Text Message Marketing Success Story
Key Advantages of Mobile Marketing for Restaurants
When you build a database of mobile subscribers, you can send out short messages instantly whenever you like that can fill seats at slow times within just a few hours.
Even if you already have a big mailing list and thousands of Facebook fans, you won’t fill your restaurant seats within an hour or two of sending out an email promotion or posting an update on your Facebook page.
Email messages are typically opened by only around 20% of email subscribers. And Facebook status updates (posts) are only seen by a small percentage of your fans unless you pay Facebook to “boost” or promote your posts to a larger audience.
Text Messages Are Read Instantly by 90% or More of Subscribers
Unlike email messages and Facebook posts, experience proves that text messages are opened and read by more than 90% of mobile campaign subscribers, and these subscribers are more responsive (more likely to act on an offer) than email subscribers or Facebook fans.
The 3 Margaritas Mobile Marketing Campaign: How It Works
3 Margaritas launched their Mobile VIP Club with a widely-promoted Text to Win campaign. Text to Win campaigns are a highly effective way to build a list of mobile subscribers quickly.
The advantage of “Text to Win” campaigns for merchants is that you end up giving away much less to capture a mobile list subscriber. Instead of offering a discount or other incentive to everyone who subscribes to your list, you conduct a mobile sweepstakes where there is just one winner. Those who do not win can be sent a smaller incentive designed to bring them into your restaurant or shop on slow days or any time you designate in your offer.
So, instead of giving away a free cup of coffee or a free dessert or appetizer to everyone who subscribes to your mobile list, you can offer a $25 or $50 gift certificate or a higher value reward to just one prize winner. The mobile marketing platform automatically selects the winner and sends an automatic message to the winner and the list owner on the designated end date of the campaign.
The Incentive: A $50 Gift Card
3 Margaritas offered their customers a chance to win a $50 gift card by signing up for their Mobile VIP Club. They also told their customers that all mobile subscribers would be receiving exclusive Mobile Only offers that would not be available to email subscribers or Facebook fans.
Those who didn’t win would receive a coupon good for 20% off their next meal.
Facebook Ad Spend: Just $30
3 Margaritas spent $30 to promote the Mobile VIP club to all their Facebook fans and emailed the same offer to their email database.
The email message (see below) read:
Hey Valued Customer:
We are pleased to announce our Mobile VIP Club where we will be sending exclusive Mobile offers. To kick it off, we are having a Text to Win Giveaway for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate when you subscribe. Our system will automatically pick a winner and notify them via text message on July 31. Everyone who enters will receive a mobile coupon good for one FREE QUESO DIP.
Mobile Marketing Email Promotion
In Store Signage
Mobile VIP Club In Store Signs
Mobile Marketing Campaign Results
3 Margaritas’ mobile marketing campaign ultimately resulted in:
- 3,000 Mobile VIP Club Subscribers in the first month
- 245 New Facebook Likes
- 132 Facebook Shares
- 19 Facebook comments
- 850 Mobile VIP Club opt-ins from the restaurant’s Facebook page within the first week.
- 100 mobile coupon redemptions per week with an average ticket value of $35.00
- $19,845 revenue the first month after the campaign launched.
Want Help Creating Your Mobile Marketing Campaign?
If you would like to bring more customers into your restaurant more often, we can set up a similar campaign for you as well.
Give us a call at (540) 729-4076 or email yvonne@herbstmarketing.com to learn how it works and get started today.