marketing strategy for online food business

How to Sell Food Online in 7 Easy Steps

Do you love to cook or bake? Hold the honor of making a loved one ditch takeout? If you answered yes to either question, chances are you’d love to learn how to sell food online.

Selling food allows you to showcase your creative side while tapping into a highly resilient industry. According to Statista , the food and grocery market value is expected to reach a value of around 4.2 trillion US dollars by 2027. 

Everybody loves great-tasting food, and we all have to eat every day. So regardless of shifting trends in ecommerce, when it comes to selling food online, you should always have an audience. 

But there are some challenges to consider. For example, selling food online means taking extra precautions with your packaging. Forget to list an ingredient or allergy risk, and you could find yourself in trouble with the healthcare authorities.

Fortunately, a little guidance is all you need to start and run a successful online food business. Below is everything you need to know to get started, including how to overcome the challenges associated with selling food online.

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How to Start an Online Food Business in 7 Steps

1. know the law.

Before you can get serious about starting an online food business, you need to know the rules. If you get anything wrong (from your packaging to your ingredients), you put your customers at risk. 

You could even risk huge fines if you’re not following the right regulations. 

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Any person in the US planning on selling food from their home needs to follow the “ Cottage Food Laws .” This basically means you need to know how to store your food correctly and keep it away from dangerous contaminants, like pets.

You’ll also need:

• A state business license
• Zoning clearance and permits from your government
• Kitchen inspections conducted once per year
• Have regular food handling training sessions to keep food safe
• License your business in your chosen state. You can do this on the SBA website .

Research the guidelines and regulations in place for food management and selling in your region. 

It’s also worth taking courses on food safety, so you can put your customers’ minds at ease if they have any questions about your food.

2. Choose Your Niche

Food is an extremely broad industry. Although you might be tempted to sell “food for anyone,” the more specific you get with your niche, the more likely you are to stand out. Start by thinking about which food types you’re passionate about. Do you love making bread, or can you whip up a delicious pasta in minutes? 

If you don’t have a specific preference, some initial market research could inspire you. Use a keyword research tool to see what people are currently searching for in the food industry. Alternatively, you can look into trending food ideas, like plant-based meals, vegan products, and artisanal food products. A few niche options include:

• Custom cake and novelty foods
• Organic, natural, fair-trade foods
• Food made for dietary restrictions (Gluten-free or dairy-free)
• Gourmet, small-batch, and artisanal foods

If you’re just getting started selling food products online, it might be best to focus on items that don’t require a big investment. For instance, you can make candies, dried herbs, canned products, and baked goods without buying specialist equipment. Keep it simple and fun in the beginning.

3. Find Your Supplier

Whether you’re making food products from scratch or curating items to sell to your audience, you’ll need a reliable supplier. Choosing the correct supplier is essential in the food landscape. The wrong selection puts your brand at risk, but it could also lead to food poisoning and illness in your customers. Make sure you do your due diligence   while preparingto sell food from home. 

When shopping for ingredients and suppliers, take the time to examine the reviews left by other customers. Look for transparency in your suppliers in the form of well-defined supply chains and plenty of information about where products come from. 

If you’re looking for a supplier with specific credentials (like sustainably sourced ingredients), and you can’t find evidence of those facts online, reach out and ask for more information. Any good supplier should be able to provide the information required to put your mind at ease.. 

Ensure your suppliers can also give you products with a decent shelf-life, so you’re not sending out foods nearing an expiration date. You can also boost your chances of keeping food fresh by managing your inventory correctly. First-in-first-out strategies are often best for food.

4. Work on Packaging, Branding, and Labeling

A good brand image is important in any business, but it’s particularly important to get your packaging right when building an online food business. Your branding should be approachable and relevant to the kind of product you’re selling. An all-organic food company might use a lot of natural colors and plant imagery. A business selling custom cupcakes might have a brightly colored, novelty appearance.

Once you’ve got your brand personality nailed down, think about how you’re going to package your food correctly, not just for shelf appeal, but compliance too. The FDA food ingredient and packaging guide highlights the kind of information you’ll need to supply to help customers make the right purchasing decisions. Transparency is crucial with your ingredients. 

Sourcing the right providers for your ingredients will make it easier to ensure you’re aware of every product that goes into your finished goods. There are guidelines available on the web for each country when it comes to labeling rules. 

Go through the FTC fair packaging act and the US food packaging manufacturer directory before creating your packaging. Make sure that the packaging you choose is also suited to the kind of food you’re selling.

5. Price Your Food Products

Pricing can be a tricky process if you’re new to selling food online. On the one hand, you don’t want to charge too little, or your profit margins will suffer. Low prices can also indicate low quality in some parts of the food industry. Alternatively, pricing too high means you risk alienating your audience. Getting the balance right is essential for success.

Start by researching your industry and the prices set by your competitors. This should give you a good starting point to determine the ideal price strategies for your online business. If you believe in the value of your product, or you have something unique to order (like exclusive ingredients), you can price your items at a high margin. Just make sure you know how to show your food’s value to your customer.

Note: Profit margins for food businesses can differ depending on the products they’re selling. For example, breakfast foods have some of the highest margins of any edible offering. In contrast, premium foods like Wagyu beef can be expensive to source, giving you less room to charge a premium.

6. Create Your Online Store

Now you’re almost ready to start selling food online. 

First, however, you’re going to need a website. While you may attract customers from all over the web through blogs, podcasts, and social media, your website will be at the heart of your online food business. 

Start with a well-known store builder like Shopify and design something that appeals to your audience. 

You’ll also need to ensure you’re making your food look as irresistible as possible. In fact, when it comes to selling food online, it would be wise to do your best to make your potential customers salivate! That’s why high-quality product pictures are crucial. Plus, make sure to write epic product descriptions to encourage people to buy. The images and the written content need to compel your website visitors to take action.

• An About page: To help customers get to know you
• A Contact page: For any customer questions
• An FAQ page: With information about your suppliers
• Any accreditation or certificates: To prove the safety of your products
• A blog page: For content marketing
• A lead generation strategy: Such as pop-ups or landing pages to encourage people to join your email list. 

Today’s leading store builders come with everything you need to start selling food products online. 

Pro tip: Make sure you know your brand guidelines before you create a website . It’s important to use the same tone of voice, imagery, and colors in all your digital channels — consistent branding ensures your business is easily recognizable across all customer touchpoints.  

7. Promote Your Food Business

Once you’ve got your store setup, you can get to work on promoting your food brand. This is the time to go all-out and make your products as irresistible as possible. There are plenty of great ways to generate attention online. Social media is a great choice for food companies because most people love seeing food snaps on Instagram and Facebook. 

You can post everything from Instagram Stories to TikTok videos of your mouth-watering goodies. Alternatively, why not experiment with some guest blogging? Form a partnership with a well-known food influencer and post about your recipes on their site. Or work directly with an influencer by asking them to help promote your products. 

Other great marketing strategies for selling food online include:

• Posting recipes on Pinterest: Visual forums are often a great place to find food customers. Sharing recipes on what people can do with your foods or ingredients can get people excited about your product. 
• Offering great deals: Reward your early customers with discount codes, vouchers, and as many deals as possible. Free tasters of new products can also generate more interest in your food, particularly when sent to influencers.
• Selling through other companies: You can partner with bigger brands and supermarkets to bring your food into new environments. Just make sure you shop around to ensure you’re getting a good deal when it comes to profit margins. 
• Offering cooking education: Get customers excited about your food by providing them learning experiences that help them develop new recipes.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Small Food Business?

If you’re keen to start selling foods online, you’re probably wondering how much initial investment you need. As mentioned previously, the costs of starting an online food business will depend on a lot of different factors. 

If you plan to open a physical food store (brick and mortar) or launch a new café or restaurant, the initial costs would be higher. A physical space can cost you upwards of $200,000 to run. If you have limited capital for business? Try starting as a small batch producer. Creating food products and selling them from home means you’ll have much lower overheads. You should also find it easier to expand into commercial spaces and unlock new opportunities as your business evolves. 

If you do start your small business from home , make sure you check up on how to get inspections done for your kitchen. It’s also worth working with an accountant to help you determine what you can claim back as a home worker on your tax returns. Don’t want to run your entire company from home? You could consider hiring space for when you’re making your batches.

Running your own online food business is an exciting and often profitable way to bring your entrepreneurial dreams to life. If you’ve got the right ingredients, like a great website, a fantastic product, and a good pricing structure, you’re already on track to a reliable business. 

Just remember, you’ll need to be extra cautious when choosing suppliers, following health and safety rules, and creating food packaging. The food industry is a highly regulated one, and a small mistake could wreak havoc on your business. Be cautious, and always do your research before you jump in.

Summary: How to Start an Online Food Business in 2021

• Understand the legalities of selling food online
• Choose a profitable niche
• Find suppliers for sourcing ingredients
• Work on packaging, branding, and labeling
• Price your food products
• Build your ecommerce store
• Market your food business

Want to Learn More?

• 9 Marketing Strategies That'll Level Up Your Ecommerce Store
• What Is Email Marketing and Why Is It Important?
• How to Harness the Awesome Power of Customer Relations
• How to Sell and Advertise on Instagram in 2021

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How to Drive Sales for Your Online Food and Beverage Business

Create an appetite for what you offer with this comprehensive e-commerce marketing strategy.

E-commerce is booming in the food and beverage industry. One consumer survey suggests that by 2025, online orders will make up 15% to 20% of food and beverage sales—that's 10 times more market share than food and beverage e-commerce held in 2016.

Gift items, like gourmet popcorn and chocolates, are perennial favorites online. But as e-commerce sales become more normalized, people are increasingly turning to the internet to buy groceries and specialized foods that they would have trouble finding elsewhere.

Socially and ecologically conscious shoppers are driving a trend toward foods like plant-based proteins and non-dairy milks. Customers are also flocking to foods with added health benefits—think collagen-enhanced protein shakes and gourmet teas that give you energy, help you sleep, or support your immune system. There's a huge market for aesthetically pleasing specialty foods like starfruit and macarons, especially if your customers are in the Instagram demographic.

No matter what products you offer, you can build your audience online. Here are the strategies that will get you there.

1. Determine what will make your business unique

In any market, you need to have a unique selling proposition . Your online food and beverage business should stand out from the competition, and it’s up to you to decide how.

Your first decision is what kinds of food and beverage to sell. Online grocery is increasingly popular—particularly since the outbreak of COVID-19 —attracting more than 30% of US shoppers in a single month as of March 2020. In August of 2019, that number was just 13%.

It’s clear that many people are comfortable with ordering perishable and semi-perishable foods for delivery. The question is: What should you offer? Cured meats for sale? Or maybe a cheese of the month club?

Specialty items, like gourmet coffees and teas, also make good online business models. So do other beverages , from beer and wine to soft drinks and juices. If you already have ideas about what you want to sell, do some research and find out if people are buying similar products. If there's a market demand , then congratulations—you've found your new business niche .

2. Establish your product portfolio

Once you have a business model in mind, you can start planning your product portfolio.

New businesses should typically start small—perhaps you offer only a few items at first. As your business grows, you can track what products are the most popular and get the most positive reviews. You may even get suggestions and requests for products that you might not have thought of yourself.

Once you begin getting feedback on your current offerings, you can start building a more standard inventory. Growing your business this way lets you make sure that you’re meeting customers’ needs.

3. Develop an inventory and pricing strategy

Keep in mind that the type of storage you choose can increase your business costs, especially if you have to refrigerate. If you’re selling grocery items, will you need to have your own stock and storage? That can drive your costs up, especially if you have to refrigerate.

One alternative is to set up a dropshipping arrangement . Dropshipping allows you to ship directly from a distributor or supplier without having an inventory of your own. You don’t have to pay to store your inventory or even worry about packing and shipping.

If you’re selling fresh to order items, like candies or baked goods, you’ll need a space to prepare, pack, and ship your products. This is the time to think about logistics like:

• Where will you do your food prep?
• How will you source ingredients?
• What kind of cooking equipment do you need?
• Do you need any other staff?
• How will you package your products?

4. Create a marketing plan to drive excitement

Start by setting up a “coming soon” landing page featuring your logo and brand colors. Using Mailchimp, you can build a page like this in just a few clicks—and you can even reserve your custom domain . To make the most of traffic that comes to this page, be sure to include an email list signup form .

Email any contacts you already have with a link to your new site and invite them to follow you on social media. Your social media accounts will be particularly important as you build anticipation for your grand opening. Post regularly and include links to your page so people can sign up for updates.

5. Prepare for launch

When you’re ready to start selling, select an e-commerce platform. Make sure you connect your online store and marketing platform so that you get the full picture of your customer analytics. Mailchimp’s all-in-one Marketing Platform easily connects to the major e-commerce stores.

Once that basic connection is in place, you can set up the ecommerce integrations you need to make your business work. That might be anything from accounting software and payment processing technology to shipping logistics.

The last thing to do before you launch is make sure that you have a way for customers to review your products . Reviews increase consumer confidence in your product, which increases your likelihood of gaining new buyers. According to research, displayed customer reviews increase conversion rates by approximately 190% for lower-priced products and as much as 380% for higher-priced items.

Most people aren’t in the habit of leaving reviews, though, so you’ll have better luck if you make it easy. Display a review box prominently on your product page. Or, better yet, design automated post-purchase emails to capture reviews from customers.

6. Announce your opening

Once you’ve built buzz for your big opening, it’s time to make that opening happen. Create an email campaign to invite people to check out your newly opened store. You can even include a coupon as a way of saying thanks to those followers for jumping on board early.

You’ll want to announce the website launch on social media too. Schedule a series of social posts, maybe including a countdown leading up to your grand opening day. With Mailchimp, you can set the dates and automate these posts so you can focus on starting your business.

Remember that your grand-opening publicity shouldn’t stop on the day you open. Continue to announce that you’re now open for business, highlighting different products and showcasing what makes your business unique.

7. Market with promotions and announcements

Momentum is important. You’ve put a lot of effort into promoting your grand opening, and you want to keep the excitement going. The following tactics will help you do that, so use them early and often.

New products

As a new online food and beverage business, you’ll probably be adding items regularly to your product portfolio. Those new items will sell faster and better if you promote them with email announcements and social media posts.

Best sellers

People feel good buying things that a lot of other people have bought and loved. It’s the same social proof principle that makes reviews work—customers trust other customers, often more than they trust their friends .

When you show customers which of your products are most popular, you drive more conversions on those products. As some of your products begin to stand out as best sellers, use that information to boost sales even more.

Promo codes

Promo codes are great ways of encouraging people to make that first purchase, or to branch out and try a different product than they usually get. You can include promo codes on your social media pages or use them to create segmented email campaigns, which let you send targeted messages to groups of audience members based on their interests.

You can get the most out of your promotions by tracking them to see which ones work best. Do your audiences respond best to percent-off offers? Free shipping? Only they can tell you, so keep an eye on your audience analytics .

8. Keep your business growing

Early buzz is important, but to keep your business thriving, you need to build loyalty among your early adopters and continue to find new customers. It’s hard to find a balance between seeking new opportunities and taking care of the customers you already have, but these always-on marketing tactics can help.

Personalization tools

As your business grows, you'll want to have tools that let you personalize at scale using automation, so you can minimize the work you have to do manually.

Behavioral targeting considers what people in your audience are shopping for and personalizes messaging accordingly. This strategy works well for a growing business. Lookalike audience finders, on the other hand, use that same data to find new customers, placing social media ads in front of people whose interests are similar to those of your best customers.

Upselling products

As your business grows, continue to send out product recommendations . Upselling works well when you're starting to build a strong customer base.

When you upsell, you suggest a more expensive product to complement or replace an existing purchase. An upsell message is an effective add-on to an order notification , and can be a helpful tactic for creating future email campaigns that really boost revenue.

Abandoned cart automations

Some people will browse your site, add products to a cart, and click away without buying. If you set up an abandoned cart automation to remind these users that their cart is still there, you can win them back.

These emails can be simple reminders—“You forgot something!”—or you can add a promo code to entice them. For Mailchimp users, abandoned cart emails like these generate an additional $619 in revenue per month on average.

Product follow-up automations

When people have just bought something from your store, you’re at the top of their minds. You can take advantage of this fact by sending out follow-up emails after a purchase. Thank the person for shopping, ask them to leave you a review, and recommend other products you think they might like.

Social media post scheduling

It’s important to keep your social media pages active with regular posts. When you use Mailchimp’s social post scheduling tool, you can auto-publish updates when and where your audiences will see them.

If you keep your marketing going consistently, your online food and beverage business can maintain customer interest and excitement long after your first day.

Find food and beverage business success online

Online food and beverage sales are trending. To make an impact on this growing market, your business needs:

• A unique value proposition
• A product portfolio based on customer needs and interests
• Inventory and a pricing plan
• An e-commerce storefront to make sales and collect customer data
• An e-commerce marketing strategy to build excitement, both leading up to and after your big opening
• A passionate owner or marketer at the helm to promote the brand

Mailchimp is here to help you grow your business every step of the way. So what are you waiting for? You’ve got this. Now it's time to get online and start building your food and beverage business. Your future customers await.

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Digital Doughnut

Top 10 Digital Marketing Strategies for Online Food Ordering Business

Most clients that use the internet are tech-savvy and you ought to deliver services that meet their unique needs and leverage the best potential of your business. Here are top 10 digital marketing strategies to employ.

As an online food delivery business, you can never underestimate the power of digital marketing. It is an ever-changing concept due to advancements in technology, therefore, you must keep up with the latest and the right trends to realise your goals. Failing to incorporate the right marketing strategies means the chances of realising your goals are minimal.

