Industries
Advertising for trade businesses
Most trade firms have too much work and too few staff. That inverts the entire advertising brief, and almost nobody adjusts for it.
2 min readMar 6, 2026
Industries
Advertising for catering companies
Two markets share a kitchen: corporate catering, which recurs, and private events, which do not. The advertising for each is entirely different.
Key points
- Corporate catering is a relationship business with predictable revenue.
- Private event catering is won on photographs and reviews within a short window.
- Published per-head prices filter enquiries better than any qualifying call.
Catering divides into segments that share equipment and nothing else. Confusing them in the marketing produces enquiries from the wrong people at the wrong margins.
The four segments
| Segment | Booking lead | Margin | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate daily and meetings | days | medium | very high |
| Corporate events | 3 to 8 weeks | good | annual |
| Weddings | 9 to 18 months | high | never |
| Funerals and family events | days | medium | rare |
Segment one is the base load. Segment three is the showcase. Most firms market only for segment three and then struggle with cash flow between weddings.
Corporate catering is sold, not advertised
The buyer is an office manager or executive assistant who orders repeatedly once satisfied.
The approach: a list of businesses above a size threshold in the district, a one-page offer with per-head prices and delivery times, a named contact, and a follow-up. Then a sample delivery, which converts better than any document.
The office manager who orders your sandwiches for a board meeting will order them fifty more times. That relationship is worth more than four weddings and requires no advertising budget at all.
Private events are won on evidence
Photographs, reviews and one telephone conversation. In that order.
The photographs must show food as it actually arrives at a venue, not studio plating. Buffet tables, canapé trays, the setup in a real room. Couples and event organisers are trying to picture their own event.
Publish per-head prices
The most common enquiry is "what does it cost", and the most common answer is "it depends", which loses the enquiry.
A page with realistic ranges by format works: finger buffet from £24 per head, three-course served from £52, barbecue from £29, with what is included and what is not.
It reduces enquiry volume and raises the proportion that is serious, which for a business constrained by kitchen capacity is the correct trade.
Dietary requirements are a selling point
Reliable handling of allergies, vegetarian, vegan and religious requirements is a genuine differentiator, and increasingly a decision criterion for corporate buyers.
State the process, not just the willingness: how allergens are separated, how orders are labelled, who is responsible on site.
The venue relationship
Venues recommend caterers. A place on a venue's preferred supplier list is worth more than any campaign, and the route to it is doing three events there well.
Approach venues directly with a portfolio and an offer to cater a staff event at cost.
Frequently asked questions
Which market should a new caterer target?
Corporate, because it recurs and schedules on weekdays. Private events are higher margin and much harder to plan around.
How far in advance do people book?
Weddings 9 to 18 months, corporate events 3 to 8 weeks, funerals within days.
More from Industries
Keep reading
Industries
Advertising for roofing companies
Roofing demand is weather-driven, seasonal, and half of it is an emergency. Three different campaigns, not one.
2 min readMar 4, 2026
Industries
Advertising for electrical contractors
Small callouts pay poorly and fill the diary. Advertising should be aimed at the three job types that actually carry the business.
2 min readMar 2, 2026