In Real-World Advice for Marketing POS Solutions to Restaurants, Part 1, the focus was on special considerations POS resellers need to take into account regarding content marketing and their websites when they are marketing to restaurants. Part 2 deals with strategies for email newsletters and social media to reach these customers:   

Newsletters

Sending a monthly email newsletter can make sure your content and new features on your website get in front of your subscriber/prospect list.

One aspect of sending emails that you may overlook is timing. Our clients at The SkyRocket Group that work with other industries or vertical markets often choose to send email newsletters in the morning. We’ve found with restaurants, however, that sending newsletters in the afternoon results in better open and click-through rates.

It’s not that surprising. Some restaurateurs are just closing up and getting home in the early hours of the morning — they aren’t reading email at 8 a.m. Another consideration is the best day of the week to send emails. Our clients tend to shy away from sending emails on Mondays, but it could actually be a good day, depending on the segment of the restaurant industry you are targeting.

It’s important for you to pay attention to analytics related to your email campaigns and determine the optimal times for you to contact your subscription list.

Social Media

Restaurateurs are usually very active on social media, promoting their businesses. This gives you a great opportunity to engage with them there and build relationships. On Twitter, for example, follow your clients (and prospects) and retweet and favorite their tweets. They’ll appreciate you helping to promote their social activity.

Our clients have a lot of success with Twitter in terms of engagement and driving traffic back to their websites, but they also use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The best social media for you to use will depend on the type of restaurant that’s most likely to use your solution and, perhaps, the age of the customers those restaurants want to target. Find where your clients are and engage with them there.

Also remember that social media is constantly changing. Keep your eyes and ears open for the latest trends and get involved if your customers and prospects are active there.

A Final Word (of Mouth)

The restaurant industry is a tight-knit community that shares information about vendors and solutions. They ask colleagues for referrals. They will also share information about your business, how you are to work with, and the value you provide.

When you look at marketing in this light, it suddenly becomes more important that getting the word out about your products and gathering leads. It’s actually one of the manifestations of your company’s principles and your brand.

Tailoring your marketing strategy to your clients and prospects is always important and it may be even essential when it comes to the restaurant industry. Let your marketing activities be confirmation that you know the restaurant industry and its people well and you are a valuable resource for them.