As a fast food business owner, you know your long-term success does not rely on one-time sales but repeat orders. And, in order to achieve this, you will need a strong marketing strategy that keeps you going.
However, given the intense competition and evolving consumer preferences for convenience or health, it can be quite challenging to succeed. Also, fast food businesses need to provide consistent product and service delivery across multiple locations, which leads to complexity in handling the digital and delivery channels, ultimately increasing the operational costs, fragmenting the customers’ data, and eroding the brand control. That’s why fast food businesses have a more difficult time capturing the customers’ attention.
Over the course of working with hundreds of fast food brands, we have discovered a few marketing strategies that truly make a difference in strengthening their brand presence. In this post, we are giving you the inside scoop on what really works. So, let’s get started!
What is Fast Food Marketing and What Does It Cover?
Fast food marketing refers to strategies used to promote, sell, and distribute food products to customers. It involves understanding consumer needs, positioning your product, pricing it, and communicating its value. For example, if your food is marketed around health, you should highlight the nutritional benefits. On the other hand, if sustainability is the focus, the marketing should emphasize eco-friendly sourcing and packaging.
Clever Fast Food Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Bottomline
Here are some proven ideas that can help fast food businesses increase their order value, number of orders, and customer lifetime value.
1. Use Packaging Smartly
Nowadays, people prefer takeaways and online ordering over dining in. That’s why packaging is more important than ever. Brands aren’t just making sure their packaging can hold the food, but also using it as a marketing tool. So, don’t let this opportunity slip away. Every bag, cup, and box you use in your packaging is a chance to get your customer to order again, and you can use it to push repeat business within a short window.
When customers start or finish their meal, they will also notice the visible CTA and QR code on the packaging. So, you need to make sure it’s clear, concise, and drives action, whether you have a message related to a discount on their next order or a link to a limited-time special. For example, something as simple as “Order again in the next 24 hours for 10% off” or “Scan to unlock a surprise offer!” will encourage them to act quickly.
And, don’t forget the importance of design. Packaging should reflect your brand. Using a purpose-driven or thoughtful design can even get your customers talking or sharing on social media, giving you free exposure. Plus, if your packaging is also eco-friendly, that adds an extra layer of appeal to today’s environmentally conscious consumers.
2. Hyper-Local Ads
As a fast food business, you know your local customers are your key business drivers, so your marketing should target them specifically. Invest in local marketing because most fast food orders are impulsive decisions. Customers hit “Order Now” when they are hungry and see their favourite food recommendation. So, it’s all about showing your ad at the exact moment when nearby customers are typing key phrases related to your business.
Partnering with the right marketing agency can make things a lot easier for you. With their experience, they can guide you in the right direction by choosing the right channels (platforms), the right mediums (methods of advertising), and crafting the right message (through content). They are also experts at geofencing and identifying the best time windows to advertise.
For example, by setting up a Google Business Profile for ChickQueen and running hyper-targeted ads during weekends, college rush hours, and other high-traffic time slots, we boosted their brand’s sales by 12 times. Today, they are proudly serving in more than 10 locations across Canada.
3. Time-Limited Deals
While focusing on peak lunch and dinner times is crucial for fast food businesses, managing the slower hours is just as important. During these dead hours, you should create time-limited deals and discounts that give customers a reason to buy specifically during that window. So, don’t ignore the need to build solid strategies for your least busy times. Make sure to promote these offers on social media, your app, website, and even in-store signage.
By using this tactic smartly, you can build a habit for your customers to return during off-peak hours for better deals. And who knows, you might start getting consistent daily orders during those slower times as well.
4. Find the Right Influencers
It’s a social media-driven world, and we are living in it. Customers are constantly on their favourite platforms, watching content from the creators they follow and trust. Some content creators have earned the loyalty of millions through their consistent, high-quality content. That’s why people are more likely to trust the products and brands these creators promote. For example, unboxing videos are often seen as highly reliable and authentic by viewers.
Partnering with micro-influencers can help expose your fast food brand to a much wider audience. When influencers talk about the great things related to your food, brand values, packaging, and overall experience, it amplifies your message and builds credibility in a natural and engaging way.
