​Fine-tuning your sales funnel

Hopefully, you have a robust loyalty program in place that is rewarding your best guests with offers that suit their tastes and arrive at times of the week when they are most apt to crave what you offer. But your business may have been serving these guests for years to build these sorts of connections. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could fast-track the process with other potential guests – especially with occasional guests who may just need a little extra nudge to become frequent visitors? Having a thoughtful sales funnel can help you capture these leads and draw them in more successfully – and it’s something that more restaurants are focusing on this year, according to Modern Restaurant Management. Building awareness of your brand is the first step – by finding where your ideal guests are spending time and discovering businesses, then carefully curating posts or other public outreach that shows your restaurant at its best and incorporates your story and brand values. Then entice people to visit, like through an image of a great new special or a video of your staff getting your outdoor dining area spruced up for guests. Then offer an incentive for people to visit you, ideally within a limited time frame – maybe with a free mimosa for moms booked for your Mother’s Day brunch or another offer suited to your ideal guest. Once you have the person’s attention, keep it by encouraging them to provide their email address to book their table or stay up to date with new offers via your email newsletter – you can nudge them toward your loyalty program here too. Make it clear how their return visits will help them accumulate rewards and motivate them to return soon by giving them a limited time to act. If you’re already taking these steps to help spread the word about your restaurant and boost traffic, are there points along the line where you can provide a little extra inspiration for people to pay you a visit or place an order?

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