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The average cost of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant is $275,000. If you’re an aspiring restaurateur, you’ve likely looked into your options, like buying a food truck. Sounds simple, right?

Here are 5 things you should know before you start your food truck adventure!

1. The Cost of Starting up 

The costs of starting a food truck business are more than the vehicle, fuel, and food expenses. Unless you’re prepared to do it all on your own, you’ll need to hire and train employees. A food truck needs to be checked out and maintained by a mechanic, like any other vehicle.

Overall, the upfront cost for launching your mobile restaurant business can be over $150,000. Along with equipment for your truck and other essential supplies, you also need to acquire licenses and permits.

2. Licensing, Regulations, Insurance, and Permits

There’s a lot of paperwork and legal costs to handle before you drive your food truck out on the road. In most cases, you can drive a mobile food business without a CDL, unless the vehicle is 26,001 pounds or heavier. Check with your state’s motor vehicle commission for specifics.

You’ll need comprehensive insurance coverage that protects you, any passengers, your equipment, and members of the public. You should have a warranty, which helps to limit out-of-pocket expenses such as repairs. 

Lastly, you’ll need to register and license your business so you can acquire parking permits. Cities, especially big cities, have zoning laws that govern where people can park and where businesses can operate. Unfortunately, sometimes the legal expenses can cost you a pretty penny, but they’re necessary for running any mobile restaurant.

3. Research Types of Food Trucks 

No matter how basic your menu is or how little equipment you think you’ll need, you should research the model and types on the market to learn everything about which is the right food truck for you. Factors from your food offerings, to where you plan to sell, and when, are all things to consider when looking at trucks. Your mobile kitchen should fit all of your needs. You don’t want to invest in a truck that you later find out isn’t going to be a good fit. So do your homework!

4. Have a Digital Marketing Strategy 

If you’re not marketing your mobile food business, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Even before launching, you should have a digital marketing and social media strategy. Establish and stick to brand identity for your online presence. 

Sending out a few tweets here and there isn’t enough. You’ll need a proper social media campaign to really launch your business off the ground. It’s especially important to make sure followers (read: potential customers) know where and when to find your truck!

5. Learn From Your Competition 

When figuring out where to buy a food truck, or how much is it to buy a food truck, you shouldn’t expect too much help from your competitors. The food truck industry is very competitive. Look into how other food trucks started (such as looking at their social media campaigns) or scout out the best spots in your city to sell.

Looking at your competitors will also give you an idea of what may be in-demand in your area. If the trucks in your city sell similar products consider introducing something completely different. If you’re one of ten other BBQ trucks, you’ll need some pretty amazing food to stand out from the crowd. 

What to Know Before Buying a Food Truck 

The upfront costs of buying a food truck can be steep. Permits, insurance, warranties, and other legal expenses are a necessary evil. But if you’re a truck die-hard food trucker, that won’t scare you off. To help your start-up, ensure you have a solid digital marketing strategy and you learn from your competitors to see how they succeeded.

If you want to know more about buying a food truck, request a custom quote from us today!

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post 5 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

The food truck industry is competitive and challenging to break into. You must have a solid business plan, a good brand identity, and proper advertising. You need to learn how you can stand out.

Keep reading for 5 cool and creative ideas for marketing a food truck. 

1. Launch a Social Media Campaign 

In our digital age, you really should have an online presence. However, simply having a Facebook page or posting a few photos to Instagram isn’t going to make your business boom. You need to have the right strategy and launch a social media campaign.

Look into what your competitor’s social media sites are like to gather marketing ideas. What is their brand style? Do they actively engage with their customers often?

From here, you can build your own strategy and think about the content you want to produce. Make sure it is unique and engaging. Monitor your posts and see what works and what doesn’t. 

2. Establish Your Brand Identity 

No matter how good your food is or how well you treat your customers, you’ll just blend into the background if you don’t have a good and memorable brand identity. Use vibrant colors that will help you stand out and get a simple yet unique logo designed. Be careful you don’t go too over to the top and make your menu or advertisements unreadable or unclear.

Once you have your brand established, you can sell or give away promotional items like t-shirts, cups, metal straws, bottle openers, etc. 

3. Hand Out Loyalty Cards and Win Return Customers 

How can you make sure your customers will come back? Hand out loyalty cards. Loyalty cards, such as a “Buy 5, Get 1 Free” promotion, will encourage folks to buy more and to return to your food truck until they complete their card.

