The food industry is a luxurious industry but surviving the competition remains one of the biggest challenges of business owners. If you own a food business, you need to reach as many customers as possible in order to survive the competition. In order to do this, you need to know how to promote a food business effectively. In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of becoming a Grabfood merchant and the registration process, and the requirements to become a GrabFood merchant.

What is a GrabFood merchant and how does it work?

To understand better what a Grabfood merchant is, we must know first what the Grab app is. Grab app is a mobile app that has 3 distinct features; Grabcar, GrabExpress, and GrabFood. Grabcar allows the transport of commuters from their desired pick-up location to their desired destination. On the other hand, GrabExpress allows door-to-door delivery of items not heavier than 20 kilograms. Typical items being delivered by GrabExpress are food, documents, and clothing. Lastly, GrabFood allows food sellers, also known as GrabFood merchants, to sell their products directly to the users of the Grab app. GrabFood riders will pick up the orders of the customers and deliver the food to the indicated delivery address. A GrabFood seller will be paid by the GrabFood rider whenever a customer orders from the app.

Benefits of being a merchant

1. Increase your revenue as you reach more customers using the Grab app
2. Instantly gain store visibility on Grab app that has millions of users
3. Get free advertising from Grab’s marketing campaigns using email, SMS, Grab’s Facebook and Instagram account, etc.
4. Special deals and promos activated by Grab without extra cost on your part
5. Get customer feedback that you can use to improve your products and service
6. Have access to food delivery services without the need for hiring delivery riders

Application Requirements

Only those with business permits and BIR registration are allowed to be food sellers on the Grab app. Without these documents, Grab will not allow you to be included in their platform. Here is the complete list of application requirements that you need to submit when you apply as a GrabFood merchant.

1. BIR Certificate of Registration (COR)
2. Business Permit / Mayor’s Permit
3. Valid ID of the owner
4. Special Power of Attorney (if the application is not being done by the owner)
5. Valid ID of assigned Person in charge (if the application is not being done by the owner)
6. DTI forms (Form 9, 13 or 49 whichever is applicable)
7. Halal Certificate (if applicable)
8. Food menu

Related article: How to become a FoodPanda Merchant.

GrabFood Merchant Application Process

Merchant Fees

Grab collects a 20% to 30% commission for every transaction. This means that you will not spend anything if you didn’t earn from it. This makes Grab a risk-free marketing strategy and is one of the many reasons why we recommend this strategy in promoting your food business.

Contact Information and Office Address

Facebook Page: GrabFood PH
Instagram: GrabFood IG
Address: 12/F Grab Office Wilcon, IT Hub, 2251 Chino Roces Ave., Makati CityPhone no: (02) 8883 7100

The country has not seen normality in the past 2 years since the pandemic happened, it might as well be assumed that many of these changes are here to stay in the next three to five years. Though this new way of living seems permanent and as if life has come to a standstill, it does not mean that all jobs and every industry has suffered equally.  Even more so, it also does not mean your career progression or decision to shift career has to come to a full stop. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 highest-paying jobs in the Philippines. We will also consider the length of time for study, working hours, job description, and of course, the salary. As part of common advice, besides following the money, also consider where your interests lie. A progression in any career will depend on the depth of your knowledge and experience, which factors in the time you spend developing and practicing your new skills.

#1 Doctors/Surgeons

Doctor’s Job Description: Anywhere in the world, especially today, the medical field has increased its demand for these practitioners. There is a large variety of specializations that determines the years spent studying, which also equates to the amount earned later on. Providing continued care for patients, performing surgeries, organizing preventive medical programs, and referring patients to specialized medical care provided by the hospital.

How to Become a Doctor: Minimum three years for a pre-med bachelor’s degree and then four years for an M.D. course. After these seven years, about a year is taken to prepare for the board exam.

Doctor’s Working Hours: Average of 40- 60 hours a week

Doctor’s Salary: 1,200,000 – 1,260,000 per year

#2 C-level Executive

CEO or COO Job Description: Also known as a C-suite executive, these individuals take the highest positions in a company, particularly the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Other examples of C-level positions are Chief Operating Officers, and Chief Financial Officers. The most power and influence are held by these people who direct company strategy, make high-stakes decisions, and oversee the day-to-day operations are all in line with company goals and objectives.

How to Become a C-level Executive: About 41% of C-level executives have a masters degree over their bachelors degree. This would be equivalent to an average of 6 years of study in total.

Executive’s Working Hours: Though there are no studies based for the Philippines, 9.7 hours per week according to a global study done by Harvard Business Review

C-level Executive Salary: 1,100,000- 1,160,000 yearly

#3 Lawyer

Lawyer’s Job Description: A lawyer’s interests lie in upholding the law and protecting their client’s rights. This involves a lot of research to gather evidence, approvals, and documentation, plus giving legal advice. A lawyer’s role also covers reviewing and managing estates, wills, trusts, contracts, and deeds. Another one of their responsibilities is managing processes for regulatory and compliance-related services. These are only some of the tasks that cover a lawyer’s job description and their focus will depend on the specialization they have chosen. Here are the areas they can specialize in: Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Business Law, Labor Law, Civil Law, Tax Law, Family Law, and Environmental Law.

