RA Mobile Marketing eBook

By: Larry Brandel

“Why Is It So Important That You Have A Mobile

Website For Your Restaurant Business?”

As local restaurant owner the most important thing for the success of your business is attracting new customers and keeping your existing customers happy so they come back to you, right?

Today, in order for you to accomplish both of these goals, it’s crucial for you business to have a “mobile-friendly” website so you make it easy for mobile consumers to connect with your restaurant…

Google says that since 2015 more people access the Internet through their mobile devices rather than using their home desktop computers. This rise in “Portable Web Browsing” has become not only “popular” but the NORM as more and more people use their smart phones and tablets…

As technology continues to advance there are going to be even more ways for consumers to access the Web from portable devices:

This is why making sure that your business is equipped with a mobile website is so important.

The most obvious reason that you need a mobile website is so that your customers can browse your website even when they’re using their mobile device…

If you think that as long as you have a website and the customer has Internet access on their phone or tablet they’ll be able to view your website and everything is just fine, you really should read further:

“In Today’s Age of MOBILE Consumers Dominating the Marketplace…Having ONLY a Traditional Desktop

Website is NOT Enough!”

IGNORE MOBLE AT YOUR OWN PERIL: Here Are The

TOP 7 REASONS Why You Need To Have A Mobile

Friendly Website Even If You Already Have A “Regular”

Desktop Website Up And Running:

#7 EVERONE IS CONNECTED

Billions of People Access the Internet through Mobile Devices

With the advent of tablets and smart phones the Internet has gone mobile! There are literally billions of people who use these devices to access the online world. If your business doesn’t have a mobile website then a vast majority of these people aren’t going to be able to read your information. This means you could be missing out on customers. When asked, consumers say they would rather be outside of their home and forget their keys than be WITHOUT their smart phone.

One-fifth of the ENTIRE global population accesses the “Mobile Web” everyday. Again, this number is only going to go up. When you consider that one out of every five people use mobile web services – that’s a lot of people! And if you don’t have a mobile website, that’s a lot of people that you’re missing – every single day.

#6 MOBLE WEB USAGE HAS SURPASSED DESKTOP

This is another big one. Mobile Web Usage has steadily been increasing and since 2015 has overtaken desktop and laptop computers. Add to that the fact that people are buying mobile devices much faster than they bought desktop computers and laptops, and you can easily see how in the future most of your visitors will be coming to your website through their mobile device. And if you don’t have a website ready for it, they won’t stick around with you for very long.

#5 YOUR DESKTOP WEBSITE IS CHASING AWAY CUSTOMERS

Even though customers can access your website through their mobile device, it’s “how it looks” on their screen that matters. Is the content that displays optimized for viewing on their smaller screen sizes? Or do they have to scroll up and down and from side to side? If it’s the latter and they need to struggle to get information, they won’t stay on your website for long.

Mobile websites and regular sites are very different in design and this directly translates into “the experience” the user has when visiting your website. If you only have a regular website it’s not going to translate well on a mobile device, as it does on a PC. This is one of the main reasons why you need to have a mobile website. Mobile Websites View Nicely And Load Faster on Mobile Devices. Because mobile web sites are designed to be smaller and have fewer images and content they take a shorter amount of time to load on a mobile device when compared to a regular website. If your business’s website takes too long to load a mobile device, a visitor will simply leave your site and go find another website they can view faster.

#4 MOBILE ADVERTSING

Mobile Ad Spending will Exceed $10.5 Billion in 2016

If so much money is being spent on this kind of advertising there can only be one reason why – because it works! No business is going to throw money away on advertising that doesn’t do anything for them. And, the fact that this number increases year after year just shows that people put money back into it year after year because again, it works!

This means your business should be advertising on the mobile web as well.

#3 MOBILE USERS ARE ACTIVE BUYERS

Last year 2.6 BILLION PEOPLE bought a product or service from their Mobile Device! Purchasing products and services online is extremely popular and more people are discovering how to do so from their mobile devices. If you want to be at the same level as your customers your business should be providing them with mobile online shopping.

#2 GOOGLE PENALIZES NON-FRIENDLY WEBSITES

Google Indexes Mobile Sites and Regular Sites Differently

Take the Google “Mobile Website” test now and find out what Google says about your website:

google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly

Page Ranking is huge whether you’re a mobile site or a regular website. As of April 21, 2016 Google has applied an index that focuses solely on mobile websites. Not only does this mean that you could be missing out on some major page ranks for your desktop website but the Google Mobile index is practically empty. That means that when you develop your mobile website it won’t take much to get it to the TOP of the Mobile Search page rankings – and MOBILE SEARCH is increasingly overtaking search from desktop.