1. Harness the Power of Social Media

Social media has proven to be a powerful marketing tool for different businesses. It is essential that you use the right platforms, uniquely and in the right way. Identify the best platforms that allow you to engage with your clients, protect your online image and presence, know your followers and let the clients talk.

Most importantly, address their needs and provide an excellent experience for users on your platforms. This includes offering a timely response to their queries.

2. Work on your Search Engine Ranking

Your search engine ranking is very crucial. You need to boost your brand visibility and keyword ranking by using SEO as required. From the keywords, website design and content, ensure every detail enables you to achieve top ranking across search engines.

3. Have an Efficient App

You should also have an efficient app where clients can order for food, make payments and track their deliveries. Today, there are many app developers, and it is ideal to get the best that can be accessed across different platforms. Such will enable clients to order for food at the comfort of their home or office. With an attractive, efficient, reliable and powerful app, you can ensure timely deliveries.

4. Make the Most of a Delivery Software

Last-mile delivery software plays a significant role in enhancing your digital marketing strategy . It is perfect for routing when you want to make a delivery. This means you can easily identify the shortest route to make a delivery to your client. What’s more, you can track your driver with a real-time delivery tracking software, and clients can also keep up with their orders.

To optimise your food delivery, software, application system, ensure it can be accessed on Web, IOS mobile app, android and other smart devices. A system that allows you to efficiently coordinate with clients, drivers and other relevant parties is the best to settle for. 

5. Use Video

Video is a powerful marketing tool that can sell your brand image within a short span. While it sounds easy, you must know how to use videos for your food delivery business . Use short creative videos and incorporate your brand concept attractively. Videos that clients can easily relate to will boost your conversion rates. For instance, let clients think of your brand whenever they get a glimpse of your video or image.

6. Influencers

Influencers play a significant role in the world of marketing. It is easy for people to trust a marketing message from the people they know including family, friends and celebrities. Many influencers have active social media platforms, hence, social media marketing.

Therefore, blend the power of influencers including food bloggers, let them recommend your food and beverage delivery software application system and get your business the attention it needs to grow to the next level.

7. SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is powerful and when done well, you can easily realise your marketing goals. Today, more than 90% of people can read a text within the first 5 minutes. Use SMS alerts to confirm orders and deliveries. This will create loyalty amongst your clients.

8. Email Marketing

Many people have emails today. You will be able to reach more users with a personalised message, promotional mail or inform your clients of upcoming reward programmes. Emails are long term and they offer on-time notifications of what your clients should look forward to.

9. Real-Time Marketing

Similarly, you should engage in real-time digital marketing. Take note of major events such as National Food Days and work on a simple marketing plan that will work to your advantage on such days. Remember, there are many challenges faced by food delivery companies including online advertisement. Why not get creative and work on simple messages that will bring audiences to your platform and restaurant as you promote National Food days and much more.

10. Keep up With Modern Trends

Digital marketing is ever-changing. Social media advertising takes different forms and you should stay on top of the game by keeping up with the latest trends. This will allow you to promote your food ordering business freshly and innovatively.

McDonald’s, for instance, is one of the oldest and worlds famous fast-food franchise. In Singapore, McDonald’s is using doodles in a creative, fresh and attractive way to promote the franchise. Therefore, get creative, keep up with modern trends such as Instagram marketing and achieve your digital marketing goals. 

Author Profile

Noman Shaikh is a Digital Marketing Head at Fixlastmile which is known for developing top-notch last mile delivery Software He believes in sharing his strong knowledge base with leaned concentration on entrepreneurship and business.

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• Culinary Arts

Starting a Food Business: Build Your Marketing Chops for Success

How to build a successful marketing strategy that’s relevant for today’s digital age.

Have you ever wondered why some restaurants with mediocre dishes are somehow all the rage, and why others fail, despite serving up their best? The truth is, it all comes down to their marketing strategy, and how well they’ve done in promoting their business and spreading the good word around town.

But in today’s digital age – where consumer choices are dictated by mobile phones and social media – word of mouth recommendations or an ad in your local newspaper just won’t cut it.

Restaurant owners need to step up their marketing strategies, and build in digital tactics that are sure to cook up success.

Here are some tips on how to build an effective marketing strategy:

1. Create a killer website

Websites make it easy for your potential customers to find you, and are the first step to establishing your online presence. But they don’t have to be expensive or complex to develop. There are lots of tools and platforms available to help you set up your own, professionally-designed, website.

For example, Wix.com or SquareSpace.com offer a wide range of templates that you can pick from. Just make sure that you build in a responsive menu, and update your website regularly – including your menu, opening hours and news.

2. Go social

Did you know that there are over 200 million posts tagged #food and 23 million with #drinks? Social media is taking the industry by storm – and it’s time you hop on the bandwagon.

Restaurants that have a social media presence are not only easier to find and interact with, but can also help you pull in extra revenue – especially if your design or menu is eye-catching (or you happen to go viral).

If you’re not up for tackling every platform, just go for the big 2: Instagram and Facebook. Post swoon-worthy food pictures and keep your audience informed of your latest news and menu additions. A great way to get new followers is to start with a competition in the form of a give-away.

3. Offer a loyalty program

Because who doesn’t love rewards? Loyalty programs encourage your customers to keep coming back, driving repeat revenue. Opt for a digital loyalty program, so your customers can keep track of their rewards and receive tailored offers based on their consumption patterns. And as a bonus, you’ll generate lots of user data to help you make your offering more targeted.

4. Set up your Google Maps business profile

When people get hungry, they tend to run a search in their phone to find the best eatery close by. And compared to other apps, Google Maps is 6 times more popular with smartphone users . So make sure that people can find you if they’re looking for a quick bite. Update your profile and check that your menu, opening hours, phone number are correct – and upload some photos to let people know what to expect.

5. Partner with a delivery service

Research shows that take-away sales have increased 8% over the last few years , and customers who place an online order have a 95% chance of returning to your establishment. Offering a delivery option not only expands your customer base, but gives your existing customers the freedom to enjoy their favorite meals wherever they go. To start with, partner with a delivery service – like Uber Eats or Deliveroo . While they do charge a hefty commission fee (sometimes up to 15%), they can help you increase your exposure, and boost your revenue by 10 to 20% .

6. Monitor your reviews

Online reviews are like a double-edged sword. While they may not seem like much, they can (quite literally) make or break your success. In fact, 88% of people are influenced by reviews and online comments, so it’s best you make sure to track what people are saying about you, and are there in time to react. Monitor key platforms like Google Maps, Yelp and Tripadvisor and respond to negative comments swiftly (and with an empathetic tone). After all, the customer is king, right?

7. Team up with with food bloggers

Popular bloggers have an incredible amount of influence on their followers, and food blogging is just about the hottest new trend. Reach out to a few of your biggest local influencers and invite them to come for a menu testing and exclusive event that’s organized just for the social elite. Before you know, it people will be lining up to get in.

8. Encourage user-generated content

Research shows that Millennials trust user-generated content 50% more than any form of media . This could be in the form of blog posts, Insta stories or Facebook posts. This is especially easy if your restaurant offers a feature wall, or has a design or unique food presentation that’s Insta-friendly. Encourage your customers to share their story and tag you. It will give you brand credibility and let people know that you’re worth talking about.

Regardless of which tactics you use, keep in mind that your marketing strategy should be:

• Data-driven : Look to the past to predict the future. Data is your single biggest asset, and can help you reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your business so that you can make smarter, better-informed decisions.
• Measurable : Set clear KPIs for your campaigns, and targets for what you’re trying to achieve. Measuring your success (or lack thereof) will help you develop more targeted communications.
• Emotional: Food is emotional, so your communications should be, too. Rather than the product, sell the experience of eating – the love, happiness, joy, comfort – and you’ll be more likely to strike an emotional cord with your consumers.
• Multi-faceted : Depending on your target audience, you may choose a different mix of channels. Make sure that to spread your presence across a range of different platforms – i.e. digital, tv, print, radio – to capture your audience, wherever they might be.
• Relevant : Make sure that your communications and your message is relevant to your target consumer. If you’re a local business, get involved with your community, and talk about your local issues and topics that are relevant to them.

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Digital Marketing Strategy for Online Food Ordering Business

Digital marketing is no new concept, but with the continual arrival of new trends and technologies, it is evolving constantly. Everyone is aware of its importance, but without incorporating the latest trends & tactics in the digital marketing mix, a business cannot reap its maximum benefits. For online food ordering portals, digital marketing can be a great aid in promoting, as well as running the business. Their prime target customer base is tech savvy and remains constantly active on different online channels. So, it makes perfect sense for food ordering businesses to capitalize on this fact by reaching out & connecting with customers on various digital marketing channels.  In this post, we will explain how online food ordering business owners can leverage the full potential of digital marketing. Let’s get going.

Start with the Basics (Search Engine Marketing)

Before anything else, you need to ensure that your website has a solid online presence and got everything needed to acquire high ranking on search engines & to attract more traffic. That’s where search engine marketing comes into the picture as a mix of SEO & PPC ads. Here is what you need to ensure in that regard:

• First of all, make sure your food ordering website has key SEO elements in place such as user-friendly URL structure, manageable meta tags, sitemaps, 301 redirecting, image alt tag, duplicate content control, etc., to be able to rank better in search engines. As the search engine algorithms have become smarter follow advanced SEO techniques to ensure the best performance of the website for the present and as well as for future.  
• Optimize your website content by including relevant keywords like “order food online”, “ online food ordering business”, “online restaurants in <location>”, “food delivery in <location>”. This will help customers to easily find you, which ultimately will also result into better ranking.  Therefore typical keyword research mistakes  can make the SEO efforts go in vain.
• Start a blog that allows you to produce content on regular basis. As much as people love eating, they also love reading about the recipes, nutritious value, new cuisines, etc. Besides, a blog will also allow you to target relevant keywords & attract traffic to your website.
• For PPC, use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to choose the right keywords. The keywords should relate to what people are searching for.
• When running a PPC ad campaign, pay special attention to negative keywords. For instance, suppose you offer food ordering service in city A, so you wouldn’t want your company name list up if a user searches for “online food delivery in city B”. Negative keywords helps in keeping the cost down by saving you from unnecessary clicks

Launch your food ordering website with a SEO friendly platform

Go creative on social media.

We need not repeat the benefits of using digital marketing or the i mportance of social media as a digital marketing channel, but with every other business active on social media, the question is how to get customers’ attention. The answer is – by being different. Social media marketers know it all – campaigns, how to run them, the frequency of updates and everything technical. Plating up a dish, presenting it beautifully, everything has been done and has been happening for a while now. So, how do you level up your social media game? Here are some food marketing ideas :

• When running an offer, let the food do the talking with the customers. Here is how McDonalds does it: “Hi, I am the crispy burger you love to eat on Sundays, how about my calorie conscious cousin, roasted chicken salad?”
• Whether you are vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or eat-anything-on-the-table-tarian, pictures of food always lead to drools. But how creatively you display them is what matters. Here is another example from McDonalds

• Other than being creative, also focus on your customers’ need. Reply to their comments and queries timely. Pay attention to their feedback. Run offers & loyalty programs exclusively on social media to solidify your presence there.
• Leveraging all these ways to promote business through social media can help to generate more leads and create a buzz around the brand.

Video Content Can Take You a Long Way

Explainer and marketing videos are effective methods to put across your brand message and to ensure it stays where it is supposed to – in your customers’ mind. Now, this may sound fun & easy, but the art of video storytelling for brand marketing is quite tough in practice. Here are some tips that will take you in the right direction and help you in creating more effective video content for marketing for food business :

• Gone are the days of generalized and explanatory narratives. Now are the times when you should introduce your product/business through storytelling with characters people can relate to. Stories that instigate feelings and imagination. Remember how KFC inspired us all with the story of Colonel Sanders?
• Convey your brand’s mission in the explainer video, since branding is not all about what you are doing today; it’s also about what you are going to be in coming years, and how you plan your roadmap to achieve that goal.
• As a food ordering marketplace, you have so much to offer through video content besides just the explainer video. You can share recipe videos, videos for the nutritious value of ingredients, and much more during marketing in food industry .
• To precisely understand every aspect of video marketing i.e. kind of videos, their length, aspect ratios and all such queries go through the complete social media video marketing guide to engage the right kind of audience.

Leverage the Power of Influencer Marketing

Nothing works like word-of-mouth marketing. Thanks to the internet, today we have an amplified version of it – influencer marketing. As mentioned earlier, people love to read about recipes & nutritious value of the food they are eating. And to cater that need, there are thousands of food bloggers active on the internet. So, as a food industry startup, you have a huge number of influencers at your disposal. Here are best ways to leverage them:

• Tie up with popular food bloggers through a mutually beneficial business partnership. Have them add value to your own blog by writing for it and also get regularly mentioned in their blogs. These mentions can simply be part of the story they are telling and don’t have to sound like advertisement.
• A featured article about your business in a popular food industry blog or business news site can be a game changer. It might cost you a little but its ROI will also be all the more desirable.
• Always remember that customers are the biggest influencers for your business. So, don’t miss out on capitalizing their reviews, feedbacks, and testimonials. People love to share their food pictures on social media. Besides influencing other people, such user generated content can also help you level up your social media game.
• In all influencer marketing has become a new way of branding and brands are following top digital marketing experts for expertise in food industry marketing .

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Email & SMS

Efficient food marketing strategies are all about sending the right message to the right person at the right time. Not all users will visit your website frequently or have your app installed. To reach out to them and inform about your offerings and details about their orders in a timely manner, email & SMS are still the most reliable means of communication. Here are some tips on effectively implementing Email & SMS in your digital marketing mix:

• 90% of the text messages are read within 3 minutes. So, for limited period offers, broadcasting the message through SMS is a great way to reach your customers in timely fashion.
• Emails are ideal when it comes to a long term offer, or when you need to inform customers about a future offer in advance. Make sure that email marketing software you choose comes with customizable template ( such as NotifyVisitors ), since look & feel of your email directly impact its click through rate.
• Other than these, text messages & emails can also be used to send out important notifications to customers such as for order confirmation, delivery, etc. Offering such service works greatly towards customer retention.

SEO-friendly, Social Media Integration, SMS & Email Notification – YoYumm has them all

While it is crucial to act on the latest trends & techniques when running the digital marketing campaign for your online food ordering business, it is equally important to keep the customers need at the center of it. Your end customers are tech-savvy, they use multiple devices, live in urban areas, have a busy schedule, prefer convenience over price, want quality food without prior planning & traveling and that too at their doorstep and in a timely fashion, and so on. Once you have outlined these factors to define the buyer persona, you will also get a clear picture of how to implement the above mentioned digital marketing practices in the most effective manner.

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Home » News » The Guide to Food Marketing: Trends, Strategies, and More

The Guide to Food Marketing: Trends, Strategies, and More

What is Food Marketing?

• Understanding the target market, segmentation, and positioning.
• Market research: Surveys focus groups on understanding what consumers want in a product for their needs.
• Brand development through marketing campaigns like advertising on billboards or TV commercials. Branding is important because it creates an emotional connection with consumers who are more likely to purchase your product.

Top Food Marketing Strategies

Food marketing (manufacturer to retailers), food marketing packaging, social media food marketing.

Related Article:  Instagram Food Marketing: Power & Influence On The Food Industry

Add value and improve the perception of a product through marketing

Marketing to children, food labeling marketing, the messaging, why is product marketing important.

• How is this product unique from similar products to our competitors?
• What’s our competitive advantage?
• Is this product suitable for the market?
• Does this product solve a necessity others don’t?
• Is there a way to further differentiate this product from those of our competitors?
• Is it safe for consumption?

6 Free Digital Marketing Strategies for Food and Beverage Businesses

• by Dennis Velasco
• May 20, 2022
• Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a key ingredient for a successful food and beverage business. It can increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and convert leads into customers. However, digital marketing can be expensive if you don’t know where to start .

Luckily, there are several free digital marketing strategies that food and beverage businesses can use to get started. These strategies include creating a strong social media presence, using search engine optimization tactics, and developing compelling content.

By using these free digital marketing strategies, food and beverage businesses can reach a larger audience, generate more leads, and increase sales.

Let’s dig in!

Why Food and Beverage Businesses Need to be Online

The world has gone digital, which means that food and beverage businesses need to get online. There are several reasons for this.

First, online platforms allow businesses to reach a larger audience . There are billions of people online, and businesses need to be where their customers are.

Another reason is that online platforms provide businesses with an additional source of revenue . Platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor can drive a great deal of traffic to businesses’ websites, which can result in increased sales.

Finally, online platforms provide businesses with valuable customer data . This data can be used to improve businesses’ products and services.

Free Digital Marketing Strategies for Food and Beverage Businesses

1. start the conversation with social media.

Digital marketing for food and beverage businesses can be a little tricky. It’s important to remember that your target audience is not just people looking for a good meal. You’re also trying to reach people looking for a good deal .

That means your social media strategy should focus on price promotions and discounts. You can also use social media to drive traffic to your website, where you can offer more information about your restaurant or bar.

The key in social media marketing is giving your audience value-adding content that educates, entertains, and inspires. Create content for your target audience based on the platform you are in because each platform offers unique opportunities and advantages for businesses to connect with their target market. 

2. Get Discovered With Search Engine Optimization

Digital marketing for food and beverage businesses needs to be strategic. It is no longer enough just to have a website and social media pages.  

You need to use search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure your website appears at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for keywords related to your products or services.

And as a food and beverage business, you will greatly benefit from using local SEO to increase localized search presence for your restaurant and food business. It helps create a web presence to attract local clients or travelers in your area. 

You can also use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive traffic to your website. PPC campaigns can target people who are already interested in what you have to offer, which means you’re less likely to waste money on ads that nobody sees.

