If you think direct mail is an outdated way to attract customers to your restaurant, think again. A 2021 study by the United States Postal Service found that 60% of millennials believe the information in direct mail is more useful to them than email, and 80% look forward to seeing what they receive each day.
In this article, we’ll look at how owners like yours can get started with restaurant direct mail campaigns. You’ll hear from restaurant marketing experts who know all about direct mail campaigns.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- what is direct mail?
- why should restaurants use direct mail campaigns?
- what are the best times for restaurants to use direct mail? direct mail?
- 7 tips for successful restaurant direct mail campaigns
what is direct mail?
- direct mail is any form of printed material you can design and deliver to people who want to dine at your restaurant
- for a restaurant, this can include flyers, brochures, postcards and magnets for refrigerators
- some estimates suggest that direct mail campaigns can achieve open rates of up to 90% compared to 23% open rates for emails.
why should restaurants use direct mail?
Audiences that have become immune to click-bait links are more likely to trust direct mail, said Ed Kohler, president of Jet Mail. “Besides, the message is right there, printed. With a tangible mail piece, consumers don’t have to click and scroll through dozens of website pages to find what they’re looking for.”
what are the best times for restaurants to use direct mail?
Still, it’s important to know when to run a restaurant direct mail campaign. stephanie tay is the founder of stargfx, a marketing agency that handles design, print, and direct mail for many restaurant businesses.
“Specials, special events or holiday menus work really well,” Tay said. “If it’s a one-off or special event, we’re targeting a larger audience with a promotion. If it’s something like a new location or an ongoing event, like a Thursday night wine dinner, we typically target a smaller audience and create multiple designs to send at different times.”
here are other great times to send restaurant direct mail campaigns.
for their grand opening
Direct mailers are a must before any restaurant’s grand opening. When a local community hasn’t heard of your restaurant before, you need to get the word out to as many potential guests as possible. If you’re on a budget, you can save costs by going door-to-door and dropping envelopes in people’s mailboxes instead of sending them through the post office.
People love visiting new restaurants, and you can combine your opening announcement with many different opening offers, like 2-for-1 deals, drink specials, or local discounts.
before clients’ birthdays
If a customer is registered in their system, birthdays are always a good time to send direct mail, said Brittany Mendez, CMO of the Florida Panhandle, which provides information on restaurants, attractions and vacation rentals in the Florida region. “This makes the customer feel appreciated by the restaurant and feel recognized.”
before the annual vacation
The holidays are also a good time to send restaurant direct mail promotional campaigns, according to Méndez. Holidays are when people spend time with family and often cook together. if they have a special offer or a reason not to cook one night, they’ll gladly use a promotional campaign as an excuse.”
for offers and promotions
When it comes to promotional campaigns, any time is a good time. there is no need to exaggerate. “Something as small as adding a free drink for a limited time or on a specific day would do the trick of creating urgency and drawing attention,” said Mendel Cohen, CEO of Krafted Digital, a Miami-based digital agency. >
7 tips for successful restaurant direct mail campaigns
so that’s the why and when. Let’s go back to how. here’s what you can do to make sure your next restaurant direct mail campaign is a success.
1. work with marketers
It’s probably best to avoid a do-it-yourself approach, especially if you’re already too busy to work on all aspects of a restaurant direct mail campaign. “You have a lot of options when it comes to third-party vendors who specialize in creating these campaigns and will handle all the logistics, from design to actual mail delivery,” Cohen said.
You can send these jobs to different providers. but some marketing fulfillment partners will also provide all-in-one services like printing and direct mail. Kohler recommends this option. “Make sure you consolidate these services with a single provider instead of working with a printing and mailing house. this will reduce costs and speed up delivery times, ”he said.
2. build your mailing list
your mailing list is everything. you can get information from your customers who are already dining at your restaurant. If that’s not possible, Tay suggests that restaurants find a reputable mailing house that can provide you with a list of your ideal customers.
Direct mail campaigns can also be easily targeted via zip codes, which means anyone within a five-mile radius could be a potential diner. “Another target audience can be found on whatever social media channel you may have,” said Brittany Mendez, of the Florida panhandle. “Although you can find a target audience digitally, that doesn’t mean you have to use digital techniques for a campaign.”
3. pay attention to design
less is more when it comes to the content of your direct mailers. resist the temptation to include too much information in an email. “Create some incentive to visit the restaurant or website,” Tay said. “use big, clean fonts and always keep your brand consistent. go with a larger amount when it comes to printing. you’ll save on printing costs, and you can always mail them more than once, hand them out, or drop them off with a customer’s check.”
marketing consultant gab small recommends that restaurants stick to a concise, colorful design that features images of the food, drinks, and atmosphere. If you include a special offer, include a punch card in the envelope that recipients can simply tear off and take to the restaurant to redeem the offer.”
here are some more quick tips for great banner ad designs:
- add qr codes that link to your website
- incorporate colors and images
- use large text that is easy to read
- include a offer with an expiration date
- include your contact information
- avoid too much text
- avoid generic address information
4. customize the envelopes
Simply adding a recipient’s name to a direct mail piece can increase response rates by 135%. Consumers have become immune to generic advertising, and “spray and pray” direct mail campaigns go straight from the mailbox to the dump, Kohler said.
“Successful direct mail marketing campaigns are personalized and hyper-targeted,” he said. “Names can be customized, but almost every component of your mail, including messages, offers, logos, images, URLs, and QR code, can also be customized,” Kohler said.
5. prepare your website
Yes, restaurant direct mail is all about reaching people offline. but you need to prepare your website, especially if you plan to direct people there via qr code or link in your mail.
“Your keywords and search terms must be accurate, and all of your information must be complete and correct with sites like Google and Yelp,” said Baruch Labunski, CEO of Rank Secure. “You need attractive images and great menu descriptions. when potential customers receive direct mail, chances are the first thing they do is see you online.”
6. post your restaurant’s direct mail
While restaurants may run direct mail themselves by working through the postal service, direct mail agencies can help you focus on your day-to-day work while saving you costs on print production and customization on multiple orders. formats.
7. follow the results
“Whether it’s an online code for a to-go order or a physical coupon, be sure to collect data on how many people responded,” Labunski said. “Evaluate the cost of your campaign, both the money you spend on the ads and also the cost of any discount or free item offered. look at things like the average check size of responders and you’ll start to get a sense of whether or not your return on investment was worth it.”
While much of marketing has gone digital, restaurants shouldn’t underestimate the power of a local direct mail campaign to drive business. people see hundreds of digital ads every day. in the average home, people don’t throw out the mail for 17 days. this creates the invaluable opportunity to gain additional impressions with your target audience at no additional cost.
use technology to keep guests coming back
With lightspeed’s restaurant pos and management system, you can offer tableside ordering, start a loyalty program, and view reports to see what’s working and what needs updating. Chat with one of our restaurant experts to see how technology can help you streamline your operations and make more informed decisions.