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Build a Strong Marketing Strategy for Your New Food Service Business

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Ash Bennett

Opening up a new restaurant, cafe, or coffee shop can be exciting — and stressful. One of the biggest questions on your mind as a new business owner is likely: How am I going to get new customers? Without a degree in marketing, gathering your clientele can feel like a daunting task. But with these simple techniques, you can have people flocking to your shop from day one.

Consider Hiring a Marketing Expert

If you have the money, you may want to hire an independent marketer, or even use the services of a marketing agency. If your business will be in a highly competitive area, these experts can give you a serious edge over all the other places to eat or drink a cup of coffee in your city. But if hiring a marketer just isn’t an option, don’t sweat it. You can do this on your own.

Use Social Media

Long before your grand opening, start building a social media presence for your shop. Facebook and Instagram are great places to start, but don’t overlook the importance of sites like TripAdvisor and Zomato. Make sure that your location, hours, and menu show up on a Google search, along with your opening date, well before you open.

You can start by creating social media profiles specifically for your shop and friending them from your personal profiles. Have as many friends and family members do the same, and start posting regularly with progress updates, building excitement until the day you can finally open.

Don’t Forget the local News 

The grand opening of your cafe or coffee shop is a newsworthy event, so shout about it! Send out a well-written press release to all of the relevant newspapers and other media in your area, and make sure your press release is online as well. The release should include information about your shop, quotes from you and from local people who are excited to try it out, and your contact information in case a reporter wants to ask you a few more questions.

Mail Out Personal Invites

There’s nothing quite like receiving a personal invitation from a restaurant or coffee shop owner himself. You can buy mailing addresses of people in your area to send them out, and reach potential customers who may not read local newspapers or engage on social media. Although you may end up with a cramped hand by the end of it, make sure to personally sign each one of them.

Make Your Opening an Event

Instead of simply opening one day, gear up for a Three-Day Grand Opening Event. Offer different specials throughout the event, free samples to a target demographic (mothers, seniors, students, etc), and a raffle with promotional T-shirts as a prize to anyone who signs up for a customer loyalty programme. Not only will this give you something to post about for your budding social media fan base, but it’ll give you a head start on your marketing efforts for the future.

Customize Your Packaging

Once the big day finally arrives, you’ll want to get started with marketing in mind. Customized packaging is an easy way to get your brand image out there, especially if you offer delivery. Make sure you choose quality bags, plates, and cups from a family-owned, Australian company before you rush to your local printer with a logo design.

When you partner with Kent Paper, you can get all the packaging you need for your restaurant, bakery, or coffee shop in one convenient location — and we are based in Australia, so you will be supporting local business, and you won’t have to wait for overseas shipping.