3. Showcase Your Business Through a Website or Blog

One great way to market your food or beverage business online for free is to create a website or blog. This will give you a place to share your story, show off your products and services, and connect with potential customers. You can also use your website or blog to publish articles and post updates about your business.

More importantly, you can collect first-party data from your website or blog . You can offer free downloads or coupons in exchange for their email addresses . Data privacy is a huge concern in the digital world, so it is best to get the contact details straight from your customers.

Several free websites and blog builders are available online, such as WordPress, Wix, and Weebly. These tools make it easy to create a professional-looking website or blog without knowing how to code.

4. Directly Communicate to Customers With Email Marketing

Believe it or not, email marketing is still one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for food and beverage businesses. Even though social media platforms have taken over as the primary way people communicate online, you still do not own your followers’ data. 

Suppose a social media platform shuts down. You will lose your way of communicating with your followers on that platform. But if they subscribe to your email list, they have already given you permission to email them as long as they are subscribed .

In fact, email marketing has an average ROI of USD $42 for every dollar spent, which is why it’s such a popular method for businesses to connect with their customers. Additionally, email marketing allows businesses to cultivate relationships with their customers over time , resulting in more sales in the future.

5. Capture and Engage Customers With Video Marketing

Nowadays, video is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit. Not only is it one of the most engaging forms of content, but it’s also a great way to show off your product or service. 

As it turns out, video is particularly effective for food and beverage businesses. Recent data shows that businesses that use video marketing grow their revenue by 49% faster than those that don’t.  

Think about it – video is the most effective way to show off your product or service in an engaging and visually appealing way. It’s the closest thing for your potential customers to experience your product without seeing it in person .

Plus, video is also a great way to connect with your audience on a deeper level. By showing them the people behind your business and the story behind your product, you can create a connection that builds trust and loyalty.

6. Highlight and Share Customer Reviews

These days, potential customers are more likely to trust the opinions of their peers than they are traditional advertising. One way to leverage the power of customer reviews is to encourage customers to leave reviews on popular sites like Yelp or Google. 

If you can get some positive reviews from happy customers, showcase them prominently on your website and social media channels. You can also encourage customers to leave reviews by offering incentives such as discounts or freebies. 

You can generate word-of-mouth marketing and build trust with potential customers by collecting and sharing positive reviews. Additionally, online reviews can improve search engine visibility and drive organic traffic to your website. 

Your customers are now online, and if you are not yet utilizing digital marketing – you are losing out on massive potential reach, traffic, and sales!

Whether you are an up-and-coming food and beverage business or you already have an established thriving business, digital marketing can help your business expand online. The secret sauce is to use multiple approaches towards a common goal , implemented in the long term.

Use these free digital marketing strategies as a springboard to launch or grow your online presence. You have nothing to lose and a lot of potential to gain. The time is now!

Further reading: 

• Picture-Perfect Food Photos for Your Food Business
• What to Consider When Hiring Influencers for Online Business

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In the second quarter of 2020, a lot of businesses changed their marketing strategy from the offline model to online. The COVID-19 pandemic made a lot of business owners shift their marketing budget to digital platforms to market their products, including restaurants. Because no matter what the conditions are, you still have to maintain your business well. 

There are plenty of online marketing benefits compared to offline marketing. From the budget aspect, you can save a lot of money with online marketing. Renting a billboard space might cost you a fortune while advertising on social media is far more affordable. Moreover, you can’t target a specific audience with offline marketing. With the digital platform, you can target a particular niche for your business.

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Seven online marketing strategy tips for a restaurant business.

• Push reviews on aggregator platforms such as Zomato or Ubereats
• Create an interesting menu
• Promote on social media
• Collaborate with influencer
• Take advantage of SEO
• Promote health and safety practices
• SMS and email marketing

In this article, we will discuss some online marketing strategy tips for restaurants in 2022. There are seven points in total that you can try for your business right away.

1. Push reviews on aggregator platforms such as Zomato or Ubereats

Recently, more and more people begin to check for the restaurant’s ratings and reviews before ordering some meals. Zomato and Ubereats are two platforms that people use the most to look for reviews.

Make sure your restaurant gives the best service to make sure every visitor is happy and gives you positive reviews on those platforms. As you rake in high ratings and excellent reviews, your restaurant’s credibility will improve and encourage more customers to order from you.

2. Create an interesting menu

Customers usually scroll through your restaurant menu before they decide to buy something. But if you have bland, dull, black, and white photos, no customer will be impressed by it. Make your food more appealing to make customers want to buy it just by looking at it.

You can use e-menu software to manage your online menu and make it more attractive. The software also makes it easy for customers to order online from the comfort of their homes.

3. Promote on social media

Promoting your restaurant business on Facebook and Instagram is a solid marketing strategy . Every minute, there are millions of people devouring content on those two platforms. The first thing you should do is get a lot of followers for your restaurant’s account.

To achieve this, you can work with an influencer to get more followers. After that, you can start making catchy yet relevant posts. Use hashtags to reach more customers.

If this is your first time doing social media marketing and don’t have a lot of followers, worry not! You can still target your customers via ads. The benefit of advertising on these two platforms is how easy it is to target a specific audience along with their age range, locations, and their interests.

Also read: Importance of Sales Funnel in a Business

4. Collaborate with influencer

This strategy is proven effective to increase your restaurant’s Facebook or Instagram followers. With the help of influencers, you can reach thousands, even millions, of people in a short amount of time.

But make sure that the influencer matches your business theme. For example, you can invite a famous food blogger to try one of your menus. Their followers usually have the same interests and can benefit you in the long run.

Also read: Is It Necessary for a Business to Have a Brand Persona?

5. Take advantage of SEO

Besides social media, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is one of the best online marketing strategies. If your website can rank higher in the Google search engine for a particular keyword, you can get more visitors to your restaurant’s website.

To achieve this, you need an SEO specialist’s help. A reliable SEO specialist or an SEO agency will provide insights and guidance as to what needs to be improved and fixed in your website to increase your website ranking.

6. Promote health and safety practices

The coronavirus pandemic makes a lot of people worry about their well-being. Even when ordering food online, people need a guarantee that their food is safe and free from the deadly virus.

Therefore, you need to tell your customers that your food is safe since you implement strict health and safety protocols via your social media channels. Let your customer know that your staff is always using masks when working in the kitchen, and you send their food with a closed and secure box.

It’s a solid strategy to improve your restaurant’s brand image and shows that you are responsible and care for your customer’s safety.

7. SMS and email marketing

Though only a handful of people using SMS today due to the popularity of WhatsApp and LINE, promoting your business via SMS and email is still proven effective until this day. You can make it easy with email marketing software to NotifyVisitors . One of the benefits of SMS and email marketing is far more affordable compared to Facebook and Instagram advertising.

SMS and email are quite capable of spreading information about promotions and discounts held by your restaurant. But you need to make sure that you don’t spam your customer’s inbox. Two to three times a week is sufficient to send emails or SMS.

Also read: 5 Effective Ways to Optimize Food and Beverage Production Process

Online marketing strategy plays a vital part in your business success in 2020. The pandemic still going on and the ever-increasing use of the internet has made online marketing strategy the choice of many businesses. If this is your first dive into online marketing, then you can try seven tips above as a starter.

To get the most out of seven online marketing strategies, you can use HashMicro’s Marketing Automation Software . With the best main features, you can create and send attractive emails to multiple recipients easily. This system is integrated with WhatsApp, enabling you to send campaigns to your WhatsApp contacts directly. Request a demo now and good luck!

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• restaurant marketing

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eCommerce Marketing | 5 min read

How to Market Your eCommerce Food Business

People buy everything online these days, including food. Eating isn’t revolutionary – everyone has to do it, and some people might even emphatically state that it’s their favorite thing to do. Marketing your eCommerce food business won’t be too complicated, because you don’t need to educate the customer or explain a new idea to them. All you need to do is get them hungry enough to open up their wallets.

The core points of an effective eCommerce food business marketing strategy merely involve finding the people who want to eat what you’re selling, exposing them to your content and images, and enticing them to make a purchase. It’s probably easier than you think.

With Social Media Targeting

Outline all of the things that make your food business different. What do you specialize in? Are you completely organic and sustainable? Do you sell the hottest of hot sauces? Do you make jerkies from exotic game meats? Do you sell nostalgic snacks that remind people of their childhoods? Are you a small business who grows your food in your family garden? Prepare a list of your unique talking points, and get them ready for targeted advertisements.

Every platform has different targeting tools for advertisement. Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for advertisement, and their tools are fantastic. You’re able to target people based on age, gender, location, and even their specific likes. If you know that men between the ages of 21 and 35 who like lifting weights will be most interested in your organic protein powder, it’s very easy to market directly to those people.

Tightening the scope of your advertisements allows you to get the most for your advertising dollars. Rather than purchasing general ads that cast a wide net, you’ll be able to chase the specific kind of customer you need. Although food is something that broadly applies to everyone, you’d be better off sticking to a narrow focus at first. As you grow and see more cashflow, you can create broader campaigns. In the beginning, every penny counts.

By Reaching Out to Other Businesses

Networking with other businesses is one of the easiest and most effective way for everyone to grow their audiences. If your eCommerce food business is a startup or a humble small business, you’ll have an easy time approaching other businesses in the same position. By exchanging links and promotional materials, everyone can help each other out.

You might even be able to exchange services for services. If a small advertising or marketing company needs an event catered or even just wants some healthy office snacks , you might be able to swap services. Lunch is on you for the day if they’re willing to do a little work for you afterwards. These serendipitous relationships are very important to businesses in their infancy.

By Creating an Awesome Blog

Your blog is a hotspot of value for your website. Food blogs and tutorials are massively popular on the internet. If you can make your website a great source for both of these things, you’re going to draw up a huge base of customers. Even if you aren’t directly marketing on your blog, some of them are bound to become customers merely by clicking around. By throwing in tiebacks to your products or using them on your blog, it’s even easier to turn hungry observers into satisfied customers.

Your blog posts should provide value. Even if you don’t have the means or resources to produce cooking or meal prep tutorial videos, you can explain how to prepare foods you sell or use them as part of a meal through pictures and text. Pictures are very important – they’re what will grab people’s attention as they’re scrolling and ultimately compel them to read the accompanying text. Make sure the photos are as visually appealing as possible.

You can cross promote your blog posts through social media, helping to keep your page at the top of your followers’ feeds. Enable social share buttons, so they’ll be able to share their favorite posts with their friends. Invite them to sign up to be notified about blog updates – that will give you the opportunity to use some email marketing .

Most importantly, you need to remember to regularly update that blog with valuable content. The more you make high quality posts, the higher you’ll rise in Google’s ranks. Since most people still find what they need through organic search rather than advertisements, your blog will become a customer driving gift that keeps on giving.

Utilize the Power of Influencers

Since so many food, fitness, lifestyle, and even parenting blogs already exist, you’d be a fool not to tap into previously established followings to funnel those people your way. Anyone who has a blog or other social media presence that could even vaguely be tied back to food or food related tips is a potential influencer who may be able to help you advertise your business.

Some of these influencers are open to receiving products for review or demonstration consideration. This means that you won’t have to pay them to promote or post about your product, but you also aren’t getting a guarantee that they will. If you believe in the food that you’re selling and the influencer tries it and likes it, he or she may be happy to accept payment in the form of delicious care packages.

Some influencers will require you to pay for a promoted or sponsored post on their blog, Instagram, or Snapchat. If you have confidence in the influencer and you know their audience has a wealth of overlap with your target audience, it may be worthwhile to pay up. If you can’t afford it or you’re unsure, you can always send out packages and hope with grace and ease that they choose to feature you. Just make sure you’re thoroughly vetting the influencers you choose to work with.

Develop and Use a Strong Brand Voice

Brand voice is one of the most important aspects of marketing. Even food needs a voice – just look at what Wendy’s has accomplished with their brand voice on Twitter . Since food isn’t revolutionary, it’s hard to make marketing or virtual presences memorable. You probably don’t feel a connection to the grocery store circulars the postman stuffs into your mailbox, and the last thing you want is to be the virtual equivalent of the same thing.

You’re going to need a marketing personality if you want people to remember you the next time they’re looking to shop for food online. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Being funny, extremely knowledgeable, or highly sophisticated in your posts will keep you relevant. If they enjoy the things you have to say, they’re going to remember you.

You’ll Keep Learning

Remember that marketing strategies can be adjusted at any time. If you feel as though you’re toiling away and the results are lackluster, don’t wait until the end of a marketing campaign to learn your lesson. Adjust midway through and direct your resources to the methods that are working. Every business finds its own marketing niche, and you shouldn’t feel discouraged if it takes you a little while to find yours.

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32 Best Restaurant Marketing Strategies (2023 Updates)

Restaurant marketing has become much more complicated in the past few years.

Those in charge of promotions and generating new business at restaurants face both tough and interesting challenges. People looking to fill their stomachs now have a dizzying array of possible options, and restaurants must compete for customer attention beyond location.

To help you navigate this new marketing reality we put together an up-to-date list of 30 restaurant marketing strategies and tactics.

Unlike the majority of the posts on restaurant marketing currently at the top of Google, this one gives you up-to-date ideas and information for your next promotional initiative!

Key Takeaways

• Develop a comprehensive marketing plan with online and offline strategies.
• Utilize social media, email marketing, promotions, and collaborations to enhance online presence and engage with customers.
• Optimize website, menu, and online ordering for a seamless customer experience.
• Utilize targeted advertising, SEO, and local search strategies to drive traffic.
• Offer unique dining experiences and foster positive customer relationships.
• Monitor and analyze marketing efforts for continuous improvement.

Do refer to the original blog for a more detailed understanding of the discussed strategies.

But first, from the list below, here are the ideas we think have the most impact:

Top restaurant marketing strategies

• Add reservation links to Google Business
• Work on the presentation of dishes so they are "Instagrammable"
• Improve local discovery online aka SEO
• Use the restaurant marketing framework
• Send email marketing that works
• Focus on loyalty
• Collect and use guest data

Now, before we start with the list above let's take a look at what a restaurant marketing strategy is and why it's important.

What is a restaurant marketing strategy?

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index" style="text-align: justify;">How would you describe a restaurant's marketing strategy? 

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index" style="text-align: justify;">A restaurant marketing strategy is a plan that helps restaurant owners to increase their sales and profits. The goal of a restaurant marketing strategy is to attract guests who will then choose to dine at your restaurant.

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index" style="text-align: justify;">Restaurant marketing strategies include advertising, promotions, events, focusing on guest loyalty, customer service, menu design, pricing, and location. These are some of the ways that restaurants can promote themselves.

Why is a restaurant marketing strategy important?

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index">A restaurant marketing strategy is essential to ensure success. If you want to attract guests, you need to promote your restaurant. The good thing is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to start advertising your restaurant. In fact, there are several ways to promote your restaurant without spending too much money.

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index">Restaurant marketing strategies include social media marketing, SEO, and email marketing. These methods are affordable and effective.

0" ng-repeat="text in output.html track by $index"> Let's continue to view the full list of restaurant marketing ideas below.

The 32 best restaurant marketing strategies

1. add reservation links to google business.

Are you still obsessing over your Yelp reviews? The reality is that Yelp is becoming increasingly irrelevant as Google dominates online food searches more and more. Google's domination of local restaurant discovery was one of Skift's Megatrends.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already have a Google Business account that shows your location, some pictures, website link, etc. For restaurants, this is Google Business 101. Once you've done this, and started taking advantage of Google's Open Graph and local discovery, you want to start thinking about how GMB can start bringing in more revenue.

This link gives you a frictionless way for people to place a reservation with you from your Google profile. Some restaurants see a 20% increase in online reservations when they do this simple technique. 

Interested in adding a "Reserve a Table" button to your restaurant's Google profile? Click here to sign-up for to Eat App for free and instantly activate your button.

2. Send email marketing that works (ie. personalized and automated)

Almost all articles about restaurant marketing suggest sending an 'email newsletter' as a way to get more customers. But as email marketing is used by pretty much every company under the sun, just sending out a general email once a month will usually have no impact.

Email is still a great marketing channel if you know how to use it - just remember you are competing with almost all of the biggest brands in the world for attention in people's inboxes. So how do stand out from the crowd? By sending an email that is targeted to the recipient based on their history with your restaurant. 

What would you send to someone who has only dined with you once in the past 3 months compared to someone who has come in once a week?

By using your customer data and combining it with email marketing automation you can create email marketing that is relevant to customers rather than just 'spraying and praying' To get started with upgrading your email marketing, start by researching CRM for restaurants as well as restaurant automation solutions like those provided by Eat App.

3. Send birthday reminder emails

Related to the tactic above but this one deserves its own section. It's that important!

Birthday's the single most important dining day for most people in the year. Restaurants want to capture these diners as usually, the party size is large and the total spend is high. 

Smart restaurants focus on these guests as a fundamental marketing strategy.

• Record your guest's birthdays You can ask them over the phone, run survey's or ask them when they are making an online booking.
• Store and manage the information in a customer database or CRM

4. Connect your front-of-house to your website with live chat

Have you ever been on a website and seen a little live chat pop up from the corner of your screen? 

Recent advances in live chat tech mean that it is fast becoming the go-to way of communicating with customers online. After all, you love texting your friends, so why not do the same with businesses? Having your live chat operated by your host stand or reservation staff gives people direct access to your restaurant as well as a human touch. Potential diners can ask questions and you can grab those all-important bookings directly from the chat box.

It's another way to get diners interacting with you, and something your competitors probably aren't doing. So use it to stand out.  There are loads of options to get started for free - Google Free Live Chat for Website.

5. Try the online reservation platforms

Online booking platforms are pretty much a requirement for fine dining restaurant marketing. They give you access to millions of diners looking for places to eat each month.

