Recent studies have found that mobile food vendors mistakenly think they don’t have enough time, money or other resources to invest in Facebook promotions. The problem with this thought process is it doesn’t require a full-time social media coordinator nor much of a budget, if any. The adage “keep it simple” goes a long way on Facebook. With that in mind, here are ten Facebook marketing tips for food truck owners to us to maximize your presence on Facebook with minimum resources.
10 Facebook Marketing Tips To Maximize Your Presence
Manage your expectations
Set realistic goals for your approach to social media and you won’t be disappointed. Don’t expect to get thousands of fans within your first month. Think more along the lines of a two or three digit number. Then if you hit something larger than you originally anticipated, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and that will give you momentum.
Make the time
Unless you can find an intern willing to plan your media campaigns for free, cultivating a Facebook presence doesn’t have to be a full-time job nor something that eats up all your free time. Try to set aside an hour a day to work on your business’s page, post updates and communicate directly with customers and fans.
RELATED: Schedule 15 Minutes On Facebook Every Day
Learn as much as you can
Take notes based on your experiences with Facebook’s pages and other business services — at the very least, write down questions about things you don’t understand so you can make a note to look them up later. You’ll find just about anything you’re curious to know within the site’s official help center. Make a habit of reading as much as you can on this part of the site, without overdoing it.
Start with a small budget
It’s possible to promote your business on Facebook without spending anything. At some point you might get the itch to buy advertising, which certainly helps but also presents the temptation to overspend. You’re better off starting out doing small test ads to see what kind of performance you get for your money, and then ramp up when you figure out which demographics and key words you want to target.
Create a page, not a profile
Don’t open a second account on the social network to make a profile for your business. Not only does that go against Facebook’s rules but it also moves you one degree of separation away from the people who are already on your friend list. These folks are the first people you want to invite to become fans of your business’s page.
Post fun status updates
Make your profile work for your page by posting witty status updates that encourage your friends to engage with your business page. Apply that same sense of wit to the goal of one post per day to your page’s wall. If you can phrase it as a question, so much the better, because that will inspire responses from your community.
Have one-on-one conversations
Send a thank-you message right after someone clicks “like” on your page. Just make sure to make a point of responding to messages and wall posts within 24 hours. Pay careful attention to whatever fans tell you on your page, and try to respond to their needs.
Don’t spam
People have gotten pretty tired of mass messaging and excessive numbers of posts filling up news feeds — don’t contribute to this noise and fans will appreciate it. When you have something to say to your followers, put it on your wall, not in their inboxes.
Create coupons and promotions
Discounts for first-time customers really work toward generating repeat business. But don’t limit the promotions to the first time someone engages with your company, lest they lose interest. Periodically put things on sale if you can, in order to keep people coming back.
RELATED: Posting Your Food Truck Menu On Facebook
Encourage check-ins
The final item on our list of Facebook marketing tips relates to the check in function. Wherever your business parks from day to day, that counts as a place on Facebook. Make a point of checking in to your current location every day even if you’re not planning to hit the streets. This will put your food truck’s name into people’s news feeds every time you punch in.
Do you have any additional Facebook marketing tips for food truck owners? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook