January 9, 2025
Email ranks among the top marketing tools for restaurants and connects directly to promote offers and encourage returns.
Using efficient email marketing services, restaurants can create targeted campaigns that boost online ordering. This article will provide the insights and tools to turn your restaurant's email program into a revenue driver.
Here, we will talk about the role of email in increasing restaurant sales and how to build an effective email list. We will also discuss the top Email Marketing Services Software platforms that can take your email campaigns to new heights.
Let’s get deep into this guide to understand how email marketing for restaurants can get you more orders.
Social media platforms are usually affected by algorithm changes and audience engagement, while email provides a direct line of communication. This allows restaurant owners to reach their customers whenever and wherever they are.
According to Forbes, Email marketing provides an ROI of 3600%, generally $36 for every dollar spent. The global revenue from email marketing is projected to reach $12.33 billion in 2024.
This significant figure reflects the widespread effectiveness of email marketing in driving sales and engagement across various industries. For restaurants, email's benefits go beyond boosting sales.
By collecting customer data and segmenting your audience, you can craft personalized campaigns that keep your brand at the top of your mind and encourage repeat orders.
Email also manages promotions, menu updates, and loyalty rewards. Before diving into the essential features of email marketing software, we must explore how to build an effective email list for your restaurant.
Growing a strong email list is key to your restaurant's marketing success. Implement the following strategies to collect customer contact information and build an effective email list.
One great way to do this is by using digital menus that require customers to sign up when they access the menu.
When customers visit your restaurant for the first time and scan the digital menu for ordering, they'll be asked to provide their contact information.
As we all know, digital menus are becoming more popular than physical menus. Digital menus keep things hygienic and allow you to grow your email list.
By requiring this sign-up, you'll build a database of engaged customers. You can then use this list to re-engage with customers who last visited a while ago or promote upcoming offers and deals.
Tools like the website and QR ordering solutions from iOrders make setting up this seamless and easy sign-up process on your digital menu. It creates a smooth customer experience while helping you grow your valuable email list.
Your restaurant's website is another prime real estate for collecting email addresses. By strategically placing pop-ups or inline signup forms, you can prompt visitors to join your email list in exchange for exclusive perks.
Use traffic and incentives to grow your email database. This will make your email marketing campaigns more effective in driving orders, building loyalty, and keeping your brand top-of-mind.
The next thing is Coupons. You can offer a coupon or discount code in exchange for their email address or promote an upcoming event or menu launch that they'll get early access to by signing up.
Attracting customers with exclusive coupons, discounts, or other offers is a time-tested method for building your email list.
By requiring an email address in exchange for these incentives, you can grow your database and drive more orders through your commission-free online ordering system.
These types of incentives create a clear value proposition that encourages website visitors to provide their contact information willingly.
The key is to make the signup process quick, easy, and seamless so it doesn’t disrupt the user experience.
While taking a shortcut and purchasing pre-made email lists may be tempting, this is generally not recommended.
These lists often contain outdated, unengaged, or fraudulent contacts, harming your sender's reputation and deliverability.
Instead, focus on organic list-building tactics that allow you to collect high-quality, permission-based contacts interested in your restaurant's offerings.
Thus, by implementing a strategic, multi-channel approach to email list building, you can grow an effective email list that drives orders and expands your customer base.
With an effective email list, the next step is selecting the right email marketing software to power your campaigns and drive tangible results for your business.
Navigating the crowded marketplace of email platforms can be tedious, but focusing on the essential features that align with your restaurant's unique needs can help you find the right Email Marketing Software.
Here is a list of characteristics that your email marketing services software must have. Let’s have a brief idea about what to look for in Email Marketing Software.
List management capabilities are a must-have for any email marketing services provider. The ability to easily import, segment, and maintain your subscriber database is important for delivering personalized campaigns and avoiding deliverability issues.
