Understanding the basics of how to sell charcuterie boards is the single most important focus of every grazing business. Consistent inflow of charcuterie customers means consistent cash-flow and consistent cash-flow means life is good! (well, you know what I mean!)
All too often small businesses put the responsibility for all that on the previous buyers which can be very unreliable. Customers from word of mouth (WoM) are phenomenal but typically only account for about 13% of new sales*. And without strong sources of NEW mouths to share the word, how will you reach your sales goals?
That's why it's vital to have a strategy that puts your business in front of new prospects DAILY.
Sound intense? Worry not! Just about all different strategies to sell charcuterie boards listed below can be outsourced or handed off to an admin! What's even better is that once these are in play, your business can grow in massive ways.
Table of Contents [CLICK HERE TO OPEN]
- Top 9 ways charcuterie businesses can generate new customers…
- #9: Always Deliver AMAZING Charcuterie!
- #8: Having All Online Business Assets Setup Correctly & Looking Professional
- #7: Being Licensed, Certified & Insured In A Commercial Location
- #6: Regular, Consistent Social Media Posting
- #5: Using Keywords In Your Charcuterie Board Business
- #4: Growing And Messaging An Email List
- #3: Running Paid FaceBook/IG/Meta Ads
- #2: Running Paid Google Ads
- #1: Following Up With Potential Customer Inquiries & Event Requests
Here are the top 9 ways how to sell charcuterie boards…
NOTE: The data below is for illustrative purposes only to show verified sources of revenue. Nothing in this article should be taken as a promise of income or success as all businesses are different. All numbers provided are from direct website sales only. Any transactions made via phone, in store, live events, invoices or check are not included. Some areas have been obscured to protect sensitive information.
#9: Always Deliver AMAZING Charcuterie!
Creating a WOWing experience for your customers is pretty much the bread and butter of everything you do. No matter if you are delivering, setting up on location or having them pickup, each and every creation should make them involuntarily say “OMG! THIS IS AMAZING!”
This WOW comes from more than just your charcuterie! Every touch point potential customers have with you should drip with professionalism, competence, artistry and skill. (That's why they pay you the big bucks!)
#8: Having All Online Business Assets Setup Correctly & Looking Professional
While some sales can be made with social and spreadsheets at first, if your goal is to grow, you will need to be for real.
Yes. This means you need to have an actual website.
With simple site builders like Wix and SquareSpace being so user-friendly and cost effective, there is never a reason to not look like a pro. Many would-be buyers will check out all your online properties before making a purchase decision. Skipping a simple site won't save more than a few bucks but it WILL cost you big time in lost customers.
#7: Being Licensed, Certified & Insured In A Commercial Location
It's not that sexy, but having your legal/health department ducks in a row is key accessing most of the business available in your marketplace.
During the early days when you're testing, making boards for friends and family typically doesn't require too much red-tape or paperwork. However, once you've made the decision to go all in, getting licensed, insured based on local requirements is vital. You can read more in our article about stages of your charcuterie business.
Many may not know this, but the lions share of sales are made in the business to business arena rather than from regular folk buying single boards or gifts.
It's important to be aware that when someone from a company hires anyone for anything, their butts are on the line! If something ever goes sideways and it turns out the caterer wasn't insured, guess whose job is now on the chopping block?
Whatever classes or fees required are never particularly difficult, expensive or time consuming. Even landing commercial space isn't a big deal once you look into it.
And when a single corporate order can translate into 30 – 300+ actual creations, it's silly NOT to level up!
#6: Regular, Consistent Social Media Posting
Because you've probably seen sales come from normal posts, you are aware of how powerful this can be. The hiccup folks run into is failing to do it consistently. At first it can seem like a time-consuming hassle, but keeping on top of it daily makes a major difference.
The GOOD NEWS is that having a charcuterie business is often like working with tons of amazing food influencers! Your boards, cones, boxes and tables are super photogenic and every creation is another chance to show off your skills.
Regularly posting photos and videos of your creations is a great way to keep teasing your prospects taste buds with visuals of what they could be ordering next!
#5: Using Keywords In Your Charcuterie Board Business
As outlined in our article charcuterie board business names, the words used in your brand and website URL do matter. Your business name should be conveying to both people AND the Google bot exactly what you do so you can naturally rank higher under what local customers are searching for.
Having your business show up when people are searching for what you sell is an amazing way to bring in sales without hassle. In fact, we've seen as high as 2.5x more sales generated by search results than any other single form of marketing!
#4: Growing And Messaging An Email List
Building an email list of charcuterie buyers is the single greatest way to generate future sales. When left to their own devices, previous buyers tend to be only about 20% more likely to purchase again*. However, if you stay in front of them every 7-10 days with a simple marketing email, that number can be increased to 46% or more!
Connecting your site to an inexpensive autoresponder like Aweber or MailChimp can automate the process and make your life a lot easier. (and more profitable!)
#3: Running Paid FaceBook/IG/Meta Ads
Gone are the days when a business needs to have millions in the advertising budget just to make a dent. Today anyone can run simple, locally focused advertising on social media directly to their ideal demographic.
While organic reach has been throttled to around 1% of fans, your can dramatically increase who sees your brand by using low cost ads.
FaceBook & Instagram are amazing ways of staying in front of prospects any time they are online.
#2: Running Paid Google Ads
Sales from ranking locally can be massive, but you probably won't show up everywhere or for everything. To offset that you can simply buy your way in!
Setting up Google ads doesn't require you to bet the farm. They allow businesses to cap daily spending so you are able to budget what works best for you. Simply keep an eye on which ads are making sales and turn off the ads that don't!
#1: Following Up With Potential Customer Inquiries & Event Requests
Hands down THE best way to generate new business is to QUICKLY follow up with anyone who has reached out to you. Keep an eye on your DM's, emails and voice messages. Those are literally new customers trying to give you money!
Because charcuterie is such a customized process and larger clients always want to talk about it, being slow to follow up (or forgetting to do it) is the single greatest way to give away business.
Hopefully you found these tips helpful, and if you'd like even more training to grow your charcuterie business, consider joining over 1,500 members and growing in the International Charcuterie Association.
