Archive for September, 2010

Restaurants are one of the best vertical markets for the use of mobile marketing via text message.  84444.com has enjoyed many successes with restaurants and many savvy restaurant marketers are investing the time to generate more visits and more return visits via text message promotions.

Where Restaurants Can Promote Text Message Mobile Marketing

Just like in any market, getting a database of restaurant patrons is the key to an effective mobile marketing plan.  Here are just some of the places that our restaurant customers are using to promote their text message marketing.

1. Along with all traditional advertising in newspaper, radio, and billboards.
2. Outdoor signage in prominent locations.
3. On the backs of t-shirts of the wait staff.
4. Can’t do t-shirts?  What about buttons?
5. On take out menus.
6. On pizza boxes or bags for take out.
7. On pens and other promotional products.
8. If you have a DJ, get patrons to interact by choosing the next song or sending a shout out.
9. Promote on receipts.
10. Business cards.
11. Give away cards.
12. Have the hostess take phone numbers and text them when the table is ready.  There’s no need for pagers any more.
13. On TVs at the bar.
14. On coasters.
15. Napkins.
16. Place mats.
17. In the bathrooms (enter joke here).
18. On the telephone on hold system.
19. Get the phone number when they make a reservation.

Interactive Text Message Promotions at Restaurants

Get your restaurant customers involved with an interactive text message program and they will opt-in to your database so that you can send them broadcast text message promotions in the future.

1. When delivering the check, add text message promotion to get a free appetizer or desert on their next visit.
2. Get them back quickly.  Put a text message promotion on the check to get a discount if they come back within a week or on a slow night.
3. Add free mobile coupon offer in all traditional advertisements.
4. If you have outdoor advertising on the highway, use an interactive text message promotion to send directions to the restaurant.
5. Text message sweepstakes usually produce the greatest amount of participants.  Have your restaurant offer tickets to a sporting event or concert, sponsored by the restaurant.  It’s the single best way to grow your database of opt-in users.
6. Prior to the start of the NFL or MLB season, offer a chance for fantasy football or fantasy baseball players to host their draft at the restaurant with special offers for them.  A fantasy draft takes several hours so you can sell a lot of drinks in that time.
7. During the big game, have some fun with the audience by giving them a chance to predict who will score the next touchdown or the next basket.  Give prizes to those with the correct answer.
8. Send picture of food to get a response message.
9. Send a text message to get a message back with the menu or the specials.
10. Return with an app download for the restaurant that includes the menu and mobile coupon.

Restaurant Broadcast Text Messages

1. Get traffic to your restaurant on slow days with a broadcast text message offer.
2. Invite your opt-in database to the restaurant to a special Monday Night Football party or to watch the local big game on TV.
3. Notify your database when there is a celebrity in the house and watch the traffic come through the door of your restaurant.
4. Send reservation reminders.
5. Let your restaurant customers know when you are having live music.
6. If you added menu items, let them know by broadcast text message.
7. On the holidays, invite your database to the restaurant.