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Last Updated on September 26, 2023
You may be wondering whether restaurants are still utilizing direct mail to promote themselves in light of the pervasiveness of social media and digital marketing. Indeed, they do! More than half of customers say direct mail impacts whether or not they eat out or get takeaway, yet modern restaurant direct mail operations may include more than simply mailing out menus.
Getting a restaurant’s name and offerings in front of people who live near enough to frequent the establishment (or place regular orders) is the single most important goal of hyper-local marketing strategies like direct mail.
With the help of social media marketing, you can get the word out about your company all around town and entice more customers to stop by. However, if you want to really engage with your local community via your restaurant’s marketing, direct mail is a terrific supplement to your strategy. Make the use of direct mail to the maximum by ordering custom printed products at mcdonaldpaper.com!
Tips for making restaurant direct mail campaigns worthwhile
To get good results with direct mail, you may need to commit more time and money than you would with, say, social media marketing or leveraging your distribution platform as a billboard. But if you make deals that can’t be topped, stick to your hyper-local region, and make sure your internet systems can handle the traffic from your direct mail campaigns, it may be a very successful kind of advertising for your restaurant.
Ten Tips for Successful Restaurant Direct Mail Campaigns
1. Distribute the meal plan
There’s a reason why it’s a classic. Sending out trifold pamphlets of your menu might serve as a friendly reminder of all the delicious options you have to offer. Using menu engineering principles, create the menu flyer such that it draws attention to your most lucrative and often ordered products.
2. Draw attention to time-sensitive offers
Whether it’s a limited-time offer of a free drink with every lunch purchase the first week of September or a brand-new roster of weekly specials, make sure nearby potential consumers know about these limited-time offers.
3. Send out membership cards or information about your loyalty program
Mailing out loyalty cards (maybe with one or two places filled out as a bonus) is a terrific method to get locals to check out your company and keep coming back if you employ a punch-card loyalty system. If your loyalty program has gone digital, you may persuade them to join by sending them a card with a QR code.
4. Express gratitude for previous purchases and provide a coupon for use on further purchases
You may encourage repeat business from prior customers by sending them thank-you notes that specifically mention their previous purchase and include a discount code for 10% off, a free bonus item, or free shipping on their next transaction.
5. Use a calendar to publicize upcoming events at your eateries
Send out a schedule of forthcoming events to let the community know about the variety of live music, pop-up dinners with guest chefs, quiz nights on Tuesdays, and New Year’s Day stay-in specials that your company offers.
6. Conceive of a mail-only promotion
You may afford to provide a deeper discount on your flyers to the targeted audience since you are just targeting surrounding areas. Send out coupons for 15% off the bill to celebrate your big opening, or promote a limited-time offer of 30% off for one week only to thank the community.
7. Describe the delivery and pickup choices available
Share with the neighborhood all the ways they can place orders with you. Include photographs of your most popular things and a link to where they can be purchased in an online greeting card. You could even include a QR code that directs them to your preferred ordering system.
8. Tell the locals in the area where you are and when you’re open for business
The Instagram post, which has the restaurant’s name, location, and a picture of some appetizing-looking cuisine, would make a great local restaurant flyer if it were printed on lightweight paper. This helps seasonal restaurants start the season well and attract new consumers.
9. Include a map of the area around your business in your mailings
Make a neighborhood map with your restaurant and nearby shops, attractions, and activities highlighted to give to new neighbors or curious guests. It’s a fantastic kind of direct mail advertising since you’ll show your neighbors about town and provide wonderful restaurant recommendations to anybody who may be passing through. The layout of the map may be created using Canva, or you might hire a neighborhood artist.
10. Join together with another nearby company to stimulate economic development in the neighborhood
Join forces with a nearby eatery or retailer to spread the word about both of your establishments with a single flyer. Direct mail advertising may promote this great way to reach into each other’s customer groups.
Try using any of the ideas listed and you’ll see results!