You can even use a digital loyalty reward system if you don’t want to hand out physical cards. It’s highly customizable, so you can change your strategy often. It won’t affect your bottom-line. In fact, it will increase your sales and profits. 

4. Get In Ahead of Popular Food Trends 

The video-sharing app TikTok has popularized certain food trends like dalgona coffee, White Claw slushies, and strawberry milk. There’s no shortage of new fads on the rise. While you may not want to base your whole food truck business around one of these, it can certainly be a part of your menu.

There are always new innovations in coffee. This high-in-demand beverage is a good addition. 

5.  Follow National Food Holidays

No, we don’t mean Thanksgiving. There’s a lot of fun food holidays you can celebrate to promote your business and draw in new customers. February 9th is National Pizza Day, and November 1st is World Vegan Day.

You can advertise on social media about these holidays and celebrate with your customers with a fun menu change. 

Marketing a Food Truck Made Easy 

When operating and marketing a food truck, you need to know how to stand out. Launching a social media campaign will help you get the word out about your business. Look at your competitors for inspiration. Learn about what’s popular and follow the trends—and possibly even make your own.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post 5 Creative Ideas for Marketing a Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

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You can’t afford to blend into the crowd.

With the growing popularity of food trucks, it can be difficult to cut through the static. There’s no reason to worry because there’s plenty you can do to stand out from the crowd.

Keep reading below to learn how to set yourself apart in the food truck industry. Use these tips as your guide!

Create a Cohesive, Consistent Brand

To establish a successful food truck business, you’ll need to first create a brand. Think about what kind of food you want to serve, what mood you want to create, and who you want to sell the food to.

Make sure you have a catchy business name, and you can even come up with your own tagline to promote your food. Work with a graphic designer to come up with a logo, and get it put on your truck with a nice wrap. 

Once you create your brand, make sure it looks like it flows well between your physical truck, business cards, and social media. No matter where you pop up, you want to be instantly recognized every time. You can’t switch things up on people. 

Grow a Social Media Following

Advertising on social media is crucial. Make regular posts highlighting your dishes, and create fun Instagram stories advertising your location and hours for each day.

You want to make sure people are able to quickly find out where you’re located for the day. 

Make Your Food Truck Approachable

Think of fun ways to bring people to your truck. You can do this by incorporating fun colors, propping up signs, and playing music. You could also think about stringing up lights for some ambiance.

Make sure to treat your customers like family. They’ll feel comfortable each time they come back, and they’ll be sure to refer other friends to you. 

If you feel the business has been a bit slow, create a special of the day to advertise on a sign on a nearby sidewalk. Make sure to write clearly with bold colors. 

Stand Out From the Crowd: Food Truck Edition

You can’t afford to sink back into the crowd. Stand out from the crowd with your new and improved food truck.

Make sure to create a cohesive brand, including a memorable logo. Utilize social media as much as possible, and always update your followers on your location each day. No matter where you are, keep the truck exciting and approachable.

Are you inspired to own a food truck? Check out our site to get your own truck today. Contact us today with any questions.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Thousands of people get lost in the infinite Instagram scroll.

We follow friends, family members, and influencers we like on daily basis through the power of social media. It seems like Instagram has taken over the social media world, and it’s become of the most popular apps for our phones.

Because of its popularity, Instagram can be a powerful tool for marketing your food truck. Seeing photos of your delicious dishes and fire graphics wrap is sure to tempt potential customers.

Below is a quick guide for food truck owners on how to use Instagram as a marketing tool. Keep reading, and get ready for a business boost.

Know the Features

Before getting into the details, it’s important to know how to use Instagram. 

Most importantly, know how to use the posting feature. Regularly create posts with witty captions and strategic hashtags. 

Next, make sure you follow other accounts. Follow other food trucks you like, local businesses, and some of your favorite customers.

You’ll also want to explore the Instagram stories feature. Instagram stories are up for 24 hours at a time. You can create boomerangs, make polls, share music, tag other people, and post pictures. For food truck operators, the story feature can be where you share your current location so customers will know where to find you.

Build Engagement

People love a responsive, engaged business. You’ll be able to connect with locals through the magic of social media. (Tip: Use social media to connect people with your mobile business app.)

Make sure to always tag your location so people can easily find your truck. You can even put your location in your bio section on your profile. Use the story option to update people daily on your location and hours if it changes. 

It’s important to either check your account regularly or turn on your notifications, so you’ll know if a customer tags you in a post. You can share these, if they’re positive, to showcase your customer satisfaction. If a customer posts something negative, it gives you a chance to respond, rectify the situation and possibly gain a loyal patron. 

