Let’s get straight to the point. When you decide to run a business – no matter what industry it is – you should place yourself in the shoes of the consumer and honestly ask yourself what would be your expectations. Follow this rule and execute it and you will already have half of the recipe of ensuring that your business succeeds.
This article is going to address the food industry. I don’t care if you are running a food truck, a brick and mortar restaurant, personal chef, or catering service – YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE. Well … you need that and food that is dripped in deliciousness. If your food is nasty, you don’t need a website just yet, you need to go to culinary school first.
THINGS THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON YOUR WEBSITE
- The most obvious is the menu.
- Pictures of your dishes.
- Prices
- Online ordering system. If you are going to get a website, it should make life easy for you and the customer.
- Contact information. People should know how to find you. If you’re running a food truck, a website is a great way to tell people where you will be at at any given time of the day.
- Hours of operation.
THE SECRET TO MAKING THE WEBSITE WORK
Successful businesses invest in advertising and marketing and your website is one part of your marketing plan. Other online sources should include social media. You should have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at a minimum. Everyone is not on Facebook, so advertising to once group of people will not be enough. This goes for the other social media platforms and that is why it is important to use all of them. Your website is guaranteed to work when you combine it with your social media efforts.
HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER.
The ultimate goal of using social media should always be to drive customers back to your website. Keep reminding them that you have a website and they will get in the habit of checking it to stay informed.
- Facebook is good for spreading the word, but your reach will be limited. Use it to display dishes on your Facebook business page, and then share it to your personal page. Encourage people to share your posts and to give reviews. Facebook is a wonderful platform to use as a place for testimonials.
- Twitter can be very effective for sending out instant messages to reach a mass number of people once. For example, you want to do a flash deal that will end in an hour. Say it on Twitter.
- Instagram is the best place to showcase your dishes on social media because it is designed for images.
WHY YOUR WEBSITE WILL TRUMP EVERYTHING ELSE
Having a website is the one place that everyone who is online can go to without any restrictions. The customer doesn’t have to sign up for an account to view your website and this is what makes having a website the ultimate marketing tool versus advertising on social media. Also, having a website is the perfect way to start and build a relationship with Google. Who doesn’t want to be found in the search engine?
GETTING A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK. CONTACT ME TODAY AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.