Are you looking for a more engaging way to let your customers know about sales or offers?
Maybe you’re searching for a way to complement your restaurant’s email marketing efforts?
Or maybe you’re interested in creating faster, more personalized communications?
No matter which camp you fall in, there’s an easy industry solution to all of the above:
SMS marketing for restaurants.
In this blog, we’ll go through everything you need to know about SMS marketing for restaurants, from why it works and how you can start to the top three questions people have about SMS marketing.
Ready? Let’s go.
Why SMS marketing for restaurants works
- SMS marketing has strong open rates: According to Sender, SMS messages can have an open rate of up to ~98%, where email open rates hover ~20%.
- SMS marketing has an impressive return on investment (ROI): Omnisend data suggests SMS marketing can generate an average of $68 for every dollar spent.
- SMS marketing lets you own your audience: SMS marketing lets you “own” your audience, so you never have to worry about platform shutdowns or frozen accounts.
- SMS marketing is a low-lift endeavor for busy restaurants: You don’t need to invest in fancy technology or high-end graphics to have successful, high-converting SMS campaigns.
- SMS marketing’s engagement is perfect for promos: Because SMS marketing has higher engagement than other channels, it’s great for sharing urgent, limited-time offers.
→ Did you know? Craver data shows SMS click-through rates are up to 4x higher when the message includes a free item offer!
The 5 steps of SMS marketing for restaurants
1. Choose an SMS marketing platform
The first step to starting SMS marketing is to pick a platform to use.
There are tons of restaurant-friendly SMS marketing platforms — like Textedly and Omnisend — that make it easy to set up and send SMS campaigns, even if it’s your first time.
A lot of email marketing providers also offer SMS marketing, too.
If your restaurant already uses an email marketing platform like Attentive or Klaviyo, for example, you can simply add SMS marketing to your existing services and skip this step.
Regardless of whether you’re choosing a new SMS marketing platform or sticking to one your restaurant already uses, we recommend using a platform that has:
- Scheduling and automation capabilities to help streamline your efforts
- In-depth analytics and metric tracking to help you evaluate performance
- Comprehensive contact list management so you can segment strategically
- Easy integration with your restaurant’s existing infrastructure (e.g., your CRM system)
2. Start building a (compliant) contact list
Once you’ve got your SMS marketing platform up and running, it’s time to start collecting phone numbers to build your contact list.
There are two major, non-negotiable things to keep in mind as you’re building your contact list:
- Legal compliance: Much like email marketing, SMS marketing has to comply with several regulations, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and best practices outlined by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.
- Ethics: Good SMS marketing is ethical SMS marketing. That means no purchasing telephone numbers, getting explicit consent from every SMS subscriber, and being transparent about data collection and usage (among other things).
Luckily, there’s no shortage of ways to build up your restaurant’s SMS marketing contact list both legally and ethically, including:
- Adding an SMS marketing opt-in form to your online ordering form or website
- Offering an SMS-only incentive (like a free dessert) to encourage people to sign up
3. Segment your audience to stay relevant
As you continue collecting phone numbers and growing your SMS marketing contact list, the next step is to start segmenting your audience.
By definition, SMS segmentation is a strategy where you “[divide] your contact list into strategic groups based on shared traits, behaviors, or preferences,” helping you deliver personalized and targeted messages to the right people.
There are almost endless ways you can divide your new SMS audience, including creating segments based on:
- Engagement: Target your most-engaged subscribers with frequent updates.
- Spend amount: Reward your highest spenders with exclusive offers, just for them.
- Location: Offer your most local subscribers a chance to act fast with limited-time deals.
And, one of the best things about segmenting your audience?
It’s a win-win for everyone! Your audience gets SMS messages they care about, and you enjoy “14% higher open rates and significantly lower bounce rates, unsubscribes, and spam reports.”
4. Create and schedule your texts
Now that you’ve got an SMS marketing list that’s segmented and ready to reach, you can start crafting the SMS messages you’re going to send.
Here are a few dos and don’ts for crafting your restaurant’s SMS messages.
DO:
- Make sure every SMS you send is short, clear, and delivers value.
- Stay true to your restaurant’s brand voice and marketing guidelines.
- Include a hook to engage subscribers and a CTA that tells them what to do next.
- Take advantage of automations, scheduling SMS messages for birthday deals, reminders, etc.
DON’T:
- Schedule SMS messages on off-hours. Nobody needs a discount code at 3 AM!
- Send SMS messages too frequently. Klaviyo suggests sending once or twice a week at max.
- Overuse abbreviations, slang, or other wording that can confuse recipients (and come off spammy).
- Use clickbait-y tactics to boost engagement. You owe it to your subscribers to deliver what you said you would.
5. Track and monitor your results, then adjust
SMS marketing for restaurants doesn’t just stop at launching the campaigns. An ongoing (and very important) step is tracking and monitoring your results.
There are several SMS metrics your restaurant should stay on top of regularly, including:
- Open rates: How many subscribers opened your SMS?
- Click-through rates: How many subscribers clicked on a link in the SMS?
- Redemption rates: How many subscribers used the promo code or redeemed the offer you shared?
- Unsubscribe rates: How many people “unsubscribed” from your SMS?
There are several different SMS factors you can test and experiment with, like:
- Send times
- SMS length
- Calls-to-action
- Offers and discounts
- Tone of voice and language
The only way to know what your audience resonates the best with is by trying new things, checking out the results, and letting the data guide your efforts the next time around.
Download Craver’s Coffee Shop SMS Marketing Report for more insights on the power of SMS marketing for restaurants.
FAQs
SMS marketing for restaurants is 100% legal — as long as you follow the proper rules.
To keep your SMS marketing efforts compliant, you need to follow regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the CAN-SPAM Act, and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association’s guidelines.
There are also a few best practices you should keep in mind to keep your SMS marketing above board, like getting express consent from subscribers, making it easy for subscribers to opt out, and identifying your brand in every SMS.
How much does SMS marketing for restaurants cost?
The exact cost of your restaurant’s SMS marketing efforts depends on several factors, including the SMS model you choose, the provider you go with, and the size of your SMS list.