A great way to engage customers is by creating polls in your stories. Ask people whether they prefer deep dish or thin crust pizza, curly or waffle fries, or sweet tea or lemonade. Polls are a great way to get feedback about your menu or decide on weekly specials.

Create Incentives

Create small incentives like giveaways and rewards for tagging your business. For example, if someone posts a picture of your food truck on Instagram and tags you, give them a coupon or a free food item.

You can also ask followers to share your posts. Make it a contest and randomly draw a lucky winner to receive free meal. Some food trucks have even been creating virtual scavenger hunts by hiding small free meal tickets in their area. They give clues on social media to get people to try and find them.

By creating fun opportunities, you’ll bring in new customers and cement your popularity with loyal diners.

Successful Food Truck Owners Use the Power of Instagram

All food truck owners should be using Instagram to attract customers. It’s simple and effective.

Make sure you know all the features of Instagram and take time to explore them. Build engagement on your profile, and take the time to answer questions and comments. 

Ready to start your first food truck? Check out some of our recent projects to get some ideas. And when you’re ready, request a quote for your custom truck!

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post How to Use Instagram As a Marketing Tool: A Guide for Food Truck Owners appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Mansoor Del on Unsplash

Often times when you hear of someone starting a food truck, they either live in a big city, or they’re planning to move there and make a go of it. But a food truck business can operate successfully in smaller cities and towns as well; you don’t necessarily need to make that big move if you like the small-town atmosphere better.

Read on for a comprehensive guide to making the most of your small town business food truck.

Location

Your food truck’s location is critical to generating repeat sales and overall success. You cannot expect to see enough customers if you are off the beaten path.

Instead, find a main road that town residents often visit. Perhaps near a popular shopping center, in the downtown historic district, or near a major highway for commuters.

Each town has different rules for zoning regarding where you can set up shop. When doing the research to select your location, reach out to your local government to get clearance.

Create a Unique Menu

Each small town has a set of dining staples. It is hard to compete against local spots with a great reputation and a loyal customer base.

One way start building your own customer base is by offering a unique menu. If you offer exciting food items that are not available anywhere else nearby, customers are more likely to come. Since small towns tend to have fewer different types of food on offer, if you bring in something completely new people are bound to be curious and give your treats a try.

Use Digital Marketing

You cannot rely on location alone to attract customers. You need to get the word out in other ways. Social media and e-mail marketing are effective digital marketing measures to reach new and existing customers.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide business owners with a valuable tool. You can generate buzz for your food truck online. Be sure to share high-quality images of your food to attract likes and shares.

Many successful food trucks ask their customers to follow them on social media. You can also collect e-mail addresses at the point of sale. This way, you can mass distribute coupons, specials, and exciting additions to the menu.

Price for Success

A key component to long-term success is finding the right price range for your menu. Of course, you do not want the menu to be overly expensive. Most people do not expect to spend a fortune at a food truck.

At the same time, you need to generate enough revenue to keep the business afloat. The cost of each menu item needs to reflect the labor required and the ingredients included. It is important that you find the right balance between profit and an attractive price.

Succeeding With Your Small Town Business Food Truck

Your food truck is the recipe for navigating these challenging times. Food trucks do not rely on indoor dining to bring in customers and you don’t have to be in a big city to operate one. Instead, you can generate revenue with unique menu items.

If you are interested in purchasing a food truck for your small town business, contact us today to speak with a sales associate.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Small Town Business: How To Succeed With Your Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Now that your food truck is ready to roll, you are wondering how to bring in those customers. In the age of technology, almost everyone has access to a smartphone. And smartphones have a knack for installing mobile apps.

How does this help today’s food truck owner? Mobile business apps help to keep current customers up-to-date on your whereabouts. They help potential customers get a feel for what to expect when they visit your food truck business. And you can even have the option for customer to order online through your app.

Continue reading to learn more about apps for food trucks and why you need one.

Show Off Your Brand

Being one of the 23,873 active food truck businesses in the U.S. isn’t going to be easy, so you will have to do everything that you can to stick out from the rest. An app will allow you to promote your brand and draw in more customers.

Once you have your mobile kitchen up and running, an app for your food truck is a great way to promote your brand. Apps are customizable to your business colors/logo to catch your customer’s eye.

An app is a perfect opportunity for you to try out new things and advertise daily lunch specials. 

