Don't Forget What Social Media Was Meant To Be

Don’t Forget What Social Media Was Meant To Be

I’ve recently noticed that many food trucks tend to forget the word “social” in social media. They may post location updates on Facebook or compose tweets on Twitter, but they don’t progress further than that.

They never take the time to read the replies or actively engage by responding to their followers. Ultimately this is the reverse of what social media is all about and every food truck vendor should take full advantage of the many social media platforms at their disposal.

Don’t Forget What Social Media Was Meant To Be

When The Facebook was created, it was developed as a way for college students to connect with each other. What immediately became apparent was that it was much more than that. It became a format for sharing. And naturally, the more entertaining the content was, the more it was shared.

Unfortunately, many food trucks seem to have forgotten or put aside the basic premise of social media: If I like what you see, you’re going to…

pay attention.
be much more likely to pass it along to friends.

However, there’s a very strong temptation to treat Facebook and Twitter as blank canvases that can be used only for self-promotion.

If the number of social media platforms stresses you out…instead, focus on your customers and learn how to engage with them more effectively. Significant time is spent on researching how to use various social media tools, but understanding your customers and how they react on social media will be more beneficial to your mobile food business in the long run.

The Bottom Line

Food truck vendors need to engage with their customers directly. I’m not sure I can stress this enough. You may not be the best marketer and stick to the work in your kitchen, maybe it’s time to bring on someone to help you communicate and engage with your customers.

Even if you don’t have the budget to hire a full time social networking professional to back your food truck brand, many food trucks can find people within their existing staff to help put together great content. It’s just a matter of priorities. And if you want to succeed with building a community around your truck, you need to get your priorities straight.

How do you put the social in social media on your food truck accounts? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter

By Richard Myrick|2017-10-11T09:20:52-04:00Oct 11, 2016|Social Media|

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].