March 27, 2024 – by Jessica True
How to Use SMS Marketing for Restaurants to Boost Sales
The average person sees a constant stream of emails, social media ads, and notifications every day. Getting your restaurant noticed in this deluge is tough. What you need is a way to cut through the cacophony of noise and land a tempting offer in your customer’s lap, precisely when they might be thinking about dinner plans. That’s the secret of SMS marketing for restaurants.
An email may sit neglected in someone’s inbox for days and a social media post is easy to scroll past, but a text? Most of us check them in minutes. This immediacy is exactly what you need for a time-sensitive promotion, like a discount aimed at filling tables on a quiet night.
With everyone glued to their phones, restaurants must take mobile marketing seriously.
Why SMS Marketing Is Important for Restaurants
SMS marketing offers serious benefits for restaurants, and it’s far simpler than you might think. Here’s why it’s worth your attention.
Tech that Supports You
SMS can offer more than simple texts offering discounts. Remember, a customer support chatbot and other automated tools can be integrated with SMS. That means answering common questions, taking reservations, and streamlining orders—all while freeing up your staff to focus on providing top-notch service.
Restaurant Sales Boost
SMS is perfect for lightning-fast offers that create a sense of urgency, such as “Half-price cocktails before 7 pm today!”. It also makes it incredibly convenient for people to order takeout or delivery right from their phone.
Improved Customer Relationships
SMS lets you build lasting relationships. Think birthday treats, points-based loyalty programs, even those little “We miss seeing you around, here’s a discount…” messages that bring lapsed customers back.
Feedback
Want to know what people really think? A quick text survey sent right after a meal gets more honest feedback than those paper comment cards. You can use that feedback to improve your menu, service, and the experience as a whole.
Setting the Stage for Success
Before you start firing off texts, there are some essentials to get right. You’re looking to create an SMS strategy that makes a worthwhile investment in your restaurant marketing budget, without spamming your customers.
Opt-Ins are Essential
It can’t be emphasized enough that getting permission is non-negotiable. Not only is it ethical, but there can be legal trouble if you send texts to people who haven’t agreed. If you need to build up your SMS list, you need to make it worth their while to opt in. A popular incentive is to offer a discount for their first order if they sign up to receive SMS messages.
You could also give subscribers exclusive access to deals or even invite-only events. Make the opt-in process as easy as possible. A simple checkbox during online checkout is perfect. Be clear about what kind of texts they can expect so you don’t unwittingly annoy them.
Choose Your Platform Wisely
Consider your needs when choosing an SMS platform. Think about how many messages you plan to send, whether you want advanced features like automated offers or surveys, and how well it needs to integrate with your other systems, such as reservations and ordering.
Don’t just jump on the cheapest option—the right platform makes managing those texts a breeze, which will in turn result in better campaigns.
Define Your Goals
Next, you need to decide what you hope to achieve with your SMS campaigns so that they can help you create a flourishing food business. Do you want to boost takeout orders on those slow Tuesday nights? Turn casual diners into loyal regulars? Or, promote a specific new menu item? Knowing what you want to achieve will shape your entire SMS strategy.
Defining your goals will also allow you to measure the success of your campaigns by evaluating whether or not you are reaching them.
SMS marketing is a powerful tool, but like any tool, it works best when you know exactly what you’re trying to build. Get clear on your goals first, and those successful campaigns will follow. We cover more on the topic of goals later in this article, so keep your eyes peeled!
The Art of the Text Message
Every word counts with SMS marketing, so let’s discuss how to craft texts that get noticed and achieve the desired result.
Keep it Snappy
Bear in mind that your texts are competing with social media notifications, funny memes, and all that other stuff vying for attention on someone’s phone. You have mere seconds to get your point across. That means cutting to the chase with a clear offer or announcement that immediately gets them interested.
Ditch the long-winded explanations. Imagine you’re excitedly telling a friend about a deal: “Free desserts, today only! Text SWEETTOOTH to claim.” That sense of urgency is contagious and has a better chance of eliciting a positive reaction.
Personalize When Possible
If your system allows it, even basic personalization in your texts can go a long way. Include a customer’s name when you send a welcome discount after their first meal, or a special discount on their birthday, to show them that they are valued.
Treat your regulars like VIPs. Keep them in the loop about insider access to new menu tastings, or exclusive deals only they can claim via text. You can even send personalized menu suggestions before they arrive, coupled with a discount to reward their loyalty.