You can tell your story on the app as a way to connect with your customers on a personal level. You sell amazing food creations every day, but what do you do when you aren’t catering to the public? Where do you get inspiration for your specials? Your customers want to know more about the person running the food truck.

This becomes your brand. 

Location

Mobile businesses are well-known for moving from one location to another. A food truck is not always going to be in a singular place. Depending on the time of day or day of the week, you may be in a different location in an attempt to bring in more customers.

It might be ideal for you to be in the business district during lunchtime on a Tuesday. While it would make more sense for you to be near the park entrance on a Saturday afternoon. Location is all about where the money is.

If you are going to be moving around your city to different places, your app is a place where people can stay up to date on where you will be on which days.

Coupons, Freebies & More

An app is a great place for you to advertise coupons or freebies for your customers. If your customers want to sign up for a loyalty program, this is where they could do so.

Other Alternatives

If creating an app for your food truck business isn’t something that you can do right now, you have other options. There are apps already out there that allow you to advertise your business on them, but that may entail paying a membership fee or advertising costs.

There are different apps available depending on where you’re located. Apps like, Roaming Hunger or Street Food Finder can get your mobile business off the ground.

Once your food truck has a decent following, you will be in a better position to create your food truck’s app. This will help you reach that next level.

Mobile Business Apps: The Next Step

Now that you are thinking about mobile business apps, you are ready to take that next step.

Create the app for your food truck and you will be ready to take on the world. Or at least you’ll be ready to take on the streets of your city.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Mobile Business Apps: Why You Need a Mobile App for Your Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo: Rawpixel

Facebook can be a critical free marketing tool for your food truck. If you don’t have the time or money to invest in creating a website for your food truck business, having a Facebook business page is probably your next best bet. 

Not sure what to post or how to get started? Let’s explore some of the ways you can keep customers engaged, and possibly attract future regulars to your truck!

Food Truck Facebook Tips

1. Share Your Location & Schedule

Share your daily location and any changes in your regular schedule. This is especially important if you don’t set up shop in the same place regularly. How can customers buy food at your truck if they can’t find it easily? If you are set up in front or in the parking lot of a business, consider tagging them in your post so potential customers can find you easily.

2. Post Food Specials

If you have a rotating menu, post your daily or weekly specials. Have a different special every day? You might want to share a brief menu for the week on Sunday or Monday so customers can plan ahead to eat at your truck on days their favorite food is being served. Follow that up with individual posts throughout the week of what the special is for each particular day.

Sharing these types of posts works especially well when you have an enticing food photo to whet your followers’ appetites.

3. Personal Updates

Post occasional personal updates about yourself or your employees, or just life around the food truck. This could include sharing big life events, new hire announcements, or photos of employees doing daily tasks with a smile. Something short and sweet will be easy to put together and showcase a personal touch.

For example, you could share a photo of a new team member and say something like, “This is Julia, the newest member of our food truck family. Her favorite food on the menu is … Welcome to the team, Julia!” Followers will enjoy getting to feel like they have an insight into operations on your food truck.

4. Food Truck Humor

Post memes or gifs that you find funny and relatable to your food. Customers will love seeing your humorous side.

5. Advertise Event Participation

Invite your followers to community events that your food truck will be participating in. Fairs, festivals, block parties, and holiday celebrations are all fair game. Posting a few times in the month leading up to the event is a great way to build anticipation and maximize your reach. In these posts, be sure and tag the organization putting on the event to get even more eyes on your content.

6. Get Customer Feedback

Post surveys for customer feedback: voting on upcoming menu specials, giving feedback about their customer experience at your truck, getting suggestions for people with dietary restrictions or kids, etc. The most engagement on posts occurs when you give the customer a question to answer that is relevant to them in some way.

This kills two birds with one stone: it gets your customers thinking about your truck and your food, and it also gives you helpful information that you can use to better tailor your food truck operations. Getting customer feedback will help you provide the best possible customer experience, which will in turn get you more business in the long run.

7. Use Hashtags to Expand Your Reach

Use relevant hashtags to make your content more easily searchable on Facebook and other social platforms you might use. This will boost the number of people who could potentially see your content. Just be careful not to overuse hashtags. A couple of concise and pertinent tags will do the trick.

8. Engage with Comments

Be sure to regularly check and moderate your comments! This is especially important if someone has a complaint that they decide to share on social media. By ignoring negative comments, you could signal to potential customers that you don’t care about their customer experience.

Be calm and professional when responding to negative feedback, but equally, thank people for taking the time to write something positive about your truck as well. This can be a good opportunity to invite them to come back in the future.

