20 Digital Marketing Strategies for Food Chain Business

Updated on :October 18, 2023
By :Myra Williams

Millennials and Gen Z are disrupting the food business.

In the U.S. alone, millennials comprise 72.9 million people, while Gen Z makes up around 20.66% of the population.

Both the generations - Gen Z and Millenials have strong opinions according to their understanding and experiences, but they are no-nonsense people. Thus, creating digital marketing strategies for them need time, energy, and money. Those need to be concise, precise, creative, and effective.

So, how to create marketing strategies for the generation who knows their mind and can express themselves without fearing anything? It is difficult but not impossible! Well, we bring you the solution. The article attempts some of the best digital marketing hacks that food chain businesses like MESSY KITCHEN could use to take their business to the next level.

1. Understanding That the Audience Is Changing

The audience needs to be told what they want to hear, along with what they need to hear. They cannot be served with content that doesn't resonate with them. It is about time brands realize that the audience is changing - professionally, geographically, financially, and spiritually.

We are not in the 90s anymore, where you provide Mac and Cheese or Jambalaya for lunch who have the monthly subscription of a food package from you. You have to be thoughtful about the changing audience. Plus, you need to offer extra services and after–services; otherwise, you shall lose them ASAP. Your audience is not millennials but Generation Z too, who think healthy.

Hence, along with the food packages, Messy Kitchen(MK) will offer info on the calories, areas, service charges, delivery charges, and so on. You have to give them options for different packages, and if you wish to retain them for a more extended time, you have to understand their needs and requirements. There are tons of ways to do so, but a few of them are as follows:

  • Questionnaires
  • Quiz
  • Interactions
  • Surveys, etc.

2. To Make Personalized Packages for Audiences 

Everyone likes receiving an email of birthday wishes from brands and a coupon or gift card attached. It makes them feel special. Similarly, customers enjoy personalized attention from the brands wherein they focus on creating a specific customer or set of customers happy. This makes the customer stay with the brand for a long time.

For example: If the target audience for MK (MESSY KITCHEN) is jobbers and office goers, then you need to understand that their plan won't work on freelancers. If you deliver it to corporate buildings, you must realize that the package designed for them will not work remotely with singles. Thus, personalization is necessary. Therefore, you must have a digital marketing strategy for each target audience category.

For MK, you need to design 4-5 digital ads according to 9 to 5 workers, freelancers, singles who might opt for dinner along with lunch, families who are too busy to cook, elders who do not have the energy to cook, etc. Give them various options to maintain brand loyalty. If not, they will not stick to you for an extended time.

3. Selling on Social Media Done Correctly

Social Media is compelling these days; if done correctly, it can generate 50% of income. Some businesses prefer to be exclusively on social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. They need not be on other platforms because they are getting enough business from these platforms. In short, Social Media is a powerful platform if the industry knows how to make the most of it.

Thus, you can hire experts for MK or a business like it. Several digital marketing companies in India can help you chalk out your social media strategies, be it generating leads, gathering data, or promoting activities. According to Statista , “As of 2022, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 147 minutes per day, up from 145 minutes in the previous year.” It is the perfect opportunity to make the most of social media selling.

Facebook ($6.28 CPM), Instagram ($5.68), and LinkedIn ($2 CPM) are the best ways to advertise your business at a low cost. (Small Business Trends)

Social Media Food Bloggers

Social Media Food Bloggers who make it all look delicious

4. SEO Is an Essential Part of Digital Marketing Strategy

Search Engine Optimization – SEO is an essential part of digital marketing strategy, and the need to incorporate it into MESSY KITCHEN is now more than ever. The business's first customers are the locals, and thus they should be targeted first. Hence, suppose you are running MK in your area; then you need to list your business on top SERPs geographically and demographically.

56% of traffic to food brand websites comes from search engines, making SEO the best marketing strategy for their business. (The Business Journals)

Local SEO, along with SEO , is essential. You do not want to miss out on people who have moved to your country, state, or city; when they type, "Best food package services near me" or "lunch subscriptions near me." They are the ones who will stay with you for a more extended time, should they like your food. But unless they won't be able to find you, you won't profit from them. Thus, it would be best to optimize these keywords so that you are always reachable through all online mediums.

5. LinkedIn Marketing to Promote B2B Marketing

LinkedIn Marketing is perfect for B2B marketing. You can prepare a different presentation for B2B collaborations and associations and think about massive profits. This is where LinkedIn Marketing comes to the rescue. It is effortless to connect with the business enterprises for MK on LinkedIn and benefit from it. Here are some of the ways you can market with LinkedIn:

  • Sponsored content
  • Sponsored messaging
  • Conversation ads
  • Message ads
  • Video or text ads
  • Boosted posts

Domino's Pizza has done LinkedIn Marketing beautifully. They have covered the journey of interns of students from various colleges and universities as to how those students made Dominos a better place to work and eat at. It feels personalized and directly touches customers' hearts which will tempt them to be associated with the brand.

