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7 Ways to Advertise Your Food Truck and Get More Customers
With so many food trucks running in your area, you have to make sure that you set yourself apart from the rest and attract more customers. The best way to do this is through effective food truck advertising, which could be in the form of radio, print, or digital ads or even through social media promotions. However, with so many options available, how do you pick the right one? Keep reading as we share with you 7 ways to advertise your food truck and get more customers.
1) The Best Way To Increase Sales Is To Get A New Customer
The best way to increase sales is by getting a new customer. A new customer that has never tried your food before is the best thing for any business. Let's say a customer comes from across town, eats at your food truck, and falls in love with your food. Now that person will want to eat from you all the time, which helps create an even bigger business.
2) Drive People To Your Website
There are many ways you can drive people to your website. Facebook advertising, email blasts, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, Google maps ads, getting reviews on Yelp or Foursquare, or foodie apps, like Eat24 or Gogobot, for instance.
In addition, food trucks should have their contact information displayed prominently, along with a phone number so customers can call or text about the truck's location. It is also a good idea to put an actual map on the side of the truck, so customers know where they are located.
The most important factor in success when attracting new customers is how often your food truck is out there in public. It takes patience, but if you make sure that there is always one of your delicious tacos at every festival or event in town, word will spread quickly!
What other methods do you use to get more people? One way is by partnering up with local restaurants to offer promotions. Another method would be by doing promotions on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
Find places where people congregate such as parks, college campuses, malls, events, etc., and set up shop to see what happens!
Another great way to advertise your food truck business is by utilizing outdoor banners in strategic locations that are designed to grab attention from potential customers.
3) Create An Amazing Menu
Focusing on the menu is one of the best ways to draw people in. From highlighting your restaurant's specialty or inventing a new dish, you need something unique. However, sometimes it might not be enough.
If you want more customers, here are some strategies that can help:
- Bring samples: It doesn't matter how good your food is if people don't know about it. Bring samples with you and offer them to passersby, so they get a taste of what they're missing out on.
- Hire someone who can talk well: People don't always have time to ask questions before making up their minds about what they want to eat. Hiring someone who can talk well will go a long way. They'll tell potential customers about the flavors of your dishes, whether you offer gluten-free options or organic produce, and even where your ingredients come from. Not only will this entice more people to try what you've got to offer, but it also shows commitment to providing great customer service.
- Have a catchy slogan: What do think It's finger lickin' good would mean? That KFC has excellent fried chicken?
4) Use Social Media Right
Owning a food truck is no cakewalk. Not only do you have to deal with running your business all day, but also paying rent on your location and the extra expenses that come with owning a vehicle. That's why, as they say, one of the most important keys to success in this industry is advertising.
Whether it be through social media or simply putting up flyers at nearby schools and universities, a successful food truck relies heavily on people finding out about them. We've compiled some easy ways for you to advertise your food truck and get more customers coming in! Here are some tips:
1) Create content-rich posts on Facebook and Twitter - You want to make sure that your content has eye-catching photos, videos, or other graphics to keep people scrolling. Also remember to include relevant hashtags so that when others search those words, they will find your post.
It is crucial to create unique posts with relevant content because if you don't, you'll just be getting lost in the shuffle.
People often forget to think outside of their specific niche, which means there could easily be something else being posted that would fit better into what your followers may want.
When creating your post, try thinking what would my followers care about? Keep them updated on where you're going next, what new menu items are coming out soon, or even who the newest hire was at the restaurant. These sorts of updates can help build loyalty between your company and its followers while simultaneously driving traffic to your page.
Remember, however, not to share too much personal information--nobody wants to know every detail about you or how much money you make from working at the truck.
2) Offer coupons - One way many food trucks offer discounts is by having printable coupons available online for anyone that visits their website or follows them on social media.
Coupons are great for bringing in more foot traffic because people like feeling like they're saving money; so go ahead and make use of those coupons!
3) Post flyers near college campuses - If you own a local food truck and have been trying unsuccessfully to reach students around the University campus, consider posting flyers around buildings on campus. It doesn't take a lot of time and energy to put up a few posters, and the payoff could be huge. You never know who might end up taking a bite out of your business!
4) Reach out to the press - The last thing you should always do before closing down your food truck for the night is to contact journalists that work at publications in your area. This way, you'll make sure that you don't miss any opportunities to promote your company. You may be the best food truck in town, but nobody knows about you unless you tell them!
This is a long-term strategy that takes a lot of time and effort to make worthwhile, but it is well worth the wait. Think about what social media platforms your followers are on and see if there are any writers or bloggers that cover similar topics in your region. Asking to be interviewed or reviewed could lead to increased traffic, good publicity, and a loyal following.
5) Find Additional Marketing Channels
Many food trucks use direct marketing methods, such as handouts, flyers, or coupons.
Find a variety of customer demographics by focusing on social media as well. For example, food trucks in certain areas may be more popular with hipsters than anyone else. By having an eye for these niche groups, you can target them through advertising channels like Reddit or Facebook. With a combination of ads, outreach strategies, and targeting of specific demographic groups, you can get more customers for your food truck! As a final note, make sure that you don't limit yourself to the online sphere when looking for ways to advertise your food truck.
Sometimes you'll have the best luck reaching people who are physically near your location. Consider distributing fliers at businesses near the area where you plan on setting up shop.
6) Look For Partnerships That Work For You
If you are trying to create an authentic and successful food truck, find ways that will work best for you. Partnerships might be a great way to help you get more customers. You can advertise in their window, give them some of your delicious food for free, or simply offer specials that are better than theirs so people will come back to you again.
7) Analyze What You Are Doing And Adjust
The decision whether or not to advertise a food truck depends on your needs. You should analyze the financial risks you are taking, your projected revenue, and what kind of customers you're looking for. You might also want to hire a consultant or adviser who can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
This is about determining if advertising is even necessary in the first place. Before doing anything else, take a look at your budget and decide how much money you would like to spend.
Consider hiring an advertising consultant as well to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. If you do choose to advertise, be sure to know where your target audience will come from so that you can plan accordingly. For example, if they come from social media platforms such as Facebook then create an account there and start engaging with people who post related content.
You'll need to determine which channels work best for your food truck's demographic, but one thing is certain: without trying out new ideas, you won't know what works best!