As the pandemic continues, communication has proved pivotal for struggling restaurants. With so much uncertainty, restaurants need to rely on their loyal customers. But in order to do so, they need to communicate. And they need to be able to do so quickly.
That’s where text marketing comes in. By setting your restaurant up with a text club, you can instantly engage your customers at the push of a button. Here’s five ways text marketing can help your restaurant during COVID-19.
Digital Menu. Takeout is taking over, non-disposable menus are on a temporary leave of absence, and the contactless experience is set to stick around until the new normal is firmly behind us. It’s time for the digital menu to take center stage. With text marketing, you can flexibly and efficiently send out menu updates in real time. All whether your customers are sitting curbside, in-store, or at home.
In case you missed it, we just talked about the many benefits of digital menus last week. To find out why and how your restaurant should offer a digital menu, click here.
New Hours. As restaurants everywhere continue to deal with operating restrictions, supply chain issues, and even potential staff exposure, hours are prone to shift. If your hours ever change for any reason, you’ll want to make sure your loyal customers are made aware. If they’re opted into your text club, you can let them know instantly. No hassle, no worries.
Safety Updates. Did you know that most people actively want to know what restaurants are doing to keep them safe? According to a study from SafetyCulture, more than half of Americans would increase their trust and confidence in businesses implementing the following: a daily list of safety procedures for public areas (along with a notice of completion) and a list of hourly cleaning and disinfecting activities.
As you move forward, one of your top priorities should be making sure your customers continue to trust you. Otherwise, you risk losing their loyalty. Providing them with safety updates on a consistent basis can help ensure that your customers know you’re watching out for them.
Table Updates. You’re operating at limited capacity. You’re cleaning and disinfecting tables between every party. To smooth the process out, you’ve started offering reservations. But what about walk-ins? Leveraging text alerts for table updates can help optimize your seating efficiency, making sure your customers can sit as soon as a table’s available. One of the main benefits here is that it helps prevent customers from clustering as they wait for an available table.
Specials and Promotions. With the pandemic putting pressure on restaurants to make ends meet however possible, specials and promotions are practically a necessity in order to compete. In order to keep your customers dining on a consistent basis, you need to appeal to them with fresh deals, and you need the capability to keep them informed. That’s where text marketing comes in.
Did you know that 75% of customers want to receive text offers? (Digital Marketing Magazine) Whether we’re dealing with the new normal or not, it’s an effective tactic to make use of.
Engage With CoGoBuzz
With CoGoBuzz, we’re here to help your restaurant succeed as it moves forward from the pandemic. Our state-of-the-art digital marketing service can help your restaurant build and maintain a strong base of loyal customers, which will ultimately help your restaurant survive.
Our service directly promotes your services to customer mobile devices. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz promotes your restaurant both in-store and out. It comes packed with a fully digital, text-based loyalty program, allowing you to let your customers know what services you’re offering – all with just a simple text. Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz.
Whether you’re one of our current customers, or you’re interested in joining the CoGoBuzz family, we’re committed to helping businesses affected by COVID-19.
For current customers, we’re providing free text message service, allowing you to send a link to order online, purchase gift cards, and/or notify customers of new hours.
For new customers, we’re offering our hardware at cost, donating our services, time, and covering shipping costs. Prepare for the future with CoGoWiFi Free to collect your customers’ phone numbers. There are no contracts or monthly fees, and we offer unlimited customer data storage.
Message from our CEO
“From pricing to packaging, our mission has always been to provide customers with unbeatable value. That’s why, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are seeking to provide the most aggressive offers to help suffering restaurants survive. We believe that half of small restaurants will fail in the year after operations return to normal. The restaurants that survive and thrive will be the ones that win loyalty and focus on bringing customers back over the following year.”
– Steve Gould, CEO
Click here for more details on how we’re handling the crisis.
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Has your restaurant used text marketing during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments.