Holidays, life events and business meetings are the perfect excuse for a big box of donuts. But chances are, your customers don’t even know about your catering program or options for custom orders. That means (A) relying on weekend foot traffic and (B) missing out on large, premium orders that could turn into repeat business. Spread the word with these 7 easy marketing tips:

Online marketing

1.  Email newsletter: You may have heard it’s cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one. If you’re collecting customer emails (and you should), give them an excuse to come back for more. A monthly broadcast email is the perfect place to promote your catering and custom order options.
2. Social media: With all the algorithm changes, even your own Instagram and Facebook followers aren’t guaranteed to see your posts. That’s why a random mention here or there may go unnoticed. Consider creating a Highlight on Instagram just for catering FAQs and examples (same with custom orders). Create a related post in your main feed at least twice a month to remind your followers. Everyone has short attention span these days so repetition is important.
3. Online menus: Add something as simple as “Have an event or meeting? We cater!” or “Need a custom design for a party or holiday? Call us!” to your menu. Remember to use real text in your website menu (no PDFs!) for SEO purposes. Learn more here.

Old-school marketing

1. In-store materials: Hang signs on the wall, add table tents, use stickers on your display case— get creative! In today’s digital age, brochures are largely ignored or tossed, so either make it different or forget about it.
2. Donut box + coffee sleeve advertising: Ever see advertising on the actual cardboard of a pizza box? Since it’s not taped on, you can’t rip it off. You can also catch the customer’s attention with fun coffee sleeve artwork or sayings.
3. Business cards: Create a memorable business card that has a QR code. Link to your menu, your specials, your order form or even a discount for first-time orders. You can even create two different business cards: one for corporate clients and one for the everyday customer. Check out more ideas for QR codes in the restaurant industry here.
4. Deliver a box of free donuts to local businesses: Drop off a box of your best flavors to the receptionist of a target business, or try to schedule a meeting ahead of time. Either way, interested businesses should receive a discount for their first order.

You might also like…

• FREE e-course: 5 Ways to Attract More Customers to Your Shop
• Restaurant Owners: You Could Be Making These Online Marketing Mistakes
• Why Online Reputation Management Matters for Restaurants Today
• Social Media Calendar for Foodies

Final tip

Simplify the ordering process for your customers!

If you only take orders via Instagram DM, you’re bound to miss a message.

If your orders come from phone calls, something will be misheard, forgotten or scribbled on the back of a napkin and lost.

And if you’re still making someone print out a Word doc, handwrite their order and fax it back, you’re making your customer work too hard. No need to create a lot of friction in the sales process.

Use a software like ezCater or CaterZen* for corporate catering orders and use a simple web form for custom orders.

Keep it simple and seamless for all parties involved.

 

*By the way, I’m not an affiliate or reseller of the tools mentioned above (at least not at the moment). I simply love their products and want to recommend the best.

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