3 Tips for Marketing your Catering Business

In one of our recent blogs, we gave you some considerations to take if thinking about setting up your own catering business. Catering can be very rewarding and extremely fun, if you have clear processes and you get the business you need.

In this blog we will discuss how you can go about obtaining the business you need through some very simple marketing techniques, which will boost your presence and ensure you have a healthy flow of work to start your company.

If you love what you do, then you will love marketing what you do. It shouldn’t seem like a hassle, or even too much like real work and should result in the right message getting to the right people!

Here’s our top 3 Cinders tips for marketing your newly set up catering business!

Top Tip 1 – Branding

No one knows who you are better than you! However you need to ensure that everyone else understands who you are and what you do as best possible. One of the easiest ways of doing this is strong, consistent branding.

You have your company name and logo – so what now? Make sure your company name, or at least your logo illustrates what it is you do, and who you are. For example, a green celery stick is not an ideal logo for a market-street burger stand!

Your branding should be consistent everywhere it is used. From your banners, leaflets and packaging/ wrapping, through to your business cards, website and social media (we go on to this shortly!)

If your branding is inconsistent – different logos, colours, slogans, structure of company name – people will not recognise you as easily.

Remember, branding is psychological. Be consistent, be vibrant and be unique!

Top Tip 2 – Social Media

Hey, it’s fun, free and fruitful!

We’re all on Facebook, and most of us are on Twitter. Some of us even use Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn! Social media is one of the most powerful and rewarding tools you can use to help market your business in its infancy.

Referring back to Top Tip 1, make sure your branding across all of your social media accounts is consistent. Same size, colour, wording and tone. This makes you easily recognisable and people are more likely to comment, like, share…etc.

Post [almost] everything! Most people are not interested in what time you woke up, but they do want to see your gorgeous food, happy people enjoying it and what your plans in the near future are. The more the better. If you have committed employees – grant them access and get them posting!

You can reach staggering amounts of people who are interested in exactly what you do – so get on social media with your brand and shout about it!

Top Tip 3 – Word of Mouth

The oldest and most effective form of marketing. Get people chatting about you!

“Great”, we hear you say “but how?”

Well, give them something to talk about. If you’re all about your food, then make them talk about that! Get chatting with them, ask their opinions and talk to them about who you are and where you’ve come from (not just the kitchen)

Offer a unique and fun experience and they will go away wanting to tell other people about it. The ripple effect from that one good experience can work wonders. Imagine if you then went on to give another 100 people the same experience.

If you have set up, or you’re about to set up your own catering business, follow these 3 tips and get a great start. And remember, come to Cinders for your catering barbecues – you’ll need something strong, robust and reliable if you follow our marketing tips!