In part two of our blog series on marketing your takeaway you’ll get some brilliant ways to promote your business offline and, of course, lots of our tasty growth hacks.
Some might call this 'old school' marketing, given that all the ideas below have been used for years by businesses of all kinds. These methods worked then, they’ll work now, and will continue to work if you apply them consistently and remain dedicated to building an unbeatable takeaway offer.
Use the following alongside the powerful online growth hacks we outlined in part one, and you'll quickly attract more clients and make more money.
Don't forget that you'll need to regularly review and refresh your promotional plan to ensure your marketing is always in tip-top shape.
Bling Up Your Logo/Brand
Look at the logos of food businesses like McDonald's or KFC. They're instantly recognisable; this is no accident. It's the result of years of refinement, tweaks, changes and updates. And, in the unlikely event you haven't noticed, you can see these logos everywhere: on the TV, outlets, packaging, leaflets, menus, online channels, print adverts and staff uniforms.
Like we said, everywhere.
You may not have the vast resources of these mega-businesses, but spending some time revving up your logo will pay dividends for your brand. Get some advice and ask for feedback on your designs. Try as many different versions as you need until you're happy.
Then use it on everything related to your takeaway.
Growth Hack: Make sure you get your new logo in a small form factor, so it works in all settings, including online.
Supercharge Your Menu
Ask yourself: does my menu look and feel contemporary? Are the colours modern and fresh? Is your grub genuinely tempting, and do the photos show this? Are you showcasing how you go the extra mile to deliver excellent customer service? Have you picked up on new food trends in your sector that will keep customers' palettes entertained?
In short, does your menu make the most of what you do and how well you do it? If not, it's time for a menu overhaul.
Flyers Galore
Flyers are a cheap and versatile marketing technique. You can get several thousand flyers printed for a relatively small cost. Then you can use them in any number of ways.
Typically you'll post them through doors in your community. You can also hand them out on the high street or ask the newsagent to put them into local newspaper deliveries. A well-distributed flyer is a superb way to motivate new clients to find your unique offer and get ordering.
Flyers are also a perfect way to launch your dedicated food ordering app. It’s as east as putting a flyer in with the orders you get via the large food portals to encourage customers to download your app and come direct next time.
Growth Hack: Adding a QR code to your flyer will help clients to quickly link to your branded app.
Getting Out And About
For those with suitable kit, it can be fun to take your show on the road. Setting up at local fetes, food fairs, and farmers markets will be very lucrative for sales and will grow follow-up orders all while building brand recognition.
You don't need to offer your entire menu, just a few popular dishes that you know people will love when they need a well-earned a break from the event.
Growth Hack: Don't forget to take lots of leaflets, menus and brand imagery to support your outreach efforts.
Powering Customer Loyalty
Think about new ways to generate loyalty. For example, something as simple as giving out a small card you stamp when making a delivery can work wonders in generating re-orders. Nothing too complex, just something like a collect-ten-stamps-and-get-a-free-meal offer will encourage customers to come back time and time again.
Considerably more effective is to use the built-in loyalty programme in your branded food ordering app. Not only will this make the admin’ straightforward, but it'll give you lots of data and ideas about customer behaviour that you can use to your advantage in future marketing pushes.
Squaring The Marketing Circle
By now, you'll understand how vital it is to have a well thought through marketing plan for your takeaway. It doesn't need to be overly complex, costly or innovative, just tried and tested promotions implemented consistently. Then, you won't wait long to see results: like more sales, higher average order values and improved margins.
Why not get some help with your marketing from our team. We understand how marketing works, so when we build you a branded food ordering app and website, we'll also bring our extensive marketing know-how to help your takeaway make all the right moves.
Unlike other food ordering platforms, we're committed to your success, so call our team today on 0161 222 7672 or visit www.deptofdigital.com to find out more.