Building brand awareness isn’t an easy task, especially when running a food business. After all, you might need to compete against many restaurants, bars, cafes, fast food brands, food trucks, and more in your neighborhood.
Fortunately, a powerful marketing strategy could spread the good word about your brand, dishes, and services to improve engagement and secure many customers. Check out the following four clever ways to promote your food business.
1. Launch an Attractive Website
Launch a website to help visitors find your business online and convince them to book a table at a restaurant or hire your food services. For example, a 2019 survey found 77% of diners reportedly visit a restaurant’s website before dining at the venue or ordering takeout.
Take the time to build an attractive, easy-to-use, and helpful website with a responsive menu to convince online visitors to place an order, hire a service, or book a table.
2. Appear in Google for “Near Me” Searches
Many people will type “restaurants near me” or similar into Google when looking for a bite to eat. If your venue doesn’t appear at the top of the search engine, a user is more likely to visit a direct competitor instead.
Optimize your website for “near me” searches to rank highly on Google for local food business results. A website will help you rank in Google, but you must adopt local SEO techniques to gain more customers.
For example, you can create a Google My Business profile that’s free of charge, which should include basic information about your company, such as its address and contact details. Add many photos to encourage more customers to book a table, order takeout, or hire your services.
Also, ask customers to write honest reviews about your company. The more five-star reviews you earn from customers, the more people will trust in the quality of your food and customer service experience.
3. Boost Brand Recognition
The biggest food brands in the world feature recognizable branding that makes people want to dine at their restaurants or buy their products. For example, McDonald’s has the Golden Arch, KFC has Colonel Sanders, and Starbucks has the Siren. Turn your food business into a popular brand by promoting your logo and increasing recognition as much as possible.
For example, you could buy custom trucker hats by anthembranding.com with your brand’s logo, which your employees can wear inside and outside the workplace. Also, the practical accessory could serve as a cool corporate gift that your target audience would happily wear.
4. Gain New Customers with Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to promote a food business and attract many new customers. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate it; the advertising strategy could prove lucrative to your company.
If you need convincing, a 2020 study found that 61% of consumers between 18 to 34 years old stated they had been swayed into a decision by an influencer. For this reason, consider partnering with a local blogger or social media influencer to promote your restaurant, food truck, or catering company.