In the US, OpenTable used to be the only player but in the past few years, diners now have plenty of other options like Resy and Reserve. (It depends on which country and city you are located in.)

These types of online platforms provide websites and apps that give customers tools to book online. People find the convenience and ease of reservation discovery platforms irresistible so consider tapping them as part of your strategy. 

Most upscale restaurants add the cost of these services as part of their yearly marketing budget. But you should work out if these platforms are cost-effective for you as you may benefit from a free reservation system instead, like Eat App.

>>> Download our free guest acquisition strategy eBook

6. Work on the presentation of dishes so they are "Instagrammable"

'Instagrammable dessert' is a relatively new phrase in the world of restaurant marketing. The basic idea is that the plating and presentation of a dish encourage people to take photos and share them online - especially on Instagram where hashtags like #foodporn are extremely popular. (We're talking millions of pictures.)

Creating Instagrammable dishes is a super powerful promotion tactic because it leverages user-generated content to spread the word about your restaurant rather than spending ad dollars.

You can create the same dish over and over again and each time it is potentially spread to a whole new audience through social media for free. Mastering this technique involves coming up with a unique idea that isn't twee or traditional.

Get it right and you can create a viral effect online for your restaurant. When it takes off this could be the highest impact strategy of all.

8 ways to make "Instagrammable" food 

• Consider using ingredients with matching colors
• Create an experience and a spectacle to be video recorded
• Create dishes that match each other when photographed together
• Make the dishes bright colors
• Use restaurant lighting that shows dishes in a flattering light
• Make sure plates are as clean as possible
• Consider not just the plate but also the table surrounding it
• Add other decorative elements in the dining that people want to take pictures of

More Instagram post ideas for restaurants.

7. Run coupon and discount campaigns

Coupons and discounts are always an option to get people through the door. Offer free dishes, 10% discounts, or the ultimate of all restaurant discounts - the buy one get one free offer. 

BOGOF offers are usually the best performing because offering something for free motivates people more than % discounts.

For higher-end restaurants, discounts can often lower the tone of the brand. Do them too much and customers can begin to expect them from you.

Learn more about the types of offers restaurants can use for marketing.

8. Focus on customer loyalty

Loyalty - getting customers to come back again and again should always be one of the main parts of restaurant marketing.

Loyal customers cost the least in marketing to get them to come back and are also more likely to tell their friends. ie. They are great for word-of-mouth.

Loyalty often results from simply having an awesome dining experience - great food, enjoyable interior, perception of value from the customer, etc.

But you can also actively encourage loyalty through loyalty programs and reward schemes for repeat customers. You can administer the whole thing in-house or team up with an app provider that deals specifically with loyalty.  

Upscale restaurants can focus on free upgrades to the dining experience like free champagne or dessert. More casual restaurants might want to just straight up offer a discount to loyal guests.

9. Local online ads 

Unless your restaurant is based on a remote island, the vast majority of your customers will be local. This of course means you want to direct your marketing spend to your local neighborhood. 

Online ad platforms give you the ability to 'geo-target your advertising. In the ad platform, you simply use your city or zip code and tell the system to only target people in your nearby location.

For most restaurants, geo-targeted online ads are essential if you are going to run advertising at all. All the major ad networks like Google Ads, Facebook, Snapchat, etc offer geo-targeting so make sure it's up and running if you are running ads online.

10. Improve local discovery online aka Restaurant SEO

Every day people search for things like 'Italian restaurants near me' thousands of times.

Fun fact: Did you know that across the globe people search the terms 'restaurants near me' 20 million times every month? Astonishing. 

A modern restaurant marketing plan needs to consider how your restaurant will be found for these types of local searches online. This is a huge topic for restaurants looking to dominate in SEO .

Get started by looking at the following:

• Claimed and updated Google Business profile.
• Accurate location info on your website. The so-called NAP.
• Reviews on Google
• Location keywords in your website URL structure
• Optimized website pages for SEO.

11. Have an awesome online menu

Your menu is the most looked at the thing on your website and it should be part of your marketing strategy. Having an easy-to-read and well-designed online menu helps people pull the trigger and make a reservation.  A few tips for online menus . Don't bury the menu on a subpage put it on your home page. Make sure it's mobile-optimized so people can easily read it on their phones. And use a font that people can easily read online. (No crazy cursive text styling!)

12. Retargeting ads

What are retargeting ads? In a nutshell, retargeting is an ad system to show advertising to people who have visited your website but have not made a transaction. For restaurants, this is usually an online booking or a phone call.

90% of website visitors never make a purchase, and retargeting is a way of following up with those people who don't convert. 

Retargeting is available on all the major platforms. It requires a little bit of setup but once set up it is a very powerful ad channel. Perhaps the best.

13. Build an Unstoppable Brand 

Your restaurant's brand identity has a very direct impact on customer loyalty. When you have a strong brand this is an effective promotional tool in itself and building a brand can happen in the restaurant but also on your social media and other marketing channels.

Strong restaurant brands are based on a firm grasp of your restaurant's target market. Are they health food freaks? Are they obsessed with outrageous desserts? Are you targeting people looking for an exceptional first-time date?

Your brand should be built around your target market and appeal to their design tastes and aspirations. Consistency is very important and your promotional material should represent your restaurant brand everywhere - especially on social media. Learn how to find your restaurant's target market

14. Collect and use guest data

Guest data has the power to unlock your restaurant marketing strategy.

Keeping track of how often guests visit you, what their preferences are, and when they celebrate key events like birthdays (see above) gives you the power to send your customers targeted marketing that has a much higher chance of success than just blasting them with random messaging.

The name of the game here is personalized restaurant marketing and customers are increasingly expecting this next level of service and hospitality.

Collecting data requires a restaurant CRM.

15. SMS marketing

Can SMS marketing work for your restaurant? That depends on whether you get the target market and messaging right. SMS tends to have a very high open rate which is great news but on the flip side, it also has a low click-through rate.

This means getting the content of the SMS message right is very important.

A great place to begin is with a discount offer likely to get people excited to visit. Another option is to focus on local events and encourage people to stop by after they've been to the event.

16. Show off your ingredients

On the more upscale side of things, diners are increasingly excited about ingredients.

This means highlighting the provenance of your food. Is it locally sourced, grown organically, from specific farms, or grown specially? Often the key is to show people what you offer can't be eaten anywhere else.

Potential diners are likely to want to dine with you more if you can establish the quality of the ingredients. The best places to show off your food are front and center on your website and as part of your social media marketing.

17. Start offering online delivery 

Online food delivery is maybe the biggest thing to hit the industry in the last few years. And for good reason - customers love it! Don't believe us? Look at this staggering graph from McKinsey.

Food delivery apps deal with logistics as well as offer friendly user experiences for consumers. These apps are delivering up to 1000s of local customers to restaurants every month. Potentially a huge marketing win for restaurants.

Different apps operate in different locations so see which ones serve you. The big apps in the US are:

• Seamless (iOS/Android)
• Grubhub (iOS/Android)
• Doordash (iOS/Android)
• UberEats (iOS/Android)
• Postmates (iOS/Android)
• delivery.com (iOS/Android)
• Yelp Eat 24 (iOS/Android)
• Foodler (iOS/Android)

18. Get people engaged with live social media stories

Stories are a newish social media format pioneered by Snapchat. Usually, a portrait-sized image or video disappears after 24hrs. Across Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram hundreds of millions of people engage with social media stories every month.

Whilst your regular social media feeds show the best, most perfect side of your restaurant, with stories you can focus more on the day-to-day vibes at your restaurants such as sharing videos of interesting kitchen prep or quick interviews with the head chef.

More about generating restaurant revenue with social media.

Schedule and plan your social media account ahead of time, with tools like Hootsuite. 

19. Get serious about high-quality social media images

Food pictures are huge on Instagram and one of the best ways to get people interested in your restaurant is by posting pictures that make your food look irresistible.

High-quality visual content is a very important part of today's restaurant marketing. Food pictures entice diners like nothing else. 

How to improve restaurant social media pictures?

Taking great pictures of food is not easy. Hiring pro photographers is one option that shouldn't be overlooked, even though it is expensive. 

If you are going to take them yourself that's cool too, but seek out some training on how to use lighting and angles to make your food shine. We have a guide on taking better food photos  but you can also consider taking specialized courses both online and offline.

20. Amplify PR

Write-ups and reviews from trusted media sources send all the right signals to customers. But don't rely just on getting a review published.

You can also amplify any PR you get across your social media and website. If it's a great bit of PR you can also use it in advertising.

21. Encourage and/or incentivize online reviews

For many, online reviews are the most important thing when choosing a restaurant. Having thousands of 5* reviews online makes it very easy for people searching online for restaurants to choose your place over the competition. Try simply asking people to review you if they have had a great experience, or go one step further and just incentivize people to leave positive reviews. 

22. Respond to online reviews

How to turn negative online reviews into a marketing opportunity?

You can approach a negative review with a positive attitude and use it to your advantage. Start with the EASE framework for managing reviews.

Empathize :  See it from the guest's point of view and emphasize their viewpoint.

Acknowledge:  Let people know you accept the problem and that you are listening.

Solve:  Take action and resolve the problem for them

Evaluate: Consider how this can be avoided in the future

When replying to negative reviews:

• Don’t reply with copy/paste text:  Don't sound automated
• Don’t ask them to contact you directly:  This will offend them.
• Don’t just say you’ll ‘look into the problem’:  No one believes phrases like this
• Don’t just message them privately:  Take full responsibility and solve the problem publicly.

Need more advice on online reviews? Take a deep dive with our online review management guide.

23. Get started with blogging

For the creative-minded, a blog can be a great outlet to promote your restaurant. Blogging can also be a great place to build your brand.

You don't need to write 2000 words every week, but keeping people who visit your website updated with content from your restaurant can engage and encourage them to visit.

Don't feel like writing? Consider focusing on visual content in your blog and use just a small amount of text for context.

24. Get Influencers to post on social media

Influencers are social media accounts that have a large following either in your industry or in your city. The name of the game with influencer marketing is to invite an influencer to your restaurant, give them a free dining experience, and in exchange, they will share that experience with all their engaged followers.

The best place to start with influencers is with local Instagram users with a large following. Do some research to find people with large followings, ideally over 10,000 followers, and also who fit in with the brand of your restaurants. 

An example is fitness influencers for a natural ingredient-focused restaurant. 

 Once you've found some good targets reach out to them in a private message and see if they would be interested.

Restaurants that win at influencer marketing often go the extra mile and provide the Influencer with an outstanding experience that gets people buzzing online.  More marketing ideas for restaurants on social media.

25. Use the restaurant marketing framework

An example is the Fine Dine Restaurant Marketing Framework  that we built to help restaurants. (It's aimed at fine dining but applies to almost everyone).

In this framework restaurants focus on storytelling, the in-restaurant experience, customer relationship management (CRM), customer journey, and soft launches as the basis for their marketing. These topics are then spread through various channels with a strong technology marketing stack.

Read more about the framework and see the infographic.

26. Google ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads

Most restaurants have at least considered running digital ads to promote their business.

Online ads have a low barrier to entry - they are easy to set up and you can start with a very small budget just to test the water. 

We recommend Facebook ads, Instagram ads , and Google Ads when getting started with restaurant advertising. Each ad platform has its own unique features which you will become familiar with over time. But be warned - in mature markets like the US and UK - digital ads are not so cheap anymore, so monitor the performance closely and turn them off if not performing.

With digital ads, you must master the basics to get good ROI. These are:

Showing your ads to the right people is the most important predictor of success. Read up on how to effectively target people by both location and interest categories.  

Having great-looking ads that appeal to your customers is a must. Consider images, copy, and theme of ads. Are you promoting discounts or just the restaurant in general? 

Analytics and testing 

Monitoring the performance of your ads and continually testing new combinations of creatives and targeting is also a must. 

27. Build and promote your tribe on social media

Reposting your customer's content on social media shows you appreciate and celebrate them. This is a simple little restaurant marketing hack that gets customers engaged as well as creating a two-way guest relationship. Spread the love! 

More ways to promote your restaurant. 

28. Upgrade your website

Menu, opening hours, and location - these are the main pieces of information customers look for from restaurant websites. How easy is it for customers to get this info from your website, especially on their phones? Can it be better?

After you've got the basics covered, how easy is it for people to make online bookings? Is the reservations button clear and easy to find? Is the process seamless and real-time? 

Next, consider how your website represents your brand and how it gives them an experience of your restaurant before they've even dined with you. How can this be improved?

29. Don't forget about Yelp!

The truth is that Yelp is a much less important marketing channel for restaurants than it was in the past. Other websites, and especially Google, are now overtaking it in importance for discovery. Restaurant owners are also finding it increasingly tiresome to deal with the reviews and the general perception is that the quality of reviews is dropping. Nevertheless, Yelp still has a lot of users and drives a significant amount of new customers to restaurants. The need to keep a properly optimized Yelp profile hasn't suddenly gone away! Indeed, Yelp now processes millions of reservations every month for restaurants in the US.

According to this study - people use online customer reviews 77% of the time to make decisions. This means Yelp is still very much in the restaurant marketing game.

30. Use restaurant surveys

You can't make good decisions without knowing what your customers think about you.

If you survey your customers regularly this will give you an indication of not just where you can improve but also how what people care about.

With Eat App's feedback and survey feature, restaurant owners can get real-time guest feedback directly delivered to their inbox, as well as live reports that will essentially help staff members improve the overall guest experience. 

Download your free guide on guest feedback here. 

Addressing these concerns in your marketing as well as promoting what diners say they already liked means you are more likely to impact people's decision-making. Learn more about surveying customers at your restaurant. 

31. Give back to the community

If you're a local restaurant, it's important to focus on marketing strategies that will help you win over the community. You can do this by showing your support towards a cause close to your heart.

Show your guests just how much you care for their community, by adding an item on your menu where a portion of the profits is donated to the particular cause. This could either be part of a limited or yearly campaign that's in line with an awareness month or day. 

You also have the option to donate your venue for an event and help a charity from the community raise funds on the evening. 

32. Define your restaurant brand

This is probably one of the most overlooked marketing strategies, yet it's one of the most effective ways to help a restaurant succeed. Why? If you want a guest to remember you long after they left your restaurant, they need to know and understand your restaurant's brand identity. 

Luckily, with a little bit of creativity and a few easy steps, you will be able to define your restaurant's brand identity: 

Step 1 - Start by developing your restaurant mission statement that puts together your restaurant's goal and why it exists. To help, we've put together a free mission statement template . 

Step 2 - Determine your restaurant's personality by developing a brand voice and design style. This refers to the way to speak and communicate with your guests as well as the designs you use on social media. 

Step 3 - It's important to position your restaurant within the market. With that being said, you need to determine what your price is, what promotions you do, and what products you sell to your guests. You can also view how this compares with other restaurants in your area. 

Here's the restaurant marketing ideas list in full for easy reference!

1. Add reservation links to Google Business 2. Send email marketing that works 3. Send birthday reminder emails 4. Connect your front-of-house to your website with live chat 5. Try the online reservation platforms 6. Work on the presentation of dishes so they are "Instagrammable" 7. Run coupon and discount campaigns 8. Focus on customer loyalty 9. Local online ads  10. Improve local discovery online aka Restaurant SEO 11. Have an awesome online menu 12. Restaurant Retargeting ads 13. Build an Unstoppable Brand  14. Collect and use guest data 15. SMS marketing 16. Show off your ingredients 17. Start offering online delivery  18. Get people engaged with live social media stories 19. Get serious about high-quality social media images 20. Amplify PR 21. Encourage and/or incentivize online reviews 22. Respond to online reviews 23. Get started with blogging 24. Get Influencers to post on social media 25. Use the restaurant marketing framework 26. Google ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads 27. Build and promote your tribe on social media 28. Upgrade your website 29. Don't forget about Yelp! 30. Use restaurant surveys 31. Give back to the community 32. Define your brand

Sign up for your free Eat App account and start putting some of these strategies into action today with a suite of features that enable seamless restaurant marketing. 

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12 Ways to Use Digital Marketing Effectively for the Food Industry

Not everyone eats to live; there are many who live to eat. They want to know what is going into their tummies, if it appeals to their taste buds, why they should eat it, and so on. So if you want these people to buy what you are selling, you have to give them a good reason.

Everyone has their own reasons for choosing specific food products. Whether you are offering healthy snacks or a gourmet frozen entrée, you have to make sure your digital food marketing strategy focuses on various factors such as taste, convenience, health, and sustainability.

Here is a list of 12 things you can do to make sure you have an effective digital marketing strategy for your food business.

1) Create a Blog for Your Business

Blogging is the best way to make sure your food business gets some online visibility. Adding a blog page to your website and publishing posts on a regular basis helps you show up on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive traffic to your website.

Having a blog for your business is the best way to convert strangers into visitors and visitors into customers. In fact, this is why you should focus on creating top-of-funnel (ToFu) content.

For instance, you could make a list of vitamins and minerals that are included in your food product and write blog posts about how these vitamins and minerals can improve health. Or you can choose one of the main ingredients of your food product and write about its health benefits. You could also write a fun post with simple recipes that include your food items.

You are not actually marketing your food product here. You are only creating interest in your target audience to visit your blog and read your content. Your focus has to be on creating awareness.

Learn More:

• Live Streaming Videos: The Most Powerful Way to Share Content
• How to Create a Facebook Video Ad that Gets Attention
• 10 SEO Approaches to Bring Traffic to a WordPress Site
• Turning a Lead into a Prospect with MOFU Content

2) Share Your Post on Facebook and Drive Paid Traffic to Your Blog

You’ve probably already figured out how to boost your posts on Facebook. But did you know you can run ads to promote your blog posts?

