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The Evolution of Restaurant POS Systems: From Traditional to Modern Solutions
This blog will help you understand the evolution of restaurant POS software and how modern POS syste...
Read moreA restaurant newsletter is a well-known way to reach out to patrons for marketing purposes. A correctly crafted foodie newsletter can be crucial in your guerrilla marketing strategy. Touting specials, events, awards, and press coverage: a newsletter is more than just a mass email to patrons. The newsletter's success depends on the restaurant's methods of distribution.
A well-organized newsletter gives restaurants an edge over their competitors. Here's a collection of proven restaurant newsletter ideas, which will help you attract more customers.
10+ Restaurant Newsletter Ideas
1. Unique Offers and Promotions
2. Cover Limited Menu Items or Seasonal Menus in Your Newsletter
3. The Excitement of New Menu Items
4. Event Reservations
5. Respond to All Reviews
6. Secret Recipes
7. New Features and Services
8. Surprise your Customers with Birthday Gifts
9. Contests and Giveaways
10. Employee Spotlights
11. Dish of the Month
12. Share New Updates with your Customers
1. Unique Offers and Promotions
Special offers and unique restaurant promotions are the best things about newsletters. The right offer can make the difference between getting a sale or leaving a customer disappointed. What you choose to offer will depend on what types of services you offer as a business. It will also depend on your marketing goals. Put yourself in your customers' shoes and think about what interests them the most.
Don't Forget to Add Call to Action Buttons
Adding a call to action ensures that you keep your customers engaged at every step of the way. Then, the moment they land on your website, lead them smoothly from this initial point to the final order.
2. Cover Limited Menu Items or Seasonal Menus in Your Newsletter
If you're offering a unique menu item that will only be around for a short time, use this opportunity to add creativity to your restaurant newsletter and design something that customers will remember.
Let me give you a small example. I ordered this pink cream soda a few months ago at Waffles Cafe. Unfortunately, it was summertime, and the pink lemonade flavor would not be back for a few more months. But guess what, I still talked about it in my newsletter because it was such a fun thing to see on the menu.
3. The Excitement of New Menu Items
New menu additions are generally met with excitement and curiosity. What does the new dish look like? How will it taste? Customers usually think of such questions when they hear about a new item.
Benefit from this element to attract more customers. But don't spoil the fun by revealing all the exciting details before the launch date. Instead, ask questions like, 'Can you guess what's coming to our desserts menu?' or 'Are you ready to taste the most delicious steak in town?' Then, use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
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4. Event Reservations
Your customers' busy schedules and hectic work environment can make it nearly impossible for you to attract them to your restaurant's special events. Why? Too many things are competing for their attention. That's why you should start advertising your Thanksgiving party a week or two before the event.
However, if you plan your newsletter well in advance, they will already know what's planned for a particular month. You can also include a request for volunteer help or optional donation information with your invitation to make them more vested in the event. Then, when you finally send out a table reservation button, this will increase your conversion rate!
5. Respond to All Reviews
People are likely to choose restaurants that respond to positive and negative reviews. According to research findings from 2017, nearly 94% of consumers opt-for restaurants that provide answers for all positive and negative comments. Make sure you are keeping track of your customers and responding to reviews so that you can maintain a solid online reputation among your customers.
6. Secret Recipes
Secret recipes are, by and large, what foodies live for. So, every time someone shares a secret to their soup dumplings or their cheesesteak hoagies, we all perk up and listen (and save).
Let your chefs share some of your best recipes with your newsletter subscribers. This restaurant newsletter idea could be as simple as sharing a favorite drink recipe or a unique appetizer recipe.
However, you'd want to make sure that you're giving away something special to people who have subscribed to your newsletter.
Bonus Tip:
A preview of your YouTube recipe videos in your newsletter is a great restaurant marketing idea and trend to increase website traffic. Ensure that when you add the preview, you also include a link to your YouTube channel and website so people can view the entire recipe demo.
7. New Features and Services
To make sure you keep your customers informed of new online ordering system features or services, it's essential to announce them through email. Use your newsletter for this purpose and aim to have a click rate higher than 10% as a minimum.
8. Surprise your Customers with Birthday Gifts
A restaurant newsletter is one of the best ways to deliver coupons, loyalty program updates, and birthday rewards to customers. If your marketing team has kept data on clients' birthdays, now would be an excellent time to run a promotion to give away a free cake or a small discount in the form of a coupon.
And if you want to go a step further, offer customers special birthday treats at the physical location in return for an express purchase. This method will allow you to capture customer data without relying on them to fill out a form.
Related: 10 Unthinkable Restaurant Gift Ideas for COVID 19
9. Contests and Giveaways
Organizing a restaurant contest or a giveaway is always an exciting task. It usually involves reserved entries, a restaurant newsletter, a social media giveaway, and the prize(s). Of course, creating a newsletter contest or a giveaway entry form is also an integral part.
But you need to rely on manual and conventional methods. Thanks to MailChimp's Contest and Giveaway module, adding contacts and reward points is simple and convenient. You don't even have to leave your inbox. In addition, it lets you notify the contest winner(s) through email instantly!
10. Employee Spotlights
I know you're thinking, 'We are only three months old, so I just want to focus on the food, the service, and everything else.' But even if your restaurant is new, you must have some critical employee stories to share with customers. That way, you can build a stronger connection with your customers.
11. Dish of the Month
Another restaurant newsletter idea that can work well for restaurants is running a 'Dish of the Month' promotional campaign. I love this concept because it doesn't sound like your typical money-grabbing promotion. Instead, it sounds more like you care about your customers and want to make sure they try all your delicious items.
12. Share New Updates with your Customers
Businesses grow and change all the time. Do you have any new updates that you want to share with your customers? Keeping your subscribers updated is a great way to keep the connection alive between your restaurant and your customers.
Final Thoughts
While the restaurant newsletter ideas above are compelling, their strength lies in providing just the right amount of information. In addition, they serve as an important way to build a long-term relationship with subscribers by treating them more as customers than leads.
Don't forget to spice up your Restaurant newsletter examples with insider tips and tricks that can help set you off like a pro in the restaurant industry.
