10 Proven Digital Marketing Ideas to Attract More Customers to Your Food Business Website

Running a successful food business isn’t just about creating great meals or cooking up the tastiest products on the market. It’s about getting the word out there, especially online. With the majority of consumers checking out food businesses online before they even consider buying produce or booking a table, having a strong digital presence is essential.

At Web Adept, we’ve worked with everyone from artisan rum makers to gastro pubs, so we know what it takes to make your mark in the highly competitive food and drink sector. That’s why we’ve put together 10 proven digital marketing ideas. No fluff, just simple, actionable tips that could make a big difference to your business (with a few bad food puns thrown in because we can). Ready? Let’s dig in.

1. Optimise your website and Google Business Profile for local and organic search

Hungry customers will search for local places to eat, and the increased focus on sustainability means there’s also a growing market for locally-made produce. That means showing up on local and organic search is vital. Optimising your website and Google Business Profile for local search will give you the best chance of riding high in the search engine results and potentially nabbing the lion’s share of custom.

You can do this by ensuring your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and clearly highlights key information like your map location and opening hours. Also, add natural search terms to your content, such as “bakery near me,” “craft rum in Pembrokeshire,”, or “restaurants in Cardiff”. Regularly updating your content and Google Business Profile helps Google view you as a relevant and active business.

For example, when we worked with The Angel Narberth on a new website, we added an interactive Google map, clear opening hours, menus, FAQs, and even details like their dog policy and information about the area. These features don’t just improve user experience, they also give Google the rich local information it looks for, helping the inn stand out to both tourists and locals searching nearby.

2. Create irresistible offers and promotions online

Whether you run a pub, a high street deli or an online shop, special offers and promotions are highly effective and relatively easy to advertise. Post promotions across your website, emails, socials and paid ads for maximum coverage. They don’t have to be complicated – just make them simple and tempting, with a clear time limit to encourage customers to act now.

You can go as classic or as quirky as you like, whether you want to offer “10% off your first online order” or something more leftfield like, “Get one free pint if your name is Dave this Friday”.

3. Leverage social media to showcase your food brand

Social media is a valuable marketing tool for any food and drink business – if you get the posting recipe right. As the old saying goes, people eat with their eyes first. That means highly visual platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are marketing goldmines.

Quality over quantity wins every time, especially if you add a generous dash of brand personality to your content. Create a consistent schedule with a few quality posts a week, and you will be far more effective than pushing out rushed or subpar content for the sake of it.

Effective posts for food businesses include behind-the-scenes clips of food preparation, unboxing videos, mouth-watering product shots, interactive polls, menu reels, tips and recipes – the list is almost endless. Just keep things regular and on brand with a keen eye on quality, and you’ll see results.

4. Try influencer marketing to reach a wider audience

OK, so this one might not be for everyone. We’ve all heard the horror stories of entitled influencer vs unimpressed restaurateur. However, approached cautiously, influencer marketing can be beneficial. It’s all about partnering with someone who fits your brand values and has an audience that you want to access.

We’re not talking Kardashian-level insanity (unless that’s your bag, of course). Micro-influencers can often bring in more business than big names. Think local bloggers who have a dedicated following in your area, or niche creators who are passionate about products like yours.

5. Send emails to drive repeat purchases

Staying in touch with your customers builds relationships and fosters trust, both of which are pivotal for driving repeat custom. Email marketing has the highest return on investment when done well, and you can expand your email list via your website, events and order forms.

Sending regular newsletters with special discounts, friendly updates, surveys, or product releases gives customers on your list extra value and tells them you actually care about their needs, opinions and loyalty. Whether you have exclusive Christmas pre-orders on your bakery goods for subscribers only, or 10% off all online table bookings for November, make sure all the benefits land in your customers’ inboxes.

6. Showcase customer reviews and testimonials

There’s no better social proof than customers singing your praises. Encouraging people to leave reviews and sharing positive testimonials on your website and socials is a key factor in building the level of trust that leads to higher sales and repeat custom. OK, so you might get the odd bad review in the mix (there’s nearly always one), but the payoff is worth it in terms of the customer validation and credibility other reviews will bring.

Most people scan a few reviews before deciding whether a product is worth investing in – if you don’t already highlight customer feedback, now’s the time to bring it to the fore.

7. Add online ordering and delivery options

Customers love convenience, so anything you can do to make life simpler will be a winner. That might mean enabling customers to order ahead for pick-up, working with a food delivery partner like Uber Eats or Deliveroo, integrating straightforward booking systems, or having the smoothest online checkout on the internet.

For example, take our work with Cardiff Japanese Restaurant Tenkaichi. They wanted to make life easier for both customers and staff, so we integrated Tablein for bookings, Yoello for takeaway orders, and a drop-down FAQ section to cut down on admin. All fairly simple tweaks, but changes that can make a huge difference to both busy staff and customers.

8. Run targeted online ads

Organic marketing has its place, but running targeted online ad campaigns (like Google or Facebook Ads) is a highly effective way to get your products and services right under the noses of your core audience. You can target by location and every demographic you can think of, as well as post at optimal days/times to get the best return on investment.

For example, running Saturday evening ads aimed at locals for your Sunday pub lunches might be the right strategy. Or a pre school holiday campaign aimed at busy parents could fill your kids cookery classes up for the summer.

Done well, an ad campaign can be the secret sauce that whets the appetite of new and returning customers. Start small, test and refine, and you’ll be on the right track in no time.

9. Tell your food story with great content

Storytelling is a fundamental element of effective marketing. Behind every business, product, and founder are any number of stories that will help customers connect with your brand. Tell people who you are, why you do what you do, and you’ll build longer-term relationships and stronger brand buy-in.

Get creative with the content itself and the formats you use. That could be sharing meet-the-team videos, behind-the-scenes insight reels, or free recipes using your products – anything that gives your customers value and conveys your unique approach, values and brand identity.

10. Partner with other local businesses

Collaborating with other local businesses is something else to consider. For example, your high-end cheese shop could host taster evenings with the local wine merchant; a gin distillery and local chocolatier could offer gift sets made in heaven – you get the picture. Two or more brand voices will be louder than one.

Cross-promotion not only has bottom line business benefits but builds goodwill and community connection, all increasingly important in a competitive world.

Web Adept: helping you serve up success

If handling the marketing as well as everything else feels like you have a bit too much on your plate, we can help. If you’d like help putting our marketing ideas into action, Web Adept’s digital experts can support you with everything from a full digital audit to hands-on help with specific campaigns.

To cook up a digital strategy that works for you, get in touch today.