When we say mobile-ready, we’re not talking about food carts. With more people stuck at home, they scroll through their feeds to see what’s happening outside and discover something new. The question is: will they be able to see you? Follow these tips to make sure your business gets noticed on the small screens.
Be visible on social media
Think of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram as the new malls for your consumers. Make sure your business has a page on these platforms with regularly updated content so your customers can see you. Here’s a checklist of essentials that should be visible on your page:
- Logo — This will serve as your profile photo and cover photo
- Menu — Use pictures and descriptions for easier reference
- Contact details — Make sure to add your landline and email address
- Location — So people know where to find you
- Chat Button — Be responsive to messages and comments as it builds a stronger connection and loyalty with your fans
Go the distance with food delivery
Are there restaurants near me? This is an important question that your business needs to answer. With food deliveries, you are simply eliminating the gap between you and your consumer. With that said, it’s a really good idea to explore food delivery options for your business. Here are some ideas that you want to explore:
- Do it manually — Have a dedicated person (preferably with a motorcycle) do the deliveries for you. This guarantees that deliveries are handled properly and will be delivered on time.
- Through delivery service providers — Food aggregators or food delivery platforms like GrabFood and foodpanda are becoming household names to our consumers. Partnering up with them can increase your visibility because your restaurant will be listed on their app. However, do anticipate a possible surge of orders and make sure your operations can manage.
Feature photos that are delicious to look at
Now that you have your social media accounts, it’s time to attract your customers with mouth-watering photos of your products. Having good photos can do wonders for your business. Consider this as your visual merchandising. When more people get attracted to your page, orders will begin to increase as well. Additional tip: look for visual inspirations from other brands or sites like Pinterest.
Explore Doing Mobile-optimised Promotions
The food industry has grown rapidly. With everyone trying to fight for attention, you can keep your business afloat by standing out through online ads. Investing in online promotions will have long-term effects on your business. It can help you cast a wider net when you’re promoting your products and be the top-of-mind brand when customers are craving food.
Setting up online promotions is relatively easy. There are multiple tutorials on setting up ads available online. Here’s an example of how to set up ads on Facebook.
For optimal performance of your ads and content, remember to apply best practices on social media:
- Have short, and snappy captions. The average attention span per post on Facebook is around 2 seconds.
- Photos need to be thumb-stopping. Make your visuals interesting enough for your reader to pause. It’s also ideal to use square visuals (or 1x1) so that nothing gets cropped.
- Hashtags are your friends but don’t overdo them. Hashtags are used for discoverability, so use only those that are necessary. Develop a brand-owned hashtag, and ride on trends like #SandwichDay and #IcedTeaDay.
Once your online presence has been established, don’t forget to take the conversation offline through word-of-mouth. Always reach out to your consumers. Having good reviews offline can build a more authentic relationship and brand image with your customers.
Unilever Food Solutions is with you in future-proofing your business. Be part of Unilever Food Solutions to learn more tips. Register here.
