Most restaurants are sitting on large databases of customers…
It’s time to start turning it into revenue.
Restaurateurs know they should be speaking to their customers via email.
But they get lost in the details.
How often is too often? Am I hassling people? What do people want to hear?
Each day you delay setting up regular correspondence with your customers you’re losing revenue.
And that’s where I can help
I make restaurant email marketing, personal, relatable and effective at driving business in your door.
I can write your customer emails for you including design, formatting and audience selection.
I can help define the goals you want to achieve from your restaurant email marketing.
And I can monitor your email performance to ensure we are getting the right messages to the right people and that they are effective.
Read on to find out why you should get started now and how my 3 simple packages will give you the freedom to manage your restaurant email marketing in your way.
Or check out some samples of my writing and email communications.
So what can email marketing do for your restaurant?
Influence customer dining frequency.
Increase sales of new menu items and special events.
Reduce turnaround time between diner visits.
Turn one time diners into repeat customers.
Increase sales of specific menu items and offers.
Drive bookings for need periods.
Build your brand and narrative to create customer loyalty.
And if you choose our Next Level Package you also can:
Send out limited time vouchers and offers to fill gaps in your bookings.
Create engaging welcome journeys to onboard new customers.
Identify & win back lost customers.
Fill the gaps in need periods with customers who prefer to dine at those times.
Target diners based on preferred dining sittings and days.
Sounds pretty good doesn’t it, read on to see the packages or…
I bet the words email marketing give you the shivers.
And there’s no wonder.
The world of marketing is full of big promises and sleezy characters.
But you know what’s not sleezy…talking to your customers in a real and relatable way on the emails.
This is all about the human connection.
It’s just humans speaking to other humans.
You’re a human with a restaurant, they’re a human with an appetite, let’s keep it simple and have some fun with it.
If you want to learn more about the human me, head to my about page here.
Or if you want a broader picture of my copywriting services, experience and some testimonials from my wonderful clients then pop on over here.
Or maybe you want to jump right on in…
Go on, let’s be humans together.
Want to know why you should start now?
So many restaurants wait till their business is in financial trouble to get started.
Their databases are old, barely used and they haven't built trust with their audience.
It’s never too late to start speaking to your customers via email, but the earlier you can start, the sooner you can train your customers to expect to hear from you and want to hear from you.
Consistent communication with your customers via email builds a relationship with them which then primes them for times you want to drive sales. Imagine sending out one email and selling out your events and special menus. Or filling need periods with paying customers or enticing back lost diners who stopped coming through your door.
This is achievable when you have built a strong relationship through consistent communications.
3 simple
&
affordable packages.
I offer three packages for restaurants to get you communicating with your customers via email. This will allow you to:
Outsource the writing, design and scheduling of emails to a professional that understands how to turn readers into customers.
Create an appropriate cadence of contact with your customers that builds a strong customer relationship. Customers who feel valued, spend more.
Understand what motivates your customers so we can give them more of the communications they love and most importantly… get them dining with you more frequently!
Does this sound like it will solve a world of confusion for you?
Then it’s time to check out the below packages.
Packages
Writing Only
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$110 per week plus GST on an ongoing package.
$180 for adhoc email writing. -
You already know what you want to talk to your customers about and you already know how to best use your email service provider. All you need is someone to write the copy to bring your ideas to life.
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You set the topic, I write, you format and send.
As simple as that.
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I offer the ongoing weekly pricing at a discounted rate of $110 per week as it is strongly recommended that restaurants email their customers weekly. A weekly email send creates a consistent cadence that is proven to perform.
If you are not concerned about email performance I can write ad-hoc individual emails for $120 if you just have some gaps to fill.
This package does not include discovery, strategy or reporting.
For those who would like a copywriter to take the reins of their email strategy and bring you along on the journey of the results & direction then you’ll need the Essential Restaurant Copywriter Package.
Essential Restaurant Copywriter
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$220 per week plus GST. Minimum 3 month contract, price fixed for 12 months.
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This package is designed for restaurants who want to grow their revenue by building a strong relationship with their customers via emails and want a professional to make that happen.
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Once contracts are signed…
We start with a pre-launch discovery that allows us to understand your restaurant's offerings, business needs, goals and customers. There will be a questionnaire component followed up by a meeting that can take place in-person, on the phone or in a virtual format.
A weekly plan of communications is mapped out in three month periods with appropriate flexibility to allow for changes in the business needs.
We send one email per week to the restaurants database. We write, format and segment it to the appropriate audience and schedule for sending at an ideal time. Each email will be drafted for the restaurant to review, provide feedback and have one round of edits from the original version.
We will also include an additional re-targeting email free of charge within the same week if the data shows an opportunity for the restaurant to benefit further by sending the email to a different audience or to tweak the original messaging for additional impact.
Each three months we conduct a new discovery session to ensure communications are based around current menus, upcoming events, goals of the business and previous email performance.
Once a quarter we provide a report of feedback that discusses the email results and how those results inform future correspondence.
We also encourage open channels of communication as this is the best way to keep email content timely and relevant.
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To sign up for this package you will need to have an existing email service provider such as Mailchimp or Talkbox or the ability to sign up for one. All third party costs associated with email service providers are the responsibility of the restaurant.
For essential email communications I prefer to work with databases in Mailchimp and Talkbox as these are the systems I have built my expertise around, alternate email service providers can be considered upon discussion. Additional onboarding fees may apply.
Legalities around how your database was harvested are the responsibility of the restaurant. Advice can be provided.
