How to Promote Your Catering Business Pivot
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As COVID-19 continues to influence the catering and events industry, more and more businesses are finding themselves in a position to pivot their services and fill a new gap in the market. In an industry filled with creatives, the innovative ideas popping up are truly something to behold. Yet, there’s more to a successful pivot than a great idea; you need to be prepared to market that new product or service accordingly.
If you’re wondering how you can better reach your audience and spread the news (or, if you’re still planning out your pivot), we’re going to walk through the best promotional methods to get the message across loud and clear.
Your website
Before any type of promotional efforts, you should really be updating your website first and foremost. When people come across your big news elsewhere on the internet, they’ll likely follow it right back to your website where they expect to find all of the details. If you have new to-go menus, added offerings, or updated delivery services, post it all to your website alongside contact info for questions and requests.
Social media
You knew this would be on the list and it’s here with good reason. Social media remains one of the very best way to reach the masses, including your target audience. Go beyond your standard posts to Instagram and Facebook and try a new method. If you haven’t yet gone “Live,” give it a shot. If you’re not quite ready for that, opt for posting it to Stories instead and, once the 24 hours are up, add it to your profile highlights for continued reach.
Email marketing
Your email list represents all of the people out there that have willingly subscribed to your newsletter, so it’s one of the best outlets for promotional efforts. They’re your biggest fans and want to support you, so send out an email blast to announce your big news to your audience. Depending on the new product or service, you may event want to design a full email marketing funnel around it with automated emails to create multiple touch points with followers.
Press features
Public relations and advertising are great for getting the word out, but it really depends on the situation. PR, in particular, requires a certain level of newsworthiness, so it could be the right avenue if you’re introducing something truly innovative and never-before-seen. If you are, go ahead and pitch your story to local news outlets.
Alternatively, advertising is always a reliable way to get more traffic and attention, but it does come with a cost. If you choose to advertise your pivot, do your homework and make sure that your desired outlets are reaching your target market; otherwise, the cost will not be worth it.
Your network
Your creative partners are in a unique position to refer your new services or products to their clients and prospects, so don’t skip your network in your promotional efforts. Send out an email to local industry peers to share the news and ask for their support.
Social media is also a great place to grow your network, so take some time to join industry groups on Facebook and follow relevant hashtags on Instagram. Putting yourself in a supportive and collaborative environment on social media can provide a sounding board to help you refine your ideas, get feedback, and possibly earn some third-party promotion.
As a brilliant and creative professional, your ideas deserve to be in the spotlight, so you need to invest your time in promotional efforts that will bring in the business you want.