Yes, you may have to spend some money on advertising, but it is definitely worth it, considering the kind of audience you can reach, the amount of buzz you can build for your next food product launch, the leads you can generate, and the number of people you can move through your sales funnel.

This is what you need to do in order to create a Facebook Ad to promote your blog post:

• Log on to your Facebook Page and open up the Facebook Ad Manager.
• Now click on “Create Ad”.
• You should see different ad campaign goals. Although you may want to ultimately convert your visitors into your customers, your goal here should be to drive traffic to your website. So choose “Traffic”.

• Give a name to your campaign and proceed towards setting your budget and targeting options.
• Choose a small daily budget to start with (you can increase the budget later on depending upon the performance of your ad).
• Set your targeting options depending upon whom you want to target your food product to.
• Write your ad copy, and remember to focus on giving prospects a reason to read your blog post.

• Select a featured image that relates to your blog post and captures your audience’s attention instantly.
• Write a catchy headline.
• Include a Call-To-Action (CTA) to make sure your target readers click to read your blog post.

3) Approach Food Bloggers to Promote Your Food Products

One of the most successful techniques of digital marketing for food products is to get in touch with food bloggers and ask them to promote your food products.

There are a number of food bloggers  who have already established an excellent rapport with the audience that you want to target. These bloggers also know what it takes to get to the top of the SERPs. A few kind words from them about your product on the right blog can do wonders for your business.

Here are a few tips you can use to achieve this goal:

• Check out the blogs of a bunch of food bloggers and choose a few that seem relevant to your product. Make sure the readers of those blogs are the audience that you are trying to target. Select the bloggers who do reviews.
• Start by writing a personalized email to the blogger. Take time to introduce yourself.
• Be helpful and respectful to the blogger and offer some publicity.
• Be unique in your approach and see what you can do to get the blogger’s attention.

4) Host an Event and Promote It on Facebook

The best way to build your social presence, boost your traffic, and gain high-quality leads for your food business is to host an event and promote it on Facebook.

Make your Facebook Ad as visual as possible by:

• Making sure the content of your ad matches the expectations of the people who click on them.
• Including a discount, offer or enticing value proposition that will make people want to click on the ad.
• Using a clear Call-To-Action.

5) Run a Facebook Contest

One of the most popular ways to increase your likes and shares on Facebook is to run a Facebook contest. This is a great digital marketing strategy for the food industry.

A suggestion for a  fun Facebook contest  that will keep your customers engaged is to ask them to take pictures of themselves when they visit one of your locations or purchase one of your products and then post them on their Facebook pages using a certain hashtag that you give them.

Not only does this create a personal testimonial for your business, it will also increase your sales.

If you don’t have many followers on your Facebook page, here is a better contest idea for you to use. You can post a high-quality picture of one of your best food products and ask your audience to tell you why they love it. Offer the product to the one who gives you the best answer.

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6) Run Facebook Ads for Distributorship

If you are open to offering franchise opportunities, running Facebook ads for distributorship could be a great way to market your products. Not only will you be creating awareness about your brand and products, you will also be getting a lot of offers from prospective partners who are willing to distribute your products.

7) Create Visual Stories on Instagram and Promote Them

There is nothing as powerful as a visual story on Instagram when it comes to digital marketing strategies for the food industry. Daily Harvest is one of the brands that used this technique to create awareness about its products. The frozen food giant used a series of tantalizing images to help its audience explore various possibilities with frozen food.

By using a strategic headline in its stories, Daily Harvest clearly emphasized the value that it offers through its service. Although the text part in the stories is very brief, it is very easy to read and understand.

CPK Frozen Pizza is another food brand that used Instagram to promote its products. Using Boomerang, a feature of Instagram, the frozen pizza brand transformed an ordinary cheese grating process into something memorable for its audience. Since Instagram doesn’t support GIFs, Boomerang could be your best alternative, especially if you want to appeal to the millennial and younger generations.

Here is what you need to do if you want to create an ad to promote your Instagram visual stories:

• Connect your Instagram account to your Facebook account (if you haven’t already done so).
• Open up the Facebook Ads Manager and click ‘Create an Ad’ under a new campaign.

• Now select your objective and set your parameters.
• Give your campaign a name.
• Define your audience.

• Now go to ‘Edit Placements’ and select Instagram Stories. Here you have the option to upload a single image or a single video.

• Once you upload your image or video file, you can click on preview to see if the specs are okay.
• Select a CTA based on your goal and click on ‘Publish’.
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8) Use Influencer Marketing on Instagram

Working with food influencers is one of the best strategies of digital marketing for a food business. Instagrammers love to share their photos and document their daily lives. When they see a food influencer doing the same, they will want to follow.

For instance, if you get a food influencer to take a photo of himself sipping a cup of coffee or trying out a dish at your restaurant and upload it to his Instagram account, you will soon have an entire crowd of people wanting to take a picture at the exact same location, having the same food item.

There are many other ways to use influencer marketing on Instagram:

• You can enter into an ambassadorial partnership with a food influencer…
• Ask the food influencers to write reviews about your product or hospitality…
• Get the food influencer to interview your founder and publish it on social media…
• Sponsor a cookbook of the food influencer…
• Host an event with the food influencer…
• Have the food influencer create recipes with your product, make a video, and post it on social media…
• You may even co-create a product or a range of products with the food influencer…

You can use a combination of any of the above approaches or come up with something totally different to highlight your influencer collaboration on Instagram. Measure your results and find out what works best.

9) Promote Festive/Seasonal Offers with Facebook Ads

Many brands in the food industry pull out special festival offers and seasonal deals to promote their products. Sharing coupons through Facebook offer claim ads is one of the best ways of promoting your products to your target audience.

Cadbury made its customers’ holidays better through this giveaway. Whether people win prizes or not, they are sure to buy Cadbury chocolates for Christmas. By adding a few holiday elements to their ad image, they gave their ad a very ‘Christmassy’ and wintery feel to it.

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10) Promote Product & Customer Review Videos via Facebook and Google Ads

By publishing content in the form of product videos and customer review videos you can make things very interesting and engaging for your target audience. Consider these facts:

• 83% of businesses feel that video marketing boosts their ROI.
• You can increase your conversions by 80% by adding a product video or a customer review video on your landing page.
• 57% consumers feel that video improves their confidence levels when making online purchases.
• Having a video embedded on your website makes you 53x more likely to show up on Google.

That’s not all. You can even promote your video ads using Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords). However, you need to sign up for a Google Ads account to start with and then link it to your YouTube channel. Once you do that, you can follow these steps to create an ad:

• Open the Ads Account Manager and select Campaigns on the left-hand column.
• Now select ‘New Campaign’ by clicking on the ‘+’ sign icon inside the blue circle.
• Select Video option in the campaign type screen.
• Choose a goal for your campaign, which is optional.
• Set your budget and add a campaign name
• Uncheck the box that you see next to Video Partners on Display Network. This will make sure your ads will not appear on websites that seem irrelevant.
• Narrow your audience by changing the language, location and device settings.
• You can also limit the number of times an individual may see your ad through frequency capping.

If you want to give an extra boost to your video, you should also consider creating a Facebook video ad. Videos that add value get a lot of natural shares on Facebook. Dove has created a lot of inspiring videos (similar to the above) and sponsored them with boosted posts. Here is how you can boost your video through a Facebook ad:

• On the Facebook Ads Manager, set your marketing objective as “Video Views”.
• Select the settings for your audience, budget, and ad placements.
• Upload or Select your video.
• Create the ad copy.

If there is an existing video that you want to boost, all you need to do is click on the “Boost Post” button that you see on your video post.

11) Create an Infographic for Your Food Product

All you get is a maximum of 8 seconds to create a meaningful impact on today’s impatient audience. Within that time you need to catch their eye, convey the message that you want to say, and lure them to take the desired action. One great way to do this is with an infographic, which is a combination of content, data and graphic design.

Infographics have the power to convert even a dry piece of information into a captivating visual. It makes information easy to understand and lets you convey your message in a concise yet clear manner. What’s more – infographics are immensely sharable on social media.

12) Create a Press Release of Your New Product Launch

A press release is one of the best ways to get others to talk about your new product launch, latest achievements or any new developments in your company in an informed manner. They can help you get premium distribution through high-authority websites. This is an inexpensive way of creating awareness about your business in a genuine way.

Apart from establishing credibility for your food business, a press release can also help you create a positive impact not just on your target audience but also on the food industry in general.

You can optimize your press release by including keywords in it. Press releases are a natural way of building backlinks from external sources that are high-authority sites. By increasing your referral traffic, this will also make sure you get some real users checking out your website.

Find some good press release submission sites here.

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Final Thoughts

There are two things you need to focus on when it comes to digital marketing for food products – customization and media-rich marketing. A few mouth-watering product shots on Instagram, a couple of video recipe tutorials on YouTube, some live cooking demos on Facebook, and an engaging story from one of your suppliers now and then should do the trick.

IN Digital Marketing Strategy Why You Should Adopt a Data-Driven Marketing Strategy BY Single Grain Team Stop making decisions based on anecdotal evidence and adopt a data-driven marketing strategy. This is the best way to grow your brand! Read Article

IN Digital Marketing How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency That Delivers Results BY Eric Siu We could just give you a list of agencies, but instead, we'll walk you through how to choose a digital marketing agency that's right for you. Read Article

IN Case Studies 9 Successful Digital Marketing Case Studies That Boosted Growth BY Eric Siu Marketing agencies can deliver better ROI than brands can. These digital marketing case studies will show you how we helped our clients.  Read Article

I hope you are getting a lot of value out of this blog post.

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6 Marketing Strategies for Restaurants and Food Businesses You Can’t Afford to Miss

From #MondayMotivation to well-thought targeted marketing campaigns, the term, ‘marketing strategy’ can mean a lot of things. 

Thus, the ‘best’ marketing strategy is relative; it depends on your business (your business’ main objective, competitors, finances, geographical conditions, and so on), your target audience, and all the elements associated with your business. 

This becomes a bit trickier when it comes to restaurants and businesses in the food industry for many reasons:

Marketing Challenges in Restaurant and Food Industry

• It can be difficult to align your marketing efforts for all customers as restaurants have a wide range of target customers (especially if your food business has an online presence – which is undoubtedly beneficial for growing your business, but also requires you to up your marketing approaches).
• Restaurants’ reliance on food critics, food reviewers, and other third-party reviewers for word-of-mouth marketing is another common restaurant marketing challenge. 

This word-of-mouth marketing is not limited to the surrounding of your restaurant or staff members’ behavior, but it vastly includes the taste of food. 

This can be a challenge for restaurants: if a food critic likes their meals spicy, and the restaurant has a more subtle taste, then that restaurant might lose ratings (by the food critic) based on a metric that varies from person to person; what’s spicy to the restaurant’s target customers might not be spicy enough for a food critic, but it damages the restaurant’s brand perception all the same. 

To improve that, here are 6 proven ways to increase positive reviews for your restaurant . 

• The role of mood dependency can also negatively affect a restaurant’s profitability. Same customers who prefer your restaurant might change their diet or switch to another cuisine for long periods of time. 

With such marketing challenges for restaurants and the F&B industry, as a marketing strategist, how do you know what is going to work and what will not? 

By experimenting – in the initial stages of your business, you can follow the footsteps of leading food businesses in your industry; once there is a sense of stability, you can get your hands dirty with risky marketing strategies as well – this is only if you want to play safe, you can also break the rules and create new marketing strategies for your restaurant and food business. 

To get you started with engaging marketing strategies for your food business, we have put together a few of the truly best, recently-updated, and most versatile marketing strategies which you can leverage to grow your food business and restaurant. 

Marketing Strategy #1: Strengthen Local SEO for ‘Near me’ Searches 

Around 46% of all Google searches are local. On the other hand, 56% of local stores have not even listed their names on Google My Business. Before we dive deeper into why this matters, let us understand what is local SEO: 

Local SEO is a marketing strategy through which you can leverage search engines to your benefit by optimizing the online presence of your business. It helps you attract more customers – both, online and offline – from local searches. 

//Click to tweet: above-mentioned sentence//

Why does this strategy work specifically for restaurants and food businesses?

Amongst all “near me” searches, “restaurants near me” is the most popular. Statistically speaking, around 6.2 million organic “near me” searches are for restaurants. 

Thus, if your restaurant does not have a queue waiting to be served, there is a very high chance that strengthening your local SEO might help you with it. 

How to implement this marketing strategy in your restaurant and food business?

We understand that local SEO is crucial for local food businesses, but getting started on the wrong foot can bring more harm than good. Thus, here are some actionable tips to optimize local SEO for your restaurant and food business: 

• Mobile site: Optimize your current website for all devices: desktops, mobile phones, tablets, iPads, etc. Bright’s Local’s study tells us that 61% of mobile users are more likely to engage with a local business if they have a mobile-friendly website. 

P.S. If you do not have an online presence of your restaurant or food business, it is high time to build it. 

• Google My Business: It is the foremost step towards having a strong local online presence of your business. 

It is quite easy to claim and list your restaurant on Google:

• Go to google.com/business and sign in to your Google account. 
• Provide NAP (name, address, phone number) details. 
• List it on Google Maps. 
• If you have different branches or franchises, you can add all the branches under the ‘Business’ tab at the top left of your screen. (Here, keep the NAP details the same for all branches). 
• Select categories that fit your business. 
• Verify your business listing by phone or email. All done. 

Listing your business on Google My Business can be the beginning of branding your restaurant. Moving on, you can explore these 8 restaurant branding tips to go stranger than ever . 

• Ratings and reviews: Online reviews are quite an underrated way of boosting local SEO and gaining credibility for your business at the same time. 

Though your happy customers would like to drop a review for your restaurant, you might need to encourage them to do so. If you are feeling adventurous, you could leave a link-to-review CTA on online menus, websites, social media posts, etc. Also, ensure you reply to these reviews; this will show how you value your customers.

Marketing Strategy #2: Leverage Influencer Marketing on Social Media 

While social media marketing is a well-known and very effective marketing strategy, topping it off with the power of influencer marketing is a combined marketing strategy that businesses should not miss. 

A report from Annalect and Twitter tells us that consumers trust recommendations from influencers almost as much as they trust their friends’ words. In this report, 49% (almost half of them) rely on influencers’ opinions for product recommendations. 

With a large social media following of various influencers across the world, you can make your food business reach a very wide audience in one go. 

Amongst many types of influencers, one of the most known categories of influencers is food bloggers. There are a number of food bloggers – and other influencers for that matter – who are seeking opportunities to collaborate with businesses that align with their rapport and previous collaborations. Thus, influencer marketing is an entirely win-win situation for your food business, restaurant, or food truck. 

One of the easiest ways to leverage influencer marketing strategy is to reach your target customers by inviting influencers (local and global) to explore and dine in your restaurants. From thereon, influencers can go-ahead to share their experience with the world. 

Besides that, here are a few ways in which influencer marketing can be one of the best marketing strategies for your restaurant and food business: 

• Food bloggers: Explore portfolio websites or blogs of food bloggers (if you are looking for a marketing strategy to attract customers specifically from your geographical area, then you can filter out these blogs based on location), and select food bloggers who seem most associated with your food, products, and services. 

Here, you can take the extra mile by ensuring that the selected food bloggers have a target audience similar to yours. 

Once you have a list of food bloggers who fit your requirements, you can contact these food bloggers and request a review of your restaurant in exchange for offers or monthly discounts. 

• Travel influencers: If your restaurant has multiple branches, you can reach out to travel influencers who are currently in an area that is close to one of your branches, and request them to upload photos of them exploring your restaurant along with a positive note to their followers. 

This can easily bring your restaurant around 5,000 – 50,000 new potential followers – and most likely, some of these will turn out to be your customers. 

Marketing Strategy #3: Give Added and Tangible Value to Your Customers 

Marketing is not only for acquiring new customers, it is also about your existing customers. Nonetheless, some marketing professionals overlook the importance of existing customers; which makes this marketing strategy quite crucial. 

Unlike content marketing or email marketing, this is not a traditional marketing strategy. Some might even argue that this approach is more about customers and less about the company. Well, it is partly true, and entirely effective. 

“If we start with our audience’s needs, preferences and questions first, and build our marketing plans around that, we’ll likely be met with much greater success and we’ll see better results,” says Melaine Deziel, founder of StoryFuel. 

Going to a restaurant or ordering from a restaurant is not just about one element, it is more about the entire experience (combining taste, services, the ambiance of a restaurant, packaging of food (if ordered), and staff members). 

For them to have a memorable experience, you have to ensure that you give your customers a little added value which encourages them to look forward to having the same experience; a.k.a it will lead to brand loyalty amongst your customers. 

It has been quite established that your customers are the epicenter of your food business, and it raises the need of giving value to your customers. However, even though you are likely keeping your customers’ needs and preferences in check while coming up with your marketing strategies, it might not be evident to your customers. 

Thus, as a restaurant owner or a food business owner, you will potentially benefit from providing tangible and direct value to your customers. Here are some ways to get started with it: 

• Loyalty programs: Around 47% of diners use one, if not more, loyalty programs . You can implement a loyalty program that rewards customers for visiting your restaurant multiple times. 

One of the best ways to make your loyalty program more effective is by partnering with third-party online ordering applications. You can use gamification and rewards to encourage your customers to visit your restaurant. 

Besides this, you can also provide coupons and discounts via a loyalty program on your website. 

• Festive season offers: While many companies provide discounts and offers to their customers, only a few companies connect to their customers. Here is what makes the difference: 

Offering a discount mostly means that you are lowering your prices for higher sales or to attract customers. However, if you attach a meaningful aspect to your discounts, not only will it help you with attracting customers but also with creating a better relationship with your existing and potential customers. 

You can start by Facebook advertising your festive sale or festive giveaways (it could be with or without a contest). 

