As a sushi bar owner, you understand the importance of establishing a solid brand presence. That can only happen if you have the right marketing mix. No two sushi bars are the same — each has a unique marketing mix that works for them, but email marketing is a common thread that most sushi bar owners share.
Email marketing is considered obsolete, but that’s because marketers don’t know how to utilize it properly. It’s also one of the most difficult marketing techniques to pull off since you only get one shot at convincing a potential customer to open your email, let alone visit your sushi bar and try out the latest item on your menu. Here are some email marketing tips to keep in mind when launching your campaign.
Start with a welcome email
To begin, send your new subscribers a welcome email. The primary goal of a welcome email is to encourage people to visit your site or social media channels. Research indicates that 8 out of 10 people open welcome emails even if they aren’t consciously willing to subscribe to your service.
Make every word count in your welcome email. It should be colorful, visually striking, and reflect the flavors you offer at a sushi bar. Use PosterMyWall’s customizable email template and edit it using its online editor. The point is to hook the reader into following you. That can only happen if you give them the incentive to do so. For instance, share easy home recipes and link your blog articles in your emails.
Build your subscriber list
The fundamental prerequisite to a successful email marketing campaign is having a big subscriber list. The more people you reach out to, the better the chances your sushi bar attracts people. However, expanding your subscriber list takes time, but it can only be done with effective content marketing.
For starters, have a website blog where you post delicious sushi recipes and other cuisine-relevant content to tantalize your customer’s taste buds. The “subscribe” button at the end of your website is the best strategy to expand your subscriber list. All you have to do is make a content calendar and keep posting valuable food-related content that fulfills your audience’s interests.
Advertise your upcoming deals and discounts
People love discounts, especially when they’re for food. Limited-time discounts are an excellent way to ramp up your sales for your sushi bar. However, you need to advertise it beforehand so that your audience knows about it beforehand. Again, the best way to do that is to advertise your discounts on flyers.
Another way is to put up your entire menu at discounted prices. That way, your recipients won’t have to go to your site and check the menu immediately. Instead, you’re bringing the restaurant to their doorstep to make their life easier. Remember, the more obstacles you remove from the customer’s purchase decision, the better the chances of them trying you out.
Free WiFi at your sushi bar goes a long way
While most people have network data when they dine out at restaurants, some people may ask to use your restaurant’s WiFi. This is a great way to earn their email address in return, but don’t do so explicitly. Instead, after they’re done feasting, ask them to fill out a customer survey form that includes their email address.
This is a great way to increase your subscriber list. The bottom line is you have to come up with nifty ways of getting the customers’ email addresses. However, doing that is no walk in the park, as people don’t easily give away their personal information. But they will if they trust you and your customer service standards surpass the competition.
Flaunt your positive customer reviews
For a restaurant business like a sushi bar, customers who want to try you out are most likely to search for reviews. They’re more likely to trust their word than yours. Hence, it’s crucial to get your sushi bar listed on GoogleMyBusiness and other restaurant-related classified sites.
But how exactly can you get positive customer reviews? There’s no shortcut to that except for providing an exceptional dining experience and customer service. Eventually, these reviews will snowball and automatically create word-of-mouth buzz around your sushi bar. You could link these review sites in your emails and ask the recipients to look at the evidence themselves.
A final word
While the above strategies have worked like a charm with sushi restaurant owners we’ve worked with in the past, remember that every restaurant is different. What works for one eatery doesn’t for another. Last but not least, remember that emails aren’t magic — you can’t craft one perfect email, send it to everyone, and expect a good response. It takes meticulous attention to detail. As a sushi restaurant owner, you won’t have a singular set of customers, say those who only come to you for authentic Japanese food.
