Restaurant Email Marketing

For Encore Hospitality Group, I managed email campaigns for both Red Stripe and Mill's Tavern restaurants using Constant Contact. One of the first tasks I tackled was reducing unsubscribes. Analyzing the data revealed that the high frequency of emails and joint campaigns were major factors. To address this, I reduced the number of new emails and focused on follow-ups to non-openers. I also separated campaigns for each restaurant, as Red Stripe and Mill's Tavern cater to different demographics (casual vs. fine dining), which improved engagement and reduced unsubscribes by half.

Additionally, I enhanced brand consistency in the emails. Building on recent website redesigns, I introduced new branding elements for each restaurant. While maintaining a similar structure for cohesion, I tailored the designs to better fit each restaurant's unique demographic. I also introduced automation elements, including a welcome email series, and streamlined workflows for adding contacts from the website, Open Table, and Toast POS. This modernization brought consistency to the email campaigns, aligning them with the redesigned branding for each restaurant while catering to their unique audiences.

The results were evident in the metrics. From 2018 to 2021, open rates increased from 14.96% to 19.22%, and click-through rates rose from 4.09% to 7.8%. Despite a decline in 2020 due to COVID-19, the metrics showed a strong recovery. In 2022, after the introduction of new privacy measures, open rates were 41.88% and click-through rates were 1.02%. In 2023, open rates improved to 45.63% and click-through rates increased to 1.30%.