In the food and tourism industry, there are some periods of the year that are more profitable than the others, such as the Christmas season wherein people flock to restaurants or go places to bond and celebrate. While peak seasons ensure great returns, keeping businesses afloat throughout the years still largely depends on making them relevant even during off-season.
This is what Bogart The Explorer’s Marco Ho and The Chui Show’s Carl Chuidan learned after years of traveling in different parts of the country to feature food and places. They dig deeper into these on the second episode of “At your SerBiz!,” hosted by award-winning author and speaker Francis Kong.
In an informative yet light interview, Marco and Carl enumerated tips to ensure that businesses bring in revenue all year round.
Aside from being a platform used to attract and connect with potential clients, social media is important in ensuring you’ll have regular customers.
Carl, who believes in the power of social media to propel businesses to greater heights, said successful businesses with regular customers normally have an active social media presence.
“Para magpabalik-balik ang customers ninyo, you need an active social media presence. Meaning, hindi sapat yung may social media ka lang, dapat you have a content plan and active ka sa pagpo-post ng content online,” he said.
He added that successful entrepreneurs also efficiently use social media as a marketing tool to retain customers and keep them updated about discounts and other offers.
It also helps that people who have tried your products actively promote your business through creative content, just like what Carl did on his recent vlog featuring the food in Zamboanga. His content helped to erase people’s misconceptions and prejudice about Muslims.
To avoid losing regular customers and easily address consumer concerns, Carl stressed the importance of being proactive in getting client feedback on your products and services–from building a community on Facebook or Viber groups, to creating online polls to know what the market wants.
As it is, it is essential to consider it as part of your responsibility to reach out to customers to find ways to improve your business.
Once you’ve established a good relationship with the customer with the help of technology, Marco shared that your customer can easily and comfortably get in touch with you to raise any concerns or even negative feedback relating to your products and services.
After certain influencers, including Marco, tasted and featured the food offered by a small brand called “Kanin Baboy” in their respective social media platforms,” he recalled how the brand slowly gained its popularity. It eventually opened a physical store in Siargao, with strong customer support.
Carl, for his part, recalled how, after publishing on The Chui Show a vlog that reached seven million views on YouTube about Kuya Jim’s Pares, the sales of the eatery skyrocketed.
Collaboration between content creators and brands is fast becoming popular, and jumping into the trend is a wise move, according to Marco. It is a cost-effective strategy that can ensure business profitability anytime of the year, as long as you’re collaborating with the right influencers whose market complements your business.
“When you’re already on social media, the great thing to do would be to collaborate with specific creators and influencers that are specific to your brand, as well as your target markets or the consumers who consume your products,” he said.
Collaboration, according to Carl, is a win-win process for the brands and content creators alike, saying, “nafea-feature namin kayo, nakakatulong kami sa business niyo, pero nakakatulong din kayo sa amin kasi it’s [for] our livelihood.”
Successful businesses are able to connect well with customers and continue to thrive the whole year, Marco pointed out.
For instance, Marco shared, “if you’re selling an affordable product and market it as lingerie, there’s an obvious disconnect and people would be disillusioned with your product.”
If you’re an entrepreneur in the food and tourism industry, you always look for ways to keep your business going even when summer vacation or the Christmas season is over. Collaboration, consistent online presence, and establishing a connection with your customers are all key to keeping that “Open” sign on your door the whole year round. Discover digital solutions from Globe Business that can help move your business forward no matter the time of year!
Catch more episodes of At Your SerBiz here.
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