Bonus: Prompt Restaurant and Food Marketing Strategies 

Besides these known yet often forgotten marketing strategies for restaurants and food businesses, let us explore marketing strategies that are quite prompt to implement; on the contrary, need time to work best. 

Though these marketing strategies take their time to bring results, it is their regular and consistent implementation that makes them highly effective. 

4. A Covid-19 Friendly Environment

Though it is hopefully coming to an end, Covid-19 has transformed a friendly restaurant environment into masked and distant waiters and waitresses. 

Gradually, restaurants and food businesses are back in business, but with people’s justified concern, it is best to have some precautionary measures in place to keep your restaurant germ-free and a healthy place to visit and eat. 

You can start by implementing minor safety measures such as distant tables, a sneeze guard or sanitizers on every table, encouraging takeouts, and walking your customers through all your precautionary measures to make it evident that you value your customers’ safety. 

5. A Website (with an active blog)

A website is certainly a non-negotiable element of your restaurant’s marketing strategy. However, having an up-and-running website is not enough to reach a wide market worldwide (or even locally). 

However, to leverage a website to its best advantage, you must have some basic website pages: a home page, an about us page, a contact page, and a FAQ page. 

Begin with a home page, and learn how to design an outstanding home page for your business website . 

Besides these, here are a few things you can do to get the most out of your business’s online presence:

• A practical website design: Your website will not be of much use if it is not functional and brings convenience to your customers. 

You can ensure that your restaurant and food business has a solid and functional website by having a photo gallery page that shows what your restaurant looks like, happy customers, food pictures, etc. You can also have a reviews page to increase your restaurant’s credibility. 

• An active blog: Posting blogs such as food recipes and table manners can earn you a lot more credibility in terms of knowledge of the food industry than you would think. 

You can also post blogs about new events, offers, and other reasons why your target market should engage with your restaurant. To get more traffic to your restaurant blogs, you can also start promoting these on social media channels. 

As this is not direct advertising or promotion of your restaurant or food products, but a way to intrigue your customers, it is a more genuine approach to attract your customers. 

6. An Email and SMS Equation

Posting on social media channels helps you reach a wide target market in one go. It is undoubtedly a great way to market your food business and a restaurant, but it does not create a personal connection with your customers. 

Businesses have been focusing on excellent packaging design and including a thank you note or a user manual with a package – this is how product-based businesses initiate a personal connection with their customers.

As a restaurant or food business owner, you can do these while sending food deliveries. 

However, you do not have to stop at personalizing delivery packaging only. To take it up a notch and do this all digitally, having a solid email marketing strategy in place is a great way to do so. 

It is a low-cost method to attract multiple customers while bringing a personal touch to your marketing; you can do this by sending a well-crafted email and SMS on your customers’ birthdays and other special occasions such as festivals. 

You can also share monthly email newsletters which can include updated menus, customer stories, coupons, etc. 

Get inspiration for your email newsletters from this collection of 18 email newsletter examples we love getting in our inboxes

Wrap Up Note

The restaurant and food industry has been facing quite some challenges in recent times due to the worldwide pandemic. However, with new challenges come updated solutions. 

With the above-discussed marketing strategies for restaurants and food owners, we planned to give you the nudge your restaurant and food business needs to build an indestructible brand presence, attract potential customers, have better customer relationships with the existing customers, and reach higher heights locally and worldwide. 

Be that as it may, we understand that every restaurant is different (different customers, priorities, needs, location, etc) and that makes it obvious that every marketing strategy might not be for every restaurant. 

We strongly suggest you explore these strategies, customize them based on your needs, and evaluate which restaurant and food business marketing strategy works best for you in the short term and long term.

Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Media and Digital marketing sector, Passionate about innovation and bringing the future into new business solutions.

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Food Marketing is the set of digital promotion activities, sales, and communication strategies that help to increase the sale of products and services and the visibility of a brand in the food sector.

There is no better country than Italy to analyze and understand food marketing. Ours is a culture that has built a true aesthetic (and ecstatic) relationship with food. For this reason, it is very easy to apply and undergo communication techniques in the food field: played so strongly on the involvement of the senses and the direct engagement of users, it is, as it were, a matter of feeling!

Digital Strategy, Content Marketing, and Social Media Managing are just some of the areas that are now indispensable for an industry that has to deal with a customer base that demands more and more attention, information, entertainment, and interaction. Is it therefore worth learning more about them? I would say absolutely yes.

As you read on, you will understand:

• What is meant by Food Marketing
• Why Digital Marketing is important in the food sector
• How to promote a food product or service
• What is a food marketing strategy that works

I will then tell you about 3 noteworthy examples of Food Marketing that you can take inspiration from to start devising a winning communication campaign.

If, in the meantime, you have already realized that the way to advertise your food business is not so simple and requires excellent Digital Marketing knowledge, I suggest you improve your skills with the Digital Marketing Specialist certification course .

What is Food Marketing

Food Marketing is the set of strategies aimed at promoting, sponsoring, and increasing the notoriety of brands operating in the food sector.

This includes the use of traditional and, above all, digital tools and channels. The objective is to create a meeting point with buyer personas, i.e. ideal customers who have a specific interest in food or have a need that a certain product or service can fulfill.

In Italy, food is to all intents and purposes synonymous with family, home, and sharing… The tradition and culture of food are undoubtedly one of the fundamental pillars of our country. In short, I am not just talking about a simple course at a restaurant, but a real experience that binds people together.

The mission of Food Marketing is precisely to make people live the same ‘home and family’ experience also online or outside the walls of their homes (e.g. by ordering that particular food on home delivery platforms).

According to some marketing experts, the food sector is increasingly digital. Several large retail chains allow, thanks to e-commerce and dedicated apps, online shopping, and home delivery at preferred times of the day. Small online stores such as wine shops, breweries, and organic and vegan food brands are also moving to make the most of the Internet to sell their products.

The digital food sector is growing considerably because it offers convenience, comfort, and efficiency to people who have less and less time to go shopping and cooking.

All marketing strategies that lead consumers to buy a product online, to choose a food brand, a restaurant, or even an online home delivery site, have as their first objective to create a strong identity and a set of values and characteristics with which consumers can identify.

Before I tell you how to implement a food marketing plan and business strategies , I will explain what the benefits are:

• Developing brand awareness , the awareness of the existence of a solution to a problem and the existence of a brand that can solve it;
• consolidate brand reputation through good strategies and advertising campaigns;
• enhancing products, differentiating and highlighting them from the competition;
• strengthen the consumer’s loyalty process so that they continue to choose the product in the future;
• expand your target audience by making yourself known and capturing the attention of potential customers;
• increase turnover through the presence of a wider audience and the use of effective digital strategies.

Who does Marketing in Food

Once you understand what is meant by Food Marketing , it is good that you also know which professionals work in this sector. Food marketers, as they are called, must be able to coordinate all the activities involved in the launch of a product or service and its subsequent sale. Their main objectives are to ensure a meaningful shopping experience for consumers, to increase turnover, and to foster company innovation processes, such as company digitization.

Today, the experts most in demand for creating communication strategies in the food sector are those with knowledge of economics, marketing, and digital. Depending on the specialization, one can distinguish managerial or freelance profiles that are also very different from each other and, consequently, with different skills.

Here are some of them:

• Social Media Manager manages social and advertising on company channels. This management includes numerous macro-tasks, including planning, strategy and goal setting, brand awareness development and online reputation management, digital content creation , inbound traffic generation, lead generation, community management, and page moderation;
• Web Marketing Specialist is a key figure because he coordinates and manages all digital resources. On him depend most of the actions that lead a company to become strongly digitized. He works online, mainly on search engines, websites, and landing pages. He must know and apply SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) best practices and do display advertising. Must use all web analytics tools and translate data into useful information to correct current strategies or initiate new ones;
• Digital Marketing Specialist, is a professional who must be able to study a digital strategy by translating it into a digital operational plan using all the tools made available on the web. His task is also to coordinate a specialized staff of digital professionals, assessing when, how, and the best strategies to promote and spread the brand identity;
• Marketing Manager is the management figure responsible for marketing and communication. He/she establishes Food Marketing strategies and company policy guidelines, coordinating all offline and online activities of those working in the sector. He/she is responsible for market analyses, advertising, and strategies to optimize product sales so that everything is consistent with the company’s objectives.

How to Implement a Food Marketing Strategy

The only way you can satisfy your customers’ needs is to have excellent food marketing strategies .

Always start by doing a careful analysis of the market. Any strategy needs an action plan that can be put in place right from the start by studying your target market well and which competitors you will face.

When setting up a food strategy, you always have to consider different elements to include, but above all, any channel can spread your message. The most used channels nowadays for food, and those that guarantee the best results, are online.

Regardless of the specific sector and the products they sell, all businesses should do digital communication.

Below are 6 steps to create an effective plan for your Digital Food Marketing project .

Define brand identity and target audience

In the food industry, it is said that ‘everyone is seen but few are remembered’. Work early on to define your target audience and build your food identity, it must be clear and well-defined. An effective visual identity is what allows you to get noticed, to clearly communicate who you are and how you can help your potential customers, and to differentiate and customize your products.

How do you develop a brand identity?

• Choose a logo that can express the corporate concept and communicate the values of your food company;
• define a pay-off, a short phrase placed below the logo, that represents you and expresses your identity. It must be convincing and easy to remember so that customers immediately associate your company name as soon as they read it;
• identifies an exclusive brand color palette. It is said that first impressions are what counts! The colors of your food brand are the first thing customers see. Choose a palette of two or three colors and use them on all your communication channels.

If you can implement a good Food Marketing strategy , differentiate yourself and impress through your brand identity, you can influence your customers, who in turn will recognize, remember and talk about you.

The audience is the group of people to whom your food products and services are addressed. How do you define your target audience? By considering:

• demographic data are the criteria used to describe a specific part of the population. Examples of demographic data are age, gender, income, marital status, occupation, education;
• location, you can narrow down your audience based on geography or location. You can select neighborhoods, cities, provinces, or countries;
• psychographic data, these are more difficult to identify, as they are more relevant to their personality. Some examples are interests and activities, attitudes, and opinions.

Create a well-maintained website

The website is not just an online platform for making oneself known and providing information. It is first and foremost a showcase that aims to welcome more and more visits and more and more users.

Taking care of the graphical interface of a website or blog, and making it attractive and convincing through content marketing is, therefore, an essential step in attracting new people.

However, this is not enough, websites and blogs must also be well-positioned on search engines. This helps to collect many visits and contacts that can turn into a source of income. It is therefore important to create interesting content that is optimized for search engines.

Doing SEO is one of the main actions in a Food Marketing plan because:

• makes your site visible and helps it rank well in search results;
• makes it possible to intercept people at the very moment when they need a certain product or service

Do Storytelling

When it comes to food, the absolute best strategy is to tell a story. Storytelling is a super effective communication method, as it transports the user into a fairy tale but extremely close to his or her everyday life. In Italy, as I have already told you, food is above all an emotion and it is this emotion that companies must focus on to win over their customers.

This is why Food Marketing is not only about satisfying people’s physiological demands and needs but also about focusing on their interests. It is only by analyzing the strong relationship between people and food that it will be possible to implement the right strategies to encourage them to meet.

Starting from this assumption, one can already understand the difficulty in creating advertising campaigns in the food sector capable of arousing emotions other than those purely related to sight. The difficulty increases even more when you consider that consumers today are much more demanding when it comes to food. They are constantly looking for food brands that can give them a positive experience in terms of both taste and emotion.

The objective of storytelling is to help engage, intrigue and bring to mind similar situations experienced on a personal level.

Promote your business online

Having reached this point, you probably want to know more precisely how to do Food Web Marketing in practice, right?

There you go! The steps are, once again, 6:

• SEO to position you in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages);
• SEM, i.e. paid marketing activities aimed at generating traffic and intercepting customers;
• Social Media Marketing is useful for raising awareness and building your community;
• E-mail marketing for lead nurturing and customer retention;
• Influencer Marketing to boost brand awareness;
• Inbound Marketing to promote your sales channels.

Local Search

According to Google’s estimates, more and more users use Local Search to find out what activities are available in their area, and about 73 percent of online activities come from geo-localized searches.

Do you have a local business? Claim or create your own Google My Business tab for proper geolocalisation. The opportunities and benefits of these ‘local searchers’ are to optimize contact information to set up a proper Local SEO strategy. The Google My Business tab is crucial for Google’s Local SERP and is perfect for attracting and bringing in new customers.

Ask for reviews and monitor reputation

Speaking of Google My Business, Google reviews are important for increasing trust in your brand. They are an important, if not essential, Food Marketing activity . They contain some microdata such as star ratings, prices, or some contact information about your company that are shown in the search results and increase the chance of attracting visitors to your site.

To improve your online reputation, I recommend:

• ask your customers to leave a review;
• always respond in a timely manner;
• do not run away from a mistake. Take the time to respond to negative reviews;
• try to avoid discussions. In case it happens, move the discussion to private.

Facebook page reviews are also a quick and easy way for people to star-rate the page you manage and read the reviews of others. Reviews thus allow you to attract new users interested in your food business and let them find out more about your company.

Digital Food Marketing: 3 examples for inspiration

I will soon tell you about some food companies that have implemented successful Digital Food Marketing strategies . These are just some of the food companies that have used their social media as tools to spread knowledge, tastes, trends, and sensations to promote their food product.

What is increasingly rewarding is storytelling and the ability to communicate in a simple, direct manner, providing useful information to the target audience. Cultivate relationships, arouse curiosity, suggest and propose dishes, make the mouth water, and tell food stories and products on social networks . And perhaps make room for creativity and new communication formats.

Social channels are by far the most effective way to interact with users and get feedback from them. If you are wondering what is an example of successful food marketing , read on in the next paragraphs because I will present you with the case of 3 food brands that you can take inspiration from!

Food Discovery

Foodscovery is the first digital food platform that allows you to buy authentic local products online, directly from small Italian artisanal producers. The brand’s mission is that of searching for hidden food and wine treasures throughout Italy, defending local biodiversity and culinary traditions.

The Instagram feed is a veritable hymn to products of excellence, niche products, and products made by those producers whose work today enhances small productions and unique handicrafts.

The real challenge won by this company was to have brought the world of social media into small Italian artisan workshops, spreading knowledge, culture, and excellence thanks to a winning social media strategy.

Santa Margherita Wines

There are not many Italian wine companies that are using social by exploring new forms of social media marketing. For example, Santa Margherita Wines stands out for its excellent use of digital storytelling, influencer marketing, and digital PR.

Looking at their Instagram page, for example, one can see the excellent use of food storytelling, with great visual impact, to promote the wines.

The campaigns always aim to tell the story of the combination of different grape varieties used to make a particular wine, associated with everyday moments to engage, intrigue, and bring people’s minds back to similar situations experienced on a personal level.

In addition, an important collaboration with influencers and testimonials stands out, visible both on the company’s IG profile and in the profiles of the individual creators. This is a very useful communication strategy to make the brand known and positively influence the purchasing decisions of the target audience.

Digital PR includes all those online activities that are used to promote a brand, an event, a project, a product, or oneself. In the world of food and many other sectors, these create a relationship between the brand and potential customers.

An example of digital PR in the field of food marketing is the ‘capsule collection’ campaign dedicated to FC Inter, created by Santa Margherita Wines. Scrolling through the Instagram feed, you can see extensive use of influencer marketing strategies; the interview with Fabio Galante, to name but one example, bears witness.

Barilla Social Restaurant

Digital innovation influences all fields of action of today’s companies. A prime example of food marketing and corporate innovation is undoubtedly that of Barilla. The very famous brand, a symbol of Italy in the world, recently opened the Barilla Social Restaurant in Manhattan.

The Social Restaurant shows itself to potential customers with an all-digital outfit. The idea of creating a social and interactive restaurant as part of the digital transformation of the company puts its customers at the center and establishes continuous contact with them.

One of the main ingredients of the brand’s communication is edutainment, an expression born from the fusion of two terms: educational and entertainment. An educational entertainment aimed at transmitting its values and participating in the life of the territory outside the restaurant.

What catches the eye of customers and passers-by in Herald Square is in fact a large digital and interactive shop window equipped with the latest Microsoft technology, which also interfaces with the world-famous TripAdvisor.

The initiative is part of the digital transformation. Barilla is aware that digitalization has become as fundamental an objective as business objectives in the food sector.

We believe that technology can help us offer increasingly relevant and memorable experiences and that this can become a real factor in the choice of Barilla restaurants – (Chiara Pisano, Marketing Head of Barilla Restaurant).<

Conclusions and strategic advice

The world of food marketing is constantly evolving. Food goes from being a simple physiological need to being an expression of oneself, one’s lifestyle, and daily experiences. Companies will therefore have to change their communication codes, going online and experimenting with a new website and blog content.

But above all, they will have to implement new and increasingly innovative digital strategies to talk and interact with their audience.

In this reading, I have explained which online channels you will need to use to make your Food Marketing strategy effective.

Now that you know how important it is, don’t let this opportunity pass you by requesting a free consultation with one of our experts, and start your online communication plan today.

If you want to find out more about the world of digital marketing and find out about all available courses, ask for more information!

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10 Actionable Marketing Strategies for Food Delivery Businesses Online

Today, the internet makes it easier for people, to find and order food from restaurants near them. Last year alone, people ordered over 60 billion dollars worth of food.

If you own a restaurant, your goal is to get as many new customers in the door as possible, to beat your rivals. But how do you reach these potential diners?

In this guide, we will walk you through some easy steps on how to promote your restaurant delivery business online. We will also show you why this marketing strategy for food businesses online can be a great way to reach more customers without spending a ton of money on marketing or advertising.

Let’s explore how you can market your online food delivery business with these strategies.