You must look for platforms that offer intuitive contact management tools and the flexibility to integrate with your restaurant's POS system or customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Crafting visually appealing email campaigns is key to capturing your audience's attention. The best email marketing platforms provide a library of professionally designed templates.
These templates can be easily customized with your restaurant's logo, images, and content. In an increasingly mobile-first world, your email marketing platform must be optimized for smartphone and tablet users.
The ability to create mobile-responsive designs is a must in today's digital landscape because most users use mobile devices.Ensure that your chosen solution offers a responsive, user-friendly experience that allows your customers to engage with your content on the go.
Tracking the performance of your email campaigns is essential for optimizing your strategy and demonstrating tangible ROI.
Seek out platforms that offer comprehensive analytics, including open and click-through rates, conversion metrics, and audience insights.
This data will empower you to make informed decisions about your email marketing efforts.
Look for platforms that seamlessly integrate with your restaurant's existing technology stack to streamline your operations and maximize the impact of your email marketing.
This could include your POS system, website content management system (CMS), and loyalty program.
Platforms like iOrders make it easier to centralize your customer data and automate key processes.
Whether you're a small, independent restaurant or part of a large, multi-location chain, your email marketing platform should be able to grow alongside your business.
Look for solutions that offer flexible pricing and the ability to accommodate your evolving list size and campaign needs.
By prioritizing these essential features when evaluating email marketing software, you can find a platform that empowers your restaurant to drive orders and retain customers.
Ready to explore?
Let's review some top software that can take your restaurant's email marketing from good to excellent.
While looking for email marketing software, we find numerous companies claiming to offer the best services. However, several platforms stand out for their unique features and capabilities.
Here is an overview of the Top 6 Email Marketing Services Software highlighting the key features most relevant to restaurants:
Let's examine each platform to understand how they can benefit your restaurant's marketing efforts.
While these platforms offer valuable email marketing features, iOrders provides a more comprehensive solution specifically designed for restaurants.
Integrating email marketing, online ordering platforms, and customer management tools, iOrders creates a seamless experience that standalone email platforms can't match.
It provides a comprehensive, restaurant-specific solution that seamlessly integrates email marketing with its broader suite of services.
Here's how iOrders stands out:
Smart Campaign Management: It provides AI-powered campaign optimization based on customer behavior patterns. You can use Intelligent scheduling to send emails at optimal times.
Moreover, it also provides personalized content suggestions based on customer preferences and automated re-engagement campaigns for inactive customers.
Digital Menu & QR Integration: The iOrders Website and QR ordering service help capture customer emails through digital menu sign-ups and track ordering patterns to create targeted email segments.
This service allows you to send personalized menu recommendations based on past orders. QR code integration can help build your email list. It also provides automated order confirmation and feedback request emails.
Loyalty Program Integration: iOrders has a loyalty and rewards service that helps restaurants seamlessly sync email campaigns and loyalty rewards.
With loyalty services, you can send birthday and anniversary offers, points balance updates and redemption reminders, special promotions for members, and targeted campaigns based on reward redemption patterns.
Smart AI Review System: This review system provides automated review request emails after orders and integrates positive reviews into email marketing content.
You can also send personalized follow-up emails based on review feedback by sending review-based customer segmentation for targeted campaigns.
Integrating email marketing, online ordering platforms, and customer management tools, iOrders creates a seamless experience that standalone email platforms can't match.
It provides a comprehensive, restaurant-specific solution that seamlessly integrates email marketing with its broader suite of services.
Here's how iOrders stands out:
Smart Campaign Management: It provides AI-powered campaign optimization based on customer behavior patterns. You can use Intelligent scheduling to send emails at optimal times.
Moreover, it also provides personalized content suggestions based on customer preferences and automated re-engagement campaigns for inactive customers.
Digital Menu & QR Integration: The iOrders Website and QR ordering service help capture customer emails through digital menu sign-ups and track ordering patterns to create targeted email segments.
This service allows you to send personalized menu recommendations based on past orders. QR code integration can help build your email list. It also provides automated order confirmation and feedback request emails.
