Restaurant Marketing: A Campaign Rollout Case Study
Comments Off on Restaurant Marketing: A Campaign Rollout Case StudyHarvest Table Kitchen* had 38 restaurants across five states and a fall promotion ready to go.
The campaign featured a limited-time menu, promotional pricing, and an offer designed to bring customers back for another visit. Corporate marketing had approved the creative and set the launch date.
Now they just had to get everything to 38 restaurants.
And “everything” was a lot.
38 Restaurants, Plenty of Variables
Every Harvest Table location needed menus, table tents, posters, promotional inserts, and campaign instructions. But the contents of those shipments weren’t identical.
Three markets had different pricing. Some restaurants needed window graphics while others didn’t. Larger locations required additional table materials. A handful of restaurants were also testing a slightly different promotional offer.
That meant multiple versions, different quantities, 38 shipping destinations, and one launch date.
The restaurant marketing team could have coordinated production with one vendor, signage with another, and then handled sorting, packing, and shipping separately. Instead, they brought the rollout together with ImageMark.
Taking the Guesswork Out of Every Shipment
Before production began, Harvest Table mapped out exactly what each restaurant needed. That location-by-location plan became the guide for production, kitting, and distribution.
ImageMark then coordinated the moving pieces, including:
- Printing approved campaign materials and regional versions
- Producing signage and promotional pieces
- Sorting materials by restaurant
- Assembling 38 location-specific campaign kits
- Checking each kit before shipment
- Packing and labeling orders for their destinations
- Coordinating distribution around the scheduled launch
Instead of sending bulk boxes that restaurant employees would have to sort themselves, each location received materials selected and packed for that restaurant.
When the boxes arrived, managers knew the materials inside were theirs.
Keep the Chaos Out of Campaign Rollouts
For Harvest Table’s corporate marketing team, one of the biggest improvements was simply having fewer details to chase.
They weren’t coordinating several vendors or asking restaurant managers to sort through mixed shipments. They didn’t have to sort out which menu version belonged in which market or double-check whether the right signage had been packed.
Production, kitting, and delivery were now part of one coordinated process.
And when Harvest Table began planning its next promotion, the team didn’t have to start the logistics from scratch. The campaign itself would change, but the basic process for producing, kitting, and distributing materials was already in place.
Could Your Next Rollout Be This Much Easier?
Your restaurant group may have 15 locations, 50, or hundreds. Either way, every additional location adds another set of details to manage.
ImageMark brings printing, kitting, inventory, fulfillment, and nationwide distribution together to help restaurant marketing and franchise marketing teams get the right campaign materials to every location.
Planning a multi-location campaign? Reach out to ImageMark today.
This case study represents challenges that multi-location restaurant groups commonly face. Honoring the confidentiality of ImageMark’s clients, “Harvest Table Kitchen” represents a restaurant client; however, it is not an actual company.
Direct Mail for Restaurants: How to Drive Visits and Repeat Business
Comments Off on Direct Mail for Restaurants: How to Drive Visits and Repeat BusinessDirect Mail for Restaurants: How to Drive Visits and Repeat Business
Hungry customers don’t spend all day thinking about where they’re going to eat. Sometimes, they just need a little reminder.
A postcard announcing a new menu, offering a discount, or promoting your catering services can put your restaurant on their radar. Direct mail for restaurants can create that timely connection, giving customers a reason to choose your business the next time they’re deciding where to eat.
Give people the right offer at the right time, and that trip to the mailbox could turn into a trip to your restaurant.
Turn Cravings Into Visits
Direct mail works best when there’s something specific behind it. Rather than simply reminding people that your restaurant exists, connect your mailing to an offer, event, or timely reason to stop in.
Restaurants can use direct mail to:
- Introduce a new location with a grand-opening offer
- Bring past customers back with a special incentive
- Promote seasonal menus or limited-time items
- Build loyalty with offers that encourage another visit
- Grow catering business by reaching nearby businesses, organizations, or households
- Fill slower periods with promotions tied to specific days or times
Whatever you choose, make the next step obvious. Visit by a certain date. Bring in the postcard. Scan a QR code. Place a catering order. Join your loyalty program.
Know Who You Want to Reach
Who would you most like to see walk through your doors?
That’s a good place to start when building your mailing list. A neighborhood restaurant might focus on nearby households, while a catering campaign could reach local businesses and organizations. For a grand opening, you can introduce yourself to the neighborhoods closest to your new location.
Multi-location restaurants can get even more specific, tailoring each mailing to the customers around that particular location.
You’re not trying to reach everybody. You’re trying to reach the people who have a good reason to become customers.
Time It Around What’s Happening
A great offer that arrives after the promotion starts isn’t much help.
Work backward from your event, menu launch, or promotional period so customers have enough time to see the mailing and respond. Direct mail for restaurants can also work as an ongoing program, with campaigns scheduled around holidays, seasonal menus, busy catering seasons, loyalty promotions, or slower times of year.
Know What’s Working
Want to know whether the mailing was successful? Give recipients something you can measure.
That might be a unique coupon code, QR code, dedicated offer, landing page, or “bring this postcard” promotion. Tracking response helps you see which offers are effective and gives you useful information for the next campaign.
Direct Mail That Brings More Customers to the Table
ImageMark can help restaurant marketing teams coordinate targeting, printing, personalization, mailing, and multi-location campaigns without juggling several vendors.
Planning a seasonal special, grand opening, or can’t-miss offer? ImageMark can help you spread the word and bring customers through the door.