🍕Food marketing > cold emails

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Thanks for joining us on this fine Humpday. What’s on tap?

Today’s Feature Story lays out a dump-truck load of concrete reasons you outta consider using food marketing to boost sales like this start-up did (1,000 pizzas brought in 75 clients worth $1 million in revenue). Food is a basic need, so this is a simple marketing tactic that won’t give you a headache and can be used for any type of business! Also on deck…

The Knowledge Base
~~Self~~ Help (nacho recession)
Facts & Stats (GenZ $$$)
Get Hacking (use your face)

Let’s unload the reasons and facts that back up food marketing as a smart plan.

Food Marketing Facts

Here’s the CEO who was smart enough to sling those pizzas to rake in $1M in new business, BTW.

Now eight fun facts:

#1 Free food offers can bypass customers’ price sensitivity.

#2 Gifts create a need for the recipient to return the favor, and food is a primal gift.

#3 Comfort food. Relaxed people are more likely to make purchases.

#4 Perfect for luxury brands that don’t do discounts.

#5 Partnering with a food vendor can introduce your audience to the vendor and vice versa.

#6 Good food gets burned into our minds, creating memorable experiences that get connected to your business.

#7 Cookouts and cooking contests (i.e., BBQ cook-offs) can draw extra foot traffic.

#8 Free food may create a perception of value, unlike discounts that may devalue a brand.

I’ll lay out a few examples of food marketing below, but first…

Food Marketing Feels Good

You don’t have to get Newman to mail gourmet treats to draw in new customers or clients.

Create buzz by giving food to those in need or partnering with a grocery store or cafe for giveaways.

I shop at the highest-priced grocery store in my town. Why, when I could save money elsewhere? This store gives away sacks of groceries to the needy every November (before Thanksgiving).

This food marketing, even though it’s just being good to folks, sticks in my mind every day. So I keep shopping with Mr. Bob Ingles (despite their legendary guac being a letdown lately).

Now, those examples you can try out.

Specific Food Marketing Examples

Free hotdogs, snacks, or beverages at a grand opening or a “under new management” event
Mail gourmet treats (cupcakes, brownies, candies, etc.)
Host a cookout or pay for a food truck to come to an event (food can be free or break-even cost for you)
“Taste of” events that draw in local eateries to show off their eats with your brand sponsoring
Hand out free dog treats or mail gourmet dog treats (cats too, if you want that kind of clientele 😇)
Winter holiday food events (can be as simple as hot chocolate that costs like a nickel a cup)
Healthy snack or cookbook giveaways work for gyms and personal trainers

Bonus food marketing idea: Lemonade stands. A local non-profit gets major buy-in with this simple food marketing idea. All they do is mail out a kit and local families do the selling in their neighborhoods. The reason it rakes in the cash is obvious, no? Kids are great salespeople. They’re unafraid to ask for the sale and they smile… a lot.

How about a few food marketing tips?

Wrapping Up with 5 Food Marketing Tips

I’d hate to know anybody needed more convincing past the $1 million pizza payoff we began with. But in case any hardheads are in the audience….

One more piece of evidence for the power of food marketing.

Little town west of me had about 800 people as its entire population. The main church there had 1,100 members! Do that math if ya like. The homemade jelly they gave to each visitor wasn’t the only reason the church was successful building “an audience.” But I bet it was a huge reason many visitors returned after their initial visit.

That one-of-a-kind jelly relates to the first of five food marketing tips:

Use a homemade food item if possible
Be sure the recipient knows the food came from your brand
Use Pixingo or similar service to include treats with greeting cards
Avoid generic packaged foods (packaged food works if unique or of fine quality)
Connect the food with nostalgia that fits your audience

The last one is powerful but harder to pull off. My Dad thinks a long-gone spot called Water’s Cafe had the best burgers in history. I think it’s because he enjoyed them as a much younger man in his prime, more so than the actual burger.

If you can find a nostalgic touchpoint like that with your food marketing, you’ll hit a home run with potential customers.

The Knowledge Base

⚠️Beware sophisticated mediocrity

Automated email responses (just add feelings)

🤔Better memory = better biz, better life

Google cookie reversal → reaction

🐤Should your brand be on X (Joe tweet-quit so…)

Using AI content disclosures?

👃What’s ‘signature scent’ marketing?

Google Keyword Planner (a how-to)

✉️Email marketing smushed into Word Cloud

Shock your email list back to life⚡

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Self Help

Study shows 3 outta 5 Americans believe the U.S. is in a recession despite experts shaking their heads “no.” This is good news! Experts’ opinions are a dime a dozen and, lately, can’t be trusted as far as you can throw a know-it-all. More importantly…

It’s pointless to worry about the national economy. Focus on your personal economy. Upgrade your position.

(And, related to stats below, Gen Zers should stick cash in their pockets if they wanna save it.)

Facts and Stats

CFOs say #1 GenAI drawback is “implementation complexity” (least noted drawback was “unintended consequences”)

53% of Gen Zers say they’ve spent beyond their means & they say paying in cash causes negative emotions like “cringe, sadness, or confusion” (Media Post)

1 in 4 U.S. consumers (& 40% of 18- to 34-yr-olds) intend to travel to a destination to attend a major pop culture event. (Allianz Partners)

Bonus: What odd event helps drive REI’s 22 million lifetime members of its co-op? Answer: ‘Garage sales’ – used outdoor stuff. (PYMNTS)

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Get Hacking

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A tiny photo of yourself
Picture of your handwritten signature
Link to your most active social media account (one that won’t get you doxxed and fired)

Please forward Inbox Hacking to your friends in the marketing game. Thanks.🙏

Shane McLendon, Copy Kingpin – Inbox Hacking