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Marketing Makes a Difference
In the midst of hungry kids and mass quantities of milk cartons and French fries, you run a business. Your business demands significant daily outputs that can seem overwhelming, leaving little time for marketing, nutrition education, or attention to customer service. Yet, the way to increase participation rates requires special attention to the core concepts of marketing.
If the word 'marketing' scares you, you are not alone. Try and think of it in terms of the technique you use to welcome new students to the serving line and satisfy existing students so they keep coming back for more.
Marketing your school foodservice can make a big difference in the success of your business! Schools that have invested the time and energy into marketing report the following benefits:
Putting together a marketing plan for your school foodservice doesn't have to stress you out. There are plenty of resources and plans already set up to ensure the successful marketing of your program. One marketing strategy that can work for your district, community, and staff involves:
- Identifying your core values and passions
- Designing your image – name, logo, colors, and fonts
- Testing your ideas with customer focus groups
- Rolling out your new look to staff and students
One school foodservice director, Mary Anderson, of Wayzata, Minn., is a strong proponent of this marketing strategy. Mary and her team serve more than 6,000 meals a day to students in 11 schools. Using the marketing strategy above, she led her staff through a process of planning and preparation that included a new name, logo, tagline, menu, and eNewsletter.
"We took the time to learn about the expectations of our customers, our district and the community to develop a successful program," Anderson said. "Parents and students have responded very positively to the changes!"
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