Mobile Marketing for Restaurants

Tulsa has one of the best dining scenes in this part of the country and some owners are using restaurant mobile marketing solutions to make it even better. As a restaurant owner or manager, you know that when you have foot traffic to your location, you are going to most likely have a profitable evening.  The reverse is true, as well.  On those nights when you don’t have much foot traffic, it will probably not be a profitable evening.  You have to depend on the weekend days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday to carry you on the days and nights during the week when people just seem to be more inclined to eat at home.  

It’s a fact that people are doing more at home these days.  For those restaurants that depend on sports and entertainment events to bring in traffic, they are finding that some people are not as interested to venture out to their local eatery, especially on weekday nights.  That trend is not likely to reverse itself going forward, as people tighten their economic belts to save money.

Reason To Use Restaurant Mobile Marketing Solution

Tulsa Restaurant managers and owners that see this and take action can turn these trends into profits. Restaurant Mobile marketing makes this possible, by building customer relationships, attracting new customers and filling more seats on those slow nights.  People are not as easy to reach at home as they used to be with advertising. They bypass commercials on television, newspaper subscriptions are on the a steep decline and most throw out any flyers they get in the mail. However everyone is remarkably open and receptive to getting coupons and discounts on their mobile phone.

 How Many of Your Customers Own A Cell Phone?

Statistics show that 98% of your customers own a mobile phone and that 100% keep the mobile phone within 3 feet of them 24 hours per day. So now you know your Tulsa customers own a mobile phone and have it with them at all times, wouldn’t it make sense to advertise to them by their phone? If you are a restaurant owner or manager in Tulsa or anywhere and cannot get this concept the please leave this page.

Use Restaurant Mobile Marketing To Reach Them

Marketing to your customers mobile devices makes a lot of sense. This means that if restaurant owners are willing to supply patrons with some of their best discounted deals via mobile marketing, they are likely to draw a good sized crowd into the location.  Why?  Because any visitor who would receive a message from a restaurant, has already been there.  And if they actually agree to keep receiving the messages, they probably enjoyed themselves in the past.  

The Restaurant Mobile Marketing Solution

To get a discount from a restaurant where they enjoyed themselves before is a good thing for satisfied customers.  And in general, people tend not to ignore their mobile messages (statistics indicate that 97% of all sms text messages sent are opened).  When subscribers get those messages, the sender or restaurant owner/manager has a very good chance of seeing some of those people come back into the location even on traditionally slow nights. Below is a solution I have designed specially restaurant mobile marketing:

• Mobile Optimized Website
• SMS Text Messaging System
• Small Signage and Table Tents

Here is how you put this together. Make the commitment to do everything I mention here and do not leave anything out. First get a mobile optimized website. Why? Because people in Tulsa use their cell phones to search for places to eat, drink and everything else. You need the Mobile Optimized Website because if you have your regular website show up on their cell phone they will pass you by. Next use an SMS Business Text Message system like SMS Message Pro. With this SMS system you will build a list of customers who opt-in to our list.

Step by Step Restaurant Mobile Marketing

Get The Word Out

Why will people opt into your list? Because you are going to make them aware that you have a list.  I want you to do the following:

• print up some small signs and have some table tents made the lets your diners know you have a list and if they join your list you will give them something of value. Make sure you place a sign at the register and a card in every credit card holder as well.
• Do everything you can to make sure every single customer that comes into your restaurant knows that you have a VIP type of list and you are asking them to join.
• When your wait staff takes the check to the table have them ask each customer if they have signed up for your VIP list to get a discount or VALUE offer. 
• A quick word of caution, DO NOT give away the farm like Groupon. You coupon or value offer should be something you can afford and something the customer perceives to be a VALUE proposition.

Now you are on your way to really engaging with your customers with Restaurant Mobile Marketing.

I have a client that offers a 5% discount on a $22.00 product and people join his list in droves. Don’t even tell me you can’t afford it or people don’t want to be on lists, myself and my clients know better.

Market To Your List The Right Way

It may take you from a week to 3 weeks to get enough people on your list to see results but when you do, get ready for the repeat sales to come on in. First remember this: you must to be respectful of your customers time and space. Treat them like you want to be treated, so DO NOT SPAM them every day and every night. Here is a tactic you can use. On a slow night(not Friday,Saturday or Sunday), you send out a short text message to your list of customers offering a discount for that night only. You might have a special, send that in a text message, the idea is to make them aware of your special or discount. Do not let your wait staff or hostess give the discount to people who did not receive the text, if you do you loose credibility with those who trusted you and joined your list. Make sure you send out your message at an appropriate time say between 5:00pm and 7:pm so that your customer have enough time to take advantage of your offer. Send your text messages at least once per week and never more than two times per week.

You can also use this type of tactic to announce special events, special music, new dishes etc. Always keeping in mind that your restaurant mobile marketing list people are the VIP’s. Get your information to your mobile marketing list first.

Restaurant Mobile Marketing Will Give You the Edge

Of course this is not the complete mobile marketing solution we use and every client of ours get unique insider information, strategies and tactics. But you can follow this article and be successful with mobile marketing.

If you are interested in increasing the foot traffic, turning your slow nights into profit generators
and developing strong customer loyalty for your restaurant in Tulsa or anywhere, contact Steve Rush at (918) 937-2521 send me an email to inquire about Restaurant Mobile Marketing. I will be be happy to give you more  details on how to use Restaurant mobile marketing on your “slow” nights.