9. Use Facebook Ads

As a food truck owner, you might not have much of an advertising budget built into your business plan. This is where Facebook can really make it easy for small businesses to promote themselves. You can spend as much or as little as you would like on ads for your truck, and make sure it is only reaching relevant audiences, like people in your surrounding area.

Even if you can’t advertise on a regular basis, you might want to consider paying for a short run of targeted ads if you have a big event coming up, like a festival or fair in your area.

Facebook as A Food Truck Marketing Tool

We hope these tips have been helpful in getting your Facebook game on point. Social media is a powerful tool for sharing information and connecting with your customers, so don’t miss those opportunities. Now that you have some direction, get out there and start posting!

Don’t have your dream truck yet, or want to upgrade? Contact us for a free quote.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Social Media Marketing: How to Engage Your Food Truck Customers on Facebook appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Everyone’s journey to the food truck industry is different, but there are certain things that every food truck owner needs to incorporate. Whether you’re coming to the industry as an entrepreneur, a chef or a restaurant owner, don’t forget these essentials along the way!

7. Research the Industry

You might know a lot about business, the food industry, or running a kitchen, but before starting a food truck you still have to research the food truck industry itself. You’ll be lucky to see success if you jump right in by purchasing a food truck without doing any research to lay the groundwork for a successful mobile restaurant venture.

You need to take some time to scope out your competition, learn best practices and find out how to be successful in this industry. Learning everything on the job is an option . . . but it’s not the best one. The more you learn ahead of time, the better off you will be.

6. Come Up With A Concept & Name

Your food truck concept will define your product and your name is what people will associate with your food. Getting these two things down will help you stand out and have a better chance at success.

Like all things in the business world, coming up with a winning concept and name is not easy. You might go the classic route with a nostalgic name and serve family recipes, or you might branch out and come up with a concept that is unique in your area—the choice is yours.

Take some time to really brainstorm these ideas. What can you see yourself cooking every day, and what can you see people buying? Is there a niche in your area that hasn’t been filled yet? Don’t worry about nailing down your entire menu right away. One cool thing about the food truck industry is you can try out new menu items more easily, as people expect food truck menus to be unique and interesting. Even fusion food combining different cuisines is welcomed.

5. Plot Out Your Business Plan

Every business owner—including food truck owners just starting out—needs a business plan.

This plan will also everything out so you aren’t going at this venture with your eyes closed. Having a good business plan can even lead to you getting funds for your business, as you use it to secure funds from financial institutions or to convince financial backers that your plan is profitable.

While many chefs want to jump right in, a good business plan will help you decide what’s possible. Plus, it will also be used as an essential guide along your way.

4. Licenses, Permits, Etc.

Having the proper food truck licensing and permits is essential. Without these ingredients, you will not be able to run your business—they are non-negotiable. Be sure and find out the different requirements in your area, as they can change based on where you’re planning on operating your truck. Do your research!

3. Locations

During the journey of setting up your food truck business, you’re going to have to start looking for locations for your truck. You can always enter food truck events and offer a catering service to spice things up and add another stream of income.

Just remember, while your location is very important, you can find multiple locations to set up shop, since your business is mobile. No matter where you decide to set up shop, it’s ideal to find places that are high in foot traffic. Just make sure that you have the proper permitting and follow all local laws when choosing where you will park.

2. Online Marketing

Many food truck owners want to focus on their food and day-to-day business at their food trucks and that’s it.

However, marketing needs to make an appearance if you plan on being the most successful food truck owner you can possibly be. A couple essential things you need on the online marketing front are a quality website and engagement on social media. These avenues will help keep your customers informed about important details, like hours and locations, while promoting the more exciting parts, like your menu and weekly or daily specials.

While your food truck is being built, you should be starting to get these types of things in order and making sure they are ready before you start serving food at your mobile kitchen. Build some hype before you hit the streets with your new business.

1. Build Your Food Truck

Along with all these things, you, of course, need a food truck. This is the foundation of your business. Be sure to use an eye-catching design that prominently displays your logo—your truck will act as a mobile billboard promoting your business wherever you drive it. Make sure you think through how you want your kitchen organized to minimize disasters and to ensure you have the ideal setup for running your food business.

Now Get Going!

There are many different things a restaurant owner will need to start up a food truck business, but the seven ingredients above are essential. Now that you have a place to get started, why not take your first step today?

Want an idea of what your food truck could look like? We encourage you to check out our recent builds.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Essentials For Starting A Food Truck: What You Need to Know appeared first on Custom Concessions.

