Direct Mail for Restaurants

July 26, 2022

Direct Mail for Restaurants

Direct Mail Restaurant: How to Increase Customer Acquisition and Retention Using Offline Mail

Almost every household in America has a stock of mail items that they plan on using some time later. It shows how they still love direct mail and that you must incorporate this channel into your marketing strategy.

Perhaps, you have already sent out menu mailers to the customers in your neighborhood. But, you don’t want to expand your mailings because of high costs and time constraints. Also, there is much more to restaurant direct mail strategies than sending out menus.

According to research by Valassis, nearly 52% of Americans visited a new restaurant since the pandemic began. And this figure grows every year as new restaurants pop up every day, boosting the significance of direct mail for restaurants.

Some of our clients from this industry reported massive growth in their response levels by following a few helpful tips regarding direct mailing restaurant plans.

To help you achieve the goals you deserve…. Here, we are all decked up to provide you with in-depth knowledge on how to use this traditional marketing channel to increase customer acquisition and retention rates.

Keep reading ahead to learn new ways to get more and more people walking through your restaurant’s doors!

Does Direct Mail Work for Your Restaurants?

Direct mail consists of all printed materials you may send to your existing and potential customers. The primary objective of direct marketing restaurant programs is to build a personal rapport and convince them to try out your restaurant.

But why direct mail? If we had a dollar for every time we heard this question at PostGrid….!

For starters—direct mail has an open rate of 90%, exceeding all other offline and online channels. People like receiving mailpieces and pay adequate attention to them. Furthermore, adding offers can make your direct mail restaurant items more compelling.

Sending a tangible item directly to your customers helps increase your restaurant visibility and makes the interaction more memorable.

What Are Some Best Direct Mail Ideas for Restaurants?

There are numerous use cases for restaurants to use direct mail to build customer loyalty. Here are the top eight ideas for you to enable you to achieve your goals:

Restaurant Opening

Sending direct mail restaurant items ahead of your restaurant’s opening is a must. It helps generate buzz about your business and drive revenue as soon as you are open.

Many people like dining at newly-opened restaurants, providing special discounts. Direct mail is an excellent way to inform, excite, and bring in customers.

Also, you can use direct marketing restaurants to promote your other branches in different places. It allows you to boost your brand image and increase trustworthiness.

The best way to do so is to mail to residents in your locality via USPS Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). Thus, you can target every household around your restaurant at low rates without having a mailing list.

Birthday Specials

Birthdays are always an excellent time to connect with customers and express your appreciation. You may send a birthday greeting card with a personalized message. And you can throw in a birthday special offer to help them celebrate with you.

This direct mail restaurant practice allows you to form personal bonds with people and convince them to visit again.

The Holiday Season

The holidays are another remarkable occasion for sending restaurant direct mail marketing materials to customers. You can conduct a few campaigns between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day to increase your customer base dramatically. Most people are on vacation during November and December and would love to visit you. All you need to do is reach out to them with exciting deals for the holiday season.

You can also make your direct marketing restaurant mailers holiday-themed to increase impact and engagement. Ensure that you make your campaigns consistent and creative.

Highlighting Offers and Benefits

Nothing can drive results better than adding offers for your customers. Also, don’t forget the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) factor that lets people know what you have in store for your customers. Instead of writing ‘We have the tastiest dishes in the area’ on your direct mailing restaurant item, try something different. Mention ‘We have an exclusive non-vegetarian and vegan menu with fresh ingredients and countryside flavors that you won’t find anywhere else.’

The difference between the two sentences is that the first one is very generic. Your customers already have a drawer of mail items saying the same thing. But, the second direct mail restaurant mailer says something unique, setting you apart from the competition.

Offline mail helps you talk to your customers one-on-one using such interactive messages. Also, it lets you talk about your offers, which they might miss otherwise.

Still-In-Style Menu Mailers

Never stop sending menu mailers to your target audience even though you think they are too old-school. Customers want to see the menu, and you should fulfill this requirement first-hand if you want them to visit you. Luckily, direct mail restaurant helps you send tangible menus for people to save for their next visit.

Also, menus reflect your restaurant branding and logo, increasing brand recall. They give customers an idea of your services (dining, takeout, etc.) and the types of cuisines available. You can pair direct mailing restaurant menus with drool-worthy images of your dishes to accelerate responses.

Postcard Coupons

81% of customers look forward to receiving dining deals frequently. Moreover, 77% of customers use restaurant coupons. These are enough reasons for you to send direct mail restaurant postcards with tear-off coupons. You may also print the coupon codes straight on your postcards with a persuading message.

Sending coupons to customers gives them a reason to visit your restaurant over others. Also, it depicts that you are a customer-friendly business that considers the needs of its audience.

