In today’s growing food truck industry, vendors need to ramp up their marketing efforts in order to compete and attract new food truck customers. The good news is, you don’t need expensive and complex marketing campaigns or a big budget to start reaching new customers. You just need some creativity and motivation to make a big impact and lasting impression.

5 Creative Ways To Reach New Food Truck Customers

Attracting new food truck customers is no easy task. However, here are five strategies you can employ to make your business stand out from the competition.

Share Free Samples

Who doesn’t love free food samples? Just look at the lines of people waiting to get a taste of a new item in your local Costco. Food vendors can mimic this easily approach to attract new food truck customers by offering small samples of new or high profit menu items. You or an employee can stand outside of your truck and offer a sample to people walking by. If they like enough and have the time, they’ll jump in line to grab a full order, or at least come back they next time their hungry.

Set Up A Referral Program

Referral programs are nothing new to marketing, but turning them into a marketing tool by food trucks is a relatively new concept. You can can give away a discount for when signing up for your newsletter, but take it a step further and ask those signing up to give you a social media shout-out to your food truck in order to unlock other deeper discounts on your menu and services.

Start A Selfie Campaign

Today’s online marketing conversions doesn’t typically happen in a simple and straightforward fashion. It takes more than tweeting out a sale or plug for your catering services to turn heads. Instead, create a selfie campaign and ask your most loyal customers or employees to take selfies with your truck or menu items. In exchange, offer free prizes and merchandising for the most creative selfies. These customer photos become your brand ambassadors to attract new food truck customers from their network.

Develop An Online Course

Designing a free culinary e-course can help build trust with consumers by offering solutions to their problems. Platforms like Udemy or even Mobile Cuisine already have a built-in audience of people actively looking for new classes and content. At the end of your course, offer a discount or free sample in exchange for signing-up for your newsletter.

Create A Contest

Encourage current and new food truck customers to help you select a name for a new menu item, or choose the next city your truck will operate. The prize can be a simple as recognition on social media, or a discount on their next meal. Make sure you allow votes or suggestions to be offered online and your truck. Give people a reason to visit your website, or better yet…your truck.

The Bottom Line

Attracting new customers is a great way to increase the profitability in your mobile food business. Just make sure you don’t alienate your existing customer base to attract new ones.

RELATED: How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Do you have any fun ways you’ve developed to find new food truck customers? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Facebook | Twitter