• Optimize your site for local search
• Place an order button on your website's homepage
• Offer online ordering on your restaurant's site
• Optimize your online food business sites for search engines
• Develop a social media strategy to market your food business
• Post on local review sites
• Consider how much to charge for delivery
• Promote your discounts and deals
• Make sure to have a high-quality website
• Email Marketing is a MUST!

Top 10 Marketing Strategies for Food Delivery Businesses Online

1.     optimize your site for local search.

Restaurant owners need to optimize their websites for both Google and Yelp! That will help their food delivery business rank higher in the search engines, making it easier for potential diners to find them easily.

Every restaurant should also have a section for online orders, on their menu, especially when offering delivery or takeout. That will save significant time and allow customers to find all options easily.

2.     Place an Order Button on Your Website's Homepage

Now you can easily accept delivery orders from your website. Using an in-house online ordering system, you get complete control over the entire process, thereby keeping all profits for yourself. Not to mention, accepting orders via phone is risky because there is a chance human error could occur. But with a simple order button on this page, it will be easy as pie!

3.     Offer Online Ordering on Your Restaurant's Site

Customers are always on the lookout for easy ways to order online. Let’s face it, the entire process is convenient, and most people don't feel like picking up the phone when they know exactly what they want.

Many smartphone users won’t bother calling your restaurant to have that initial conversation about your menu. Instead, they would go to your website to look for an online menu.

Fortunately, you've got plenty of options to accept online orders from your website!

Here’s how.

In-house Online Ordering

You want to make sure your online food delivery business is set up for success. That means offering an in-house system so you can keep all those delicious profits for yourself! An in-house online ordering system takes the costs out of the process. There's no need to pay a 3rd party if you have the skills to build it yourself.

Delivery Aggregators

Delivery aggregators are services for handling all the complicated tasks of your restaurant business. For example, payment processing and delivery coordination. Basically, you are just an online food business with a menu, listed on their platform. The only downside is that they will take a cut of your profits on all orders.

Mobile Apps

You don't have to go crazy with your online food delivery business, trying to do everything yourself. Sometimes it's better to focus on the part you're best at and let others handle the rest! A popular way for restaurants to do this is by using mobile apps such as GrubHub, Eat24, UberEATS, etc.

4.     Optimize your Online Food Business Sites for Search Engines

Restaurant owners should optimize their online food business site for search engines to help people find their location and menu. If someone is searching for a restaurant in your area, you want them to be able to find yours!

A major goal for any business owner is to increase their page ranking on search engines. This goal can be achieved by creating engaging and valuable content, to gain natural backlinks and improve your page ranking.

Typically, people who look for a great place to eat, search for the best options online. The restaurants that are ranking on the top of SERPs will naturally get more traffic.

Since people want to find information quickly and easily, restaurant businesses should employ proper SEO techniques. Search Engine Optimization can help you stand out against your competitors who aren't using SEO tactics. Ranking high in search engines for popular keywords will help drive traffic to your site.

5.     Develop a Social Media Strategy to Market Your Food Business

Using social media as part of a marketing strategy is no longer an option for businesses. It's a necessity.

For your business to be successful, you need a social media marketing plan!

When it comes to online food delivery services, you must create a strategy for each platform (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok) that is right for your restaurant.

For example, you wouldn't use Instagram and Facebook in the same way because they have different demographics and content that's best for each platform.

Here are three things you should keep in mind when developing a social media strategy:

Know your Audience

This is important because it helps you determine which platforms to focus on and how to engage with customers via social media, appropriately. For example, if most of your target market falls in the 35-45 age bracket, it's best to focus on LinkedIn.

Keep your Posts Interesting

People don't want to see a sales pitch, every time they visit your social media pages. Mix up your content so that it's appealing and easy for users to skim through when they are scrolling through their feed! A great way of doing this is by posting an image, a link to your website, a video, or a GIF.

By doing so, you will a variety of content to your users and increased the likelihood that they will read your entire posts.

Post at Optimal Times

Conduct research to find out when your target market is most active on social media! For example, you may find that your audience tends to check Instagram in the morning, before work or during their lunch break. Make sure to post links or images when they're most likely to see them! A couple of free tools can help you determine when it's best to post. For instance, Social Report and MavSocia can provide useful insights.

6.     Post on Local Review Sites

Once you launch your online food delivery service, you want to get the word out there so more people can know about it. Since more than half of all online consumers trust customer reviews, encourage your customers to rate your business on TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc.

When writing a description for your food delivery business, remember to be as descriptive as possible and add your menu option. People like short, sweet, and concise company profiles. Offer them some interesting tidbits about your business or your daily specials and entice them to place an order!

Read Also: How to Respond to Negative Restaurant Reviews - The Ultimate Guide

7.     Choose the Right Delivery Pricing Strategy

Another way to attract customers is by setting a price point that works with their budgets. If you are starting out, prepare your favorite dishes and figure out how much you'd like to earn from each dish. As your business flourishes with time, you can start adding a little bit of extra profits to each item. Factor in the cost of delivery when deciding on your menu prices.

Once everything has been accounted for, you should have a pretty good idea of how much to charge for each dish on your online food delivery menu. Make sure that the prices are competitive with nearby restaurants!

8.     Promote your Discounts and Deals

If people know about all the great deals, they can place an order with your restaurant and continue to come back for more! That means you need to be proactive and promote unique restaurant ideas on all popular social media platforms.

For example, if you're offering a special deal like free delivery on orders over $20, make sure to let people know about it! You can even produce short videos for creating a hype about a special order and make people aware of your current deals.

9.     Create a High-Quality Website

If you want to attract more customers, then you must have a good website! Consumers are impressionable, so if your website is outdated and clunky, that will reflect poorly on your restaurant. You don't want to lose customers because you have a bad website, so make sure it's in tip-top shape before launching one of the best food delivery services in town.

You should also invest in professional photography for your website. Having high-quality and mouthwatering photos of your dishes will convince potential diners that your food is worth every cent.

10.  Email Marketing is a MUST!

One of the most effective ways to market your online food delivery service is by using email marketing. Sending out special offers, discounts, and reminders to customers via email can help you ensure that they know you exist and are reminded about what makes your restaurant so great. You should also make it easier for customers to contact you if they need anything or have any questions.

Read Also: 10+ Restaurant Newsletter Ideas for a More Engaged Customer Base

Bottom Line

As you can see, there are many ways to market your online food delivery service effectively. You need to be aware of the different strategies and then find what is best suited for your business. Once you’ve done this, all you have left to do is implement them to achieve success! An effective marketing strategy for a food delivery business will help grow revenue and customer base, which means more money coming in with less work on your part.

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Are you working on building your marketing strategy for online food delivery business ? You’ve landed on the right page! This article will discuss the top 20 marketing strategies for online food delivery businesses. With the online food delivery industry enjoying a great demand, these strategies will surely help inspire your own marketing strategy!

Today, customers spend most of their time browsing the internet. Therefore, most businesses today have taken to digital platforms to promote their products and services. Convenience has become the focal point for both customers as well as businesses. The delivery industry is booming with food and products businesses looking to provide customers with the convenience of shopping from the comfort of their homes.

This has led to significant developments in the field of e-Commerce, with a steep rise in online marketing and shopping activities. A breakthrough in e-commerce came in the form of the food delivery business.

In this blog, we will discuss the top 10 marketing strategies for online food delivery businesses.

People’s busy work culture and the preferred option to stay in instead of going out for food resulted in high demand for online food delivery businesses. Online food delivery businesses provide customers running on a time crunch with the convenience of choosing a meal or even ordering in groceries, thereby saving the time they would otherwise spend on going to physical stores and restaurants. Millennials dominate the online food delivery business’ consumer base, with their life becoming busier by the day.

Today, with technological advancements in the field of e-commerce, online food ordering has become easier than ever. As opposed to going on a website and placing an order from your favorite restaurant, centralized apps offer you several options to choose from on one platform.

There are several online food delivery apps in the market, each competing with the other to be the most popular food delivery platform. For this, adopting the best marketing strategies for online food delivery businesses is highly significant.

Let us discuss the top 10 digital marketing strategies for food delivery businesses in the next section.

10 Digital Marketing Strategies For Online Food Delivery Business

The online food delivery industry is one of the fastest-growing industries across the globe right now. With more and more customers looking to conveniently order in, the demand for online food delivery is on an all-time high.

Today, the many food delivery platforms available are taking up active promotional activities to promote their services to their potential target audience. From offline to online marketing strategies for food delivery business , online food platforms are doing all they can to stay on top of their marketing game.

The following are some of the most popular digital marketing strategies for online food delivery .

1. Develop An Active Mobile Application

This is one of the most important marketing strategies for online delivery business . Having an efficient app is pivotal for the seamless functioning of your online food delivery business. The app you build should be able to help your consumers browse restaurants/menus, place and track orders, make payments, reach out to delivery executives as well as your customer support.

Only with an efficient and easy app to use, you can ensure timely deliveries and a good online food ordering experience for your customers.

2. Make Use Of Social Media

Social media is a great way to build a loyal consumer community. Social media is a great marketing strategy for online food delivery service . Make use of the right platforms and post unique and engaging content that will make users want to be in touch with your brand on social media.

One of the greatest advantages of being an online food delivery business on social media is its scope for you to be as quirky and creative with your content as possible. Therefore, make optimum use of social media and build a solid follower base, as that will translate into a solid customer base for our online food delivery platform.

3. Offer Promotional Offers!

If there is one thing that online shopping customers love, it is a good offer. As a food delivery platform, it is essential for you to provide your customers with attractive offers. This is one of the best marketing strategies for online food delivery . Create unique offers and promotional codes that customers can avail.

Build personalised offers for a specific group of customers – for example, you can give an offer of 25% for those who are ordering through your app for the first time, etc.

Offers are a great way to capture the loyalty of customers – promotional offers ensure they keep coming back to your platform to place orders.

4. Take Up Content Marketing Strategy

As an online food delivery service, your content marketing strategy should be on point. Focus on delivering engaging content that will create a factor of intrigue in the minds of your audience. Run contests on social media regularly, and post engaging stories that your followers will want to respond to.

Blogging is another way of leveraging content marketing strategy for online food business . Write and post blog articles about trending topics in the food industry – curate interesting content from around the foodie world and more! Real-time stories also have the potential to garner good reach.

5. Keep In Touch With Your Customer Base Via E-Mail

E-mail marketing is another great marketing strategy for online food delivery service . E-mails are an excellent way to keep in regular touch with your customer base. But you need to ensure you send the right message to them at the right time. Your e-mails can communicate the ongoing offers, referrals, new additions, inviting cuisines and dishes, and more to customers.

Plan and draft quirky e-mail funnels – e-mailers that grab and hold the attention of the end-user. Wit almost always works the best in the food industry – therefore, play around with words and food a little, create a quirky e-mail funnel, and win your audience over!

6. SMS Marketing Is Not Dead!

SMS marketing, a part of the broader marketing concept, Mobile Marketing, will also do wonders for your food delivery business, especially in driving app downloads. All you need to do is send out offer-based messages along with a ‘Download App Now’ CTA – this can work out in your favour in terms of app installs.

Apart from this, you can also send messages on order confirmation and delivery status via text messages to your customers. SMS marketing is a great marketing strategy for online food business .

7. Do Not Ignore Your Website’s Presence

Irrespective of having a seamless mobile application, do not ignore building and maintaining a state-of-the-art website. Make sure your website has a solid presence on the internet. Focus on the ranking and take up search engine optimisation to improve rankings. Ranking high on search engines will drive more traffic to your site.

In addition to this, take up Search Engine Marketing, and run PPC ads on the search engine. Ranking is extremely important to be a popular website on the search engine. Optimise your website’s content, make it keyword-friendly and rank on top of the search engine. This is one of the inevitable marketing strategies for online food delivery businesses

8. Make An Influencing Mark With Influencer Marketing

Your digital or social media marketing strategy for online food business is incomplete if you don’t partner up with influencers. Influencer marketing is one of the booming concepts in social media marketing today, where famous personalities with a solid social media following endorse a brand.

Partnering with an influencer relevant to your field will garner more followers for your socials and result in a higher amount of app installs. Nothing can beat an influential person spreading a good word about your business.

9. Focus On Customer Reviews!

Customers are also your influencers! Take efforts in driving good testimonials and reviews, and take up cross-platform promotions of the same. Make sure you post them across your social media and app download platforms, in addition to which you can also have a customer testimonial section on your website.

Most potential customers read the reviews before they take action on your application or food delivery platform. This is one of the reasons why customer review is an important marketing strategy for online food business .

10. Take Up In-App Promotions

If you have an up and running application, make full use of it to push your promotions. Have pop-ups and flash promotions running on the banner section of the app. This is an effective marketing strategy for food delivery service . These in-app promotions have a high success rate, with the audience and customers most likely to take action on the offer promotion they come across.

These are the top 10 digital marketing strategies for online food delivery businesses. Consider the points discussed in this article to build an all-round and effective strategy for your online food delivery service.

Are you an online food delivery business owner? Let us know your experience with promotional efforts in the comments section below.

The best way to get the most out of digital marketing is to hire an agency. echoVME is a leading digital marketing agency in Chennai that offers 360-degree digital marketing services like SEO , SMM, website development , etc. Their team, led by Sorav Jain, is a group of experts with years of experience in their respective niches. They have worked with leading businesses across industries and helped them increase their online visibility. You can contact them to find out more about their services: call them on 9176402555, or mail them at [email protected].

Business First Family Business, Accounting, Finance, Investing, Marketing And Management

Online food business marketing strategies to get foodies talking.

Updated by: Business First Family December 3, 2017 in Marketing

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The next wave of ecommerce beginning to gain momentum is the online food business. The competition in this field is growing rapidly, which makes it hard for the owners of these businesses to identify ways to stand out. Thankfully, you can help differentiate your food business and generate brand awareness for your company using some key marketing techniques. If you want to learn some online food business marketing strategies, look no further. Below, you will find all the best marketing tips for food and beverage businesses to take their business to the next level.

High Quality Photography

For food businesses in particular, high quality photography can make or break your marketing campaigns. Dedicate resources to having high-quality photographs taken of your food products before you ever worry about mobile app development . Make sure that these images are not just used for your website. You also want to take high-quality images that can be used in advertisements on all different channels. This is one of the best marketing tips for online food businesses to take action on right away.

Social Media

Social media marketing works wonders for many, many types of businesses. Online food delivery services and other online food business startups are no different. You should already have social media accounts for business. This should go without saying. What will set your business apart is the high quality images you use to promote your products. Your engagement will also help to distinguish you from your food and beverage industry competition. Make sure to keep an active business presence on social media to help you entice consumers away from the competition and into the your company’s outstretched arms.

Digital Ads

Digital advertising is a seriously powerful tool. No doubt, your online food business already uses some form of online ads. The important part here is to be sure to get your online banner ads placed on relevant websites. These targeted advertising strategies will deliver your ad to people that will actually be glad to see it. This improves your end result CTR. Placing creative banner ads on relevant food and beverage blogs and websites is the best way to generate business. Keep this tip in mind.

Offering incentives is a great marketing technique for food business online. Supermarkets give away free samples. Online food businesses do not have that luxury. Instead, offer other incentives to get first time customers to take the plunge. Discounts, free shipping or free samples of seasonal food products are all great ideas to consider. Once you incentivize first time buyers, your food business is sure to experience an uptick in sales.

Content marketing is the perfect tool for an online food and beverage business to generate brand awareness among potential buyers. Food blogs are one of the most important forms of communication for modern foodies. Foodies are the exact audience you need to get excited about your business. So, start writing for some of the top food blogs online in addition to producing your e-newsletter . This is a mutually beneficial option for both you and the bloggers. They get free content; you get free advertising. Make sure to incorporate this into your marketing strategies for online food business promotion.

If you are the proud owner of an online food business, marketing and promotion may be something you struggle with. Now that competition is steadily growing, you may be worried about how to generate more brand awareness for your business. Use the marketing strategies above. These marketing strategies work for all online businesses, but they will be especially effective for marketing a food business online. Let us know how they work for you!

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Small Business Trends

10 small digital marketing strategy hacks that move the needle.

When was the last time you evaluated your website from the perspective of a customer?

Have you ever secret-shopped your own eCommerce site? It’s far too often for a company to implement a website, software solution, or new program and never look back. You may get lucky and never have any big issues.

Or, you may find everything from glaring typos to broken graphics and links that go nowhere. Even the most successful programs can afford to be tweaked a bit.

Keep your digital marketing strategy on point by checking in with your systems and assets every quarter to every six months and performing a thorough test.

See if anything can be updated, streamlined, or improved. Often, even small changes can make a really big difference.  Below are small digital marketing strategy hacks that will really move the needle for you:

1. Replace One-Time Pieces with Evergreen Content

Evergreen content is a major time and money saver , as you can promote it at any point, rather than having to recreate content for a new campaign every quarter. Remember that, even though you’ve seen it a lot, your customers and prospects probably haven’t. What’s uninspired to you could be exciting to them and make a big difference on your ROI.

If you have seasonal campaigns, do your best to make those evergreen as well so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each year. As an added bonus, maintaining consistent elements across seasonal promotions will build brand recognition with your customers. If your product is one that must be purchased annually, they’ll come to expect your campaigns – and they’ll be ready with their credit cards.

2. Prune Your SEM Spend

Obviously, you implemented your search engine marketing strategy so that you’d be able to attract customers doing searches inside your wheelhouse. But it’s still really common for those programs to get bloated and irrelevant over time. To prune your spend, ask yourself, are those outlier terms really worth the investment?

Usually, it’s better to review the program and get laser-focused on only the keywords that matter most. Prune the rest.

