people special birthday coupons or freebies using SMS marketing! 

Surveys and Feedback

If one of your customers has a negative experience in your restaurant, it is best to rectify the situation as quickly as possible - hopefully before they have a chance to write a bad review. Putting a ‘tell us about your experience’ text survey on your receipts lets customers immediately voice their dissatisfaction. This not only helps your business learn from mistakes, but will keep many negative reviews off of social media. 

SMS for restaurant employees 

Restaurants tend to have a lot of employees, and that means a lot of moving parts. With SMS messaging, you can update everyone on schedules, days off, and ask for people to cover shifts. You can even send out surveys asking for company feedback on a new policy or send reminders for staff meetings and company parties, or start a friendly competition!  

As the power of SMS marketing grows exponentially, it is important to ensure your restaurant is not losing money by missing out on text message marketing. Implementing an effective text marketing strategy for your restaurant will keep hungry customers coming back for seconds. 

Are you ready to take your restaurant’s marketing efforts up a notch? Contact a member of the vorText team  today to schedule a free demo!


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