We explore how email continues to drive results for restaurants. And how social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter can further strengthen your restaurant's return on investment.

You’ve defined your addressable market on Facebook and developed a rock-solid content strategy that will connect with your audience. At the conclusion of the “Promote” step your restaurant will have a deep understanding of the opportunities to maximize distribution across the network.

Facebook has more in common with traditional media outlets than the hype would have you believe. Like print, television and direct mail before it, Facebook is simply a platform that supports your marketing messages. The content, design and distribution methods are still the substance that drives performance. The years of knowledge and experience from successfully marketing your restaurant are just as valuable as ever. With full confidence that your traditional marketing knowledge is in top form, this section will focus on the new, highly-valuable capabilities that Facebook brings to the mix.

It’s no secret that e-commerce has seen exponential growth in the last decade. It has challenged the traditional brick and mortar system, with websites like Amazon.com effectively competing against retail behemoths like Walmart. Yet, for businesses based on experiences or perishable inventory, both of which apply to restaurants, there is limited e-commerce opportunity. Gift card sales, online ordering and group buying allow restaurants a taste of online sales, but the lion’s share of the revenue continues to change hands at the register.

Real estate may have coined the phrase “location, location, location,” but it’s the restaurant business that truly embodies it. Whether your brand has ten locations or 10,000, each store must successfully navigate a unique set of circumstances to keep the customers coming. Here are five of the most significant challenges associated with email marketing across a multi-unit organization, and how Fishbowl’s Local Store Marketing (LSM) solution can help you solve them.

Restaurants are always trying to get more from their limited resources. With already slim margins, brands are constantly negotiating with suppliers, promoting off-peak dayparts and streamlining in-store operations to incrementally improve the bottom line. Yet, many overlook the pent-up value locked within their own guest email database.

Email is already among the most effective marketing channels, despite the fact that 55% of consumers do not open and read messages regularly because of lacking relevance. In other words, more than half of email marketing’s potential revenue is lost because marketers do not cater to their audiences effectively.

Campaign drove 313,764 offline and 171,563 online opt-ins for the new “Denny’s Rewards” Program. More than nine times the total 50,816 guest registrations gained via the 2009 campaign.

Facebook for Restaurants Series Part: 1

Like all marketing efforts, success on Facebook is determined by the quality of your research and planning. Your initial findings and projections set the foundation for all other elements of the program. At the conclusion of the “Prepare” step, your restaurant will have uncovered actionable audience insights and specifically define short- and long-term business success.