A guide to connecting with potential food delivery customers who work from home.

According to USAToday, 30% of the American workforce is now remote. There’s reason to believe that this group of workers make up a hefty percentage of delivery customers, for several reasons:

  • Delivery is more convenient. Remote workers aren’t stopping at the grocery store or the pharmacy along their commute. Getting what they need delivered is much faster than making a special trip.
  • Delivery is less disruptive. Grabbing a box or bag off the porch is easier than getting in the car or taking the train, standing in line, etc. Delivery allows them to use that time to focus on work.
  • Delivery maintains the variety they’re used to. Some of these individuals used to work in urban centers, with access to countless exciting food options on a daily basis. Delivery allows them to keep lunch interesting without having to do the cooking themselves.

 

In short, remote workers understand the value of delivery and are willing to pay for it. This population has potential to be great customers for your RDS. The key is connecting with them. Here are ## tips for marketing restaurant delivery to remote workers.

Maintain a strong Google listing.

Google My Business (GMB) is a free, easy, and powerful tool, the very definition of low-hanging fruit. And it’s all but universal: Nearly 90% of customers use Google to find nearby businesses. Claiming and maintaining your RDS’s Google listing is an easy way to make sure they’re finding your business.

If you’ve already claimed your GMB listing, the next step is to get reviews. People trust their peers to tell the truth about businesses. Include a link to your GMB listing in all of your marketing and order confirmation emails. Make it easy for your existing customers to leave a review—and don’t be afraid to simply ask!

Leverage the power of digital marketing.

Remote workers do the vast majority of their work online, which means the internet is your best bet for reaching them. Your basic digital marketing strategy—website, email, Google My Business, social media—should be rock solid. But don’t hesitate to test a few different tactics. Try running ads on social media or Google. Some platforms allow you to target remote workers specifically.

But don’t forget about traditional marketing.

There’s something convenient about marketing restaurant delivery to corporate offices: All those workers are in one place. You can reach a ton of workers with a single marketing move. Remote workers, however, are spread all over the place, which makes them harder to reach efficiently. You have no way of knowing if they’re even in your delivery range!

This is where traditional marketing comes in, like direct mail. Designing and printing a small postcard promoting your RDS is relatively inexpensive. And you can buy mailing lists from the post office that target homes in your delivery range and nothing else. This allows you to get your brand in front of remote workers that have potential to become customers. Door hangers are another way to accomplish the same thing, though these are admittedly more time consuming.

If covering your entire delivery range sounds too overwhelming, here’s a great shortcut: Focus on apartment buildings. This is especially effective in urban areas, where apartment living is far more common. (It may be best to speak to a manager or super before dropping off fliers or postcards, however.)

Market directly to employers.

Ask around and see if you can figure out which big employers in your area have a large population of remote workers. They may be in the market for creative ways to incentivize their remote colleagues. Let them know they can treat their remote colleagues to lunch by ordering through your RDS. You might even offer a small discount if they place a large number of orders. And make sure you include marketing materials in your delivery! Once those remote workers know who you are, they can order from you directly.

The shift to remote work is emblematic of how the way we do business is always changing. As an RDS owner, you need to have your finger on the pulse of delivery technology and how to best serve your customers. That’s where DataDreamers comes in.

Built by industry experts, DataDreamers is restaurant delivery software done right. DataDreamers balances advanced tools like AI with user-friendly best practices for a streamlined, intuitive delivery experience. To see DataDreamers in action, schedule a demo >