One of the most overlooked but important marketing activities for food trucks are suggestion cards. Suggestion cards are also one of the easiest and most inexpensive and effective marketing activities. If you already have comment cards in place, make sure they are being implemented faithfully and have a look at both the information you collect and what you have been doing with it to make sure you are using this activity to its best potential. If you don’t have comment cards in place, then get them.

Use Suggestion Cards To Build Your Food Truck Business

Suggestion cards don’t need to be complicated or expensive to produce. They are a simple way to collect certain types of information from your customers so you can understand them and their thoughts about your food truck. Not only will you gather demographic information about your customers, but you will be able to communicate with them by sending out promotions and information that will be invaluable for building a strong relationship.

Food truck owners need to find a way to speak with your customers at the end of any interaction. Find out from your customers’ perspective what you are doing right and what you need to improve on.

Suggestion cards are surprisingly simple and effective marketing tools. Give them to customers while they are waiting for order. Use them as incentive, with a chance to win something. To make it simpler, just ask people sincerely to give their suggestions. Most people like to give their opinion, especially those who have enjoyed their experience or those that are unsatisfied with your food or service.

Train Your Staff

Make sure your food truck staff understands what the survey is for, and that it’s no longer than eight questions. Ask for an email address and a birthday for future marketing campaigns. Ask how the person found your food truck, if they would recommend it, and any suggestions on ways to improve. Be clear about what you will do with the contact details, explaining that you will be sending them information and offers, and don’t forget to ask for permission to use any testimonials in your marketing materials.

Use the information you gather at weekly staff meetings to gauge performance, praise staff and discuss problems. Send unhappy customers an offer to come back and give your food truck another try. It is amazing how powerful those customers can be for spreading great word of mouth if they’ve been won over.

Add this information to your customer database and use it to refine your knowledge and future marketing campaigns. Send an email or postcard, thanking the customer for their visit with an offer for the next time they come in. Use customers’ contact details to send out information and offers all year long.

RELATED: Customer Service: Show Customers Your Food Truck Cares

The Bottom Line

Suggestion cards can be as simple, or as complicated, as you choose. You may even get more input and participation when customers can just use a plain old-fashioned pen and paper to write a note about what they sincerely think.

Don’t let complications discourage you or keep you from implementing suggestion cards in your food truck. Do you use suggestion cards in your food truck? What have you learned from them? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share them in the comment section or on social media. Facebook | Twitter