The food business is a tough nut to crack. Research shows that about 80% of restaurants shut their doors before their 5th anniversary. This is a very high failure rate that takes a high level of creativity to avoid. However, the food industry is also a profitable one, and if you can do it right, you can count on making high returns.
Make the most of your food business this year with these five creative branding ideas that can help you grow your business.
Create mouth-watering photo blogs for your food business
If there is one place you should spend your money, it should be in mouth-watering photographs that will make up your marketing materials.
Hire a professional photographer who will capture your meals so that people who see your pictures want to eat your food immediately. When you have your pictures all set, share them on your website, on social media, and a large variety of marketing platforms.
Sponsor community events
Sponsoring events in your local community benefit your marketing efforts in different ways. You are not just involved in social responsibility, but also using the opportunity to target your preferred customers. When you are involved in socially responsible activities, it boosts your reputation in the community, and people will want to do business with you if only to repay you for sponsoring their events.
When sponsoring local events, be sure to use every opportunity available to advertise your food business. Don’t just wear branded shirts and caps; place your advert materials at strategic locations all over the event venue.
Be consistent in your design
When branding your restaurant, be sure to be consistent across all the platforms where your business can be found. Your website, social media accounts, brochures, flyers, and other publication materials should reflect your company’s values and your customers’ needs.
Apart from sending a strong brand message, a consistent brand design will help old and new customers recognize your business wherever they are — for instance, using a different logo on your social media account than on your menu will only confuse your customers. They begin to wonder if it is the same business they saw online.
The same thing applies to your food delivery or business van. Your van should be branded in such a way that it is immediately identifiable as your food delivery van. This means using consistent designs, colours and letterings. If your food business has a delivery van, you should seriously consider investing in van insurance so that your investment is well protected.
Make employees brand ambassadors.
Your employees are the first people customers will see when they come into your establishment. If they don’t channel your brand, it can send the wrong signals. Large companies have entire departments dedicated to brand management, but as a small food business, you may not have the budget for such measures.
Using your staff as brand ambassadors will help you save money, pass the right message to your customers, and give your workers a sense of ownership. If you give branded merchandise to your workers, encourage them to wear your branded apparel even when away from work.
Make your business signage inviting
If you are aiming to attract footfall, make your business sign inviting.
A warm ambient neon sign can attract attention from far away, choose a font or style befitting of your business and the clientele you wish to attract.
Many businesses are actually designing their branding and logo’s with influencers and Instagrammers in mind. What will look good in photographs?
An Instagrammable shopfront can be almost as important as the food you serve these days!
All of the aforementioned steps will help you to boost the visibility of your business’s brand.
Written by Meghan Hale, a content writer at PlantSumo.Com and editing machine. You’ll find me yelling at my dog to stop barking, whether it be at the neighbours or on a long afternoon walk