Author: Andy

Let’s talk data. Database management is the cornerstone of all good marketing. So, ensuring your database is as current as possible is key. You probably have your website forms in place to capture contacts details which are then added directly to your database within MyGuestlist. You may also have staff manually adding contacts to the system on a regular basis. But there may be other places that you could be forgetting.

Centralising your database streamlines workload and ensures that all possible contacts are being spoken to about your brand. When thinking about centralising your database it’s important to make sure you are being resourceful. Data is acquired from all different avenues. Make sure that all of these channels are funnelling into one central spot. Any data captured in your venue, or via an external system should all be added to your database within MyGuestlist. This way all contacts are in a single location and you can then market to everyone as needed.

There are many external systems being used across the industry. Have a think about your business and the daily systems in place and being used. Are any of them capturing your customers’ information? Most commonly, data from reservation/booking systems, function management systems, CRMs, gaming systems, loyalty programs and data captured in venue is being collected. If you’re not regularly adding this data to your MyGuestlist account, you should.

Uploading external data is simple and can be down via the Upload Contacts link located in the orange menu within the Database tab. It is recommended that you upload external data at least once per month. MyGuestlist also offer integrations, so if you would like to have the data automatically transferred from an external system into your MyGuestlist account; that may be an option.

Committing to centralising your database will give you a more complete picture of who your customers are and the type of data that is avidly being collected on them. Additionally you will be able to rest assured knowing that when you are sending out your monthly newsletters, and updates about the happenings at your venue, all possible contacts will be reached. If you have any questions about centralising your database, or would like assistance consolidating your databases, please feel free to reach out to our friendly staff.

One of the best ways to increase patronage is to implement birthday automation. The reason for this is because it allows you to speak to customers in a one-to-one manner. Unlike your normal campaigns, birthday automation is incredibly personal. It gives you the ability to address your customers by name, thank them for their patronage, and acknowledge their birthday. Speaking directly to a customer about something personal allows the customer to see you in a new light. Birthday messages often changes their perception because it shows that you cares about them.

This level of communication also allows you the opportunity to give back to the customer. By including an offer in the birthday message, you are providing incentive and increasing the likelihood of that customer celebrating their special day at your venue. Birthday offers can be whatever you see fit, but should be relevant to your brand. The value of your offer should also align with your customer demographic. For example, if you are a pub, and you main clientele is uni kids, your birthday offer should be something inciting to a university student. Whereas, if your clientele is mature professionals, the offer should be relevant to their typical spends. When coming up with your offer, make sure you clearly outline any terms and conditions about what is included and excluded. If the aim of the offer is to get customers to come in and celebrate their birthday midweek, then you will want to stipulate that the offer can only be redeemed Monday – Thursday. If selected properly,  offers are highly regarded and valued.

Using a little creativity, you can ramp up normal birthday automation by setting up additional messages which will send to contacts with Milestone Birthdays (e.g.. 21st Birthdays). Offering customers with milestone birthdays a different birthday gift, opens up the possibility for function hire or larger bookings. If you’re keen to leverage contacts’ date of birth even further, you can also set up things like  half birthday messages. Which encourage the customer to come in and redeem an additional offer.

Implementing automation is easy. It is a one time setup process which will continuously send out your messages each time the sending criteria has been met. The payoffs of implementing birthday automation can be huge. What are you waiting for? Set up your birthday automation today and start reaping the benefits.

In this day in age, nearly all restaurants use a booking system. Operationally speaking it’s brilliant because of how easy it is for staff to see what service will be like, and to manage bookings. One of the biggest benefits of utilising a booking system, is the marketing potential it holds. Each time a patron makes a booking, their data is captured. Because these contacts are paying customers, they can be contacted for marketing purposes.

MyGuestlist has the ability to set up an integration with your booking system that will automatically add your booking customers to your database. (Please contact your account manager to discuss the process and cost of setting up an integration). Some integrations also capture the customers booking details. In this instance, booking data is stored within the “Reservations” section of the account (within the Guestlist tab) and the contact’s details are stored within the database tab.

Capturing booking data is beneficial because it allows you to speak to customers one-to-one. Marketing to contacts on a personal level increases brand awareness, and encourages loyalty. This “Set and Forget” type of marketing is a perfect option for the booking information that is being collected. There are heaps of ways you can leverage booking data via automation, below are just a few ways you can leverage your data to increase repeat business:

• Thank You – Sent to Customers after their first time dining
• Update Details – Sent to customers after their second time dining asking them to provide more details on who they are.
• Loyalty – Sent to Customers who have booked and dined ‘X’ number of times
• Re-engagement – Sent to customers who have not booked in ‘X” number of months
• Large Bookings – Sent to customers who made a large booking for “X or more” people

Automation is an incredibly powerful tool when it is used to leverage the data that is being received from a booking system. As long as the data is being pushed into your MyGuestlist account, the sky is the limit with regards to the type and number of automated messages you can set up. Should you have any questions about automation, or would like to have an integration set up, please reach out to your account manager or call our offices on 03 9999 2585.