6. Influencer Marketing for More Active Customers

Influencers are local celebrities and in–demand. Thus, make connections and collaborate with influencers in your city to make the most of promotional activities. If you own MK in Hyderabad, India, find influencers with loyal and active followers and discuss the terms of business at the earliest.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing is necessary for more followers

If you need to learn how this works, call the influencer marketing experts to help you with the same. Define the goal and align it with theirs to obtain the best results. It is not as complicated as it looks; share what you expect from this professional relationship, and they will take care of the rest.

Influencers can talk about what your brick-and-mortar kitchen looks like, who the chefs are, what kind of food is cooked, whether it is healthy or not, what safety issues can be discussed, etc. Be clear and precise in communicating your needs.

7. Goals Need to Be Clear – Short-Term or Long Term

It is essential to define the goals of the business. If your business goals are clear – be it short-term or long-term- it will be easier to strategize the digital marketing plan for the company. Set the mission and vision statement to ensure what you want for MK. It could be gathering 10 corporate clients for next month and could be to become a national food sensation over the next 3 years and the channels you could leverage to make your dream goals a reality.

The clarity in the goal will make working towards it easier.

8. Content Is Queen - Period

"Content is king" is an old concept. The new idea is "Content is queen." Why do we believe so? Because the queen is the key to strategizing any business. It is the content where it all starts and which helps keep going. For a planned digital marketing strategy, MESSY KITCHEN needs strong content to post/play everywhere – website, social media platforms, and advertisements to attract the audience.

The point of creating relevant content is to attract more customers and not lose existing ones. The content should be unique, creative, strong, genuine (no bluffing), and in alignment with your brand. A food company should not post anything irrelevant which is useless and will turn off the audience.

Content is Queen

Content is Queen

9. Blogging and Guest Blogging - Classic Style

Blogging will always stay in style. If anything, it will make people curious about your brand. But so will guest blogging. People should not only listen to or read about your brand from you. They should be able to read what others think about your business. It is a form of testimony, only longer and in better language.

Asking more people for your business by inviting them to post a guest blog on your site will help your business reach more people. HubSpot says it is crucial to choose a specific set of topics for guest posting that will benefit your business. Thus, if you happen to live in Bangalore and are planning to start your MESSY KITCHEN there, reach out to local Bangalore-based digital marketing agencies to get this working for you. They can help you get some renowned chef bloggers to write for your site.  Conversely, these agencies can pitch and get a few guest posts published for Messy Kitchen.         

10. Updating the Website to Keep Adding Value

Business grows when you keep adding value to it by introducing new products from time to time. Changes in website design trends happen every day. Hence, updating the MK website from time to time and incorporating those changes is necessary. And to make people aware of those changes, you need to post them everywhere.

Similarly, updating the website and adding new state–of–the–art features to it will make the customer stay on your website a little longer than he originally intended to. They will try exploring new features, and the chances of him finding something that meets his requirements will increase.

11. Video Marketing to Boost Conversion and Sales

Oberlo says 244.4 million people viewed video in 2020, far more than experts had predicted. Let's talk more about why your business needs video marketing. In the era of TikTok, Instagram reels, and YouTube videos, your business explainer, and other business-related videos attract more customers.

Video boosts conversions and sales. Most people who watch explainer videos are likely to buy the product. It might not be cheaper, but it is worth every penny invested. Videos of the business are like Pizza. Even when it is terrible, it is good. It builds trust, and Google loves videos, too, hence better SEO.

Do you need a few more reasons? Well, it appeals to people who open your website on their phones. Animation videos are fun and can be understood by people more than written blogs. It piques the interest of people who are not into your brand. It enables social media sharing as well. The more videos of your business are shared on social media, the more popular it will become. 

Burger King Video Marketing

Burger King collaborated with the video game NBA 2K21, and gamers who scored points in a specific style received whopper, fries, and coke.

The best example of video marketing is Burger King. They partnered with the video game NBA 2K21, wherein the gamers would earn whopper, fries, and coke upon scoring the points with a specific style. Many people participated and joined the campaign. It was a fun assignment to execute, which can be taken inspiration from.

12. Feedback and Reviews Are Crucial for Business

Feedback and reviews are crucial for the business. Most people choose to be loyal to brands based on reviews and feedback. Asking the customer for feedback and reviews and sharing them everywhere will help rank on SERPs and understand what changes should be incorporated.

People have liked Panda Express on Yelp. They have expressed their fondness for the brand, which has attracted more customers. Thus, when you take the pain of asking 100 customers for feedback, 2 will surely give you the feedback, which is enough to attract 5 more customers.

For MESSY KITCHEN, reviews, and feedback for food quality, customer service, the ambiance of the outlet, etc., can be asked from people. Here email marketing plays a huge role. Just like Amazon sends mail asking for feedback on the product after a week, you can do it for MK too.

