The best business provide personalized attention to their customers. They know which customers are frequent guests, and which guests are visiting their business for the first time. They know which customers eat out during the week versus the weekend, and they incorporate this data into their marketing communications.
Here are three key check-in metrics you should be incorporating into your marketing efforts:
1. Check-in Frequency
Your most loyal guests should receive different attention than your newest guests.
For guests that frequently check into your store, can you do something special to say “thanks?” This could could be a coupon, such as a free appetizer, or it could be something non-monetary, like a special shout-out to them on Twitter.
For your newest guests that have just checked-in for the first time, how do you convert them into repeat customers? How do you introduce them to all of the services your business provides? For example, your newest customers may not know about your trivia night on Tuesday or your cake-decorating classes on the weekend. One way to easily communicate this would be to send a special Twitter message to guests that check-in for the first time, or even send them an email or SMS to communicate what your business has to offer.
2. Day and Time of Check-Ins
Not all of your customers visit your business at the same time. Do you know which guests like to eat out for lunch versus dinner? Do you know which guests like to shop on Friday night instead of Saturday? Understanding the days and times that your guests check-in can help enable you to deliver personalized communications and recommendations.
For example, if a guest frequently checks into your restaurant during lunch-time, it may be more relevant to send her info on your new lunch specials than to send a message about your weekend prix fixe course. However, knowing that a frequent customer doesn’t visit your business for dinner may also be an opportunity to tell her about all of your dinner offerings.
If you know that a particular guest typically checks-in during off-peak times during the week, sending this person a message about deals that are only valid during the week may be a great opportunity to drive traffic to your business during off-peak times.
3. Total Check-Ins
How many total times do your customers check-in around town? For example, knowing if guests are frequently checking into different venues around town can help you identify people that could be great customers for your business.
For example, if you see that one of your newest customers has checked-in 1,000 times to other venues, you know this is a person that likes to eat out, go shopping or attend events around town. This is a person your business should make an effort to build a relationship with, as this person has the potential to frequently visit your store or restaurant. After this person checks-in for the first time, think about quickly sending this person an offer or deal to visit your business again.
What other check-in statistics can you use to drive more traffic to your store? Let us know in the comments!