Did you know that up to 80% of your customers may never return?
This sobering statistic is often due to the fact that we simply don’t ask them to come back. It’s a bit like getting a second date. If you want one, you need to put yourself out there and ask for it.
So how can messages targeting that second visit work for your business?
Here are our data-driven top tips to create effective Revisit Messages:
1. Don’t leave it too long
If your customer hasn’t returned within a month after their visit, it’s a good time to reach out.
However, that can really depend on your type of business. If you are a destination accommodation property or a serious occasion restaurant, a month might be an unreasonable time to expect a customer to come back.
Consider how often a good customer might visit you a year and use that as a guide to determine the right time for your revisit invite. For example, if a good customer would visit x3 a year then 3–4 months after that last visit would be the right time to reach out about that next visit.
2. Make sure you know who to target
When you need to target customers based on their behaviour, like only one visit, you need to have all your customer data from loyalty reservations, order-at-table and Guest Wifi in the same place.
With all your customer data in one place, you will have the best chance to understand the actual behaviour of your customers or members and act accordingly.
Need help connecting all your data to your TalkBox account? Contact us at hello@impactdata.com.au.
3. Add an incentive
Customers love to feel valued, so make sure you have a great offer to entice them back for that second visit.
One of the advantages of using vouchers in your communications is it provides a strong visual clue to your reader of an offer in the email and SMS, which helps them understand that you want them back.
Did you know that TalkBox connects with a number of POS and online ordering partners? Making it easy to add a voucher that is automatically redeemed, reconciled and reported with your existing systems?
Our voucher partners include Bepoz, SwiftPOS, Redcat, Senpos, Deliverit, Starrtec, QikServe and IdealPOS.
4. Don’t need to hide your intentions
To borrow an old media phrase – ‘don’t bury the lead’.
From the subject line to the BOOK NOW buttons, it’s important that you are clear about your intentions and what you want your customer to do. Our experience shows that most emails will still be seen on a mobile device, so make sure you use that first screen wisely.
Don’t assume that customers will scroll but rather that they will skim your email. This is particularly true in the early stages of your digital relationship, as they may not have developed much of a connection to your brand yet.
With that in mind, use your hero image wisely. Consider using an animated gif to show off as much about your business as possible and capture attention with movement. Then make sure your call to action is bold, clear and mentioned more than once!
So when enticing customers back with an offer make sure you build excitement and set an expectation with your subject line.
5. Show off your business
As the tip above mentioned, using animated gifs is a great way to make use of the real estate you have to showcase the best of your business. Remember digital marketing is a visual medium so make sure you invest in good images that are actually about your business. If you don’t have your own photos but have a good social media presence, ask people who have photographed and tagged your business whether you can use their images.
Other ideas to show off your best features:
- creating a unique sign-off that shows off your brand personality
- featuring your best-selling dishes
- include great reviews
- a little about your business or food inspiration
6. You might have to ask more than once
We aren’t talking stalker level here, but it usually takes a couple of messages before your reader is ready to come back. Don’t take it personally, they may not be playing hard to get, they just might not be ready to come back yet.
So space your messages at a reasonable interval using the guidelines mentioned above and consider whether you might need to improve the value of the offer in follow-up messages.
7. Don’t stop there
Revisit messages are critical in the stages of building your relationship with customers. But that’s not the end of it. Depending on the data that you have flowing into TalkBox, we can assist with setting up other campaigns to acknowledge milestones, celebrate birthdays, recapture lost regulars or even help you sell functions and gift cards.
The Impact Data team are experts in creating the behavioural triggered messages that will get your business more visits, more often.
Contact us at hello@impactdata.com.au.
