You might put everything you have into your catering business, but capturing the right kind of attention isn’t always easy. How do you stand out in the competitive foodservice industry while still having the time to pursue your passion for food? Try these essential marketing ideas for your business and watch as the customers come running in.
Your website should be a powerful sales and lead-generation tool. Share useful blogs, updates and recipes to become a local voice of authority. Work with a developer who can make your website conversion-focused. If you don't have the financial means to hire a web designer, consider using a platform such as FoodStorm that includes an easy-to-use Website Builder where anyone can create their own site. Beyond content and design, your catering website can include self-service features like ordering and payments, saving you and your customers time.
Appeal to the senses by integrating photos and videos. Embed photos and videos in your blogs, social media posts and emails to encourage sharing. Share recipe tutorials, practical advice clips, staff intros and catering event videos. Establish a strong presence on major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and work with content creators, like social media influencers, podcasters, and bloggers to grow your reach.
Mobile traffic accounts for roughly 60% of all internet traffic worldwide. With a mobile-friendly business website, you’ll be much more accessible for those customers using a mobile device. Your customers will find it easier to view your content, submit orders, make payments and interact with you no matter where they are. A high percentage of your leads could be searching for your business on a mobile device, and you’ll be providing them with an optimized experience if your website is mobile-friendly.
U.S. grocery chain, Roche Bros. Supermarkets, understood the importance of an adaptive mobile experience for their website when they chose FoodStorm. As John Lauderbach, VP of Information Technology noted, a lack of mobile presence contributed to Roche Bros. missing out on many catering opportunities.
With the right all-in-one solution, you can automate your sales processes including online order inputting by the customer. You can effortlessly customize orders, update menus, and make new menu items immediately available. Simple things like automated order confirmation, quick and easy quotes and invoice downloads can make a big difference to customers and support a more efficient backend.
For example, FoodStorm customer Nando’s found FoodStorm’s platform (which can be fully integrated into websites) invaluable for automated order notifications, instant reporting and other backend functions, in addition to boosting sales by 35% year-over-year, and customer satisfaction. Major Melbourne caterer Nashi also loves FoodStorm’s production logs, customer-invoicing features, and option to set prices by customer. Integrating eCommerce gives your customers a better service experience, which is a compelling marketing strategy in itself.
Digital or internet marketing drives traffic to your website and gets people talking about your catering business.
Testimonials can build trust and credibility for your catering operation. Have a systematic way of capturing customer feedback; for example, FoodStorm's Customer Feedback Tool. Highlight great reviews on your blog and social media posts, and have a dedicated page for testimonials on your website.
Monitor testimonials and reviews on external sites like catering directories and review platforms. If you get a negative review, respond in a professional and positive manner so readers get both sides of the story. You can go one step further with customer testimonials by giving referral bonuses for recommendations and encourage returning customers at the same time.
Additionally, consider partnering with adjacent businesses, such as event venues, alcohol vendors or wedding planners to help each other generate referral business, creating a positive, cyclical business arrangement.
Don’t leave it up to potential customers to visualize what they’ll be getting. Invest in professional photography and showcase your signature dishes. Use only high-quality photos for your brochures, website, menus and marketing collateral for strong visual impact. Consider which gourmet creations capture your brand and what you want to be known for. Think about which dishes have the most visual appeal, and what your customers demand the most.
When sharing on Instagram and other social media platforms, size your images correctly. Use hashtags so your posts show up in more searches. Mix up your content with different types of photos, videos and stories.
Prioritize making your dishes look irresistible for photos and video, as well as the catering event itself. A platter of food that looks scrumptious sells itself by stimulating the senses. Aesthetic appeal can become a compelling value proposition for customers looking to impress with their catering.
Great ways to make a strong visual impact include:
If you don’t know your marketplace, how can you market with the right strategy? Get to know who your target audience is. Consider whether your target market is large enough for a sustainable business. Think local: who’s around you? Your marketplace could include offices, families and private events, schools, cafes, restaurants, and community and sporting venues.
