How Food and Hospitality Services Use SMS for Attracting More Customers

81% of all consumers search for restaurants on their cell phones. When you talk about a marketing service that promotes a specific business to a segmented target base of customers – the mode of delivery is essential. The mode of delivery you choose for your business’s marketing strategy can necessarily make or break your marketing efforts.

With that being said, it is vital that the mode you choose resonates well with your consumer – and this is where SMS wins. When was the last time you saw someone who did not own a cellphone? While there may be doubts about its effectiveness, when it comes to SMS marketing, no other channel of marketing has a larger customer base.

The median cost to open a restaurant right now is over $370,000. With such astronomical costs, no business owner would want their marketing efforts to be scrawny. Most restaurant and hospitality service owners prefer SMS marketing because let’s face it; our smartphones aid every decision we make.

If you’re deciding to eat out with your friends, you’ll probably jump on Yelp to look for possible options. Some of us are so intertwined with our phones that we browse through social media while eating. It’s safe to say – SMS is the perfect channel to get the most attention from your potential customers.

What Is SMS Marketing?

SMS Marketing (short message service marketing) is a marketing strategy that utilizes permission-based text messaging to promote anything. Customers opt-in to receive text messages by texting an initial keyword to your business phone number.

When the customer texts a keyword to your business phone number, their number is saved by the SMS provider, and after receiving the confirmation message, the customers start receiving promotional messages. Generally, the goal of SMS marketing is to increase the customer base and generate potential leads.

Believe it or not, but 60% of customers prefer SMS marketing compared to email marketing or push notifications. Even though no other marketing channel has a broader range of audience, your SMS marketing efforts can be highly targeted.

Several business texting services allow business owners to target a specific set of customers that are relevant to their business. While everyone would want to market their product or service to as many people as they can, focusing on a defined segment saves costs for businesses and can also churn out better results.

How Do Businesses Do It?

Most people open a text message within 15 minutes of receipt, and on average, 16 percent of all offers shared with customers via text message are redeemed in restaurants. While that number might not seem massive, it is impressive when you compare it to other marketing channels. With conversions that happen so often, and so quickly, what are restaurant owners and hospitality service providers doing, right?

· Menu Offers

Apart from blatant promotion, SMS software also provides restaurant owners with a great way to inform their customers about any changes to the menu or any price cuts. Because it isn’t too hard to craft an SMS, you have the ability to update your customers quickly. Not only are quick updates profitable to your business, but customers love to stay updated about their favorite restaurant’s menu too.

· Discount Coupons

Who doesn’t enjoy discounts? One of the most common ways of engaging customers is by sending them customized text messages about exclusive offers and discounts. Business owners have the option to send bulk messages that are customized to a specific customer. Studies suggest that when a text is personalized to a customer (for example, it starts with their name), the customer is much more likely to open that text.

Not only do discount coupons mean well for your consumers, but they also mean well for your business. A single discount offer can change a bad day to a good day of business. While the profit margin might have been reduced, the number of customers that pile in to avail a single offer can be astounding at times.

· You Can Retain Customers Through Reminders

SMS marketing also allows you to send constant reminders about your business operations to your existing customer base. It is vital to your business’s success that your customer is aware of you and what you do. This increases brand recall and hence, increases the chance of the customer visiting your restaurant.  

A reminder does not always have to be simple; you can also send your customer’s customized greetings on special occasions that can delight them. A common tactic that businesses use to attract lost customers is that they send non-active customers customized discounts that are specifically for them.

· Feedback

One of the foremost uses of SMS for business is gathering customer feedback. While SMS is an excellent tool for marketing your business, it doesn’t always have to serve that purpose. Feedback is an essential part of doing business. It helps businesses improve, and no one can give better feedback on your product than a customer who willingly paid for your product or service.

SMS is an excellent way of collecting feedback from your customers. Soon after the customer has left your restaurant, you can send them a text message asking for feedback on various factors. This method is much less intrusive than asking for feedback in person and much more effective. How many times have you lied to a person to their face just because you did not want to hurt their feelings?

Conclusion

Restaurants these days are now using multiple marketing channels to promote their brand and attract new customers. Because our mobile phones play a massive part in our lives, no one can put a cap on how successful SMS marketing can get. Different needs and different wants might change the way we look at business texting services, but there are no doubts – SMS marketing is here to stay. So, if you’re a restaurant owner or manager that is interested in a free trial of our SMS platform for restaurants, contact us today!