How to Use Text Marketing for Restaurants

Mobile marketing is one of many marketing channels available to the savvy restaurateur or business owner today. And while it rarely reaches a market segment as large as radio, television, and print, it is growing in a big way.

 

But where do you start with mobile marketing? There are so many ways. I recommend you start with text message marketing, also known as SMS marketing.

 

SMS Mobile Marketing for Restaurants

 

Text marketing is the place to start when it comes to mobile. It is the most instant form of direct response advertising. In fact you could say that it is on-demand advertising – and it’s your demand!

 

You can use text message marketing to promote special events and weekends, etc. You can also use it to turn disasters and slow times into something special.

 

If you’ve got a food special that you didn’t sell as much of as you had planned, you can send an SMS to your mobile list.

 

If you’re having an unexpectedly slow afternoon (or weekend), you can also come up with an instant special – how about free appetizers? – to get guests walking through your doors and sitting in your seats.

 

Other Promotional Restaurant Text Message Marketing Options

 

Of course the meat and drink of your mobile marketing will be things like coupons (limit their time if you want to increase response), frequent special offers and discounts, and loyalty club interactions.

 

You’ll want to test different offers to see which generate the most response. It’s very possible that “two-for-one” will beat “50% off” every time – even though it is the same basic deal.

 

How can you tell which offer is best? The simple answer is that you’ll have to try each of them out. But this doesn’t mean you should try different offers on alternating Fridays (for example).

 

The most effective type of testing for your different offers can only happen when you run them at the same time. To do this, all you need to do is make sure your mobile marketing provider can run a simple “split test” with your offers.

 

If your provider doesn’t offer this functionality, or if he or she doesn’t know what you’re talking about, get a new mobile marketing provider.

Tags: restaurant sms marketing, restaurant text message marketing, text marketing for restaurants