Bottom Line is Mobile Consumers Want To Find YOU! The more your business can get it’s Name, Address and Phone (NAP) out there, the more people you’ll reach and the more people will know about your business. When you have BOTH a regular website and a mobile website you will be able to reach a larger group of people with your offers and brand message.

#1 MOBILE COUPONS

“Consumers LOVE Mobile Coupons!”

An insiteappz Mobile Website has a built-in COUPON wizzard… so you can

EASILY & QUICKLY change your coupon offer in 3 simple clicks… anytime you want to drive MORE foot traffic into

your store to BOOST Sales!

TODAY’S MOBILE TECHNOLOGY SHAPES THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

Have you noticed over the past decade that advances in technology has drastically changed?

Not long ago, most people relied on their laptops and desktop computers to find local restaurants…and today…mobile device usage has increased dramatically:

“Millions of people use their smart phones and mobile tablets to seek out information about local restaurants”.

So if you don’t have a website that is optimized for mobile use, there is a great chance that thousands of your potential customers are quickly leaving your site and opting for a competitor that DOES have a mobile-friendly site.

A mobile website differs from traditional websites…

While traditional websites focus on attractive graphics and banners and have the extra room to provide more heavy displays, mobile phones forgo most of these features in order to provide a convenient mobile viewing experience.

In addition, headers and footers are usually more prominent on traditional website, whereas mobile sites employ a more condensed version (of a desktop website). Most traditional websites also offer “quick links” in their footers while mobile websites do not...

Keep in mind that these changes do not take away from the value of a mobile site. In fact, it makes it that much easier for consumers to find the most important information without the hassle of a difficult, slow website.

Mobile users are typically looking for one of a few things: your contact information, your menu, and directions to your establishment.

As I mentioned earlier, mobile phones are used now more than ever and usage is expected to rise. Consumers especially depend on their smart phones and mobile devices to seek out new local information.

“Restaurants in particular are one of the most searched businesses via mobile phones”.

Most people “on-the-go” will search for a local restaurant while they are out and about and looking for a place to go for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Therefore, having a mobile-friendly website will TRIPLE your chances of gaining new customers; and not having one could cost you more than you think. Did you know:

30% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices.

81% of consumers have searched for a restaurant on a mobile device.

70% of consumers think it is important to be able to read the menu of a restaurant on a mobile device. In fact:

65% of consumers will not choose a local restaurant if they cannot EASILY read the menu on their mobile devices. They end up choosing a competitor with a mobile-friendly menu.

Conversion rates for restaurant searches are extremely powerful. Searches for restaurants on mobile devices have a 90% conversion rate and 64% convert within ONE hour.

Unfortunately, 95% of all restaurants don’t have a mobile website yet, and only 40% have online menus. (Actually, this can work greatly in YOUR favor!)

There are a multitude of advantages when it comes to mobile websites.

The fact that mobile users are constantly seeking restaurant information on their mobile devices is enough for any serious local restaurant owner to invest in a mobile website...

Here’s why:

Mobile Websites are Easy to Navigate: If your website is hard to navigate, consumers can and will find another restaurant.

Traditional websites are extremely difficult to navigate on via a mobile device. The site usually crashes or takes so long to load that

people give up and move on. A mobile website ensures that navigation is simple and convenient.

Content is Easy to Read: Traditional websites are made for laptop and desktops computers. With much larger screens and more powerful processors, it’s easier to read website information. Yet, mobile devices, being much smaller, are incapable of handling all the information on a traditional website.

It’s extremely difficult to read content on a website that’s designed for much larger devices if you’re using a smartphone or mobile tablet. A mobile website is created to ensure the text is larger and easy to read.

Try visiting a website on your mobile device that has not been optimized for mobile use and you’ll understand why it’s so important to offer your customers a mobile website.

Easy-to-find Contact Details: Besides your menu, one of the main things that consumers search for on a mobile device is contact details, including your business phone number and address. With a mobile website, you can also incorporate a “touch to call” feature directly on your main page, giving consumers an easy way to reach you without having to scramble through a bunch of information.

Easy-to-scroll: Mobile websites can be created in a way that makes it easy for consumers to scroll through the information using their thumbs. Viewing a traditional website on a mobile device is almost impossible.

Clear Menu and Ordering Details: Another important benefit of a mobile website is that you can have a simple, easy-to-access menu available for mobile users.

With a mobile website, a mobile users can clearly view your menu in a clean, pleasing layout. And with a tap-to-call button users can easily call for a take-out order or make a reservation. In addition, mobile websites can provide users an easy way to order online without having to call you at all.