5. Upsell Without Annoying
If upselling never worked for you, you probably did it all wrong. Many food brands commit this mistake, where they either spam customers with random add-on suggestions. So, here is how you have to do it:
- Start by pulling data from POS. This will provide you with the data regarding which items sell together most often. For example, customers like fries and soda along with their burger. You can also check with POS which add-ons have a high margin. So, these will be your primary upsell targets.
- Now that you have the right data, you can automate the suggestion. Set rules in your POS or delivery app. If the customer adds a burger, show fries and drinks-related offers. If the customer orders two meals, you can suggest a dessert combo at 20% off.
- Now the primary part is done, next you have to make sure the offers are irresistible. For this, you will have to make your customers feel they are not spending extra but getting a deal. Use the visual and sensory triggers like Choco lava cake with chocolate syrup oozing out. In the end, track your results. Check the AOV before and after the upsell tactics. Also, check the acceptance rate and which prompts perform the best. Consider dropping the tactics that don’t work.
6. Referral Boost
You don’t always have to rely on ad spend. Sometimes, your own customers can become your brand ambassadors. You just need to put in a little effort through referral boosts. If your customers are college students, hostelers, or families, this strategy can be especially easy and effective because these types of customers can bring in multiple orders.
Entice them with referral links like: “Invite three friends and get 20% off your next meal.” You can also offer rewards on both sides with messaging like: “Get 20% off your next order when three friends order. Your friends get 10% off too.”
Make sure to review your performance. Key metrics to watch include the number of shares per customer, how many friends actually placed an order, and the cost per new order. Keeping a close eye on these numbers will help you understand what is working and where to improve.
7. Local Business Tie-Ups
Look for businesses around your store whose customers might also be interested in your food. For example, offices, coworking spaces, cafes, movie theatres, and Gyms. You can tie up with them and offer a discount or a free item from your store for their customers. Such offers sound like:
“Show your gym receipt today and get a free drink with your burger.”
“Movie ticket stub = 10% off any combo meal.”
You can promote your offerings with posters or flyers, or on social media. You can ask for partner to create QR codes on their receipts that link to your menu. You can also email your own subscribers to announce the partnership. This way, customers start seeing your brand everywhere. Please note that this tactic will only work if you choose a partner whose peak hours complement yours.
8. Kid-Friendly Meal
Attract families to your place by making your meal options kid-friendly. You can do this by offering smaller portions and offering them at a lowered price, paired with cartoon-themed packaging or adding a small toy or collectible. You can also feature healthy side options like fruits and yogurt, etc. Make sure to keep the kids’ menu healthy to appeal to parents’ concerns.
9. Flash Sales via Delivery Apps
If you receive a lot of your orders through delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, then you can drive instant orders and higher visibility by creating limited-time offers that create urgency. Most of the delivery apps allow flash deals or “surge offers” to be shown on the app homepage. Just make make to upload your offer with a smart and clear copy, timing and irresistible image. For enhanced visibility, you can use banner or spotlight placement; however, you might have to pay for this type of ad.
Promote these kinds of offers even outside the app. You can employ push notifications via your own apps or SMS list. You can use social media and in-store posters to encourage pickup orders.
10. Invest in Local SEO
SEO helps improve your restaurant’s online visibility. With Local SEO, when people search for food spots nearby, your business can appear at the top. To do this, partner with an SEO agency that can:
- Set up and manage your Google Business Profile.
- Build local citations across directories.
- Optimize your website with local keywords.
- Encourage customer reviews to improve rankings.
These actions will increase your chances of being discovered by nearby customers.
Bonus Insight: Partner Up With Experienced Marketers
If you are not sure where to begin or if these tips will actually work for you, working with a marketing agency could save you a lot of time and stress. As a highly experienced team of website and app builders and marketers who have worked with hundreds of restaurants, fast food chains, and cafes, we know what drives results. We have in-house photographers, social media experts, influencers, content creators, branding experts, app designers, and CRM specialists on our team. That means no more experimenting or overspending on budgets, just a solid plan to get you the results. Let’s talk! Your first consultation is free, so bring all your questions, and we will guide you in the right direction.