What if your food truck could become the hottest new business in town? No matter how good your food is, becoming a successful business is all about marketing. Unfortunately, many owners don’t know how to take their food truck marketing to the next level.

A good social media strategy can help propel your business to new heights. Keep reading to learn more about how to improve that strategy and achieve serious success!

1. Jazz Up the Menu

Many owners think their social media strategy should be limited to social media platforms. The reality is that many social media initiatives take place “off-screen.”

For example, social media users will want to check out your menu online before coming to the food truck. This gives you a perfect chance to jazz up your menu before posting it.

Try to add plenty of images and an eye-catching cover. Don’t be afraid to upsell: recommend which dishes and drinks complement each other for maximum flavor!

2. Make It Visual

Earlier, we talked about the importance of making the menu more visual. However, that wisdom extends to your entire social media strategy.

While it’s not the only thing your customers care about, most of them have visited your social media page to learn more about your food. This is why you should prominently feature professional photographs of your tastiest dishes.

Feature those images in your posts and encourage customers to like, comment, and share. This helps get new customers’ attention while turning the old ones into brand ambassadors for your food truck.

3. Use QR Codes

So far, we have focused on how social media can drive new customers to your food truck. But have you considered how to steer your food truck customers to your social media platforms?

One surefire way to do this is QR codes. Customers can simply scan the code with their smartphone and are instantly taken to your social media.

You can use a similar strategy to drive customers to your website. It is highly effective because it takes most of the work out of finding your truck online.

4. Multi-Platform

How many social media platforms is your business currently using? Chances are that you’d be better off by adding a new platform (or two, or three).

Different platforms have different strengths. Facebook makes it easy for customers to engage with you and for you to track analytics. Meanwhile, Instagram makes it easy to focus on your absolute best food photography and share it with users online.

Keep in mind that various third-party apps help you cross-post and schedule future posts. This helps you post to multiple platforms without giving up all of your free time.

5. Advertise Major Events

When used correctly, social media is the perfect vehicle to advertise your food truck. And those advertisements should focus heavily on major events.

Are you unveiling a new dish, or maybe taking part in a downtown block party? Use social media to make customers aware of what’s going on.

These advertisements build anticipation and word-of-mouth advertising. And anyone who finds out after the fact will have serious FOMO, making them likelier to come to the next major event you throw.

6. Online-Only Coupons

The quickest way to a customer’s heart is through their wallet. That’s why you should feature online-only coupons and deals.

Customers will get instant gratification from the ability to save money. And making those deals a regular occurrence (such as posting new ones every month) is a great way to get customers coming back.

The more they save, the more they buy. And they’ll be happy to tell others about the great deals they found online.

7. Engage With Customers

Social media marketing must be different from traditional marketing. If all of your posts are pure advertisement, it will quickly turn away customers who want something more substantial.

This is why you should have posts that engage with your customers. For example, you can let customers vote on what your next new dish will be. Or you can ask them to post pictures of their favorite meals.

Inviting such engagement increases loyalty and helps your online community thrive. 

8. All Analytics, All the Time

Redesigning your social media strategy means making several big changes. It’s important to understand whether these changes are having a major impact on your business.

First, don’t forget to use the analytics of your chosen social media platform. Facebook, for example, provides an easy way for you to look at every aspect of user engagement with your professional page.

Second, try to cross-reference those analytics results with your revenue. If you can tie an increase in customers to new social media strategies, this means you’re on the right track with your strategy.

9. Regular Posting

Retaining customers online is just as important as retaining them offline. In order to do this, you need to regularly post new content.

If you only post one or twice a month, you will not have much customer engagement. Furthermore, a low post count may keep your page buried by the social media algorithms.

Try to commit to posting once a day or several times a week. This gives loyal customers something to look forward to without completely clogging their timeline.

10. Networking Synergy

Fortunately, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when you reinvent your social media strategy. Old techniques such as networking still work wonders.

Let’s say you want to be a brand that many people trust. One of the easiest ways to do so is to partner up with an existing brand.

Try to get a well-known food blogger or influencer to create original content about your food truck. Additionally, see if they will regularly mention you to their own group of fans.

This technique builds credibility with potential customers while letting you benefit from someone else’s built-in audience.

Food Truck Marketing: Serve It Up

Now you know the secret to food truck marketing via social media. But do you know the secret to running a successful truck?

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

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The post Food Truck Marketing: 10 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Strategy appeared first on Custom Concessions.