A minimum initial contract for a 3 month period allows for the discovery phase to be covered by the ongoing weekly costs.
Many of our customers like to get a feel for working with a copywriter on the Essential Restaurant Copywriter Package and when they see the results they go looking for what they can take their emails to the next level. That’s why we created The Next Level Package.
The Next Level
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One-off cost starting at $2500 plus GST.
Price dependant on product chosen and size of initial build.
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The more you know about your customer, the more effective your emails can be. This package is for restaurants who want to upgrade their existing email service provider to utilise specialist features such as customer data from their online booking tool and POS as well as email automations.
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If you are interested in taking your email marketing to the next level we can conduct a discovery session to ascertain the capabilities of your current email service provider.
We can then make recommendations as to what The Next Level package can look like for you.
We will recommend either staying with your current email service provider and upgrading the capabilities of that system.
Or if your current system is limited, we can recommend an appropriate new email service provider that will take your communications to the next level.
This package covers the build of a new system including email automations, audiences and templates along with a full brief on the capabilities of your new set up.
What does the next level of email marketing look like?
To take your email marketing to the next level your email service provider needs to integrate to your online booking tool and/or your POS to understand more about your customer.
Once this information is integrated into your email strategy you will be able to do things like:
*Reduce turnaround time between diner visits.
*Win back lost customers.
*Turn one time diners into repeat customers.
*Increase sales of specific menu items and offers.
*Fill the gaps in need periods with customers who prefer to dine at those times.
*Target diners based on preferred dining sittings and days.
*Send out limited time vouchers and offers to fill gaps.
*Create engaging welcome journeys to onboard new customers.
And lots more!
Once built you will either transition to the Essential Restaurant Copywriter package for ongoing communication management or refer to the training provided by your new email service provider if you want to manage your own email communications.
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All ongoing costs & contracts associated with your third party email service provider are the responsibility of the restaurant.
The Next Level Package is a one-off build of an advanced email marketing system and not an ongoing package.
For ongoing email management, once your new system is built you can sign up for The Essential Restaurant Copywriter Package. These ongoing emails will then complement the pre-built automations.
Frequently asked questions
Still have some questions about my services and packages, let’s see if we can answer those for you.
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What package is right for me?
Most of our clients start out on the Essential Restaurant Copywriter Package. This package saves restaurateurs time, stress and confusion as it outsources the task of email marketing to an experienced professional. It is also far more affordable than having a marketing professional on salary. Once they are seeing results from email marketing on the Essentials package they then look at what’s next. That’s where the Next Level Package comes in.
How will you decide what you will be talking about to our customers?
We conduct an initial discovery phase to learn about your business and your goals. We then write a 3 month plan for emails which you can review and approve.
We conduct the discovery process each 3 months to ensure all communications are current to the restaurant's needs and offerings.
Our communication frequency with you can be tailored to suit your needs. All forms of marketing are about adapting to the business needs, the results of previous marketing and experimentation. We encourage open communication channels as this will assist in this adaptability to ensure your customer communications are timely and responsive to the needs of the business.
What do I do when people unsubscribe from my email database?
When you start emailing your customers you will get people unsubscribing. This can freak people out. Rest assured it is completely normal and it is exactly what you want to happen. A database that consists of engaged people who want to hear from you is the ideal scenario. Emailing people who don’t want to hear from you is a waste of money, their time and your time. So embrace the unsubscribe.
We do monitor for unusual fluctuations in unsubscribers as this can be an indication that your content is not hitting the mark. Understanding those stats and adapting content in response forms a part of the reporting phase of the Essential package.
Are you a real person?
Yes!! Oh hey, if we haven’t met yet. I am professional writer and communications specialist Tenele Conway. You can read more about me here.
Can we meet in person?
Of course, I love to meet up with clients and potential new clients. If you are in the Canberra region this is super easy and if you are elsewhere…there’s always virtual.
How will we keep in touch when I have an ongoing package?
Once we start working together you will find we fall into a natural pattern of communication that works for both of us. Email tends to be the primary method of keeping in touch with bigger catch ups where we discuss direction and goals happening on the phone or in person. I generally speak to clients at least once a week on the emails.
Will I be able to approve all communications that my customers are to receive?
Yes, All packages come with two rounds of approval. You will receive a first draft on every email which you can provide feedback on. This is then re-written and submitted to you for final approval before it is scheduled to send.
What if I miss approving an email in time?
We will provide email drafts within the week prior to their scheduled send date to allow time for you to review and approve all drafts. Packages are charged on a weekly basis and ongoing charges won’t be paused if you haven’t had time to review or approve a draft.
Do I need images?
In our world, words are king but food is a very visual medium and we strongly recommend that you have professional images taken of your spaces and your dishes as these make your emails far more effective. The combination of compelling copy and gorgeous photos is unbeatable is convincing people to dine with you. If you’re in Canberra I can recommend an experienced restaurant photographer.
When will I be billed?
You will be billed your weekly package charges on a fortnightly basis, we bundle them into fortnights to help reduce your time processing invoices.
What happens over Christmas?
Christmas isn’t the ideal time to speak to your customers, people are busy, distracted and you won’t get the best value for money on your email sends. We wrap up packages for the year on the last day of the calendar week prior to Christmas and we pause for 3 weeks. Packages will automatically resume after this period.
Can I cancel my package?
After the initial 3 month period you are not locked into any contracts and can cancel anytime, the goal though, is you love the results and we keep working together!