How to Become a Lawyer: Four years for an undergraduate degree, then another four years for a law degree. After these have been completed, there is a bar exam to pass. This would total eight years in school and an average of three to six months to review for the bar.

Lawyer’s Working Hours: Lawyers in larger firms work longer than 40 hours a week, this is also seen in data gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US. It is estimated that the average working hours of a lawyer is 49.6 hours a week and possibly longer for larger firms.

Lawyer’s Salary: 900,000- 987,000 yearly

#4 Bank Manager

Bank Manager’s Job Description: Being in the manager position, this role oversees day-to-day operations with special attention to promoting and marketing the bank’s products and services to increase performance. This role also entails dealing with customers and addressing complaints, supervising approval of loans, preparing financial statements, preparation of budgets, and forecasts according to fiscal needs.

How to Become a Bank Manager: A bachelor’s degree, typically a course in business, economics, finance, management, or marketing, is the minimum requirement for this position. There is a small percentage of 13% that have a master’s degree for the role.

Bank Manager’s Working Hours: Bank open hours are usually from 9 am-5 pm and may have some weekend operations too. 

Bank Manager’s Salary: 971,000 yearly on average

#5 Art Director

Art Director’s Job description: An art director’s job description involves directing and coordinating projects from start to completion. He formulates design concepts and chooses elements, locations, or materials depending on the need of the client/company. At the end of each project the art director has to sign off and give his approval to the designers he manages before this is used on different types of media. An art director exhibits his mastery of different skills such as typography, image manipulation, animation, or illustration and mixes this with his knowledge of marketing design.

How to Become an Art Director: A bachelor’s degree is enough for this role but a portfolio proving creativity and experience will be required.

Art Director’s Working Hours: This is dependent on the industry that can vary from the usual 9 am-5 pm to very long working hours in large advertising agencies.

Art Director’s Salary: 831,432 yearly on average

Tip: You can become a home-based art director by becoming a virtual assistant. In this guide, you can learn how to become a VA (virtual assistant).

#6 Geologist

Geologist’s Job description: A Geologist provides support to engineering design and field programs through geologic/ geotechnical services they provide. This includes creating plans and managing geotechnical exploration programs. Depending on the project, it may involve assigning laboratory testing, soil and water sampling, studying geotechnical fields as well as soil and rock logging, etc. A geologist can create many different types of maps that can be applied for different uses, some of these maps can even predict volcano, earthquake, and landslide hazards.

How to Become a Geologist: A four-year course in BS Geology is required for this role and then a geologist licensure exam under the PRC needs to be passed. The three universities that offer BS Geology are Adamson University, Mapua Institute of Technology, and UP Diliman.

Geologist’s Working Hours: Normal office hours are still 9 am-5 pm but there is a lot of fieldwork involved that could make it longer or irregular at times.

Geologist’s Salary: 778,668 yearly on average

#7 Pilot

Pilot’s Job description: A pilot’s role is mainly to transport people, mail, and also freight for commercial purposes. Other responsibilities include checking documentation to determine safety and readiness before flight; factors such as weight/load, fuel supply, weather conditions, route, and schedule are all to be considered. If there is anything amiss they can order for changes, replenishment, or reduction, wherever they see appropriate before liftoff. As part of preparation before starting the engines, a pilot must also read gauges on oil supply, hydraulic fluid, cabin pressure, and others.

How to Become a Pilot: A college degree is not a prerequisite to becoming a pilot, though about 47% of pilots have a bachelor’s degree and 19% have a master’s degree. This is because major airlines have made it a requirement that their pilots are college graduates. A primary requirement to fly is passing the Private Pilot License exam and then earning the Commercial Pilot License after if you want to be paid to fly.

Pilot’s Working Hours: Needless to say, you should expect irregular working hours for this job. Schedules will be dependent on flight times whether it may be in the middle of the day, late nights, or early hours in the morning. And flight lengths will give you 3-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts depending on the route and the company.

Pilot’s Salary: 693,468 yearly

#8 Computer Programmer

Computer Programmer’s Job description: A computer programmer will normally know more than one programming language, and he will be referred to according to the language he will be using such as java programmer or according to the function he will perform such as web programmer, database programmer, etc. His skill is in the writing, modifying, debugging, and testing of computer codes for different types of software. After he has set up and tested the software it is also up to him to maintain and update it.

How to Become a Computer Programmer: A 4-year bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a similar course that has significant computer programming content.

Computer Programmer’s Working Hours: Typically they will be working 40 hours a week and 50 hours a week for some. Depending on the company they may be working alone or with a team, and may need to travel to client offices to provide training and support.

