In this article, we’re going to go over 6 new ways to track return on investment (ROI) and save you time using automation. We’ll explain how using a combination of Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Messaging Automation Software will help show you, a restaurant owner, how to turn Facebook into a marketing machine for your restaurant! The fundamentals required to implement these strategic tactics include 1. A good, strong offer; 2. An open mind when it comes to new technology; 3. Owning a successful restaurant that has the capacity for/can handle extreme growth. It’s time for you to make use of that salesperson (aka the internet!) that you don’t know how to properly train. Let’s dive in & get started!
1 – A New Spin on the Ancient FishBowl Business Card Giveaway
This classic method of collecting business cards in a bucket… Going through them all. Manually entering them into email software…or even worse, calling or emailing each one. It’s really not very fun. Then, you have to provide something to the lucky winner, like a free lunch. We recommend scratching that idea and using a new method. We’ve got a new spin on it using automation marketing with Facebook Messenger. The way it works is you create a QR Code and a Ref URL Link using software such as MobileMonkey, ManyChat or Chatfuel. What’s unique about this method of using QR codes is instead of sending customers to a website, it sends them to their Facebook Messenger app to the corresponding conversation that has been pre-defined by your company. At your cashier’s counter, including a flyer that offers a chance to win a free catered lunch if the user scans of the code with their Facebook Messenger app and submits their business name. Each user that’s against the code will be logged into the software which will allow you to keep track of the individuals that may be good catering leads. You also have their business name (obviously) stored. There’s no need to ask for their first and last name as the software will pull this information along with gender directly from their Facebook profile. At that time, you can also ask for the user’s email address which will be auto-populated from their Facebook profile as well. Once the customer is in your system as a subscriber, you can further the conversation at a later time via Messenger whenever you would like. This can be done automatically or manually. This is a great way to build your list for future marketing campaigns.
2 – Local Business WiFi Password Marketing with Messenger
Much like number one on this list, you can include a brochure at each table in your restaurant that has instructions on how to scan the code to get access to free Wi-Fi in your establishment. In doing so your Facebook page will automatically respond to them and ask them for their email address to continue. Once they provide that information, your Facebook messenger but will send them the Wi-Fi password along with instructions on which network to connect to. As such, you can re-market to these people knowing that their customers. Getting those people in the door a second and third time will be crucial to building a long-term relationship you have with these customers, ultimately increasing their lifetime value as a customer.
3 – The Birthday Machine by Sharpen Marketing
Set up a Facebook ad that targets people whose birthday is within seven days of seeing the ad. Facebook has this option. The beauty of this is that it’s dynamic so each week you’ll have new people in your area whose birthday is coming up. The advertisement can offer a free entrée for their birthday. Advertising an offer for a free entrée or appetizer will entice new customers and past customers to come back into your restaurant. You can use automated Facebook messenger marketing to make this better for tracking return on investment. We set up a JSON Facebook ad for our clients using that in combination with smart Facebook Messenger software. Once the user clicks/taps the ad, their Facebook messenger app will notify them that your business has sent them a message. In that message, you will confirm with them their email address and proceed to send them via offer. The offer will have a button on it that they can show their server while at your restaurant. This will allow your server to mark it as “redeemed”. Each time a new customer comes through the conversation, it will check automatically to see if the offer has yet been redeemed. If it has, it will say that you’re sorry and that it can only be used once. This will prevent abuse. After they visit and use your coupon offer through the Facebook Messenger app, we follow up with them from your Facebook page asking them for their check total. This gets logged into a spreadsheet so we can easily track our return on investment. When running these ads, we recommend spending five dollars per day and keeping it running constantly. You won’t have to switch out with the image on the end very often when running these ads since it will be shown to new Facebook users each week.
4 – How Restaurants Can Automate Facebook Giveaways
I see it every day. Restaurants and other local businesses offer the chance to win something using Facebook. They post and mention that all the user has to do is like, share, or comment on the post for a chance to win. The big problem with this is most restaurant owners don’t know that they are breaking Facebook‘s policies. When running a promotion, you are not allowed to make it a requirement to share a post in order to win. However, you can require them to comment on the post. When using automated Facebook messenger software, you can set it up so that when a user comments on a specified post, your Facebook page will automatically send them a message. As mentioned before, each Facebook user that message is your Facebook page for your restaurant Will automatically become a subscriber that you can later reach out to. In doing this, you can ask for their email address, which goes to a spreadsheet/email software automatically, and explains to them when you announce the winner. At the end of your contest or giveaway, you can choose your winners and tag/label them appropriately in the messenger software which will allow you to his broadcast a message to the winners only. We recommend it announcing the winners publicly on your Facebook page as well to make sure others know that you actually did draw the winner.
5 – How to Get More (and Better) Reviews for Your Restaurant
While this method doesn’t require the user to actually visit Facebook, this is an incredibly easy and automated way to get more reviews and get better reviews. Once a Facebook user/Messenger Subscriber gets tagged as being a customer, you know that they’re qualified to offer their honest feedback. Using Facebook messenger automation software, you can trigger a conversation based on when they become a customer. At that time, you can ask them if they mind giving you some feedback about their last visit. There, you’ll want to ask specific questions to gain more insight into what people like and dislike about your business. We recommend keeping this short, something like two or three questions. You can make conditional paths in the conversation that say if the user is satisfied, send them in one direction. If the user is not satisfied, send them another direction. We recommend if the user is not happy, ask them to freely respond and tell your business how they could improve. Also, offer a call from a manager or the owner. This is just good business. If the user had a pleasant experience and plans to visit again, you can ask them to leave a review on Yelp, Google, or Facebook. Regardless of whether they like your restaurant or not, we recommend offering something for completing the survey. This could be a free dessert, a free entree, or a free appetizer. Just make sure you put a time limit on it so they are urged to visit your restaurant again soon.
6 – Highly Effective Loyalty Programs
Restaurants need loyalty programs. If you don’t have one, you are really missing out. We are not here to pitch you on a loyalty program though, we want to simply explain a new way that we help our clients produce loyalty programs. We connect automated Messenger marketing software to their Facebook page and create a scannable QR Code. Once we have the code we make an insert for your check books that customers get right before they leave. Once the user opens their book to find their check, they’ll see the insert that instructs them to scan the code. It also states that if the user scans the code 5 times, they will get a free dessert on their fifth visit. It doesn’t have to be five, it can be any number. Please note that the higher your menu prices are, the fewer visits you should set as the threshold. In the messenger software we use, you are able to keep track of how many visits each customer has, how many free offers they have redeemed, and you’ll be able to collect information on what their favorite menu items are. This is incredibly valuable. The beauty of it? It only takes a few hours to set up.
Are you ready to turn your Facebook page into a marketing machine for your restaurant? If so, shoot us a message and will help you get set up in no time. There are no long-term commitments. We simply want to help restaurants prosper.
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