Making Announcements

Direct mailers are ideal for making announcements regarding changes in your menu, prices, restaurant timings, new services, etc. For example, you can employ direct marketing restaurants to announce that you joined a delivery app recently. It lets you keep in touch with your customers and always stay on top of their minds.

Loyalty Programs

Restaurants must try to create a loyalty program for their existing customers who would like to visit them often. Typically, you may offer a small discount on every meal they have with you, or they can refer your restaurant to others and earn points.

This strategy works every time, keeping your restaurant busy with customers on all days. Also, direct mail restaurant items help you successfully promote it among your audience. You can:

Attach a membership card to your mailers
Send direct marketing restaurant postcards mentioning the terms of the membership
Urge customers to sign up for the loyalty program on your website using the link on your booklets or flyers
Mail thank-you postcards to existing customers

Gifts For New Movers

New residents are usually busy unpacking and renovating their homes. How about sending them a little gift to make them feel good and visit you for a meal? You can put together a welcome pack with a postcard and a flyer. Or combine a personalized letter with your menu. The goal is to use direct mail restaurant mailers to capture new movers before competitors.

New movers might have no idea where to eat around. Hence, direct mail for restaurants helps you introduce yourself and invite them to dine with you at discounted prices.

But, you need a new mover’s mailing list to conduct such segmented marketing. Lately, we got a few clients at PostGrid inquiring about compiling a new mover’s list for their neighborhood. The most common question was- “How do we get such a narrowly-targeted list that is accurate and result-driving.”

Then, the answer came clear as a bell to them when one of our account managers told them that PostGrid offers custom mailing lists. You can pick any ZIP code or locality you want to target and select a demographic, like ‘new movers.’ Our automated solutions help you access a precise and targeted mailing list in no time for your direct mail restaurant campaigns.

Tips to Improve Your Direct Mailing Restaurant Plans

Below, we have compiled a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your mailing campaigns:

Define Your Target Audience

Most restaurants might only focus on location-based marketing to people residing around them. However, market research may help you define your customer base and develop strategic offers.

Try finding out information regarding income levels, age groups, gender, children, diet habits, lifestyle, etc., to craft your deals accordingly. For instance, you can send direct mail restaurant mailers with a special kids menu if you find out that there are more families residing in the vicinity than single people.

Review Your Past Campaigns

Track the redemption rates for your direct marketing restaurant coupons after a campaign. It lets you know what works and what doesn’t for your brand. You can leverage this knowledge to create more targeted and compelling campaigns to convert more customers.

Plus, it pinpoints the aspects you need to improve—to optimize your costs and increase ROI.

Diversify Your Coupons

Try sending varied coupons to your customers every time. They are creative and can keep your audience hooked for a long time. Here are some ideas for you:

Bundle deals: Bundle deals are discounts that customers can avail of on buying two or more items. You can use these direct mail restaurant deals for families or individuals looking to get a discount on ordering multiple dishes.
Free offers: We have all seen the classic ‘Buy One Get One Free offer. Not surprisingly, it works wonders for restaurants as well. You can throw in a drink if someone orders an appetizer. Or, you can give away a plate of free chips with a dish to increase its sale. The trick is to offer a free low-ticket item with a high-priced item to increase sales while keeping costs at a minimum. Remember to mention the terms and conditions on your direct mailing restaurant coupons.
Item-specific discounts: If you want to promote a specific dish or range of items, use item-specific coupons, like- “Get 15% off on any dessert.’

Make Your Offers Time-Critical

Sometimes, your customers might forget to use your direct marketing restaurant coupons. Hence, make your deals time-bound to create urgency. It also allows you to measure your ROI more specifically.

Focus On the Details

Everything on your direct mail restaurant item represents your restaurant. You must ensure that every aspect is perfect and attractive to your customers. Here’s how you can do it:

Choose high-resolution imagery of your best-selling dishes
Work with a unique design template that highlights your deals. PostGrid offers several pre-built templates to help you create your artwork quickly and cost-free
Insert your contact information at a visible spot on your direct mail restaurant mailers
Use varied background colors to make your message pop

Keep Your Website Ready for Visitors

People who receive your direct mail restaurant postcards or other mailpieces might check your restaurant’s website to see more images or get more details. Thus, remember to add all necessary information on your website, like:

How to reach your restaurant
Customer reviews
An extensive menu
Gallery
Phone number and email address, etc.

Automate Your Mailing Efforts

You may find it daunting and expensive to launch direct marketing restaurant campaigns. Thus, it is best to automate the process to reduce your investment and save time and effort. PostGrid’s direct mail API allows you to send items without doing anything. You can create your account, choose a membership plan, and place orders from the comfort of your home or restaurant.

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

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