One of the hardest parts about being a chef is not cooking the food itself but getting it out there for all to see. The second hardest part is making it look so visually compelling that you simply have to try it. With food, the main selling pint is obviously the way it tastes. The problem is that you can’t put the taste of something online or in a magazine. Therefore, you need to put extra effort into the way it looks.
As with any other product or service, marketing is an essential part of the food manufacturing industry, whether you’re a restaurant chef or a factory food developer. If you want maximum exposure and to boost your sales, then you need to have a good marketing strategy in place.
To help you with that, the following are just some of the ways to jazz up your marketing campaign to help give your food the exposure it deserves:
- Big Up Your USP
For any business to be successful it needs to have a unique selling proposition (USP), something to set it apart from the crowd. For example, the restaurant Fancy Crab in London’s USP is that is specializes in Red King Crab, or Nando’s with its Peri-Peri Chicken. These are both USPs in which the companies use to market their flagship food offerings. You may be thinking that you don’t have a USP, in which case, you need to find one, fast.
As mentioned above, a USP is what makes a company stand out against the crowd and is what makes people walk in one restaurant’s door opposed to another. If you really don’t yet have one, it’s time to get creative. The first step in developing your company’s USP is to think about your customer’s needs and wants. Then, think about which of these they’re not getting anywhere else. This could be a particular type of food, it could be the quality of the service, or even the cost. You then take this information and use it to craft your own USP and use it as your focal marketing point i.e. Only available through us!, or We won’t be beaten on price.
- Blogging
Over the past decade or so, the internet has become an integral part of most of our lives. It’s estimated that on a whole, in the UK, the average person spends around 3 hours a day on the internet. So, it seems only logical to market your product or service online, and blogging is a great way to start. For those of you who are a little new to this, blogging is basically a way of conversing and sharing your thoughts online through entries called posts. Through blogs you can keep in touch with your followers more closely and is a great way to inform them of new products in the making.
You can integrate blogs on your website with other social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, enabling you to reach an even wider audience. Here you can upload photos of your food with a short write up to describe it, tempting people to come and try your amazing creations. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, there are professional food blogging companies out there that will be more than happy to do this for you, for a small fee of course. Accordingly, if you would like some help to develop a content marketing campaign to promote your food, researching a Restaurant Marketing Agency in your area can help you to plan your next steps.
- Host an Event
If you’re a restaurant, then why not host a holiday event such as Valentine’s Day and offer special menu packages for couples? You could devise an exclusive menu and advertise it both online and through posters and flyers nearby. If you’re a food manufacturer, perhaps taking part in a trade fair may be more suitable where you can showcase a selection of your finest offerings?
- Email Marketing
Another great online marketing tool is email. Most people these days check their emails at least once a day. Setting up a good email marketing program that’s continued on a monthly basis is a great way to drum up new business and keep the old. The great thing about email, from the business’ point of view is that it’s so quick and easy to put together and can reach a large targeted’ group of people in a matter of seconds.
- Utilize Online Directories
When it comes to effective marketing, it’s all about exposure, and the more you get, the better your selling potential. There are various websites online where you can list both your products and menu. Some will even allow you to sell direct through their platform in return for a little commission.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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