Tracking Your Mobile Performance

Another beneficial feature of a mobile website for your restaurant is the ability to track and measure your overall performance.

Tracking your mobile website’s overall performance lets you know what’s working and what’s not. You can make changes easily if you see something that’s not doing well.

You can keep track of your overall monthly visitor count, as well as what area they are in when they visit your site. This will give you an idea as to when most people are ready to eat, which will help you develop marketing plans to entice consumers to choose your restaurant.

You can measure the amount of time that visitors spend on your site and the most popular options they use.

You can track how many visitors use the touch-to-call feature, map feature, and/or GPS feature.

You can track how many people use your mobile COUPONS and specials as well as the ones that are the most-used. This, of course, will give you an idea of which coupons and specials are working the best and which ones aren’t.

Mobile users are an extremely fast growing market. More and more people are turning to mobile websites for their business needs and since many smart phones can now do what a laptop or desktop computer can do…

…a lot of people now rely solely on smartphones for their online needs!

With a mobile website for your restaurant, you can easily boost your brand to new heights. This in turn will increase your online exposure and help people remember your business. The return on investment (ROI) for creating a mobile website is excellent:

“In fact, several case studies on restaurants that already utilize mobile websites confirm that ROI was positive”.

Tips for Your Mobile Website

Keep in mind that once you decide to create a mobile website for your restaurant, there are several things you should do that will help your site stand out and attract more business, including the following:

Extremely Fast Loading Times: Your mobile website should load completely within around five seconds. Make sure your mobile website is optimized for fast loading times at all times.

Keep it Simple as Possible: One way to make sure your mobile website loads fast is to keep the navigation clear and concise. Important information should be listed clearly on the home page – in a way that’s simple for people to read.

Map/GPS Option: Along with your contact information, it’s a good idea to incorporate a map and/or GPS capabilities into your mobile site. This makes it easier for customers since they won’t have to go to a different website or application to get directions to your restaurant.

Include Your Social Media Accounts: Social media plays a powerful part when it comes to consumer satisfaction. When someone eats at a great restaurant, they are likely to share their experiences via their social media accounts. You may already have your social media accounts integrated with your traditional website, but put them on your mobile site as well.

Limit Images: While you don’t want to go overboard, you can put a few images on your mobile website. However, they don’t need to be too flashy and they don’t need to take up a lot of room. Use images that match your brand, but just keep them at a minimum.

Make your Logo and Brand Prominent: Along with your contact information, your brand should be prominent on the landing page where it’s easily noticeable. People who land on your site should be clear about who you are.

Major Search Engines are Important: It’s imperative to get your mobile website into the major mobile search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Take measures to ensure your mobile website is optimized effectively so that search engines will be able to pick it up.

Remember, mobile devices are here to stay and amore and more people are expected to rely on them. Restaurants are one of the most popular searches for mobile users...

“Without a website that works with their wireless devices, you risk losing a substantial amount of potential customers!”

Not only is a mobile website an excellent investment, but it also provides a way to boost your brand, increase customer loyalty, and add to the chances of more people finding your restaurant.

Most restaurants don’t have a mobile website, and unfortunately, they are missing out on more business than they probably realize. When you invest in a mobile website for your own restaurant, you’ll be ahead of the competition and you’ll let customers know that you are thinking of them by creating a site that’s easy for them to use.

Push Notification Marketing

An inSiteapps mobile website also works hand-in-hand with BAR PUSH: “Bar And Restaurant” NOTIFICATION messaging system.

At certain times of the day, you can create a campaign to send out promotional messages to your entire subscriber list to BOTH their desktop computers and Android mobile phones!

Push notification messages are usually read immediately, resulting in a high chance of increasing your sales…

If you are using Push Notification marketing it only makes sense that you are sending your customers to a website that is optimized for mobile viewing.

Let’s take a closer look at Push Message Marketing:

There are so very few restaurants (if any at all in your local area) using private push message marketing as their primary way to increase profits…

So this creates a UNIQUE opportunity for you to capture local consumers as your own customers. This method can be quite effective as long as you do it right and you remain consistent:

Not only does private push messaging pack a punch, but it’s cost-effective and doesn’t require a lot of time or energy to set-up and maintain.

First, it’s important to note that push marketing is far cheaper than other forms of advertising (like radio, newspaper, Google Ad Words, Yellow Pages, direct mail and even text marketing). Not to mention, it’s a powerful way to fill up your seats with hungry customers who are excited to receive a new COUPON or special deal…

Did you know that MOBILE COUPONS received via a Push Notification are redeemed 10 TIMES more often than traditional paper coupons?

