Years ago, the only method a business could use to advertise was what we now call offline marketing. This included placing ads in the local newspaper, being listed in the phone book, passing out flyers and distributing business cards. Thankfully technology has progressed and we now can reach millions directly from our computer. There are three places that every new catering business should utilize when establishing an online presence. Without these, your online advertising results will be minimal.
Website
The first thing you should do after establishing your catering business is to either create a website for the business yourself or to hire someone to build one. Having a website for your business, regardless of what the business is, is the starting point to getting yourself established on the internet. The website should have a clean design and include information about yourself and the company, menus, photographs of events that you have done, and a method for potential clients to contact you. Another option is to have a blog setup on the website. Having a blog will allow you to offer articles and information to your visitors, offer special discounts and even hold contests. You can also use the blog for SEO purposes, which will help rank your website high on popular search engines.
When creating a website for your catering business, resist building it on a free hosting service. Opt to purchase a domain name that matches your company’s name. This way, you will have an easy-to-remember website URL that can be included on business cards and even told to others.
Twitter is an online service that allows users the opportunity to broadcast short 144 character messages to those that are subscribed – known as followers – to their news feed. This is a great method to advertise to thousands within a few seconds. Of course, your account will not have those thousands of followers when you start off; it is something you have to work on over an extended period of time. Start by following your friends that you personally know and then follow the people that they are following. Most people will follow you back if you offer good tweets – or messages – and are consider interesting. That is why that instead of just advertising about your business, include some information about your daily life. For instance, you may consider tweeting about the newest gig that you landed and what you plan to create. You can also offer recipes and tips for cooking for crowds.
Facebook is similar to Twitter, yet it is a completely different website. On Facebook, you have a profile that tells who you are and allows you to share photographs, videos, and even personal thoughts. You can search for people to add to your account – called friends – and they can either accept or deny your request. The best part about Facebook is that you can search within a particular city or region. You can also search by marital status, such as those engaged. By locating those that are engaged, you can offer your catering services to them for their upcoming wedding.
