Marketing is an integral part of a food truck business’ growth. Yet to afford a marketing campaign, most food truck vendors feel pressured to grow their businesses first. It’s easy to see how a vicious and counterproductive cycle develops. Your mobile food business growth and marketing must go hand-in-hand; to achieve one, you must have the other. But how is a food truck supposed to do any marketing if there’s no budget? No worries, this article provides a few cost effective marketing ideas you can use to grow your mobile food business without spending big money you don’t have.

7 Cost Effective Marketing Solutions

Network within the Community

You should never overlook the power of networking within the communities you operate in. Attend networking meetings; if there aren’t any in your area, talk to other business owners and start one. Chances are there are other people who would like to share and discuss marketing techniques.

Become a Guest Blogger

Many website owners *cough* mobile-cuisine.com *cough* welcome guest bloggers who can write content that’s relevant to the mobile food industry. This is an excellent way to market your business by discussing something related to your business and building a relationship with other like-minded businesses and in return driving traffic to your website.

Offer Incentives

Existing customers are often happy to help spread the word about a food truck they enjoy frequenting. Offer a discount or small freebie to current customers who bring a new paying customer to your service window.

New Customers Exclusive Offers

New customers enjoy incentives too. Attract consumers with offers that are exclusively for first-time customers. This is a great way to convert a consumer into a frequent visitor.

Conduct Free Workshops/Classes

Today’s food truck customers are looking for value in many shapes and forms. Offering cooking workshops or classes that teach your customers how to prepare a dish from your menu or something similar can attract new customers and increase sales. They don’t have to be long; even 30 to 60 minutes are sufficient if what you’re offering during that time isn’t fluff.

Use Social Media Consistently

Social media marketing is one of the best ways to market your business for free. Choose three social media venues you or an employee feels comfortable with and post to them at least three times weekly. As you build followers, you’ll be able to lead them to your truck. If you do it right, you could end up in our Most Influential Food Truck list next year.

Add a Blog

A website is something every food truck owner should have. If it’s not in the budget to have one designed for you, there are plenty of sites that offer free or low-cost templates that can be used for now. Be sure to add a blog to your website so you can regularly post about what’s new in your mobile food business, as well as on any other topics you feel would be relevant to what you have to offer.

RELATED: Marketing Truths ALL Food Truck Owners Should Know

The Bottom Line

Eager food truck vendors would love to see overnight growth, but things seldom work out that way, and that might be a good thing. Too much growth too soon can be hard to prepare for and could result in poor quality food and customer service.

By using the cost effective marketing tips above, you can slowly and steadily build your customer base and gain exposure for your food truck. Consistency is important, so use these cost effective marketing ideas regularly to keep the momentum going. Over time, you’ll learn which ones work best.

Do you have any cost effective marketing ideas you’ve used with success? We’d love to share them with our readers. Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section or social media. Facebook | Twitter.