The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Your New Food Truck

Food trucks have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially as restaurants were shut down in some markets for over a year, offering customers the opportunity to try new and exciting foods on the go.

In the Seattle market, we had several food truck clients mention that 2020 was a great opportunity for them to grow as customers were seeking them out rather than restaurants.

However, with the growing number of food trucks on the market, it can be challenging for new food truck owners to stand out from the growing crowd!

In this article, we will discuss some effective marketing strategies that can help new food trucks attract customers and establish their brand in a competitive marketplace.

Social Media Marketing for Food Trucks

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting a business, and especially so for food trucks!

As a new food truck owner, it's essential to have a strong social media presence. Create accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and post regularly to keep your followers engaged. Our favorite platforms for food truck social media marketing are Facebook and Instagram.

Instagram is great for organic growth of your following and getting more eyes on your brand, while Facebook has a robust advertising capability that allows food trucks to leverage even a small advertising budget to spread the word about their new brand quickly.

We've been able to generate new followers for our food truck clients for as low as $0.25 on Facebook. Would you pay a quarter to have your content shown to a potential customer? We know we would!

What should I post on Social Media for my Food Truck?

Share photos of your food and truck, promote any specials or events, and encourage your followers to tag you in their posts when they visit your truck.

When posting on social media, make sure you're engaging and exciting your customers! A food truck visit is supposed to be a fun and exciting experience for your customers, so tease them with that experience through their screens!

Local Events

Participating in local events is an excellent way to get your food truck noticed! Look for local festivals, concerts, or other events where food trucks are welcome and apply to be a vendor. This can give you exposure to a large audience, and you may even attract new regular customers.

Some of our food truck clients have seen great success from paying for a spot in high-traffic gatherings in their local communities. These events give you an opportunity to get your product in the hands of potential customers while building up the recognition of your brand in the community.

It isn't uncommon to see a spike in followers after a big event for our clients.

Pro tip:

Have a QR code or social media handles on your truck or near your point of sale to give your customers an easy way to follow you on social media when they visit your truck.

This is a great way to encourage repeat business, ultimately driving the lifetime value of your customers higher.

Collaborations

Collaborating with other businesses can be a win-win situation for both the business and food truck. Reach out to other local businesses, such as breweries, coffee shops, or clothing stores, and propose a collaboration.

Some of our food truck clients have found great success with partnering with local breweries that don't have an in-house kitchen. In fact, one of our previous clients built a food trailer to position outside a local brewery 4 days a week, creating a consistent and reliable form of revenue for years to come.

As a food truck owner, you could offer a special discount for customers who visit both businesses or partner with a local brewery to create a beer pairing menu.

Loyalty Programs for Food Trucks

A loyalty program is an excellent way to encourage customers to return to your food truck!

Offer incentives such as a free meal after a certain number of purchases, or discounts for regular customers. This can help you establish a loyal customer base and increase word-of-mouth referrals.

Most point of sale systems offer you the ability to create a loyalty program from within their system. For example, in Square, you can assign a point value to your menu items, and after a certain numbers of points, your customers will earn a free menu item of some variety.

If you need help, please reach out to the food truck marketing pros here at Entrust Marketing to help you set up your food truck loyalty program.

Eye-catching Food Truck Design

The design of your food truck can make a significant impact on your marketing efforts. Invest in a professional-looking design that stands out from the competition. Consider using bold colors, unique fonts, and eye-catching graphics that reflect your brand and menu.

Another great way to become memorable is to have a clever slogan or name for your food truck! A great example of this is our client, Impeckable Chicken.

Food Truck Promotions and Giveaways

Promotions and giveaways are a great way to create excitement around your food truck. Offer a discount for the first ten customers of the day, or give away a free small item with every purchase. Word of caution, be careful to keep your business profitable. There is an art to promotions and giveaways, and you need to be sure that it doesn't put you out of business! If you need help with developing your next promotion, we're here to help.

You could also run social media contests and giveaways, encouraging followers to share your posts and tag friends for a chance to win. This is a great way to expose your food truck to more potential customers and potentially bring in new sales.

A Final Word about Food Truck Marketing

Effective food truck marketing strategies are essential for new food trucks to succeed in a highly competitive market. By implementing these strategies, food truck owners can establish a strong brand, attract new customers, and keep them coming back for more. Social media marketing, collaborations, loyalty programs, eye-catching design, and promotions are all effective ways to market your food truck and increase your customer base.

If you feel overwhelmed by these items, we encourage you to visit our Food Truck Marketing page to learn more about how we can help take the mystery out of marketing your food truck. We have years of experience and we're able to help new food trucks launch and scale faster while taking the stress and guess work out of marketing for the owners.

We offer free food truck marketing consultations and we invite you to find time on our calendar when visiting our food truck marketing page.