Branding is one of the significant aspects of getting started with a food truck business. Good food truck branding draws customers by conveying the unique identity of the business. Only by communicating the food truck’s mission effectively, can you make a profit out of the Unique Selling Point of your business. In addition, your brand should be established enough to create good brand recall and compel customers to visit your food truck frequently.
The first and foremost step is designing a truck that reflects your brand. Your food truck design creates a brand buzz amongst the customers and is the first point of passive interaction. Thus, it needs to be visually appealing and have a branded design. It should have all the elements that are required to create a good brand value. Several other steps need to be taken care of to establish a successful brand. This article aims to highlight those pointers.
6 Tips To Do Food Truck Branding The Right Way
In the intense food truck competition, food trucks that make it big are the ones that establish their brand effectively. Several aspects refine a food truck brand. Let us look at them one by one.
1. Attractive Name And Logo
The name and logo represent your food truck brand. You should come up with a unique name for your food truck business. One which is descriptive and memorable enough, and reminds the customers of your food truck. For instance, FukuBurger, a popular food truck brand based in Los Angeles, serves American burgers with a Japanese twist. The name of this food truck determines that the food truck caters to the customers who are into burgers while also conveying their uniqueness with a Japanese term, Fuku’. Thus, the name of your food truck must clearly define its offerings and uniqueness.
A logo is a calligraphic text or a symbol that carries a brand and conveys the brand value to the customers. It speaks for the brand and sums up everything that the brand entails. A logo of a food truck brand is plastered on anything that is associated with it. For example, it is present on the packaging of the product it sells, advertisements, sponsorships, charity events, food truck festivals, etc. Therefore, the logo of your food truck must be attractive enough to draw your customers attention wherever it is flaunted.
2. Mission Statement And Tagline
Before launching a food truck business, you must be clear about what your business is all about. This will define the mission statement of your business and determine what you aim to achieve. The mission statement of your business must manifest your USP and differentiate it from other brands. Furthermore, all your food truck operations must resonate with it to build a powerful brand.
A well-thought, catchy and easy to remember tagline can do wonders to your food truck business. It should be in sync with your brand name, logo, and mission statement and can be in the form of a slogan or a quote. For instance, Luke’s Lobster food truck, based in New York, has a slogan “Taste the Source” as their tagline that builds a connection with its customers while communicating with them the authenticity of their seafood sources.
3. Business Website
Building an online presence is a part of enhancing your brand. From your food truck menu, to your recent events, your food truck website contains it all. According to an Upserve report, 90% of customers research online about the restaurant they plan to visit, and about 33% tend to look at the reviews. Therefore, you need to have a website to cater to this large pool of customers who research prior to visiting such that your brand speaks to them via your website.
You can design your website with the same elements that appear on your food truck. Additionally, a credible website gives every little detail about the food truck to your customers. They might not always know your next location or what upcoming events your food truck business will participate in. Therefore, you need to instil authenticity into your business by building your food truck website.
4. Excellent Food
The food you serve plays an important role in establishing the brand. It should be consistent throughout your business and revolve around your theme. Each ingredient used, presentation of food, names of the dishes should resonate with your brand. The quality of food should always be excellent such that it creates good brand value and keeps the customers coming back.
5. Thoughtful Packaging
Packaging is an extremely vital element that helps establish a food truck brand. Being an entrepreneur, one should not undermine the importance of packaging in establishing the brand. If your food truck is associated with food delivery, establishing your brand through packaging should be one of the essentials on your checklist.
Firstly, an attractive and spill-free packaging creates a good image of the business in customers’ minds and stirs up good emotions. Secondly, a packaging that carries the brand name, logo, and tagline instantly connects with the customers benefiting brand recognition and awareness.
6. Staff
When staff of the food truck embodies the brand, they share it clearly with the customers as well. You must let your staff know the mission and values of your food truck so that they can manifest it to the customers. They should understand the brand’s personality in detail and incorporate it in all their moves.
Your staff can have a uniform, specially designed by the design team such that it depicts the various elements of your brand. You can decide whether it will be a T-shirt or button-down uniform, the color, the design, and other elements that exhibit your brand.
Now that you are aware of the various ideas in which you can brand your food truck, it is important for you to understand that as an entrepreneur, branding needs consistency and constant upgradation. You can always evolve your ways and develop even better branding ideas to establish your brand in the market.
