6 ways to promote your catering business in your local community
Photo by Elle Hughes from Pexels
As a local business owner, your company’s prominence in your local community is paramount. Whether you’re just getting started or simply looking to attract new customers to an established business, these six great tips will tell you everything you need to know about ensuring your business stands out above the rest.
1 – Get a mention in the local press
Featuring in your community’s local paper or online blog/social media pages is a great way to not only allow locals to become familiar with your company’s name, but to give them a clear idea of what you do. The arrival of a new business is something that your local community will genuinely be interested in so you shouldn’t find it difficult to find a local journalist/blogger to write at least a short piece that gives your company a mention. You could even enquire about contributing an article yourself which will really give you the opportunity to sell your business like no one else can.
2 – Attend local events
Securing yourself a spot at your local farmers’ market or a local festival is a great way to give the community a chance to see who you are and what you’re all about. Putting a few faces to the company name and giving customers a chance to sample your produce is one of the best chances you’ll get to really sell your business. Be sure to look for a refrigerated van for sale beforehand to ensure you can transport and store all your fresh produce safely.
3 – Join a local group
Joining a group such as your local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to connect with other business owners as well as local residents. Your attendance at these meetings will allow other businesses to become familiar with your brand. Although you will likely be mixing with your competitors, this can be used to your advantage through forming some useful partnerships. Collaborating with other similar businesses can allow you to host your own events by providing you with additional funding in order to get these events off the ground. Meeting other local business owners can be a great way of drumming up business as they will be more inclined to use your services over your competitors’ simply because you belong to the same group.
4 – Give back to the community
Supporting a local charity can do wonders for your business. It is likely that a charity that helps the local community in some way will already be in your customers’ hearts and by showing that you are supporting said charity, customers are more likely to choose you over a competitor without that association. Supporting a charity could come in the form of an annual contribution or by running promotions with a portion of the profits directly donated. However, your contribution doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary. Supporting a local cause such as a homeless shelter by providing leftover food can also do wonders for your company’s reputation.
5 – Create an online presence
It goes without saying that having an online presence is essential. Customers expect to be able to easily find your website to check things like opening hours, menus and photographs. It is worth spending some time and money on getting this just right as a poorly designed website that is difficult to navigate can be very off-putting to potential customers. Take a look at How to make your website stand out online for further tips and advice. Social media is another essential online resource that should not be overlooked and has the added benefit of being totally free. Setting up pages on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn is a great way to widen your customer base. Through sharing posts with friends, pictures of your delicious food and stylish restaurant will reach a wider audience and draw in customers from further afield.
6 – Set up a loyalty scheme to reward your customers
Once you have succeeded in enticing new customers in, the key is to retain them. Simple things like offering loyalty cards to customers coming in for their morning coffee that offer the tenth cup for free can ensure you don’t lose them to nearby competitors. For a really local feel, a less formal system of reward can work wonders. Offering freebies to regular customers goes a long way towards making them feel as though they have built a genuine relationship with you and your business.
Following these six simple steps will ensure your business remains a cut above the rest.