Ways To Market Your Food Truck Business
If you had a chance to read our last blog (and if you didn’t, you should click here and check it out), then you’re already aware that the mobile food industry is booming right now. This is allowing many mobile entrepreneurs an opportunity to dive into this business and showcase their food talents.
The foundation for all successful mobile food businesses is the food trailer itself. Without the right one built to your needs, your efforts will falter. At Smokin Joe’s Trailers, we want every business owner to be successful in their endeavors, and that is why we build custom made food trailers, designed to meet your specifications. Having the strong foundation of a reliable food trailer will give you a tremendous head start over the competition.
Once you have that custom made trailer built for you, you’re ready to roll (quite literally). Now the real work begins, because now you need to do everything you can to promote your mobile food business. While the often quoted “if you build it, they will come”, is somewhat true; if no one knows your food trailer exists, then the odds of customers arriving decreases dramatically.
Marketing in the food trailer business is one of the make or break facets of the industry, and there are plenty of resources at your disposal to create buzz around your brand. Many marketing techniques are free to a degree, and used properly can be huge asset to you. Check out a few ideas below:
SOCIAL MEDIA
We all know about it, odds are you have a few of your own, but social media for businesses is absolutely vital. Social media can be daunting for people because of the time and commitment it takes to make it work properly. For social media to work you want to look for two things, quality followers, and consistency
When I say quality followers, what I mean is to have a target market. There are over 1 billion users on Facebook- you don’t need them all following you. What you want is followers from the community you operate in the most. A business who has 10,000 followers, may look like they are killing the social media game, but if 9,900 of those followers are in different states or countries, and never visit their business, then who cares? A business with 1,000 community followers that regularly engage,show up for events, and share posts, are by far more profitable.
Consistency of posts is another factor. You need to decide for yourself how often you want to post during a week or day. There is no “right” answer to this. I would say at minimum, commit to 3–4 post per week to keep people engaged. If you are having an event, then post multiple pictures at multiple times during the event to create buzz and excitement. Consider taking photos of your product, ask customers to pose with you, encourage people who show up to sign-up for your social media, maybe offer a quick perk if they do.
42% of people have multiple social media accounts, so it is important to reach out to multiple channels and mediums in order to reach the maximum amount of people. Encourage your customers to use the “check-in” features that some social channels have. This shows up on their news feed and then their followers see it, giving you more exposure. Most important, announce where your food trailer is, and do this every time you are at new location. Be sure to let people know where you will be throughout the week.
Website
Okay, you need a website, there really is no debate about this one. Not having a website is like not having a phone at this point. If you hear a business owner tell you that you don’t need one, please have them contact me, and I will happily show them the income they are losing because of a lack of presence online.
With that being said… social media and websites are the two things consumers will look at when making a decision about your brand. Your website makes a statement about you. It allows people to know what you are all about, what your product is, why they should visit you, and what makes you different. There are probably hundreds of food trailers in your area, what sets yours apart? Your website gives you the chance to show that.
Your website can inform people of your menu, allow people to know about upcoming events, list your locations, specials, discounts, and people can get to know you. You can post videos, testimonials, link to your social media (highly recommended), and engage your audience about your brand!
There are multiple avenues to make a website. If you are new and budget is a concern, there are free options out there. As you grow, and as soon as you can, make the investment and get a web designer to make you a custom site that is unique to your brand.
Become A Sponsor
If you live in, or near a big city, odds are there are multiple community events happening every weekend. Everything from marathon races, to small (or large) block parties, charity campaigns, and so on. Most of these events need community sponsors to make it happen. While there is an investment involved to becoming a sponsor, the return can be huge. Most times as a sponsor, you are able to have your logo posted with high visibility, have your business listed in marketing material, given shout-outs on social media, and most importantly you can negotiate to have your food trailer there at the event. If you sponsor high enough you might be able to negotiate to have your food trailer to be the exclusive seller of your particular cuisine. Best of all, you have a dedicated group of customers brought right to you! If your business leaves a good impression, there is a strong chance you will be invited for the next event.
Not only does this give you great exposure, but you start connecting with the community that you are servicing. Creating that type of goodwill and excellent public relations can set you apart from the rest. Most cities or town will list their community events on their city page online, so connect with them, or with local chambers in your area and start your outreach.
Reward the Loyalty
Any business owner needs to value their customers. Without them we have nothing. So with that being said, creating strong bonds and connections with your customers is one of the best ways to keep a business going. Having someone come once to your food trailer is great, but having someone who shows up repeatedly, who promotes your brand by word of mouth, or who brings friends with them when they stop by, is worth their weight in gold!
Do what you can to reward that loyalty. Consider starting loyalty program wherein a customer who purchases X amount of meals is rewarded something free, or discounted for their patronage. There are several ways to go about this: You can make your own card, print it out, and mark every visit, or you can make an online reward program (some are free) that automatically checks each visit based off a customer’s phone number or email. With the online format, you can have people sign up VIA your social media or your website (see how they all start to complement one another?).
Newsletter and Blogs
Kind of like the one you are reading now. When you think about your marketing game plan, you want to do your best to tie everything together. A newsletter does just that. Using your website, your social media, by asking people who buy your product to provide you with an email, helps build a database of loyal customers that you can reach out to.
By sending our one or two newsletters a month, you are keeping lines of communication open with your customers. You can let them know all the places you will be at for the month, what your menu is, links to all your online presences, and even offer them special discounts, just for being on your newsletter.
You can create articles and blogs if you want to and spotlight some of your workers, maybe the history of your business, or give shout-outs to your most loyal customers. Many people enjoy reading newsletters and feeling connected (if you are still reading this blog and you got here VIA the newsletter we sent you, then it’s proof it works). You can add awesome graphics and images to your newsletter, link to videos, and get out any information you want. Keep it fun, keep it conversational, and always remember to thank you customers for how great they are!
There are several free newsletter programs out there, and many allow for free accounts up to a certain amount of emails in your database, but even when you exceed the amount, the monthly fees are usually nominal. Like social media, the important thing is to be consistent.
In Closing
There are so many ways to market your business, and in future newsletters we will list some more, but these are some that you can start almost immediately to quickly engage your audience. Many of these you can do on your own, and many are budget conscious. The main thing is, don’t be afraid to try them out. Understand marketing takes time, but with consistency you can build a dedicated audience of customers who love your brand and keep coming back for more.
At Smokin Joe’s Trailers, we want to always provide the best information that is relevant to your needs. If there is a topic you want us to write about, then by all means, reach out to us and let us know. Do you have a food trailer business and want to be interviewed for our newsletter? Great! We want to talk to you. Contact us and find out how we can put you in our blog, newsletter, and social media (free marketing for you!)
If you are looking for a food trailer for your business, we want to talk to you and show you what makes us the #1 Food Concession Dealer in Texas! Check out our website, check out our new inventory we just got in, and let us build you the custom food trailer you deserve!
