Is email marketing effective for restaurants?

With the rapid growth of the internet, digital marketing channels like social media platforms have been prioritized over email marketing as a marketing tool for restaurants. The ease at which a restaurant can advertise their latest promotion or the opening of a new store to thousands of social media users has certainly changed a marketer’s approach to restaurant marketing.

But, did you know that email marketing is close to 40 times more effective than social media marketing? That was the result of a study by McKinsey & Company. Furthermore, the study noted that the buying process was three times faster when compared with social media marketing.

These two important statistics confirm that email marketing continues to be very effective at reaching out to more people. Furthermore, email marketing ranks amongst the cheapest advertising modes, a particular benefit for restaurant owners in the current COVID-19 climate. 

Here are four reasons why email marketing is highly recommended for restaurants in 2020. 

It Is Affordable

Email marketing is vastly cheaper than other forms of marketing, both traditional and digital marketing channels. On average, for every dollar spent on email marketing, a $44.25 return can be expected. There are no payments to third parties as is the case with social media marketing or television marketing. Instead, you could automate the entire process of email marketing, further reducing labor costs and keeping the overall budget down to a minimum. 

Reaches An Engaged Customer Base

Email marketing channels are one of the few methods where the customer asks to send them adverts and offers. While there are some restaurants that cold email customers, the vast majority rely on sending emails to customers who specifically subscribe. Since you are targeting customers who have signaled an interest in your restaurant’s offerings, you stand a better chance of converting them into paying customers or encourage them to visit your establishment more often.

Easy To Create And Measure

Emails are very easy to create and send, requiring neither large teams nor high levels of technical expertise. Restaurant owners can find a range of tools, both paid and free, that can help elevate the emails sent to customers while streamlining the overall process. 

The majority of email marketing tools allow easy tracking and viewing of conversion rates and click-through rates. Such metrics spot areas where improvements are necessary and the changes can be made immediately which isn’t the case with broadcast or print advertising.

Sharing Made Simple

Emails make forwarding and sharing promotions a seamless affair. Just a click of a button and a customer can share your new promotion with their friends and family. Very quickly, subscribers of your restaurant can be used as brand evangelists who introduce your establishment to new people. This is a strategy that is being used a lot in recent years, especially in the online space.

As noted above, email marketing has the potential to be a very important marketing tool for restaurants. It will help attract new customers, show your continued appreciation towards new customers, and encourage your customers to return a second time. Especially in the COVID-era where restaurants might have to heavily trim down advertising budgets, email marketing becomes an affordable channel through which restaurant owners can connect with customers. They can get the message out to the intended audience while keeping within revised budgets. When these factors are considered, there is no doubt that email marketing must be integrated into your restaurant marketing plan.