Simple Strategies to Draw People to Your Food Truck
Food truck business growth has exploded over the last few years. Mobility and cost are a huge component of these small businesses’ success. The ability a food truck has to transport their business from location to location is a huge advantage. You can reach any audience at any time. It can also be a weakness if you do not find ways to draw people to your truck. Follow along for a few simple strategies to draw people to your food truck.
Get Your Name Out There
Marketing and branding is all about getting your name out there and letting the world know who you are. Your brand needs to communicate who you are and who your target audience is. Increase your branding by investing time into developing your social media.
Social media can be a huge asset in communicating with current and bringing in new customers. Use your social media to connect with events going on around town. Use hashtags and keywords that increase your visibility. Post to tell people where you are and where you are going next so people can anticipate when and where they will see you next. By engaging on social media, you create a personable brand that draws more people to your food truck.
Go Where the People Are
As a food truck business, location strategy is everything. You have the unique opportunity and responsibility to go where the people are. To choose locations, you need to identify your target customer base and find out what they are interested in. Then network with local booking agents to find out what events are being held that you and your business can attend. You can also use various food truck apps and social media like a heat mapping tool, to track where a lot of foot traffic is taking place within the area. Be sure to park in places that make it easy for people to see you and come to you, while still following local guidelines.
Offer Samples
When you are competing for a customer’s attention against a bunch of other food trucks, a great strategy to use is offering samples. People love free food, and they love to know what they are getting. By offering a variety of samples you give people an in-person view of what your food looks and tastes like. They are then drawn to your truck because of your transparency in knowing exactly what they will get. Samples should not be bigger than bite-size. Custom toothpicks are great for samples, because it makes them easy to pick up and keep fingers clean. Just a little taste will make the cravings activate.
Offer Mobile Ordering and Payment
Using an app like Where’s The Foodtruck for your food truck business is a great way to drive more customers to your window. Customers want to know where they can find you and view your menu. As an added advantage, you can offer mobile ordering and payment options, another free feature in our app. In the fast-food world, mobile ordering is a huge trend. This gives customers an opportunity to find where you are, place an order, and do business with you, even if they don’t plan on staying at the event or at your truck for very long. With the ease of mobile ordering as an option, customers are more likely to come to you wherever they are geographically.
Develop A Loyalty Program
Another feature you can add to your app is a loyalty program. Loyalty cards and programs are the perfect way to get customers to keep coming back. Loyal customers not only keep you in business, but they are a big component of bringing new business to you. Show your customers you appreciate their loyalty by offering discounts or perhaps a free meal for every 10 meals that are paid for. By investing in your customer’s satisfaction and happiness, you develop a relationship that turns into loyalty. A loyal customer is your biggest asset in expanding your business.
Run Specials
One of the easiest ways you can attract customers is by offering specials. People love food and will go out of their way for what they feel is a good deal. Specials do not have to break your business. Tailor your specials to match your audience and their needs. Selling a specific item or items, at a discounted price, during a certain time consistently, will attract customers. You can also offer two meals for the price of one during special events. Running daily specials can also create consistency for your customers who are loyal to a specific food item you offer. Ultimately there are endless possibilities for specials that you can run. Choose what is best for you, your business, and will attract the most customers.
Make it an Experience
As a food truck owner, it is not just your responsibility to provide food for your customers. It is important to give your customer’s an experience. An experience is anything that sets you apart from the other competition, including other dining out options. Find ways to celebrate holidays and participate in celebrations. Catering at weddings and school parties lets the customer’s associate you with a happy memory.
Part of offering a good experience is having excellent customer service, no matter what. Your business relies on the happiness of your customers, and you cannot afford to write off one customer’s bad experience. Engage with your customers, have conversations while preparing their food, and make them feel like they are a part of a community. By creating an experience for your customers, you create memories and positive associations they can have with you each time they think of and go to you.
The food truck industry is growing rapidly. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, owners found creative ways to reach their customers and grow their restaurant base. By being creative and personable, you can create experiences for new and existing customers to keep coming back to. Always be on the move towards improvement and drawing in more people to your food truck.
Get even more people to come to your food truck by listing it on our app! Sign up here to get on the map.
