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Marketing is an over-arching need for every type of business, including all types of food and beverage trucks. When it comes to beverage food truck marketing, it ties into every part of running a successful beverage food truck business.
It affects customer satisfaction, and is part of ongoing guest retention. Beverage food truck marketing should be part of your beverage food truck plan from the moment of learning how to start a food truck business. From customer retention strategies to growth opportunities as you reach a wider community, marketing is critical.
Here on the BinWise blog we’ve been examining the beverage food truck industry, the best food trucks, and everything in between. We’ve looked into the cost to start a food truck, all the types of food trucks, the best places to start a food truck, and more.
In this post, we’ll walk you through beverage food truck marketing. These marketing practices will make all your other food and beverage truck work operate in your favor. You'll bring in the best food and beverage truck profits and maximize profits through marketing and branding skills.
What Is Beverage Food Truck Marketing?
So, what is beverage food truck marketing? On a surface level, it’s the marketing and business branding of your beverage food truck business. When you get into the process of branding and marketing a beverage food truck, however, it gets much more in depth.
From pop-up restaurant marketing plans to general food service marketing, beverage food truck marketing covers every piece of the puzzle. For the sake of this blog, we’ve broken it down into three categories of basic marketing, beverage marketing, and mobile business marketing. They come together to build up your beverage food truck.
Basic Marketing for Food and Beverage Businesses
Basic marketing for food and beverage businesses is the place to start planning your beverage food truck marketing plans. These five base marketing solutions will both move your business forward and set you up to act on exceptional marketing campaigns in the future. If you’re not sure where to start your first marketing action plans, any of these are a great place to begin.
5. Ask for Reviews
Asking for reviews is the start of great marketing practices. The act of asking will endear you to customers, and you can go forward with ideas from those reviews in mind.
4. Utilize Email Marketing
Email marketing, when done right, is a consistent marketing tool. Monthly newsletters of business news and industry happenings are a good way to start.
3. Create a Loyalty Program
Creating a loyalty program works for marketing in bringing customers back as repeat guests. Punch cards with a discounted meal after a number of purchases are always a good choice.
2. Work with Local SEO Practices
Working with local SEO–SEO practices built on your locality and nearby market–gives you niche SEO success. Start small with the food and beverage trucks around you and build from there.
1. Spend Time on Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing will be the backbone of your beverage food truck marketing plan. Start it early on and be consistent with your brand to build up your community.
Beverage Marketing Tips
These beverage marketing tips are the next layer of your marketing plans. When it comes to marketing for drinks, you walk a balance between promoting the drinks themselves and the collateral around them. That includes everything from the background of the recipes to the menu items they pair well with. These five tips will help you along with marketing your drinks.
5. Make Some Unique Drinks
It starts with making some unique drinks. You could lean into absinthe cocktails and get creative with ingredients. Whatever you do, make a splash in every glass.
4. Focus on Drink Presentation
The taste of your drinks is half the battle, paired with the presentation of each drink in the glass. Focusing on drink presentation with garnishes and unique glassware will set up you for success from the moment people see your creations.
3. Create a Pairings Menu
In every beverage food truck, there are some foods to match the drinks. Creating a mini pairing menu with your food items will round out your beverage menu to reach a wider audience.
2. Emphasize Your Unique Selling Point
Whichever value proposition for restaurant brands you choose, bank on it in your marketing plans. Whether it’s a unique Hemingway daiquiri or an herbal garnish, use it to show people what makes you different from the other beverage trucks. This can be especially helpful at different types of catering events.
1. Partner with Food Businesses
Creating a pairings menu from your menu is just the start of marketing through collaboration. Partnering with food truck businesses in your area will help you continue to expand and reach new customers.
Mobile Business Marketing Tips
Marketing in business and in food services businesses is a busy enough area of work for every business owner on its own. When it comes to marketing for a mobile business, the work doubles up. Marketing when you don’t have a stable location requires constant attention. These five tips will help you market your business on wheels wherever you’re parked for the day.
5. Create a Community Around Your Brand
The importance of branding for a beverage food truck is tied to your ability to build a community. Since you’re mobile, having a group of people who will follow your business no matter the location is vital.
4. Share Your Location Each Day Through Social Media
Social media shines through as one of the best forms of small business marketing because of how quick and efficient it is. You can share your location easily, each day, so customers can always find you.
3. Use Location-Based and Brand-Based Marketing
A mix of location-based and brand-based marketing basically means, mixing your location-related highlights with your brand to boost your business. The specifics will change depending on your brand and each individual location.
2. Secure Your Brand Identity
Securing your brand identity is something you’ll want to work on from the beginning of your business marketing and branding plans. It’s achievable through consistent brand design and development.
1. Utilize Text Message Marketing
There are all forms of content marketing that will come in handy, but as a mobile business, don’t discount text message marketing. Creating a Whatsapp community is the best way to share information directly through texts.
"Key Takeaway: When it comes to marketing for drinks, you walk a balance between promoting the drinks themselves and the collateral around them. That includes everything from the background of the recipes to the menu items they pair well with."
Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing for Beverage Trucks
Marketing practices, including beverage food truck marketing, cover a lot of ground. It’s a relatively small part of your budget but a huge part of the success of your business. As such, it comes with a lot of questions. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will give you further insight into how marketing works to propel your business.
What Is the Main Way to Market Your Beverage Food Truck?
Social media is the main marketing tool for beverage trucks and food trucks. It’s cost effective, fast, and can be done on the go. When you need to be able to let people know where you’ll be, a social media post and stories are the way to go.
How Much Is the Cost of Marketing for a Food Truck?
When you’re just starting your beverage food truck, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 on marketing. Of course, the more you can stretch your marketing budget, the better. Invest where you need help, perhaps with a social media manager and a copywriter. Beyond those needs, marketing is a place where you can do work yourself to balance costs.
What Do Customers Want In a Beverage Truck?
Ultimately, customers want great drinks and service from a beverage truck. Creating great drinks is the first step. It begins with the idea of a beverage truck business and goes forward as you plan each step of the process. Great service is something you will work on every day. The more you build your community, the better your service will be for customers.
How Many Items Should Be On a Beverage Food Truck Menu?
The ideal beverage food truck menu should have between six and twelve menu items. Somewhere in the middle, perhaps around eight or ten items, is what you’ll likely land on. You want enough options to have something for every customer. You also want a small enough number that you can manage creating each item within your truck and food prep areas.
Marketing for Beverage Trucks: Make Your Market Wherever You’re Parked
These tips, tricks, and solutions for beverage food truck marketing will help you build a business that will keep rolling on for years to come. Come on back to the BinWise blog for more in our beverage truck and food truck series. You'll also find beverage inventory solutions to support your business.