3. Optimize Your Follow-Up Emails

Do you send transactional emails to customers that could benefit from a marketing tie-in? Even an electronic receipt can include a call-to-action asking customers to share their experience with you or enter a positive review you can use for social proof. When you really optimize each and every email you send, you’ll increase engagement and improve marketing without increasing time or money spent.

4. Audit Search Ads and Landing Pages

It’s important to periodically audit search ads and landing pages for consistency in messaging, color scheme, and promotions offered – especially if multiple people work on them or if your internal brand standards have changed. Small mistakes in these areas due to out-of-date landing pages or mismatched ad/landing page pairings could cost you customers or unnecessary ad spend.

Also make sure all links on your landing pages work, and that all the ads you have are still relevant. Eliminate any extraneous ads – there’s no need to have them cluttering your ad account. If you aren’t able to do this yourself, you can hire an intern to do this in-house or outsource to an agency. The money you save will make doing so worthwhile.

5. Continually Optimize Prices

Companies that price once and never think of it again are leaving untold amounts of money on the table. Too many businesses focus on getting leads and customers, but fall off cliff when it comes to pricing. To optimize your pricing,  quantify your buyer personas , implement a pricing process, and review it on a regular basis.

6. Create a “Swipe File”

Copywriters are known for keeping great-performing content in a swipe file, which they can then use for inspiration and ideas for future pieces. It’s time that digital marketers did the same. See a beautiful pricing page? Inspired by digital sales copy? Impressed with a color scheme? Snapshot it in Evernote or another program, tag it, and save it for a time when you need some marketing inspiration.

7. Improve Your Pricing Page

Your pricing page is where your customers go as they’re making their purchasing decision, so it pays to do it right . Making your pricing page clean and focusing on elements that matter to the customer can increase your sales dramatically. Why take up half of your pricing page with elements included in all plans? Instead, focus on the upgrades, keep your table small, and offer the right number of tiers. Your customers will thank you.

8. Streamline Your Checkout Page

There are an enormous number of small ways to optimize your checkout page to improve last-minute conversions. If you don’t need a field, don’t ask for it. Save your customers time and aggravation by allowing them to just check-out when they’re trying to buy, instead of forcing them to sign-up for an account. Include testimonials to reduce buyer’s remorse and last-minute mind changes.

Many companies don’t bother with the design of their checkout page, but just implementing these small changes can increase your sales and growth dramatically.  

9. Celebrate Your Influential Partners

Companies who have influential partners or strong brand evangelists take celebrating them for granted. By publicly acknowledging these influential people, you encourage them to keep going, as well as invite others into advocacy. A small step of recognition could have major implications for your business’s sales and growth.

10. Implement Customer Retention Strategies

Customer service isn’t often viewed as an element of marketing, but smart companies know the sales funnel isn’t complete until they’ve secured referrals and repeat business. A mere two percent increase in customer retention can lower costs by as much as 10 percent, so don’t forget customer service when you’re discussing digital marketing hacks and improving ROI.

Improvements to your marketing strategy don’t have to require a five-person team and a six-month time schedule. Instead implement these small digital marketing strategy hacks and watch your sales, company growth, and customer satisfaction soar.

Expanding Your Digital Footprint: Innovations and Evolution

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, the pursuit of excellence demands a continuous cycle of innovation and adaptation. As you embark on the journey to elevate your digital marketing strategy, consider these advanced tactics that can propel your efforts to new frontiers:

• Embrace Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR offer immersive experiences that captivate audiences in unprecedented ways. Create interactive AR campaigns that allow users to visualize products in their real-world surroundings. Engage with VR experiences that transport users to unique environments related to your brand. These technologies not only foster engagement but also leave lasting memories.
• Tap into AI-Powered Chatbots: AI-driven chatbots are revolutionizing customer interactions. Implement advanced chatbots that can provide personalized recommendations, assist in product selection, and resolve customer queries in real time. These smart bots enhance customer service while freeing up human resources for higher-level tasks.
• Explore Video Livestreaming: Video content continues to dominate online platforms, and live video adds an element of real-time connection. Host live Q&A sessions, product launches, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or interactive workshops. Livestreaming fosters authentic interactions, enabling direct engagement with your audience.
• Dive into Data-Driven Insights: Leverage the power of data analytics to gain deep insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. Implement advanced analytics tools to refine your targeting, content strategies, and campaign performance. Data-driven decision-making enhances efficiency and precision in your marketing endeavors.
• Experiment with Interactive Webinars: Webinars have evolved beyond static presentations. Explore interactive webinar formats that involve polls, quizzes, breakout sessions, and live audience interactions. These dynamic sessions offer valuable knowledge exchange while building connections with your audience.
• Master Influencer Collaboration: Influencer marketing remains potent, but its execution has grown sophisticated. Cultivate long-term relationships with influencers aligned with your brand values. Co-create content that resonates with their followers, integrating influencer narratives seamlessly into your marketing campaigns.
• Harness the Potential of Podcasting: Podcasts are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Launch your podcast series to share in-depth insights, interviews, industry discussions, and thought leadership. Podcasts provide a convenient way for audiences to consume content on the go.
• Prioritize Ethical and Sustainable Messaging: In a socially conscious era, ethical and sustainable practices resonate deeply with consumers. Align your messaging with ethical values, and communicate your commitment to sustainable practices transparently. Authenticity in your ethical stance can foster brand loyalty and community engagement.
• Optimize for User Experience (UX): Beyond aesthetics, user experience plays a pivotal role in digital success. Prioritize fast-loading websites, intuitive navigation, and seamless interactions. A frictionless user experience translates to longer engagement, lower bounce rates, and higher conversions.
• Explore Cross-Channel Integration: Seamlessly integrate your marketing efforts across various channels for a unified brand experience. Combine social media, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising in cohesive campaigns that resonate with users at every touchpoint.

As you delve into these advanced tactics, remember that innovation is an ongoing process. Continuously monitor industry trends, track consumer behavior, and remain open to experimenting with new technologies. While the digital landscape is dynamic, your dedication to staying ahead of the curve and consistently delivering value to your audience will set you on a trajectory of sustained growth, influence, and distinction in the ever-evolving realm of digital marketing.

Have another favorite digital marketing hack? Share it with the Inc. community by leaving a comment below.

Tachometer Photo via Shutterstock

Nice Sujan!

Really resonate with Point 1. as truly believe the gold is in the follow up and acts as a nice reminder for us to review open/click through rates on ours.

Thanks, will be sharing! Tom

Aira Bongco

Nice suggestions. There are really so many things you can do to improve your business. I am looking forward for an amazing year.

These are the things to consider, I believe those are important aspects that we need to be successful this 2016. There is no short-cut to success. You need to plan, execute and repeat the process in order for you succeed. This article is one of many articles evolving online strategy.

I couldn’t agree more with the importance of keeping a swipe file.

You should never swipe anything word for word or even by substituting words.

You should only ever swipe the structure otherwise you end up with a “me-too” style website.

Think of it like standing on the shoulders of giants.

Great post full of value. I recommend tagged content in Evernote (cross device) as a great way to ‘swipe’ content for future use/reference, news stories on companies you want to target for new business, and for recruitment – people you might want to headhunt.

Really nice ideas you have here. I have not thought so much about evergreen content before. I think that it can useful to promote them instead.

So many ideas contained in this article that I find myself writing things down. I really have a lot of things to learn.

Evergreen content will always be in. But the key is finding topics that will really boom even if a lot of years have passed by.

Some great things to keep in mind as you execute your marketing strategy. thanks for the post Mr. Patel.

Great content! I couldn’t agree more – evergreen strategies are the way forward!

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to create a food truck business plan

• Nirit Braun

A food truck business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the strategies, goals and financial projections for a food truck venture. It serves as a roadmap for starting and operating a successful food truck business.

The plan below will provide a detailed overview of your company's mission, target market, menu offerings, marketing strategies, operational procedures, business website and financial projections.

Looking to take your food truck online? Take Wix’s website builder for a spin.

Why create a food truck business plan? Top benefits to consider

When starting a business , having a well-defined and thorough business plan is crucial. This is true for any type of business , but especially true for food truck entrepreneurs, as the mobile nature of the operation and the unique challenges it presents require careful planning and strategizing. A business plan helps you accomplish the following:

Create a business blueprint: A business plan acts as a blueprint for your mobile eats venture. It helps you establish a solid foundation by clearly defining your company's mission, vision and values. This clarity of purpose is essential for setting the direction and tone of your business.

Understand your target market: A well-researched business plan helps you identify your ideal customers, their preferences and purchasing behaviors. By gaining insights into your market, you can tailor your menu offerings, pricing and marketing strategies to effectively attract and retain customers.

Outline all business operations: A comprehensive food truck business plan considers the operational aspects of your business in detail. It includes information on sourcing ingredients, managing inventory, organizing staffing requirements and maintaining food safety standards. By planning these procedures in advance, you can ensure smooth and efficient operations once your business is up and running.

Secure funding: In order to raise money for your business , potential investors and lenders will require a well-prepared business plan. A thorough plan demonstrates your commitment to the venture and showcases your financial projections, including start-up costs, revenue forecasts and potential profitability. It gives investors confidence in the viability and potential return on investment of your business.

Allocate resources: Writing a business plan forces you to thoroughly analyze and understand what resources, supplies and staff are needed to start and operate your food truck business. It helps you identify the equipment, ingredients and permits required for your mobile kitchen, as well as the necessary staffing levels.

Anticipate challenges and risks: By conducting a thorough market analysis and understanding the competitive landscape, you can identify potential hurdles and plan accordingly. Furthermore, by conducting a financial analysis, you can identify potential cash flow issues and devise strategies to address them proactively.

Monitor progress and performance: A well-designed business plan provides a benchmark against which you can track your progress and measure your performance. It allows you to set key performance indicators (KPIs) and track your business' financial health, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

How to create a food truck business plan in 7 steps

A well-crafted food truck business plan consists of several key components that provide a comprehensive overview of your venture. These seven steps help you articulate your business concept, strategize your operations and outline your financial projections.

Executive summary

Company name and domain name

Market analysis and research

Operations plan

Marketing and advertising plan

Financial plan

01. Executive summary

The executive summary is a concise overview of your entire food truck business plan. It provides a snapshot of your company, its goals and the strategies you'll employ to achieve them. Although it appears at the beginning of your plan, it's often best to write the executive summary last, as it summarizes the content and highlights the most significant points. A clear executive summary should include:

A high-level description of your food truck business

Key objectives and mission statement

A summary of your target market and competitive advantage

An overview of your management team and their qualifications

Financial projections and funding requirements

Example of an executive summary: "[Food truck name] is a mobile eatery that offers a diverse menu of gourmet street food inspired by international flavors. Our mission is to provide high-quality, delicious and convenient meals to customers on the go. With a focus on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, we aim to satisfy the taste buds of food enthusiasts in [target market]. Our experienced team consists of seasoned chefs who bring their culinary expertise and passion for innovative dishes. We are seeking [dollar amount] in funding, which will be used to cover initial start-up costs, purchase equipment and build brand awareness through marketing initiatives."

02. Company name and domain name

The name of your food truck business plays a crucial role in establishing brand awareness and trust among your target audience. It should be memorable, descriptive and reflective of your brand identity. While deciding how to name a business , consider its relevance to your cuisine, the uniqueness of the name within the industry and its potential for trademark registration. This is an important step to consider before taking steps to register your business .

A business name generator can be a helpful tool to generate ideas and inspire creativity. It can provide a list of potential names based on keywords or themes related to food and your concept. To narrow it down further, you can use a restaurant name generator for more food-focused ideas.

In addition to the company name, consider securing a domain name for your food truck business. The domain name should ideally match your business name or reflect the type of cuisine you offer. Check the availability of the domain name through domain registration platforms to ensure it is not already taken. Selecting a memorable and relevant domain name is essential for building a strong online presence and making it easy for potential customers to find you.

03. Market analysis and research

There are more than 36,000 food truck businesses in the U.S. as of 2023, so knowing where you stand—and how you’ll stand out—is vital. Market analysis and research help you gain insights into your target market, understand customer preferences and identify your competitive landscape. Conduct thorough research on your target demographic, studying their eating habits, preferences and purchasing power.

Assess the local food truck industry by analyzing existing businesses, their offerings, pricing and customer reviews. Identify any gaps in the market that your food truck can fill or potential niches you could target. This information will guide your business strategy and help you position your food truck effectively.

04. Operations plan

The operations plan outlines the logistical aspects of your food truck business. It includes details about your location, permits and licenses required, equipment needed and staffing requirements.

Determine the best location for your food truck based on factors such as high foot traffic, parking availability and proximity to your target market. Research local regulations and obtain the necessary permits and licenses to run your food truck legally.

Consider the equipment needed to operate your food truck efficiently. This may include a commercial-grade kitchen, refrigeration systems, cooking appliances, serving counters and point-of-sale systems. Ensure that you outline the costs associated with acquiring and maintaining this equipment.

Staffing needs should be addressed as well, including the number of employees required, their roles and any necessary training. You may need to hire a chef, cooks, servers and support staff, depending on the scale of your operations.

05. Marketing and advertising plan

The marketing and advertising plan outlines how you intend to promote your food truck business and attract customers. Identify the most effective marketing strategies for reaching your target audience, such as social media marketing, local events, partnerships or collaborations with other businesses.

You’ll want to make sure your branding is represented by clean, eye-catching and professional visuals as you embark on marketing endeavors. If you don’t yet have a logo, you can use a logo maker to help you generate ideas. For food trucks in particular, a restaurant logo maker or food logo maker can be especially helpful.

Consider then creating a presence on social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, to showcase your food, engage with customers and build a loyal following. Develop a content plan that includes high-quality photos and engaging captions to captivate potential customers.

Utilize local events and festivals to reach a wider audience. Explore opportunities to collaborate with local businesses, such as hosting pop-up events or offering special discounts for their customers.

You should also implement a customer feedback system to track satisfaction levels, address concerns and continuously improve your offerings. Encourage customers to leave reviews on platforms like Yelp and Google to establish credibility and attract new customers.

06. Financial plan

The financial plan is a crucial part of any business plan, as it outlines the financial projections, funding requirements and revenue forecast for your food truck business. It helps you assess the financial feasibility of your venture and make informed decisions regarding pricing strategies and growth plans.

Include a comprehensive breakdown of your start-up costs, such as vehicle acquisition, equipment, permits, licenses and initial inventory. Current estimates place the average cost to start a food truck business somewhere around $55,000 . Determine your fixed and variable costs, including ingredient costs, staff wages, fuel and maintenance expenses. Project your revenue based on your estimated sales volume and pricing structure.

Additionally, consider different sources of funding for your food truck, such as personal savings, loans or potential investors. Outline the repayment plan for any borrowed funds and include a timeline for reaching profitability.

07. Appendices

Appendices provide additional supporting documents and information that enhance the credibility of your food truck business plan. Include items like your menu, sample recipes, your chef's credentials, market research data, financial spreadsheets and any legal documents or permits required for operation.

By including relevant supporting materials, you demonstrate your preparedness and attention to detail, increasing the confidence of potential investors and lenders in your business concept.

Food truck business plan template

Creating a food truck business plan can be a daunting task, especially if you're starting from scratch. Fortunately, there are templates and resources available to help you streamline the process and create a comprehensive plan. This template provides structure and guides you through the various components of a food truck business plan.

Executive summary: Outline your business overview, mission statement, competitive advantage, management team and financial projections or funding requirements.

Company name and domain name: List the name of your food truck business and the URL/domain name for your business website.

Market analysis and research: This should cover your target market demographics, competitive analysis and niche identification.

Operations: Explain your general area of operation, any equipment or staffing requirements, and permits and licenses you hold.

Marketing and advertising: Include your plans for social media marketing, participating in local events and collaborations, and a customer feedback system.

Financial plan: Outline your start-up costs, fixed and variable costs, revenue projections and sources of funding.

Appendices: Provide a sample menu and recipes, the chef's credentials or any other market research data.

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Atomberg Technologies - Leveraging Digital Marketing to Accelerate Its Omnichannel Strategy

By: Srinivas Pingali, Manish Gupta, Kiran Pedada

Incubated by two engineering students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. After several pivots, the company focused on home appliances, specifically ceiling fans. The fan-related journey…

• Length: 15 page(s)
• Publication Date: Jul 10, 2023
• Discipline: Marketing
• Product #: ISB400-PDF-ENG

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Incubated by two engineering students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. After several pivots, the company focused on home appliances, specifically ceiling fans. The fan-related journey began in 2016 as a Business -to-Business business (B2B) venture, but soon, the company focused on the larger consumer market. In a very short span, it had grown to a revenue run rate of US$80 million in annual revenues by 2022. At the same time, it faced many challenges. To begin with, the company's marketing efforts were mainly through digital channels. 25% of Atomberg's sales were made through online channels, far higher than the industry average of approximately 10%. However, to scale its ceiling fan business to the next level, the company needed to grow its share in the offline market dominated by regional distributors and retailers. While e-commerce will continue to grow, companies such as Atomberg need to have a multi-channel strategy in the short run. They need to focus their marketing and brand-building activities through digital channels and synchronize these with in-store promotions. The case follows the life of a young and successful start-up that pivoted its business model multiple times to reach its current size but needed fresh thinking on its marketing strategy to scale to the next level.

Learning Objectives

This case has been designed to enable students to understand the following: -The promotion process and evaluation of the campaigns run by Atomberg at multiple points in time. -How digital campaigns can be effectively used to generate offline sales through a combination of brand building and influencing channel partners and intermediaries. -Targeting multiple intermediaries in the sales process using different campaigns.

Jul 10, 2023

Discipline:

Industries:

Consumer electronics

Indian School of Business

ISB400-PDF-ENG