TAKE-AWAY
For those who wish to open up their own food trucks, we would like you to “take-away’ some of these key steps in the process of setting up your social media pages. We have developed this social media guide for all prospective food trucks believing that if these steps are followed a food truck can experience a high level of success out of any social media outlet.
TEST THE WATERS
Before starting your business, check out the social media market. Look through Facebook and Twitter and see what type of cuisine is missing from the market, and what kind your target audience would like to see emerge. El GastronÓmo Vagabundo took this route to determine which food truck events were available and who was conversing about street food.
LEARN THE OUTLETS
There are many different social media websites you can utilize to promote your business. These websites all offer different features. It is imperative to learn how to use these website to their full advantage in order to promote effectively. Follow individuals who are relevant to the industry, who are talking about food trucks, event coordinators or anyone you think you have the ability to build a useful relationship with.
ENGAGE
It is important to start a conversation among your followers and engage in feedback and conversation. You need to know who your followers are in order to engage properly. It will likely be a younger demographic, as they are the ones dominating social networks. Make sure you appeal to them and treat them like a friend, not just another follower. It’s also important to respond to questions that might be asked, show your followers you are loyal and willing to reach out to them.
DON'T POST JUST TO POST
Avoid flooding your followers feeds. Post only relevant information and don’t post for the sake of just posting. It is in good practice to try not to post more than three or four times a day. For example: Post the location of where your food truck is going to be, post a menu of what you will be serving, perhaps provide a photo of a featured dish and then when the day is over you can post a thank you for those who came.
DON'T LET WINTER GET YOU DOWN
The wintertime in Canada is a major issue for food trucks due to weather. Although some trucks run through the winter, it is still a bit slower in comparison to warmer seasons. Instead of hibernating, stay on top of your social media game. Make one post a day and try to engage your followers as much as possible as a friendly reminder that you are still around. This downtime is the perfect opportunity to gain a social media following.