With the second wave of COVID 19 sweeping across Australia, new lockdown measures are implemented to combat the spread of infection. This has posed a new set of challenges for restaurants, cafes and bars. Many restaurants have to scale down their operations and some have to even shut down their business.
There’s no doubt that the fresh lockdown and subsequent restrictions have made things a lot more difficult for the hospitality industry in general and small restaurants in particular. However, with the right marketing strategy, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity and sail through this storm smoothly.
How to Attract Diners Locked in Their Homes?
It doesn’t matter which road you choose, one of the biggest challenges is to reach out to the diners who are locked away in their homes. Since the restaurants are (temporarily) closed for dine-in, the foot traffic is virtually zero. So, it has become crucial to take your business to customers where they are right now – online platforms. With technology becoming the main point of sale (and contact), it’s important to revisit and revise your marketing strategies.
How does SMS Marketing Help You To Make an Impact?
The hospitality industry is getting fiercely competitive and hence it has become all the more important to engage your customers and create a compelling brand recall value. Looking at the present scenario, you need to go for omnichannel marketing. With social media, email and other messaging apps, SMS is still one of the most sought after channels by marketers. SMS as compared to other channels enjoys an excellent open rate of 95%. Therefore, it becomes easy to reach out to your existing customers and engage them with excellent offers. You can start campaigns for takeaway or home delivery services and ensure your customers know about the exclusive offers.
1. Personalise Message to Attract More Customers
The reason SMS marketing is gaining popularity is that it enables you to create a personalised message and engage the customers in a non-intrusive manner. Based on the database of your customer, you can draft promotional messages that are not only relevant to their needs but also to their eating habits.
Pro-tip: It’s crucial to draft content that’s concise and interesting enough to keep the customers engaged. Avoid spamming with a generic message that is usually circulated on Facebook or Instagram. Make sure it’s relevant and targets the customer in the right way.
2. Send Incentives to Build Trust Among Diners
With lockdowns and subsequent economic slowdown, many of your customers have to go through a financial crunch. In such conditions, incentivising your regular diners will help you establish a personal bond and thus increase the retention rates.
Create a personalised SMS by sending discounts and rewards. With this, you can cement your relationship with the diners, avoid opt-outs and even increase the retention rates.
If you are in the hospitality industry and looking for easy to use and configure SMS software, contact experts from SMS Solutions Australia.
