Newsletter tips for restaurants: How to get started

Whipping up a soufflé or preparing a Peking duck may come as second nature to your chef, but the thought of creating an e-mail newsletter from scratch is a task that may confound your staff.

Unless, of course, you have a good recipe. Generating a list of restaurant guests who want to receive regular electronic dispatches is almost as easy as making toast (read below for a few ideas). It's so easy that an estimated 60 percent of restaurants with Web sites also distribute a newsletter, according to electronic marketing expert Penny Sansevieri.

But what separates the ones that simply have a newsletter from the ones that have a successful newsletter—one that drives customers back for a repeat visit, turns your wine dinners into sellouts, and pumps up your restaurant's profits? Well, that's the secret sauce. "The successful ones give subscribers something they need," Sansevieri says.

Take it from me. I've started dozens of newsletters, and I'm here to tell you that simply having a lot of e-mail addresses isn’t enough. It can't be your ultimate goal. A hundred or a thousand indifferent subscribers are not worth a single interested and engaged reader.

To get started, if you haven't already, check out the E-mail Marketing offering from Office Live Small Business. For tips on what to put in your newsletter, see my accompanying article, "How to beef up your restaurant business with a newsletter."

Now, here are seven strategies for starting from scratch a restaurant newsletter that people will want to read.

1. Give guests a chance to sign up everywhere and anywhere.   There's no shortage of opportunities to invite guests to sign up for your newsletter. Those include your Web site, the menu, the waiting area, the billboard in front of your building, your ads, your takeout menu, and even your server’s nametags. I've seen solicitations in nearly all of these places (and sometimes all in the same restaurant) and it works. Repeating a pitch over and over may seem boring, or even annoying, but it often takes several tries before someone gets the message. This is no time to be discreet. Of course, you need the message to be compelling.
2. Get your staff involved.   A successful restaurant newsletter starts with your staff, according to Thom Householder, whose Portland, Maine-based PR and marketing firm caters to the restaurant industry. "A newsletter will flop if the staff doesn't understand it or doesn't actively participate in making it happen," he says. How do you get your staff involved? Communicate the importance of the newsletter, let them know what's in it, and explain the benefits to them. Of course, your staff should receive and read the newsletters, and managers should discuss the content with them. "That buy-in generates new ideas and content, and makes them better sellers of the newsletter to customers," he says.
3. Offer patrons something in exchange for their e-mail address.   Patrons are unlikely to surrender personal information unless there's a benefit. "Offer them exclusive e-mail member benefits," says Jacob Fanning, a communications strategist with Flightpath, a New York marketing firm that works with numerous hospitality companies. "That could include a percentage off their meal—especially for first-time customers—or notifications of special nights when they could save." Fanning recommends getting creative with these virtual quid pro quos. For example, he's seen popular restaurant chains partnering with a credit card company to offer a 10 percent discount. You can also offer recipes, wine pairing tips, or background information about a signature dish.
4. Be clear about your privacy commitment.   No one wants to get spammed. And if they think they will, they're unlikely to sign up for your e-mail newsletter. So be crystal-clear about your intentions, advises Jaimie Adler-Palter, a Boston restaurant marketing expert. Not having a disclaimer that you won't be giving out or selling e-mail addresses is "one of the biggest mistakes that restaurants make when they're starting a newsletter," she says.
5. Don't ask for too much information.   It's tempting to ask your guests for more than their e-mail addresses when they sign up for the newsletter. Don't do it, says Ben Kartzman, chief executive of New York-based Spongecell, an event marketing company. "Asking for too much can turn off potential subscribers," he says. Besides, any additional data that is relevant can be gathered later, once the subscriber is hooked to your newsletter—and your restaurant.
6. Promise them you won't abuse the e-mail list.   "List fatigue" is the industry term for people who are tired of getting your dispatches. "Don’t abuse the privilege of this direct permission-based contact with your loyal customers," says Gary Hurley, a marketing expert with interactive agency Creative Media Alliance in Seattle. "Monthly or quarterly e-mail campaigns are more than frequent enough for your average restaurant clientele." What's more, if guests suspect you'll send updates more often, they might not sign up for your newsletter in the first place. If you promise that you won't overwhelm them with e-mail, customers are more likely to subscribe.
7. Wait until the end of dinner to sell your newsletter.   "Most of our sign-ups come at the end of the visit," says Jay Porter, proprietor of The Linkery, a fine dining restaurant in San Diego. "Along with each check, we drop my business card with my e-mail address, a card for signing up for our e-mail list, and a pen." The business card is an invitation to contact Porter by e-mail—essentially, to get a dialogue going with management—and the sign-up card sends a message that the Linkery has more information that's worth knowing. It is, in Porter's words, "a community" that the restaurant is inviting guests to join. But the timing is important. Why would anyone want to be a part of a group before they know that it’s worth belonging to?

Yes, creating an effective e-mail newsletter takes hard work. But if you give your guests plenty of opportunities and reasons to sign up, and tell them what you'll do with their e-mail addresses, and what you won't do, you can pull it off.

About the author   Christopher Elliott is an Orlando, Fla., writer and independent producer who specializes in technology, travel, and mobile computing. His work has appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, and online. You can find out more about him on his Web site or sign up for his free weekly newsletter.