Loyalty Program Integration: iOrders has a loyalty and rewards service that helps restaurants seamlessly sync email campaigns and loyalty rewards.
With loyalty services, you can send birthday and anniversary offers, points balance updates and redemption reminders, special promotions for members, and targeted campaigns based on reward redemption patterns.
Smart AI Review System: This review system provides automated review request emails after orders and integrates positive reviews into email marketing content.
You can also send personalized follow-up emails based on review feedback by sending review-based customer segmentation for targeted campaigns.
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms. It is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set.
Mailchimp offers a platform for restaurants just starting their email marketing journey. Its drag-and-drop editor makes creating visually appealing menu announcements, promotional offers, and holiday specials easy.
The platform's segmentation tools allow you to target specific customer groups, such as frequent diners or those who last visited a while ago.
Restaurants can use Mailchimp's automation features to send birthday offers, welcome series for new customers, and re-engagement campaigns for lapsed diners.
The platform's starter plan, including basic features, begins at $13 per month for up to 2,500 contacts, making it accessible for small restaurants.
With advanced marketing automation, ActiveCampaign is a platform with powerful CRM integration features.
For restaurants seeking advanced automation capabilities, ActiveCampaign offers sophisticated tools to create personalized customer journeys.
Its standout feature is the ability to track customer behavior across your website and automatically trigger relevant emails based on their actions. The platform enables restaurants to set up complex automation workflows.
For example, it allows you to send a feedback request after a dine-in experience, followed by a thank-you note and a special offer based on their response.
Starting at $29/month, it's suitable for medium to large restaurants with dedicated marketing teams.
GetResponse distinguishes itself with good conversion optimization tools alongside email marketing capabilities.
Restaurants can create landing pages for special events, build sales funnels for catering services, and manage email campaigns from a single platform.
The platform's autoresponder features help maintain consistent customer communication, while its analytics provide insights into campaign performance.
With plans starting at $19/month, it's a solid choice for restaurants focusing on online ordering and digital presence.
Brevo offers a comprehensive marketing suite that combines email, SMS, and chat functionality. Its transactional email capabilities are beneficial for sending order confirmations and delivery updates.
The platform's advanced segmentation tools help restaurants target customers based on their ordering habits and preferences.
With a free plan allowing up to 300 emails per day and paid plans starting at $25/month, Brevo is ideal for restaurants looking to implement multi-channel marketing strategies.
While primarily designed for content creators, Kit offers features that can benefit restaurants focusing on storytelling and brand building.
Its visual automation builder helps create engaging email sequences, while customizable forms make it easy to capture customer information.
Kit is a good option for independent restaurants that want to share their stories and build a community around their brand. It starts at $29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Now that you know the best platforms for your email marketing, let's talk about how to measure the success of your campaigns.
Understanding the impact of your email marketing efforts is crucial for optimizing future campaigns and maximizing return on investment.
Here are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that restaurants should track to measure email marketing success.
In addition to the above, a restaurant needs to look for these Engagement Metrics.
Regularly monitoring and adjusting campaigns based on these metrics ensure that email marketing efforts remain effective and contribute meaningfully to the restaurant's growth.
Success in this digital age requires more than just sending occasional promotional emails. It demands a strategic approach backed by the right technology and data-driven insights.
From building a quality email list through digital menus and website sign-ups to selecting appropriate software that integrates with your restaurant's operations, all work together to create impactful campaigns.
As the metrics clearly show, email marketing remains a powerful tool for restaurants looking to build customer relationships and drive more orders.
Moreover, when choosing the right email marketing software, you must focus on integration with your existing CMS and POS, like iOrders.
To sign up for iOrders services or arrange a demo, click the button below:
Considering these points, it is evident that iOrders’s all-in-one solution can be your go-to choice for email marketing. It helps you seamlessly integrate email marketing with your POS system, online ordering, and customer management tools.
