If you know anything about the Roundpeg crew, you know we love food. Donuts, cupcakes, and cheese top our list. But we also love quirky local restaurants, food trucks, and delivery services.
Fortunately, for our waistlines, we have outlets for all our food fantasies beyond just eating. We build websites and manage social media for food clients. Along the way, we have learned a thing or two about food marketing.
Web Design Tips for Restaurants and Other Food Businesses
Every great food website starts with the images. If your food doesn’t look good, nothing else matters. There are lots of places you can save money and cut cost, but photography isn’t one of them.
If you can’t afford to hire a professional to properly light and photograph your food, you might want to consider some high-quality stock images. But if you do use stock images, make sure they accurately represent your food.
Mobile, mobile, mobile. These days everyone looks for restaurants from their phone. So make sure your mobile experience is simple and inviting. Reservations, hours, address, menu and phone number should all be easy to read from a 4-inch screen. We have been building food websites using WordPress for a number of years for many reasons, one of which is the mobile versions work so well.
Easy to read menus are required. Simplify your typography, ditch the dollar signs, and use images sparingly to make your menus easy to read online. Oh, and if you haven’t guessed by now, it is time to ditch the PDF. No one wants to download or print your menu.
Last week I sat down with Sam and Lydia and talked about some of what we have been doing recently with food marketing clients.
For more web design tips check out a few of the blog posts from our archive.
How to Write About Food
Sure the pictures are important, but a comprehensive food content marketing program also relies on words. Transform a simple bowl of chili into a steaming, aromatic winter treat with just a few of the right words.
Do a little research. Discover how others talk about this type of dish. And consider tasting the dish. It helps if you actually know what the food tastes like. That’s why I won’t typically ask a vegan to write descriptions of a roast beef recipe.
Engage all the senses. There are words which elicit a response when used correctly. We can almost hear the sizzle of meat hitting a hot grill; or smell the sweet-sharp aroma of caramelizing onions, and we see the bright green sprinkle of onions at the end. The right words bring the food to life.
Once you have used all the right words, you need to share your content. In order to decide which platforms make sense, start with a clear picture of who your target customer is. Pinterest, Yummly, YumPrint, Facebook, and Instagram are all possible choices.
Not sure where to start? Grab a copy of Social Food, our delicious guide to social media for companies in the food business.
