Whether you are a cafe, Michelin starred restaurant, bubble tea or ramen bar, or gelateria - catching customer data and then communicating with them is critical to building a base of super fans who visit and spend more.  

While this might sound obvious, most hospo brands collecting customer data fail to communicate with customers frequently. The good news is that creating effective email marketing campaigns doesn’t have to be complex - and many customer communications can be automated.

Even today, when so many of us live in apps like Whatsapp and Slack, the majority of customers prefer to be communicated with via email. ​​A recent survey revealed that 55 percent of customers prefer getting emails from businesses and nonprofits more than other communication methods, including text messaging and different social media.

Here’s a starter list of the top five emails that will drive customer engagement while being easy to create. With these five types of emails, you will bridge the gap between your venue and your valued customers.

1. Welcome!

The point of an email is to get an email — to kick off your ability to communicate with the customer. Some prefer email, others text, and others chat. So, ensure you ask them how they want to be communicated with. Solutions like Liven Engage make this simple and easy.

A welcome email is a great way to make a strong first impression. Sent automatically to new diners after they make a purchase or sign up, it introduces your venue and leaves a footprint for them to re-engage with your brand later.

This initial email builds trust and taps into their fresh interest. It’s your chance to introduce your venue and give them a hint about what they can expect in future communications. To make them feel extra welcome, you could include a one-time brandollar reward through Liven Loyalty.

2. Promotional Email

Promotional emails drive revenue and help keep diners engaged and up-to-date with your venue. They can feature menu updates, seasonal changes, special offers, or details about upcoming events. The purpose is to excite your customers and quickly drive them back into your venue. 

Setting up templates to drop your promotional content into is simple in Liven Engage. AI tools like Midjourney or DaVinci make creating high-impact images a breeze.

3. Birthday Email

Sending your diners a personalised happy birthday email on or near their birthday is an effective way to nurture a lasting relationship. These emails make the recipient feel special and help boost sales and customer retention. 

You can gather customers' birthdays when they sign up for Liven Loyalty or through your venue's physical assets. This thoughtful touch encourages customers to return and strengthens the emotional connection between your venue and its community.

4. Prompt Emails

Prompt emails reach out to potential customers who've shown interest in your venue but haven't made a purchase yet—or might have only visited once. 

The trick now is to inspire them with great content and incentivize them with offers. You might offer a special Brandollar tier, where you offer them extra dollars for buying now to eat later. 

The goal is to be helpful and engaging and ensure your venue is always front of mind so that when the customer is ready to make a purchase, the choice is easy. 

5. Re-engagement Email

You might notice some subscribers aren't engaging with your emails—they haven't redeemed their special promo codes or opened your emails. Re-engagement emails are the answer. By leveraging your online ordering data directly connected to your Liven Engage, you can craft personalised and compelling messages to bring them back.

These emails aim to recapture those subscribers' attention; you could offer a bonus on your Brandollar to remind them of your venue’s value. Plus, re-engagement emails let you check in and discover what content they prefer, ensuring you send more content they want to see and boosting the chances they'll stay engaged.

Hot Tips

Getting email right isn’t hard, and we’re here to help and make sure you don’t miss out on hot tips like:

1. Make your brand beautiful: Get your digital branding right - not just in look and feel, language and tone.
2. Give them something, anything: Give them the stuff that costs nothing - recipes, gift ideas, or suggestions on other places to visit around your venue.
3. Avoid Spam - Enhance Relevance: Ensure each email adds value to your subscribers, avoiding frequent, irrelevant communications that could be perceived as spam.
4. Diversify Content Offerings: Balance promotional messages with content that educates or enhances your customers' lifestyles, making your communications more engaging.
5. Mobile Optimization: Optimise all emails for mobile devices to enhance readability and user experience, preventing frustration and potential unsubscriptions.
6. Personalization Tactics: Use personalised subject lines and email content that resonate with individual subscribers, enhancing engagement and connection.
7. Make it Actionable: Incorporate clear and clickable calls-to-action (CTAs) within your emails, making it easy for subscribers to take desired steps. Building a high-impact digital pathway - hint: get them coming back to your website and Liven Magic App
8. Segment Your Subscriber List: To increase relevance and effectiveness, tailor your email campaigns by segmenting your list based on user attributes and behaviours.
9. Continuous Optimization: Regularly test various elements of your email campaigns, such as subject lines, to refine and improve your outreach efforts continually.
10. Give them a way out: Don’t forget your unsubscribe button, and ensure you track unsubscribes. It will give you a quick signal as to whether your message is hitting the mark.

What is the next step? 

Boosting your email marketing strategy means finding the perfect blend of emails to keep diners interested, nurture new leads, and strengthen relationships. Start by reviewing your existing emails—how often you send them and what they're about. 

Liven Engage can help you capture, collect, and engage with your community. It goes beyond the basics of marketing automation. With essential features like email campaigns, contact segmentation, automation, and reporting, Liven Engage also effortlessly allows you to create stunning landing pages, user-friendly forms, and insightful reports. Contact us today to request a demo and discover what Liven Engage can do for you!