The Mobile-first generation is providing new opportunities to promoters and marketers of restaurants, bars and clubs to reach their target demographic, mainly those in the 18-30 age group, with innovative offers and to start real-time digital conversations.
In comparison to traditional media such as print, radio and TV, text messages (SMS) has a serious cost and reachability advantage and the ROI is fast and visible. Based on studies by Frost & Sullivan, SMS messages are, on average, read within 5 seconds and the average click through rate (CTR) of URLs included in SMS messages is 19%, compared to just 4.2% CTR for Emails (TextBoard & Mailchimp). The cost benefit of using SMS over print or traditional media is nearly 90% cheaper than printing and distribution flyers.
Reson8 SMS, a high quality text messaging solution for mass marketing and marketing campaigns that is used widely by retail, F&B, hospitality and services businesses throughout the Middle East to promote their brand and attract both loyal and new customers.
There are various ways of gathering mobile phone numbers
A new restaurant that is located in a niche location is looking to generate more diners and increase visibility of its restaurant. The number of dine-in customers has not grown as expected.
The restaurant management started by first sending regular SMS communication to their current registered customer base and gave them an incentive by offering a 50% discount if they brought a friend along.
Using this communication, the restaurant was able to build a continued communication with their existing customers and grow their customer base.
Scenarios like these demonstrate that SMS messaging are a very direct form of communication, which offer an immediate call-to-action and incentive for the interested recipients.
Restaurants can also implement an automated reservation and confirmation system. For registered customers an SMS would be sent on a weekly, fortnightly and monthly basis asking them to dine-in and explore the new cuisines. This campaign would let the customers reply back to the SMS to confirm their reservation by simply answering 'Yes' or 'No' to the Invitation SMS. The customer response will be delivered to the restaurant reservation team to process any related tasks.
According to Ask Your Target Market's survey - In general, just 2% of respondents said they always make reservations when they go out to eat at restaurants. 8% said they make restaurant reservations most of the time. 10% said they do so about half the time. 45% said they rarely make restaurant reservations. And 35% said they never make restaurant reservations.
22% of respondents said they would definitely make restaurant reservations online more often if more restaurants or online services offered it as an option. 52% said they would probably make more restaurant reservations online if it was a more common option. 23% said they probably wouldn't make more restaurant reservations online. And just 2% said they definitely would not.
An event management company specializing in bringing international artists to the city and hosting their shows at local bars and nightclubs has followers scattered locally and internationally. Utilizing Reson8 SMS in their campaigns, the organizer was able to collect data and take informed decisions on how to formulate their marketing campaigns.
By using marketing automation tools, an SMS can be sent to follow up with registered visitors that viewed a particular event page and logged off without purchasing tickets.
If the visitor shows interest in the promotion and returns to the site to buy the tickets, increase the affinity for the brand by sending a thank you SMS with more information about the event and anther incentive like.
Scenarios like these demonstrate that SMS messaging are a very direct form of communication, which offer an immediate call-to-action and incentive for the interested recipients.
Event management companies that host weekly or monthly themed events at venues such as bars and nightclubs can use Reson8 SMS to intelligently gather market data before conducting their event. This will help them understand their target audience's likelihood of attending their event before having to incur the expense of booking the venue. The most important elements to know before planning an event are.
An event management company specializing in bringing international artists to the city and hosting their shows at local bars and nightclubs has followers scattered locally and internationally. Utilizing Reson8 SMS in their campaigns, the organizer was able to collect data and take informed decisions on how to formulate their marketing campaigns.
A few more points to keep in mind during your SMS engagement with your valued customers would be the following:
Are you a brand/company that is looking to use the potential of SMS messaging? Reson8 can bring an added value to your user base by offering a more relevant and direct channel to promote your brand and services to your mobile customer base. Sending them an SMS with a special discount code or inviting them to try your new F&B outlet will provide a higher response rate than the one achieved when sending the same info via email.