Growing up in Philadelphia it was normal to walk around town and see street vendors and food trucks. Unlike restaurants that spent money on advertising or waiting for newspaper critics to give them a good review, food stands built their reputation by word of mouth. You learned from friends who had the best or most unusual food for the best prices.
Social media in its purest form is really word of mouth advertising. You are talking to friends and sharing your thoughts on your favorite products, games and businesses. So it shouldn’t be surprising that many of these street vendors have adopted various forms of social media to promote their business.
In fact some of these vendors have turned their trucks into upscale food that you have to be part of their fan base to even find. Traditionally vendors would have specific street corner locations that you could go to and eat. But now there are food trucks that post their location daily. An example is Jimmies Cupcakes which operates in the suburbs around Philadelphia.
Jimmies posts on their facebook page and on twitter their location every day. If you want a Jimmies cupcake you have to travel to where they are planning to park.
This has become such a popular concept in other parts of the U.S. that in Los Angeles there is a blog designed as a one stop shop to get updates on where specific food trucks will be located. On www.findlafoodtrucks.com you can find the trucks by the type of food and have updates sent to Facebook, Twitter or your phone.
Using social media to attract business has become a recipe for success for food trucks.
Let me know if you are following any of these vendors or share your best food stands.