Since your push notification message database is going to be one of your most valuable assets, you’ll want to make sure that you accumulate as many subscribers as possible.

In short, you need to learn how to properly ask for sign-ups:

You can use advertising cards to ask consumers to join your list.

You can ask your social media following and email list to join.

You can place a call-to-action on your website asking visitors to join

You can use table tents

You can have a flyer or poster on your store front window.

You can do a simple Post Card mailing to canvas your local area.

One tactic that you CAN’T do is to walk right up to a customer while they are eating and ask them to join your mobile subscriber list.

“There are a number of ways to get more mobile subscribers. The key to making it successful is to always make an immediate offer to get them to sign up – such as a coupon or discount”.

Creating Valuable Message Content

It’s important to engage with your mobile customers and get them by sending them information that’s worth opening in their eyes. What could that be? Well, most of your customers love your food, which is why they joined, so here are a few examples:

Discount offers on lunch or dinner specials “Buy One, Get One Free” coupons Upcoming events and promotions

While there are numerous types of promotional messages you could send, there are also some non-promotional ways to use messaging in your restaurant:

Prime Table Notification – Early in the evening announce that you have a “preferred table” in a cozy corner or by the window and give your Subscribers first rights to the table. Simply send them an alert that you’ll have “a preferred table location” ready at specified time and for an exact amount of hours. This will make your subscribers feel like a VIP and could help bring in more income for the day. You’ll make a great impression and maybe win them over as one of their favorites places to go.

Table Ready Notifications – Years ago, restaurants would use traditional pagers to let customers know that their tables were ready. Now, once you capture their mobile phone number, you can use text messaging to let them know. This can be exceptionally helpful during busy nights.

Menu Change Alerts - As a restaurant owner, you probably enjoy

featuring new foods and beverages on a regular basis. Perhaps the only problem behind this is that customers may not even be aware of all of your great offerings. As a result, providing customers with alerts about menu changes can be a great way to keep them in the loop.

It is often said, a customers will eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths…so knowing this…you could also send subscribers images of featured meals via a push message. Doing this could trigger their hunger into overdrive and leave them wanting more:

“Customers Like To Feel They Are Involved Especially When It Comes To Their Favorite Restaurant!”

Make sure that you provide engaging message content that will entice them to make another visit to your restaurant.

When Should You Send Push Notification Messages?

Studies show that subscribers to “Desktop Messages” have a nearly 87% open rate. Basically, this means that most of your customers will read your message. Secondly, push messages are read INSTANTLY when opened.

Therefore, you should carefully choose the perfect time of day to send them.

For instance, if you want to attract a larger lunch crowd then you should send your messages about one hour before lunch time.

This is most likely when people are going to be the hungriest and take you up on your offer. Also, make sure your offers last for a specific duration of time only for that day. This will increase the response rate.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

There are some common mistakes that restaurant owners should avoid in their message marketing campaigns:

Sending Too Many Messages - The last thing your customers want is to become annoyed by your messages. If you do this then it’s very likely that they’ll unsubscribe from your subscriber list. Try to avoid sending messages more than a couple of times per week (generally speaking).

Based on your type of restaurant and the level of activity you have, it could be slightly more or less. Just be sure to monitor your results with each campaign so you can make adjustments going forward if needed.

Not Sending Enough Messages – Some restaurants make the mistake of sending out one message campaign and their customers don’t hear from them again until months later. When they do, many may forget who you are and immediately unsubscribe from your list.

Making Messages Too Long - On the same token, make sure that you aren’t making your messages too long. Push messages can only hold so many characters but you don’t have to use them all…

By limiting the amount of characters you incorporate into each message, you allow your audience to remain more focused on your call-to-action. Keep it short, simple, and to the point for the best results. Try to develop a “personality” for your restaurant via your message marketing campaigns and be consistent: This will make it much easier for customers to relate and identify with you. For instance, keep your vibe fun and playful if it fits your type of restaurant so they can connect with your emotion.

While utilizing push messages to reach customers can be quite effective, you need to make sure that you are being versatile and flexible. More specifically, use trial and error to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Experiment with different content to see what customers are responding to the most.

Push Notification messaging has allowed small restaurant owners the ability to utilize this powerful marketing strategy for just pennies on the dollar.

With such an affordable and effective marketing method at your fingertips, it would only make sense to spend your time and energy on it.

Mobile Apps

Why get a Mobile App?

Mobile apps are a great way to reach potential consumers – in fact, there are currently more than 1 BILLION people worldwide using mobile apps. That’s a huge pool of potential customers just waiting for you to reach them…

Launching a mobile app specifically for your restaurant provides you with an opportunity to directly reach your target market, while also giving consumers direct, convenient, anytime access to your restaurant.

