A Practical Guide to Efficient Influencer Marketing for Caterers in 2021

With plenty of catering service providers near you, deciding on whom to trust for an upcoming social gathering —be it the wedding reception or kid’s first birthday — can be challenging.

The evolution of social media into the mainstream does influence such decisions, as customers these days rely on the opinion of a group of highly influential social media users, popularly known as the “Influencers.”

Think of it as a “Word of Mouth,” in today’s digital epoch. These influencers employ their knowledge of a specific niche — hospitality in your case— along with the extensive follower base to influence the purchase decisions of many.

In a nutshell, to generate more leads and improve conversion rate, you’ve won over the local influencers first.

With this in mind, we’ve curated a practical guide for results-driven influencer marketing in 2021, especially for those in the catering industry.

1. Identify & Reach Out to Influencers

This type of outreach requires your dedicated time to scrutinize various social media platforms, right from Facebook to Instagram, to narrow down on the influencers that have a strong authority and are related to your industry, such as the local food bloggers.

Write an interesting direct message or an email to invite them over to your place to try some unique dishes prepared by your head chef and in-house catering team.

A special note: never ask for a positive review in exchange for free lunch, as their ethics will be turned on if you make such an offer. Be gentle and request to genuinely review your dishes.

2. Influencer Videos

Being in the catering industry, you must invest in video marketing to bring in leads and convert them like crazy, instead of hiring a celebrity who would cost you a fortune or creating a drab or boring video where your staff talk about your catering services.

To make your video to be considered as authentic among your target audience, incorporate a local influencer in it. What’s even more important is that the video script should revolve around the influencer’s style and niche in mind to drive more engagements.

3. Invite Influencers to your upcoming event

Instead of inviting an authoritative local influencer for a private dinner, send them an invitation to come to your next event you’re hosting in the city, to entirely review your catering services.

It starts with venue theme & decoration, efficiency of the serving staff, and how tasty the dishes are. Later, the influencer will post photos of the event they’ve been to with a quick mention of your brand. Request them to publish a dedicated blog post reviewing your hospitality services.

4.  Be Ready to Give Up Some Control

Unlike the other form of Internet marketing, where brands have complete control over their campaign, influencer marketing is centred more on the influencer’s authenticity.

Each influencer has a unique approach for showcasing a brand. Therefore you have to be ready to hand over some control to the influencer.

Brands must recognize that the influencer they’ve collaborated with has a better understanding of what resonates well with their vast follower base. Thus, allow them to experiment with creativity & uniqueness in their approach to make their content authentic, rather than direct promotional marketing trash.

Of course, do a close oversight of influencer campaigns to ensure that they are applicable regulations are being adhered to. But, stay clear of micromanaging influencers and motivate them to work creatively.

5.  Establish Long-Term Relationships’

While you think of a one-off sponsored post, whenever you think of influencer marketing. But for better results, focus on establishing a long-term relationship with them.

A long-term relationship is beneficial to both parties. Being a brand, means your influencer is more invested in your campaign and makes genuine efforts to produce high-quality content.

The influencer can showcase what brands they collaborate with, which will help them bag new collaboration opportunities.

You must figure out a plan on working with a local influencer on a long-term basis, by carefully defining your goals.

Let’s Wind Up

Partnering with local influencers is a powerful means to expand your brand to new markets and showcase your brand in engaging and new ways. But influencer marketing is not straightforward; you might think. Therefore, you need to hire a company agency offering social media marketing services to plan a strategic, results-driven, user-centric influential marketing plan. 

We at Al Shan Marketing deliver results-driven, tailored Internet marketing campaigns, specifically for the catering industry. Connect with our digital marketers today for more information on how we can help your business thrive with a strategic digital marketing plan.

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