Organising the branding for your food business
Getting out and stuffing our faces with deliciousness is what we’ve been waiting for. After all those months working out from home, now we are ready to pile the pounds back on. Hospitality is something that no one does quite like the brits. We love our food, we love to drink even more, and we adore a warm welcome, especially in Manchester, the home of brilliant branding and tonnes of great eateries.
Being a design agency in Manchester is awesome, especially when it comes to all of those brilliant hospitality sector jobs. Helping the new and upcoming businesses in Manchester is an honour, and who doesn’t like the occasional food and drink freebie.
So, here’s the plan. In this blog, we are going to offer some hospitality sector branding advice. We will share a slice of our experience, and hopefully, you’ll pick up some handy tips and tricks. Specifically, we will look at how branding can help your restaurant, cafe or eatery and make you the top of the pops.
The year of the honest eatery! 👍
This year (2021), we all want to be treated like friends. We want honesty, clarity and, of course, a slice of personality. We have watched businesses grow dramatically over lockdown, home bakers have flourished, and those with specific cooking skill sets have done likewise. After a year of staring at the same four walls, we want honesty from the businesses we invest in.
For your branding to tick all of the boxes, make sure you think about the clarity of the message you offer. Your branding should scream what you do at every opportunity. From your logo to your social media content, let people know who you are and what you do.
Keep it clean, friendly and straightforward; certain sectors benefit from sticking to colour schemes. If you bake cakes, croissants, or other tasty treats, pastel colours are your best friend. If you’re a cafe, the monochrome theme is a classic, it’s clean and inviting, get us through the door and give us a coffee.
Your personality 👋
Hiding who you are can be a more significant issue than being too flamboyant. When it comes to your brand, you need to learn to let the public in, to show them around your business and allow them to feel a part of what you’ve created. Behind the scenes, videos across social media are a brilliant way to add a sprinkle of personality to your content. You may have already heard, but as well as being a design agency based in Manchester, we also offer marketing advice and content creation to those who need it. Reach out, let’s chat.
When can I visit? 🤔
Well, this piece of advice is pretty specific to the current climate, booking to eat or drink at your business needs to be as easy as possible. Complex processes put off prospective punters. If we stumble upon a booking system that takes more time than required, we will often move on to try another restaurant. Like much of the general population, this usually because we book things instinctively and with little to no time to do it.
Also, if you have a booking suddenly become available, let everyone know! Post your last-minute free spaces on social media; try to fill those seats! Empty spaces are lost money, and we know how hard these past months have been on the sector.
Consistency is key 👌
When it comes to your brand, there is nothing more important than the consistency. People know your food is excellent and your coffee the best in the city, but without a consistent message, they’ll forget your claims as quickly as they heard them.
The beauty of a brilliantly reinforced brand is that it remains visible across all facets of your business. As a design agency, we stress looking at your advertisements and content and figuring out if they can be used everywhere and anywhere!
Your branding should feel uniquely like you. Everything from the way your menu looks and feels to the way your social media content pops from the page, all boils down to brand consistency.
The key takeaway is that a consistent brand is a strong brand. Being forgettable will only lead to a lack of support and people through the doors.
Being based in Manchester has its benefits and as mentioned above, being a design agency to the hospitality sector is undoubtedly one of those. So whether you are looking for some advice or you want to collaborate on a project, give us a call! Or…send food that’ll capture our attention.
Take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:
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