Consumers can access your business even if your restaurant is closed; your mobile app can answer any questions and also service customers looking to do things, such as make reservations.

Restaurant mobile apps provide information, flexibility, and an unparalleled level of customer service and flexibility.

There are a variety of firms out there that specialize in developing mobile apps – predominantly for iPhone and iPad or Android. Costs vary based on the developer as well as the required turnaround time, overall design requirements, level of feature complexity, and number of features or screens…

This may sound like there is quite a bit up in the air, but in truth, it gives you flexibility to develop an app that works within any budget and keeps your specific needs in mind…

What does a Mobile App do?

Mobile apps are custom developed so they can do any number of things so it really depends on what voice you want your restaurant to have.

That said, here are some suggested actions or features to include in your restaurant’s mobile app:

• Book Reservations: If your restaurant allows patrons to reserve tables, nothing is more convenient – for you and potential diners – than an online reservation system. For potential diners, it means that they don’t have to call and potentially wait on hold while the hostess services in-person patrons.

For your restaurant, it means that your hostesses will be less inundated with reservation requests and questions, freeing them up to focus on in-person customer service or other responsibilities.

You are also better able to prepare inventory because diners are more likely to book a reservation if they do not have to actually call to do so – this mobile app feature is convenient and benefits everyone

• Show Custom Photos: Let your food sell itself. Nothing makes potential diners decide on a restaurant faster than beautiful images of what they will receive. Show photos of the restaurant to set the scene and point out any special features, such as a water wall, private dining, or special bar. Post professional photos of the dishes to create an appetite.

• Promote Featured Menu Item: A mobile app is a convenient way to let diners know about any special featured menu items. N Promoting this information not only gets the word out, but also has the potential to pique diners’ interest and secure extra clientele.

• Share Special Stories about Your Restaurant: Perhaps former presidents or famous actresses have frequented your restaurant or maybe it’s the top place in the area for pizza parties or cocktail specials after a soccer tournament or concert or sporting event. Sharing stories creates a form of nostalgia, interest and a bond – and generate excitement and BUZZ.

• Offer Daily Deals: Daily deals are a great way to generate buzz and to entice new customers to your restaurant. Posting the deals through your own custom mobile app provides a seamless transition for potential clients to learn more about your restaurant and visit the website for additional information. Daily deals are known to spark conversation and word of mouth marketing is a powerful tool – and better yet, it’s free!

• Provide Customers with an Online Ordering System: An online ordering system like Open Table benefits everyone. For customers, it provides convenience and effort-free meals; for your business, it provides added predictability and extra revenue…

Whether your restaurant offers curb side pickup or delivery, providing customers with an easy way to order such as through your own mobile app, is a great way to increase sales.

• Allow Customers to Leave Comments and Reviews About Their Meals and Experiences: Sites like Yelp and Urban Spoon have paved a path for customer feedback and restaurant reviews, but allowing customers to post feedback directly onto your restaurant’s app gives you a level of transparency, ownership, and control. Customers appreciate transparency – it shows that a business is honest and direct. Having reviews and feedback posted using your own mobile app leaves no room for error; those great reviews are most certainly about your restaurant and are not to be confused with a similarly named venue.

Also, it provides you with direct feedback so that you know exactly what people are saying about your restaurant and areas in which you might improve – or keep doing exactly what you are doing…

Customers will appreciate the direct line of communication and also like to feel like their opinions matter. Good reviews are bound to help your restaurant gain new client As a whole, there are many potential resources that you might consider incorporating into your own custom mobile application…

One thing that they all have in common is the level of convenience they provide to you and your clients. Additionally, these methods open up a direct line between you and your potential customers, make your restaurant easily accessible and are bound to create a BUZZ about your restaurant…

From hot dog joints to four-star restaurants, mobile apps provide a wealth of benefits and are a great way to connect and ENGAGE with customers and grow your restaurant business…

Knowledgeable mobile app developers will walk you through every step of the process, from planning through design and launch – and will come up with solutions within your scope and budget.

Taking your restaurant into the “mobile arena” is not as hard as you may think…

In fact, we’ve helped many local businesses to ‘Go Mobile’ which has helped them see an increase in leads, sales, and profits.

Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation if you would like more information about mobile marketing:

“And learn how you can get a Mobile Website with an app built-in so you don’t need one!”

Or visit: inSiteappz.com

Larry Brandel

[email protected]

RestaurantAmbassador.com

Office: 718 473 9122

RA Mobile Marketing eBook

Documents

Transcript of RA Mobile Marketing eBook