Do you specialize in gourmet cuisine or more mass market? Perhaps you work across a few different segments. Who’s your ideal audience in the areas you service? Work out how they think, understand their needs and budgets, and identify how you can best market to them.
Get the big picture story with a business plan and build your marketing strategy from there. A formal business plan identifies your goals, value proposition, target market and how you’ll achieve your goals. Do you specialize in a particular cuisine, event or service? How are you better than competitors and what is it you do to give customers their money’s worth?
Your value proposition is critical because it identifies the value you deliver for customers and how you’re better than competitors. Include in your plan essential elements like market research, competitor research, branding strategy and budgeting. It should include specifics on your market goals as well as your target audience and segments.
Use your vans (or perhaps delivery bikes and scooters) to market your catering service to locals as well as a wider audience. Make sure your vehicles are immaculately presented, clean and in good condition. Display your logo prominently and include your website and phone number. If your branding is out of date, work with a brand consultant to update your logo, graphics and other branding materials.
Your branding consultant should be able to help you with designing the right graphics and placing vehicle decals and wraps on your vehicle to maximize impact. Don’t forget to maintain branding consistency across your vehicles, shop fronts, brochures and other marketing materials.
Make a list of everyone you can approach directly with a personalized pitch: wedding planners, local golf clubs, sporting clubs, art galleries and museums, exhibition halls, law offices, ad agencies, shared workspaces, banks, bridal shops and families (for their private events). Prepare your pitch and do research so your proposal is competitive.
Approach local business directly. Get involved in local businesses and volunteer organizations. Present your business as their go-to caterer. Give back to the community with cost price services or freebies for those in need. Work with other local businesses, like florists, local musicians and performance halls, funeral homes, hotels, wine stores, gardening centres, and jewellery boutiques, to showcase your offerings to their customers.
Nothing beats getting up close and personal at events like trade shows, conferences and fairs. Similar events like community gatherings, farmers’ markets and festivals are also fantastic opportunities to demonstrate your offerings. You can give out samples, menus and pamphlets and give your target audience a chance to ask questions. Explore local events like food fairs, bridal fairs, local cook-offs, and community fundraisers where you can target potential customers with personalized menus.
Create a delicious sample menu so you can offer samples at marketing events like fairs, trade shows, open days and client visits. Make sure your menu is both cost-effective to produce and appealing enough to make an impression with your target market.
If you have a shop front, it could be excellent marketing real estate, so take full advantage of it! Use large, eye-catching signs to broadcast your business brand and let local traffic know what you do. Use your windows as well by placing signage and menus where appropriate. Use chalkboards and display pamphlets on countertops and tables. Sell branded goods like coffee mugs and reusable cutlery.
Promotions, like monthly business card draws, let you capture customer details while getting people’s attention, and regular tastings and open houses, with samples and treats, for qualified leads, are also a great way to capture more interest.
You should have a system for staying in touch with existing customers because generating repeat business is probably much cheaper to do than converting new customers.
When touching base, consider these approaches to optimize your messaging:
Get the word out by using press releases. You can distribute these through community bulletins, local newspapers, food magazines, bridal journals, food blogs and local event websites. Let locals know about your new products and launches, or even any new milestones you’ve achieved like new partnerships and contracts.
You can also give out pamphlets and put up signage with QR codes leading to your website to stand out from the competition. Why not hire promotional staff to distribute these in busy retail strips. Ask local, complementary businesses, from bridal stores to office buildings, to display the pamphlets or QR Code flyer in prominent spots like reception areas. Local chambers of commerce, trade shows, fairs, gyms, co-working spaces and venues for hire are other great places to display your pamphlets.
Standing out in the foodservice industry comes down to the quality of your service and how you market that service to the public. From optimizing your online presence, to the way you brand and photograph your products, there are plenty of strategies you can implement to reach your target customers.
Follow these essential marketing ideas for your catering business and watch your sales grow. Learn more about how FoodStorm’s catering software can help you increase catering sales and reduce costs.
Disclaimer: This article has been update May 2024.
