2. Text message marketing is a great way for restaurant owners to promote their business, whether it's fine dining or fast food, text marketing will ensure you get customers in the door night after night.
3. There are a variety of different text message marketing campaigns you can use, but today I'll take you through my top five.
4. 1. Mobile club - create a mobile club and send your customers regular text messages to promote your restaurant.
5. You can market to them 24/7, straight to their cell phone, with news of new menu items, special theme nights or limited offers.
6. Best of all you can create customized messages for different groups of customers based on preferences and dining habits.
7. 2. Text to screen - text to screen allows you to create an interactive environment.
8. Create interactivity in your restaurant by encouraging diners to text a message to the big screen.
9. You might like to run trivia contests this way, or just use it as a fun comments board.
10. 3. Mobile coupons - everyone loves a great deal, which is why mobile coupons are so popular.
11. They're perfect for restaurants because you can instantly drive customers to your restaurant during slow periods, or offer a weekly deal for a particular night of the week which is always quiet.
12. For example, every Monday text your mobile club with 'Dine in tonight for a free glass of wine with every meal purchased, just show this mobile coupon when you order'.
13. 4. Text to win - make dining fun with interactive text to win contests. Why not have a text to win contest in your restaurant every Friday night where you offer customers the chance to win a free meal for the following week.
14. Simply announce the contest during the night to encourage people to text in their entries and draw the winner within the hour.
15. Text to win is also one of the best ways to build a database for future mobile marketing e.g. your mobile club.
16. 5. Text voting - get easy feedback from your customers with text voting. Customer feedback is one of the best ways to improve your business. You might like to ask for feedback on menu items, the service or any general suggestions for improvement.
17. Best of all text voting is an easy way for customers to give feedback, and the easier the feedback process for customers, the more feedback you'll get.