13. Need for Substance-Based Content – Back Story

People love stories. They love what can get them emotional and can empathize with them. Suppose you share the backstory of how MK came into existence, nothing better than that. If you are introducing a new menu, tell the story of what inspired you and what was the reason behind it. If you collaborate with a specific influencer, say it through a story because nothing gets people to connect to your brand more than a legit story.

14. Email Marketing to Stay Connected to Your Audience

Just like letters will never be outdated, Email Marketing will never be outdated. People will always check their emails no matter how much time they spend on social media. Hence, sending out emails from time to time (twice a week is recommended) will make the customers reminded about your brand.

It is one of the easiest ways to stay in contact with your audience. Well-designed emails produce higher conversion rates. It is affordable and can reach a wider audience at once. It increases brand awareness, and they will be timely if appropriately scheduled. Emails will remain professional for businesses to get all kinds of people. They will trust the brands that send out emails.

15. Offering Downloadable Content to Bind People’s Loyalty

For downloadable content, you can create an E-book of recipes that the people at home can cook. And this is just one example; content on a large scale can be made by experts, which people can download. Offering them something that is free or is available at a nominal price will attract them to you.

Look how McDonald's has done it. They have created a list of DIY MacD recipes without giving away their trade secrets. You can either do that or create a PDF of tips to cook food differently.

For example, if you own MESSY KITCHEN in Mumbai, you can hire a search engine marketing company to make the content for you that is downloadable by people. It might not give you immediate results, but it is one digital marketing strategy that will bind people's loyalty to you.

16. Mobile First Indexing for Online Reputation of the Business 

According to Search Engine Journal, "In June 2020, Google stated that while most websites were set to mobile indexing, there were still many that were not."

Two years have passed, and still, many businesses need to be set to mobile indexing, and it still needs to be done. If your MESSY KITCHEN website is not set according to mobile-first indexing, the bounce rate might increase, and the business's online reputation will get hurt. Thus, make sure the website of your business is mobile-indexed.

17. List your Business on E-commerce Platforms

Listing your business on an eCommerce Platform is necessary; more than that, integrating social media with eCommerce sites is beneficial. There are tons of advantages to listing your business online. Some of them are:

  • Faster buying
  • Cost reduction
  • Easy advertisement
  • Reaching a wider audience graphically
  • Several payment modes
  • Customer flexibility
  • Easy delivery

Do you need more reasons to list your business on an e-commerce platform? One of the most common e-commerce platforms to enlist your menu is Uber Eats. There are many reasons why MESSY KITCHEN should be listed on Uber Eats, but one of them is that it provides many options for the youth to choose their preferred cuisine. And if your brand is what they prefer, you should be available to them.

18. Need to Provide Grazing Option to New Gen

Gone are the days when people sat and had lunch in the canteen of office premises. People these days hardly have time to breathe; thus, they cannot afford to sit and have proper lunch. One of the reasons to introduce grazing meals is that Millennials and Generation Z eat a little throughout the day.

Thus, small packages must be included with a complete lunch pack. Also, if you can provide them with something they can munch with tea/coffee, there is nothing better.

Let your Messy Kitchen franchisee serve small meals that are not only perfect for grazing throughout the day but are within – budget and convenient. If you adjust to their schedules, they will likely stick to you and stay loyal for a long time.

Not just that, the recommendations through word–of–mouth go a long way and make your business profitable. Something to think about, isn't it?

19. Healthy Food Options for Millennials and Gen Z

Millennials and Gen Z – both opt for healthy food and are ready to pay for it. Gen Z is prepared to spend as much as they have to if that means they will get healthy food. They are more inclined towards vegan, gluten–free, and plant–based foods. After all, they are the generation that faces climate issues, and if they aren't careful, they won't have Earth to live on.

Thus, moving from plastics to cloth/paper bags, shifting from seafood/meat-based food to plant-based and vegan options, and switching from gas vehicles to E - Vehicles is all Gen Z is. Messy Kitchen must invest in providing healthy food options as the customer base is people for whom spending capacity is not an issue.

20. The Product Needs to Be Instagram - Ready

Food is no longer about food; Messy Kitchen must also understand that.

Gen Z is more worried about taking pictures of the food and posting them on social media. So, serving good food is not enough; it needs to be Instagrammable. The packaging needs to be attractive, and calories must also be mentioned. Gen Z will not compromise on anything, even if they have to pay more.

Instagrammable food

Food these days must be Instagrammable

They are the first generation with smartphones in their school backpacks. Hence, they must be served what they want – healthy, Instagrammable, and grazing food.

Conclusion:

Rather than taking upon you each responsibility of your food business or any other business, it is better to allot and distribute the task and focus on more critical tasks and areas. Business expansion, Sales, Advertisements, etc., need your attention.

Thus, leave the digital marketing services of your business to the experts. They will plan a customized package for you and execute it optimally. Keep reading and coming back for more engaging and interesting blogs on digital marketing and other such topics.

Myra Williams
Myra Williams

Myra Williams is a content creator for more than 7 years. She writes digital articles for GoodFirms. Everything that is digital marketing interests her and she loves discussing various literary genres.

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