A food truck is more than just a fast food serving station, so it should stand out from the competition as an independent brand. For this you need an appropriate marketing strategy. Follow our 5 easy steps and you cannot go wrong.
A food truck is more than just a fast food serving station, so it should stand out from the competition as an independent brand. For this you need an appropriate marketing strategy. Follow our 5 easy steps and you cannot go wrong.
Your food truck marketing strategy
Before going into the details, there are a few points that need in-depth consideration:
Market analysis
By this we mean understanding both the market and customers from your target group. You should also take a look at your competitors and think about the reasons for their success. Your analysis, however, should not stop here. You should also think about unsuccessful food truck businesses. Why were they unsuccessful? In which social media should my food truck be present? What are my preferences, and what am I not so keen on? Which locations are most affordable? Which dishes are currently popular? The answers to these and other questions are an important starting point for creating your own marketing strategy.
Setting your goals
Following the above analysis, you should try to determine what you really want to achieve before you come up with food truck marketing ideas. Do you want to increase brand recognition and customer awareness? Or maybe concentrate on the regional aspect of your brand, or perhaps become a recognisable brand across the country? Do you want to increase your sales or improve your brand image? In order to develop the right strategy you need to determine which values are most important to you.
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Strategy
The next step is planning the strategy, i.e. determining the optimal way to achieve your goals. When do expect to record the first results of your company, and when can goals be considered as achieved? The second part covers different options and their results. We will outline the necessary resources for each option and show you how to create a task schedule.
Budget
Ask yourself this question – how much should you spend on various marketing activities? Take into account that there are many methods of free advertising for your company. Social media can play an important role here, especially if you want to increase the recognition of your brand among your target group. You need to invest your time, not money.
Watching over your investment
After determining the amount of time you can spend on each goal, check if your goals have been achieved. Has the number of Instagram followers increased? Have sales increased? You should analyse what has been achieved so far and, if necessary, adjust your strategy or even completely change it if the goals you set were not achieved in the designated time. If your food truck is hugely successful, then you should further increase your marketing resources. By keeping an eye on your ongoing financial results, you can make changes without wasting time and money.
With the right resources, your food truck will become an unquestionable leader.
The good news is that promoting your food truck can be done with little or even no budget. There are many ways, especially via the Internet, to draw attention to your food truck and what you offer. Here are the most common forms of advertising:
Own website
Even if it may not seem important at first, a website is an essential part of any business. Websites can be created using a modular system with just a few clicks and at little cost. You should pay attention to the following points:
- The domain name should contain the name of the food truck. Keep your domain address short and easy to remember.
- The website design should in some way refer to your food truck, and your logo should be clearly visible on the website.
- The main content such as names of dishes, prices and locations must always be up-to-date.
- It is also worth dedicating a part of the website for customer opinions, information about the team, recipes, tips or other additional content.
- Contact details, such as your e-mail address and telephone number, should be clearly visible, as well as links to all social media networks.
Social media
Social media are a great form of free of charge or low cost food truck promotion. Here is an overview of the most important social media networks:
- Facebook – probably the most popular website. However, Facebook is slowly becoming a less relevant social networking site for younger target groups.
- Instagram – perfect for posting photos of your best dishes. #Foodporn is probably the best hashtag here.
- Twitter – due to the limited number of characters, Twitter is not generally considered as a good marketing tool for food truck businesses.
- LinkedIn – great for quickly finding employees or contacting experienced people from your industry.
Your content should always be interesting, funny or informational. The old saying “a picture is worth more than a thousand words” makes sense more than ever in today’s social media. This is especially true when it comes to food. And remember – less is more! Spam on social media is not only annoying but also illegal. Spam posts generate significantly less views.
Ratings and reviews on food and Google apps
Customer are not only interested in your menu before making a decision. Ratings and opinions on Google and portals like TripAdvisor also play an important role. They not only help make a decision, but can also provide valuable information about your business. Is the waiting time too long or are the prices too high? Or maybe the ingredients aren’t fresh enough? In such cases, even the best marketing strategies won’t help. However, if you ensure a high level of customer service, customer reviews will always work in your favour. Maybe you could ask customers for likes instead of tips? This way, you will be able to generate positive feedback much faster and also grow your group of followers.
Food truck portals
These websites let you quickly register your food truck, making it visible across the country.
Most popular food truck portals, and are also relatively cheap, easy to use and let you quickly achieve your goals. Other online marketing options are portals like YouTube, blogs or classic email marketing, including newsletters. It’s worth considering whether online activities will be free and not too time consuming, or whether you should use the services or a marketing agency. With the latter option, you can count on a professionally managed online image of your food truck. On the other hand, apart from costing a lot, using an agency can sometimes be less authentic, due to the fact that content is written by people who don’t actually work in the food truck.
This approach is perhaps more useful for building your brand and reputation. However, you can also effectively attract customers and increase sales with a small or even no budget.
- The food truck itself should draw the attention of passers-by. Original colours with with a unique design and visible logo should catch people’s attention and make them remember your food truck for a long time.
- Menu boards are a cheap way to stand out from the competition. Always make sure that your menu is up-to-date!
- Napkins and take-away packaging with the logo of your food truck are not always cheap, but they definitely increase recognition.
- Aprons or t-shirts with your logo and in the colours of your brand make your staff look more professional, and emphasize the fact that they are a team.
- Certain design elements, such as flags and additional decorations, can sometimes be seen as a little too much. However, they help you stand out from the competition.
- Leaflets, posters, and advertisements in local newspapers are especially useful for announcing your location and opening hours.
- Business or discount cards (e.g. a free meal after collecting ten stamps) should always include your website, e-mail address and a request to follow your food truck on social media.
The above-mentioned suggestions are not the only options, but simply a guide in terms of your food truck marketing plan. Choosing the right option depends on the owner, target group, marketing goals and of course your budget and time constraints. Basic resources are available with little effort, and every food truck owner should take advantage of them!
However, if you have financial resources for paid advertising, check out video to find out best options:
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