A strong marketing strategy is a key part of any food business’ success, and caterers are no exception. Instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, we have seven catering marketing ideas to help you promote your business and attract clientele!
To take some of the planning off your plate, here’s a downloadable marketing plan template to get you started. Use what works for your business and add your own ideas over time.
1. Start With Catering Market Research
Conducting market research isn’t something you only do when starting a catering business — it’s an ongoing process.
If you understand the target market of your catering services and what they want, you can create marketing materials that speak to their wants and needs. That includes:
- Preferred cuisines
- Catering budget per person
- Types of events they throw
- Ideal qualities they look for in a catering company
Collect this information using the following strategies:
- Surveys: Create surveys using Google Forms or SurveyMonkey to poll your target audience. If you don’t have clients yet, distribute it to friends and family or post it in local Facebook groups for event planners.
- Competitor research: Look at what your competitors offer clients, from cuisine types to pricing strategy. Then, read customer reviews of those competitors. What do they love about their services? What do they wish was better?
- Join online groups: Go where your potential customers are and join some of the same Facebook groups or Reddit boards they spend time on. For example, if you specialize in wedding catering, join groups like Brides on a Budget where prospective clients might talk about what they’re looking for in a caterer for their big day.
2. Develop a Brand That Stands Out
The catering market size in the U.S. is significant, coming in at over 97,000 businesses nationwide.
The end-game outcome of whether your brand blends into the crowd or stands out isn’t just about having a well-designed logo or the right brand colors. You must identify your unique selling proposition (USP).
Your USP is the thing you sell that makes your business special. It’s not something your competitors offer or the industry standard. It’s uniquely yours!
Ask yourself these questions to determine your USP:
- What’s special about your menu? (e.g., you offer a type of cuisine no one else in your area does, or you specialize in vegan dishes)
- Are your prices lower than your competitors?
- Do you offer catering packages or add-on services that other caterers in your area don’t?
- What’s the most significant benefit customers get from choosing you as their caterer?
- What emotions do you want your clients and their guests to feel when they experience your catering services?
3. Evolve Your Digital Catering Marketing Strategy
Website Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Familiarize yourself with basic SEO practices with this handy guide from Google that includes all the fundamentals of making your website SEO-friendly.
- Conduct keyword research to find specific phrases your target customers use to find your business. Moz Keyword Explorer is a free research tool that can help you find phrases with high search volume and low competition.
- Incorporate keywords throughout your website in headings, page title tags (<60 characters), and meta descriptions (<160 characters).
- Track your website’s performance via Google Search Console or your web host’s built-in analytics. See how your target keywords are ranking, how much organic traffic you have (aka how many people found your site via unpaid search results), and the number of inquiries/bookings you’ve gotten since making these changes.
Social Media
- Post across all channels regularly by sticking to a schedule or content calendar that outlines what you plan to post and when. Consistency is key! Try scheduling your content with Adobe Express — it’s free!
- Create engaging content to attract new followers and keep your existing ones entertained and informed. Some potential ideas include:
- Food preparation or cooking videos
- Behind-the-scenes content
- “Meet the team” employee spotlights
- Timelapse videos of event setup/teardown
- Participate in trends that make sense for your brand. Monitor Instagram’s Explore page or TikTok’s Creator Center to see what people are watching and what content is popular.
- Use artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to create social posts for you using prompts or current trends.
Targeted Ads
- Pay to promote your social media posts to turn them into ads that target specific audiences. For example, if you posted photos from a wedding you just catered, promote your post with an ad targeted to couples planning weddings in your area.
- Use Google Ads to target a specific audience, select the goal of your campaign (e.g., generating leads, getting phone calls), and bid on keywords within your budget. Take a free course on Google Ads for helpful tips and tricks!
- Generate an email list of clients, event guests, or website visitors who have opted into receiving emails from you
- Segment your email list to send personalized emails to specific groups of people in your email list, such as wedding planners or corporate office administrators
- Create a newsletter you can regularly send to your email list (monthly, bi-monthly, etc.) that includes information about any discount promotional offers you run, menu updates or adjustments you make, and other updates
- Use email campaign software like Constant Contact or Mailchimp to help manage your newsletters and other promotional emails
4. Grow Your Local Reach With Traditional Marketing
Just because it’s old school doesn’t mean it isn’t effective! A healthy catering marketing plan incorporates aspects of traditional marketing to reach a wider audience.
- Create print materials like flyers and business cards and hand them out to potential clients. Make sure they include your contact information, your website, and your social media handles.
- Place ads in local magazines and newspapers, especially ahead of peak seasons.
- Offer referral incentives to your clients to help boost word-of-mouth, like a 10% discount or free dessert with a future order when they successfully refer a friend.
- Brand your catering van with a wrap that includes your business name, logo, phone number, and email address. For a budget-friendly option, try a magnetic sign instead!
5. Run Seasonal and Holiday Catering Marketing Campaigns
It’s no secret that catering businesses have peak seasons throughout the year, and those often coincide with holidays due to an increase in large gatherings. To leverage these busy times, try out some seasonal campaign ideas.
