to inspire your marketing
The restaurant industry is notoriously competitive, with everyone from massive chains to local haunts vying for diners’ loyalty and attention. In email inboxes, that sense of competition is especially fierce, but these brands have managed to set themselves apart from the rest. Here are eight of our favorite restaurant email examples, along with the smart strategies that help them win the inbox. Featuring:
The best way to introduce your brand to new subscribers? Set up an automated email to fire off immediately upon signup. This welcome note does it all: It makes a bold first impression, says thanks to new subscribers, tells them what to expect in future emails, and allows them to set their preferences.
Welcome emails increase long-term engagement by 33%1
Automated emails get 152% higher click rates2
Another welcome email worth savoring
We cannot emphasize this enough: Automating a welcome message is an absolute must. According to Blue Hornet, 74.4% subscribers say they expect a welcome message as soon as they subscribe. So make sure you’re greeting subscribers immediately upon signup, and add in a delicious surprise like this one to stand out from the crowd.
Triggered emails drive 624% higher conversion rates than “batch-and-blast” emails3
This automated email boasts a whopping 68.7% open rate!4
Want to learn more about your guests? Just ask!
Speaking of preferences: Subscribers expect to receive emails tailored to their individual interests, so if you dont have the subscriber data you need to do just that, simply ask for it! Most people will happily take a moment to set their preferences, and youll see a huge boost in results because of it.
Relevant emails drive 18x more revenue than broadcast emails5
A design tailor-made for driving reservations
If you’re trying to drive attendance to a special event, you can’t do much better than this incredible invitation from Lincoln Ristorante. The GIF makes it easy to imagine yourself at the table receiving course after enticing course. Then, a streamlined design directs you to a single, focused call to action: Reserve your spot.
Emails with a single CTA can boost click sales by 1617%6
GIFs increase conversion rates by 130%7
Compel subscribers to keep scrolling
Let’s be real: It’s pretty hard to resist a fresh, steaming bowl of pasta. Olive Garden capitalizes on that with this gorgeous email that keeps your eyes interested and fingers scrolling all the way to Get Your Free Meatballs. With an offer like that (plus multiple options to redeem it), how could anyone say no?
Our brains process images 60,000x faster than text8
80% of people are only scanning your email9
Restaurant marketing with a personal touch
The more personal your marketing, the better. Mimicking a handwritten letter by including a real signature (ideally from a person your audience will recognize, like a chef or company figurehead) at the end of your message is a nice touch that makes guests feel more connected to your restaurant.
Personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates10
Connect both inside and outside the inbox
Email is a powerful tool on its own, but it works best when you combine it with your other marketing channels. Promoting your app to your email audience provides even more ways for you to communicate with them and boost conversions, even beyond the inbox.
Over half of all email is opened on a mobile device11
63% of guests say mobile apps help them decide where to eat12
Bring inactive subscribers back into the fold
If you’ve accumulated a group of inactive subscribers, it’s time to send a re-engagement campaign. A study by Return Path found that 45% of recipients who received win-back emails read subsequent messages. And if they don’t, that’s perfectly fine. You’ll have a cleaner list, more reliable data, and an unsubscribe is always preferable to someone sending you to the spam folder and hurting your sender reputation.
According to a study by Salesforce, 63% of marketers surveyed said that re-engagement campaigns are very effective13
Brightwave1 ___2 ___3 Epsilon4 Jupiter Research5 Wordstream6 MarketingSherpa7 3M Corporation8 Nielsen9 Experian10 Litmus11 JiMobile12 Salesforce13
Emma’s powerful marketing platform helps restaurants turn more first-time guests into regulars. We’d love to show you how.