The meal prep business remains one of the fastest-growing businesses in the booming food industry. Due to the busy nature of many cities, people rely on meal prepping to meet their nutritional needs. In Canada alone, revenue is projected to reach US$1.36bn at an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 15.44%, reaching a market volume of US$2.50bn by 20227. Similarly, the industry in the United States has generated a revenue of US$8,792.00mm.
Huge numbers, aren’t they? Your meal prep business can be a part of this revenue generation if you reach more customers in your community. Here are some local marketing tactics that your meal prep business can employ to reach more customers and increase your market share. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Leverage Social Media
Social Media has provided an accessible platform for both sellers and customers. Therefore, you can leverage the same to market your business locally. First, you need to grow your community with content that showcases your dishes, their nutritional content and other deals that your meal prep business offers. It is important to use hashtags related to your city or town to increase your local visibility to those near you. You can also run paid ads specifically targeted at potential customers who live in the same locality. This will also show your business delivery range and ability to target.
Meanwhile, aside from social media, here are other things you may need to consider in your digital and content efforts:
- Segment the market: busy professionals, fitness enthusiasts, families, seniors, or individuals with dietary restrictions
- Craft your meals and marketing message according to the needs and preferences of these segments
- Ensure your business is listed on Google My Business and regularly gather reviews.
- Make use of local keywords in your website and social media content
- Join local directories and community websites.
- Highlight customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes content, and weekly meal previews
- Use geotags in your posts to attract a local audience
- Consider paid ads targeting local audiences on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok
- Start a blog focused on meal prep tips, health benefits, and local ingredient spotlights
- Share posts on social media and consider collaborating with local media outlets
Build Local Partnerships
For a meal prep business, there are many opportunities to partner with other local businesses to reach more customers. Depending on on your target customer, partner with local gyms and fitness centres, hospitals or drink suppliers to increase your reach. Grocery stores, local farmer markets or food festivals are an avenue to showcase your meals for customers to sample. In addition, you can work with local influencers in the health, fitness, or food sectors to review or promote your offerings
Forge Community Connections
In line with building local partnerships, connect your meal prep business with other stakeholders in your community by sponsoring local events, especially those related to health and wellness activities. Donate free meals or volunteer to serve at neighbourhood charities. Host local catering classes or free office lunch drops to create a bond with your community. This shows that beyond sales, you are interested in your community and creates top-of-mind awareness for your meal prep business.
In view of this, here is a bullet point of things you need to do to build connection with your customer and community:
- Ensure your interactions with customers reflect politeness and courtesy
- Sponsor local events, farmers markets, and community fairs
- Join local business associations or groups like the Chamber of Commerce to establish relationships with other business owners
- Some customers are increasingly conscious of sustainability. Emphasize locally sourced ingredients and sustainable packaging, and promote these aspects in your marketing.
- Customers appreciate businesses that listen and engage. Always ask for feedback and make necessary improvements based on customer suggestions
Score Local Press and Awards
Another way to reach your local market without doing much is to pitch your business story to local media outlets. Your mode of operation, business inspiration and some of your meal recipes are all interesting content for any media house. Also, highlight any health or sustainability-related certifications or awards your meal prep business might have received. This includes certifications from the community you reside in. This builds more confidence and trust in your business. You may also consider distributing flyers or postcards with promotions in local newspapers, mailboxes, or community bulletin boards.
Offer Discounts and Promos
In addition, as a way of marketing your meal prep business, have introductory discounts for new signups. Reward loyal customers with discounts and promos that encourage them to buy and refer their friends and neighbours. Position yourself as a business that offers high lifetime value. Create urgency to drive demand traffic with limited-time discounts around community events or local holidays.
Meanwhile, here are other tips to look into when offering discounts and promos:
- Offer cooking classes, demonstrations, or workshops highlighting your meal prep expertise
- Offer discounts or incentives to customers who refer friends and family
- Offer rewards or discounts as a loyalty programme for regular customers to encourage repeat purchase
- Offer special promotions or themed meals for holidays like Canada Day, Thanksgiving, or even provincial holiday
Remember, always monitor the effectiveness of your strategies. Also, you need to adjust and tweak as necessary based on response and feedback. Furthermore, for a diverse market like the US and Canada with multicultural cities and vast rural areas, it’s crucial to tailor your approach based on your target region.
Click here to download our comprehensive e-book on how to become a meal prep mogul.
The LazyFit Advantage
Although marketing requires a great deal of effort, we assure you that you can grow locally with LazyFit’s inbuilt advantages for your meal prep business.
- We have a large member base broken down into local categories. These are further broken down regarding health needs and requirements. Therefore, you have access to information about health-conscious customers in your area seeking fresh, customized meal options so that you can easily target and create such meals.
- The LazyFit matching algorithms effortlessly connect local users to suppliers based on their preferences and the suppliers’ proximity. Be assured that customers in your locality will see more of your meal prep business together with their preferred meals which will encourage more orders.
- Our platform is integrated with an easy menu showcase for customers to see your available meals and the accompanying processes as much as you allow. In addition, you can highlight your awards, share your brand story and run promotions that will build your community and gain word of mouth in the neighbourhood.
- You also have access to our provided data-driven insights about the customer and the locality coupled with marketing tools that will help you optimize your outreach, discounts and partnerships. Customers in your immediate locality receive meals that are specially made for them and do not need much persuasion since it just fits their lifestyle straightaway
Lazyfit positions as an established wellness brand. Meal prep business owners like you can ride on the credibility and exposure we offer to stand out. You can grow your customer base faster within your locality and build lasting brand awareness for your meal prep business. Click here to read more about our product offering.
So let’s help you find your tribe of ideal customers even in your immediate locality. Join Lazyfit today to gain an invaluable local marketing edge.