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You ask for a name when someone signs up to your email list, but you never send an email that is addressed personally?
It's super easy to just add "Hi {first.name}" to the top of your email to make your contact feel that the email is for them, not just generic.
Yes most people understand the idea of mail merge and know you didn't personally write and send the email, but not making this basic effort makes you look like you don't care.
It's like you introduce yourself to someone new and don't take the time to remember your name. Every time they communicate with you, they say hey you or don't even acknowledge you; they just start talking.
Treat your email communication like a conversation; if you have someone's name in your list, use it.
Does the guest win when they interact with your restaurant?
Every guest interaction is a transaction that the guest needs to win. Whether it is the purchase of goods or the time spent looking at your marketing, the guest needs to feel they got more out of the relationship than they gave.
When you send an email to your list, you need to match the value of the time you are asking the guest to take with the benefit they are receiving.
Is your email taking longer than 30 seconds to read without giving any value to the guest?
You may have an excellent open rate, but if your emails are too long, most guests won't even give it a chance; they won't see the value in giving you that much of their time.
It would be great if everyone who visited your website were there to make a reservation or get directions for a visit.
But that's not the reality.
Most people are on your website because they are checking you out.
They are deciding if they should come to your restaurant.
They are deciding if you are worthy of their business.
And even if they decide yes, they may not be ready to commit to making a reservation.
So how do you capture the attention of those people?
Push them to follow you on social media so they can be part of a crowd? Or do you exchange an incentive for an email address and a name so now you can have a personal connection?
Email stands for electronic mail. Not newsletters, not junk or spam but mail.
If you treat your contact list the same as you would your personal contacts by creating conversations, people will get excited to open a message from you.
Make your emails personalized, engaging, and short. If you have lots to say, link to a landing page with more information and let the customer decide if they want to learn more.
