In this third episode of FoodTruckr School, I don’t have a guest on the show with us this time around, however I pose a very important question to all food truck owners out there:
Why aren’t you asking your customers for their email addresses?
The only logical answer here is that you just don’t know how important it is, which is why I’m here to tell you.
Yes, I know you have a Twitter account and a Facebook account, and those things are important (and I share a couple of extremely useful tips for getting the most out of your time on those social media platforms too), but your customer’s email address is the most important asset for most businesses, and it’s no exception for those in the food truck business either.
Why?
Because think about it – when you email someone, you’re contacting them directly. The only thing your message is competing with is other messages in one’s inbox, and we all know how we often can’t leave any emails unanswered. For some of us, it’s the first thing we check when we wake up in the morning – or we have notifications on our mobile devices that let us know the moment a new email comes out way.
With social media, you’re competing with tons of noise and when you update a status or share a tweet, you’re only sending your message to a fraction of your overall following – and I talk about why that’s the case during this episode too.
More Specifically, in this episode you’ll learn about:
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
Right-click here to download the MP3 file
Thank you again, for listening to this episode of FoodTruckr School. Truly, we hope you don’t just listen, but you also take action and actually think about your brand, what it means and how you might be able to improve it. Please let us know what you think about this episode in the comment section below!
Thank you for your support. We’re here for you!
This post was last modified on October 29, 2014
Hello Portland! If you're looking to add a dash of Portlandia's awesome street food scene filled with doughnuts, nachos, and…
Hello Minneapolis! If you're looking to add a dash of The Twin Cities' awesome street food scene filled with hot…
The first-ever Food Truck Owners Expo is launching this year! And it promises to be a great event for the…
Hello Houston! If you're looking to add a dash of Houston's awesome street food scene filled with Tex Mex and…
Hello Denver! If you're looking to add a dash of The Mile-High City's awesome street food scene filled with Mexican…
Hello Boston! Ready to have a wicked awesome time? If you're looking to add a dash of Beantown's awesome street…
View Comments
Pat,
First off, big fans here! We think one of the main reasons Food Truckrs don't ask for email addresses is because they don't have a platform that makes it easy.
Using a paper list seems a little cheap and there's no immediate incentive to writing your name and email down. Also, providing a couple reasons to join the list is key, such as: getting a weekly truck schedule delivered to your inbox or being the first to receive special offers.
We are working on providing a solution which you can find more info here: http://www.mobilebymerge.com/mobilecoupons. Our team would LOVE any feedback on what you think is working and what we can possibly improve on. Thanks! look forward to the next episode.
Thanks Merge Team! Glad you're enjoying the site. :)
You make a great point here-- that for many food trucks, a lack of organized systems can lead to huge missed opportunities. Your mobile coupon solution is a really good way for food trucks to enter a new marketing avenue that caters to fan interests, and it gives those fans an immediate reason to return for more.
As for your site, I like how you've laid out what you offer and how it helps food trucks. I'd like to see a little more information on some of the statistics you've mentioned, though... for instance, near the top, you say that "mobile coupons are 10x more effective than traditional print offers." Where does this info come from? Similarly, a bit further down the page, there's a heading: "35 Million and Counting. Mobile Offers are here!" It's a little unclear what 35 million refers to.
I bring these points up because the field you're working in is clearly one that offers HUGE opportunities for food trucks, and an explanation of the data that backs up these stats lends you credibility and helps truck owners see how mobile coupons can help their businesses.
Hope that helps! And please keep me posted on any new developments you come up with -- I'm excited to see what you're up to!
All the best,
Nicole at FoodTruckr HQ
link /3 isnt working just so you know, cheers Grant
Nicole,
Great suggestions! We have updated that page. Business Insider did a study on the rise of mobile coupons and provide some pretty jaw dropping stats. Those were just a couple mentioned in the report.
You are absolutely right about the HUGE opportunities these digital offers provide. Since they are web based, which we host, you don't have to rely on investing in an app and having everyone download it to view your offer. We want to give "food truckrs" the control to post what they want, when they want. We look forward to adding on to these mobile offers with the feedback we receive from our clients.
We're working hard on providing the best solution with this new technology and this site really helps in our developing stages. So, thanks for providing awesome articles and episodes. We will keep you guys updated for sure!
Christopher at mobile by merge
Hey Christopher,
Fantastic! Glad the suggestions helped. I do really like that your app is web-based so that fans don't have to download a separate app for every truck they like to visit. From a customer perspective, this is definitely the most user-friendly way to go.
If there are any questions or topics you'd like to see us cover as you work on developing your product, please just let us know. We're always happy to get feedback from FoodTruckrs and the companies that support them. :)
Best,
Nicole