With winter slowly approaching, you have to find ways to maximize profits before the so-called “dead period” in the industry. Your ice cream business needs to expand before you can propel it to new heights.
But this isn’t an industry that is overly complicated or hard. So realistically, what are your options? What can you do to expand that will bring you big profits in the summer and consolidate in the winter?
Well, to answer that question, we have an article for you that does just that. Without further ado, let’s dive into our 5 ways to expand your ice cream business.
1. Focus More on Branding
Brand exposure is of the utmost importance when it comes to expanding your business. How would you expand if you don’t have the customers to power the move?
Sure, you might be a household name in your area but you need to get your name out there more often. And trust us when we say this, branding is a viable option.
When we discuss branding, there are two primary ways to do it. You can do it the traditional way by plastering your business name all over merchandise, or you can do it through online means.
We recommend you focus on both, and these are some of the things you need to do.
- Branded Ice Cream Containers
If you haven’t done any branding whatsoever, then chances are you are using generic ice cream containers. What you should instantly do is get new containers; branded containers with your business on it.
The more you sell your ice creams, the more people will see your clever designs and logo. This is called “free advertising” and it is an important step towards expansion.
- Social Media
There isn’t a better way to dominate the internet space than to get your social media channels up and running. The obvious three are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and these three can do wonders for you.
For starters, the first thing that potential customers will do is go on one of these and look for your business. If the search result comes back empty, then chances are they won’t be interested in doing business with you.
But if you are active on social media and have pictures of your product, then it’s an entirely different proposition. People love seeing what their food looks like before they even buy it, and social media will help you achieve just that.
- Website
If you happened to offer more services then simply be a place where people can come over and buy ice cream, then a website is a must. A very niche business idea is to be an ice cream catering business. If your business happened to offer this service, then owning a website will make things that more convenient.
On the website, you can display all the information potential customers need in relation to your business and service. Never underestimate the power a website can give a business.
2. Get Your Business In the Directory
Getting your name, your social profiles, website, and location in a single place will prove beneficial in the long run. Getting your business in an ice cream directory will not only expose your business to more customers but to potential customers from all corners of the industry. This can be very beneficial for a small business, and even vital for expansion.
There are plenty of ice cream directories out there such as www.icecream-pro.com.
3. Use Quality Ingredients
Marketing and branding is one thing, but focusing on a quality product surpasses both! There isn’t a better way to expand your business and propel it to the next step than to offer customers a superior product.
Make no mistake about it, the ice cream industry generally operates on word of mouth. If people notice that your product is better than the competitors, people from all corners of the city will come and try it.
4. Distribute Your Product
An ice cream parlor caters to physical customers. But a general step to take that can expand your business is to start distributing locally and even city-wide.
Packaging your product and distributing to local grocery stores, convenience stores, cafes, and other establishments will open a source of income that can potentially propel your business to the next level.
Not only will you have multiple sources of income, but you are increasing brand exposure as more people get to know your name and product.
This all plays in your hand as sooner or later people will go directly to you to do business with you. It is a win-win situation that not only markets your product but also sells.
To achieve the next step, always plan for a good distributing partnership deal.
5. Get in Touch With People
Getting in touch with people, or influencers, is the smartest thing you can do in this industry. Influencers aren’t the sort of people you might familiarize with, but their social media potential is huge. Anyone can become one, but the more followers on social media the better. Maybe this one should have gone into the branding and marketing section, but it is so important that we decided to give it its own section.
Namely, everyone uses various methods to get their name out there. A very viable method is to partner up with influencers and have them promote your product. By paying them to talk about your ice cream, you are not only increasing your brand exposure but potentially finding new customers.
Never underestimate the influencing power of these social media accounts, and always try to find relative people in your industry that can be impactful the most.
Conclusion
Expansion in any industry isn’t easy as it requires a steady source of income to finance all of it. Since expanding means hiring more people, more space, and more costs, you will need to focus on the before-mentioned tips to increase your earnings.
With that said, we believe that these 4 ways are more than capable of doing just that.