How Restaurants Can Improve Their Email Open Rates

Email marketing is an important tool for restaurants to reach and engage with their customers. However, even the best email campaigns can be ineffective if the emails are not being opened and read. According to Campaign Monitor (a leading email marketing platform) in 2022 the average open-rate for the Restaurants, Food & Beverage category was only 18.5%! That means despite a ton of effort and budget, those marketing campaigns were reaching less than a fifth of their intended audience. That’s a lot of wasted resources! Let’s explore some strategies that restaurants can use to improve their email open rates and get more value out of their email marketing efforts.

1. Use a clear and compelling subject line.
   The subject line is the first thing that recipients see when they receive an email, and it can be the deciding factor in whether they open the email or not. To improve your email open rates, it’s important to use a subject line that is clear, concise, and compelling. This means avoiding vague or misleading subject lines, and instead focusing on crafting a subject line that clearly communicates the value or benefit of opening the email.
   
   For example, if you’re promoting a new menu item, consider using a subject line like “Introducing our new and delicious BBQ Ribs – Try them now!” This subject line clearly communicates the value of the email – the opportunity to try a new, delicious menu item – and is likely to be more effective at getting recipients to open the email than a subject line like “New Menu Item Available.”

2. Segment your email list.
   Segmenting your email list means dividing it into smaller groups based on shared characteristics or interests. By segmenting your email list, you can send targeted and relevant messages to specific groups of customers, which can increase the chances that they’ll open and engage with your emails.
   
   There are many ways you can segment your email list, including by location, customer type (e.g. first-time vs. repeat customers), or preferences (e.g. vegetarian vs. meat-eating). For example, if you have a restaurant in multiple locations, you could segment your email list by location and send targeted emails with specials or promotions relevant to each location.

3. Personalize your emails.
   Personalization is another effective way to increase email open rates. By adding personalized elements to your emails, such as the recipient’s name or location, you can make your emails more relevant and engaging to the recipient. This can help to increase the chances that they’ll open and read your emails.
   
   There are many ways you can personalize your emails, including:

• Using the recipient’s name in the subject line or body of the email
• Sending emails with recommendations or special offers based on the recipient’s past purchases or interests
• Geotargeting your emails so that recipients receive emails with offers or promotions relevant to their location

4. Optimize your email send frequency.
   It’s important to find the right balance when it comes to sending emails to your customers. If you send too many emails, you risk overwhelming or annoying your recipients, which can lead to lower open rates and a decrease in engagement. On the other hand, if you don’t send enough emails, you may not be able to effectively keep your restaurant top-of-mind with your customers.
   
   To optimize your email send frequency, consider the following:

• What type of content are you sending? If you’re sending promotional emails, you may want to send them more frequently than if you’re sending newsletters or updates.
• How often do your customers engage with your emails? If you see high open and click-through rates, it may be a good sign that you can increase your email send frequency.
• How often do your customers visit your restaurant? If you have a high volume of foot traffic, you may not need to send as many emails to stay top-of-mind with your customers.

5. Test and optimize your email campaigns.
   
   To truly understand what works and what doesn’t when it comes to improving email open rates, it’s important to test and optimize your email campaigns. Some ways you can do this include:

• A/B testing: This involves sending two different versions of the same email to a small portion of your email list and comparing the results. For example, you could test two different subject lines to see which one has a higher open rate.
• Split testing: Similar to A/B testing, split testing involves dividing your email list into two or more groups and sending each group a different version of the email. This can be a good way to test various elements of your emails, such as the subject line, header image, or call-to-action.
• Analyzing email metrics: By tracking and analyzing metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate, you can get a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t in your emails. You can then use this information to make adjustments and optimize your email campaigns.

6. Use clean design and quality photography.
   While the recipient won’t see the design or content until they’ve opened the email, consistently producing cleanly designed emails with attractive (and new) photography of your dishes is a good way to form a habit with the recipient of rewarding their curiosity with compelling content.
   
   Here are a few tips for designing effective emails:

• Use a clear and easy-to-read font: Avoid using overly complicated or difficult-to-read fonts, as they can make your email look cluttered and unprofessional.
• Use white space effectively: Using plenty of white space can make your email more visually appealing and easier to read.
• Use images sparingly: While images can be an effective way to get your message across, be sure to use them judiciously. Too many images can make your email look cluttered and may cause it to load slowly. Also make sure they are optimized to reduce load-times.

7. Make it easy to unsubscribe.
   While it may seem counterintuitive, including an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails can actually improve your email open rates. This is because people who are not interested in your emails are more likely to ignore or delete them, leading to lower open rates. By including an unsubscribe link in your emails, you can allow recipients to opt out of future emails and improve the overall quality of your email list.

In summary, there are several strategies that restaurants can use to improve their email open rates, including using a clear and compelling subject line, segmenting their email list, personalizing their emails, optimizing their email send frequency, testing and optimizing their campaigns, using a strong call-to-action, and making it easy to unsubscribe. By implementing these strategies and continually testing and optimizing your email campaigns, you can improve the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and drive more business to your restaurant.