Winter
- Offer holiday party packages that focus on festive flavors and seasonal specialties (e.g., a wintery dessert package that features chocolate, cinnamon, and marshmallow goodies)
- Sell pre-cooked meals for families craving a festive holiday dinner, such as a Christmas ham, without having to cook it themselves
Spring
- Ensure you’re booked and busy during wedding season by offering special early booking discounts (8+ months in advance) for couples getting married in the spring
- Create an Easter brunch menu with a variety of options to accommodate the whole family’s dietary needs, from fresh fruit parfaits and gluten-free French toast to the classic glazed ham
- Offer a Mother’s Day package with free add-ons, such as a floral centerpiece (partner with a local florist for this!)
Summer
- Barbecued foods are always in demand for caterers (50% of our catering customers get requests for grilled foods!), but outdoor summer events are the perfect time to offer a BBQ-themed package
- Run early booking discounts for high school and college graduation parties
- Develop a patriotic Fourth of July-themed package that features classic potluck dishes and colorful desserts
Fall
- Make it easy for clients to serve a classic Thanksgiving meal by offering a special Turkey Day package with mix-and-match side dishes
- Infuse your menu with unique fall flavors with autumnal ingredients like squash, apples, and everyone’s favorite: pumpkin spice
- Offer limited-time spooky dessert add-ons like jack-o’-lantern cream puffs for clients throwing Halloween parties
6. Get Involved in Local Events
Showing up in your community gets your business in front of more potential clients and helps you network through valuable face-to-face connections.
- Attend and participate in local events: Apply for booths at local food or wedding expos and food festivals. Use this opportunity to offer free samples and come prepared with business cards and signage with your website, social media handles, and contact information.
- Sponsor local events: Sponsoring an event is an effective way to show support for your community and gain exposure for your business, even if you can’t attend it yourself.
- Host your own event: Organizing your own event, such as a “sample our menu” tasting day, establishes a positive reputation in your community as a leader in catering services. Partner with a related business in your area, such as a florist or a mobile bartender to host a joint event that promotes both of your services.
7. Boost Your Reputation With Insurance Coverage
Insurance may not immediately come to mind as part of marketing a catering company, but it is! Advertising that you’re a fully insured catering business in your promotional materials is an effective way to increase your legitimacy and gain new clients.
In fact, 82% of FLIP’s catering insurance policyholders say they have been asked to provide proof of liability insurance before they were hired by a client or event coordinator.
Clients look for insured caterers because they want to know you are financially prepared if something goes wrong, like if you accidentally damage the venue during setup. Even honest mistakes can turn into expensive claims, costing you thousands of dollars and hurting your bottom line.
Getting catering insurance is the best way to protect your finances and demonstrate your professionalism as a caterer, opening more doors to your business than ever before!
Pro Tip: You can get catering insurance from Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) starting at just $25.92 a month! Highly rated, affordable coverage is just a few clicks away.
FAQs About How to Market Catering
What Are the 7 Ps of Marketing a Catering Company?
- Product (what you offer in terms of menu, services, and presentation)
- Price (your pricing strategy, including discounts and service fees)
- Place (your service area and any locations where you operate)
- Promotion (the strategies and channels you use to market your business)
- People (your staff and clientele)
- Process (your target customer’s journey from booking to post-event)
- Physical evidence (your branding and customer testimonials)
Is Email Marketing Effective for Catering Businesses?
Yes! Using email marketing to promote your catering business keeps your business front and center in the minds of previous and potential clients.
Email marketing also benefits your catering business by:
- Staying connected with previous clients, increasing the chance they become repeat customers
- Allowing you to easily share promotions, such as seasonal offerings or discounts
- Being a cost-effective method of promoting your business compared to paid ads or traditional marketing tactics
- Increasing bookings with engaging call-to-actions (CTAs) motivating recipients to schedule a consultation or book a quote
What Promotions or Deals Work Best for Catering Businesses?
- Referral discounts: Generate word-of-mouth marketing with referrals. One survey found that about 36% of consumers discover new businesses via word-of-mouth recommendations — more than any other form of advertising.
- New client specials: Make it more enticing for a new client to book you with a first-time customer discount.
- Group offers: Encourage your clients to purchase larger catering packages by offering discounts for high-volume events (e.g., 10% off for events with over 100 guests).
- Subscription discounts: To encourage loyalty, offer a monthly subscription service at a discounted rate to repeat clients, such as corporations.
Alex Hastings
Seattle-based copywriter and (WA) licensed insurance agent Alex Hastings leverages her experience as a lover of fast-casual food, baked goods, and iced oat milk lattes. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University. Before working at Veracity, she was a retail copywriter at Zulily and an English language teacher in South Korea. Alex is fully trained on FLIP insurance coverages and writes content that connects food and beverage business owners with the policies they need.
Seattle-based copywriter and (WA) licensed insurance agent Alex Hastings leverages her experience as a lover of fast-casual food, baked goods, and iced oat milk lattes. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University. Before working at Veracity, she was a retail copywriter at Zulily and an English language teacher in South Korea. Alex is fully trained on FLIP insurance coverages and writes content that connects food and beverage business owners with the policies they need.
Kyle Jude
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for food and beverage business professionals who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for food and beverage business professionals who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