Timing is Everything
Avoid sending texts during peak meal times when customers are dining and your staff are busy serving guests. Likewise, super late-night texts are a big no-no. Play around with different times to see what gets the best response from your audience—for example, on Thursday afternoon, many people might be thinking about dinner plans for the weekend.
Remember, even with the best offers, too many texts can be a turn-off. Focus on those well-timed, well-crafted messages, and you’ll get much better results than with a constant barrage of random promos.
The Magic of Visuals
As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes first. If you can send an MMS, a drool-worthy photo can pack a real punch. That gooey, cheese-covered burger? A shot of your brand-new cocktail creation with all the garnishes? Much more tempting than just describing it in words.
However, it’s important to note that MMS can sometimes be a bit more expensive than standard SMS, so factor that into your budget if you plan to use visuals frequently. But for a special occasion or to showcase a new menu item, it can be worth every cent.
SMS and Your Restaurant Goals
SMS marketing for restaurants can be adapted to tackle a wide range of goals. Let’s look at some examples of how texts can garner big results.
Driving Immediate Sales
- Flash sales galore: Limited-time offers create buzz! “Happy Humpday! 25% off before 4 pm this Wednesday night! Text FLASH to claim”. That sense of urgency gets people acting fast.
- Exclusive SMS coupons: Make subscribers feel special. “Show this text for 10% off, for your eyes only!” is way more enticing than a generic ad.
- Filling empty tables: Tuesdays a bit quiet? An SMS blast with a one-day deal can turn the situation around. Consider using a restaurant virtual assistant to automate offers based on how busy your reservations look.
Increasing Loyalty & Repeat Visits
- SMS Loyalty Programs: Offer points with each purchase or rewards they can claim via text—it’s super convenient and keeps them coming back for more.
- Birthday Celebrations: A free dessert or special offer on their birthday shows you care and makes them more likely to choose you for their celebration.
- Personalized Perks: Did someone order the carbonara three times in a row? Perfect time for a “Seems like you love our carbonara! Get it half-price next time…” text.
Gathering Feedback & Building Relationships
- Quick post-meal surveys: Send an SMS right after someone dines with a link to a short survey. You’ll get more valuable feedback, and they’ll know that their opinions matter.
- Boosting reviews: Make it easy to leave a review with a text that directly links to your preferred review site and ask nicely: “Did you enjoy your meal? Leave us a review here!”. Those positive reviews are amazing for attracting new customers.
Creative SMS Use
SMS marketing isn’t only for discounts. It’s a great opportunity to improve the customer experience and even add a bit of fun. Let’s look at a few creative ways to use those texts.
Reservations & Waitlist Management
SMS is perfect for confirming reservations, letting customers know their table’s almost ready, and even sending wait time updates. This reduces no-shows, makes things easier for your staff, and creates a sense of efficiency that customers appreciate.
Order Updates
Upgrade the takeout experience with texts letting customers know when their order’s being prepared and when it’s ready for pickup. No more frustrated customers waiting around or food getting cold on the counter.
Contests & Fun Engagement
Who doesn’t love a chance to win? Run a “Text FOODIE to enter for a chance at a $50 gift certificate!” contest. Or try some trivia about your restaurant’s history, the ingredients in a secret sauce, etc. A conversational AI platform can even handle some of these interactions automatically, so it doesn’t create too much extra work for you. It gets people talking, builds buzz, and makes your brand more memorable.
Earn more Sales with SMS Marketing for Restaurants
With all the other marketing channels available, it’s easy to overlook SMS. However, the immediacy it offers can be particularly useful for restaurants that want to keep in direct contact with their customers, notifying them about last-minute deals and exciting events.
Always maintain privacy and SMS best practices, including abiding by opt-in regulations. Do not spam your customers if you want to retain the right to message them. Done right, SMS marketing can have a big influence on sales and help keep your tables full every night.
Author’s Bio:
Jessica True – Senior Director, Marketing Strategy & Operations
Jessica True is the Senior Director for Marketing Strategy and Operations at Dialpad, a modern business communications platform that takes every kind of conversation to the next level—turning conversations into opportunities. Jessica is an expert in collaborating with multifunctional teams to execute and optimize marketing efforts, for both company and client campaigns. Here is her LinkedIn.
Suggested Reading
See Our Tutorial Library!
Related Pages Index
Books by Chefs Resources!
Handcrafted Cards