Computer Programmer’s Salary: 522,876 yearly

#9 Financial Advisor/Financial Broker

Financial Advisor’s Job description: A financial broker is a go-to person if you want to sell or buy financial or non-financial products. These individuals manage the portfolio of individuals or clients with the objective of higher income or growth. They may be involved in different dealings such as real estate, investments, and insurance. As an advisor, they forge relationships, act as a liaison between different groups/individuals, and perform administrative tasks.

You can read the full job description of financial advisors here.

How to Become a Financial Advisor: Anyone can be a financial advisor/broker, but you would have an advantage if you had a background in finance, only because a good understanding of the market and how it works is important. That being said, there is no pre-requisite course needed because training will be provided by the company plus a guiding manager will be assigned to you. The training period would be three to six months depending on the company.

Financial Advisor’s Working hours: Depending on the arrangement this may be a full-time 8-hour job or part-time with flexible hours.

Financial Advisor’s Salary: 350,000

#10 Civil Engineer

Civil Engineer’s Job description: Engineering duties are performed by a Civil Engineer which covers creating plans and designs, plus overseeing the construction and maintenance of buildings. The scope of their work also allows them to do the same for roads, airports, bridges, dams, power plants, waste disposal, and other infrastructures.

How to Become a Civil Engineer: Five-year course in BS Civil Engineering then a test under the PRC to get a license to practice.

Civil Engineer’s Working Hours: A 9 am-5 pm full-time job would be the norm for a civil engineer. But once they are involved in directing projects, longer hours will be needed than just the regular 8-hour shift.

Civil Engineer’s Salary: 256,815 yearly on average

Sources: https://www.dole.gov.ph/

There are many ways on how to promote a food business. However, not all of them are effective and some of them may even cost you a lot of money without getting a good return on investment (ROI). This is why, in this article, we will give you 7 effective ways on how to promote a food business so that you can reach more customers and increase your revenue.

Food Business Marketing Ideas

We arranged the ideas below in a way that is logical and impactful to your business. However, you may wish to try any marketing strategy in the list based on the skills and resources that you have.

1. Utilize Facebook to reach more people
2. Create a Google My Business so that people near your store will know you exist
3. Use Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)
4. Attract new customers with mouthwatering photos using Instagram
5. Be a Foodpanda Merchant or GrabFood Merchant
6. Collect mobiles numbers
7. Create a website

1. Utilize Facebook to reach more people

You may be wondering why we recommend using Facebook as the first strategy. Our reason is very simple. When you promote your food business, your customers want something visible and something that they can go back to when they decided to make a purchase. Facebook is the easiest and fastest way to do this. Setting up a Facebook account for your food business will enable you to show your products to potential customers. Instead of sending them pictures of what you are selling, send them to your Facebook page instead.

Why is Facebook marketing effective in the Philippines? The Philippines is the social capital of the world and data from Statista states that the Philippines have 80 million users as of July 2020. With this in mind, there is no doubt that many Filipinos are using Facebook. The question is, how do we use Facebook for promoting a food business? Luckily, there are many ways to do that but some may even require that you spend money. Here are some ideas to name a few:

• Post images of the food that you serve – posting mouthwatering photos of the foods that you offer is a very effective way to create food cravings. You know it because it probably worked on you too! The key here is that your photos should be clear and appealing to customers.
  
  
• Encourage repeat orders – A satisfied customer will surely buy from you again. This means that you’ll know if your business is growing if your repeat orders are increasing. In Facebook, you can encourage repeat orders buy giving your customers exclusive deals. Starbucks is very popular with this kind of promotion where customers can collect star stickers every time they buy from Starbucks. Upon collecting a certain number of stickers, these stickers can be used to redeem a planner.
  
  
• Post some awesome facts about the dishes that you serve – Did you know that eating oysters can help you last longer in bed? Well, I don’t know if that’s a fact but its interesting to know if it is. What is interesting is that that’s an example of some awesome facts that you can share to your customers if you are selling oysters. This strategy is very effective because engagement using this type of content is usually high.
  
  
• Use Facebook ads – this is the fastest way to reach potential customers in your preferred locations however, it comes with a cost. Facebook ads does not require that a Facebook user liked your page before they can see your post. You can set the criteria on who you want to show these ads to. You can start running Facebooks ads for as low as 50 Pesos a day. When running Facebook ads, start with a small budget first and learn what targetting method works for you. This way, you will be able to minimize risk and maximize return on ad spend.

There are many other ways to promote your food business using Facebook but this strategy will never work if you have no Facebook likes or followers. Be sure to have a strategy for increase your Facebook likes because only those who follow or like your page can see your post and other activities. You can invite your friends and relatives to easily increase your Facebook likes.

2. Create a Google My Business so that people near your store will know you exist

Did you know that there is a monthly average of 33,910 searches on Google that is related to “coffee shops near me”? The most interesting part however is that this increased by 65% in the last 12 months. If you don’t have a Google My Business (GMB) account set up for your food business, it is impossible for these people searching for your products to reach you. Whatever your food business is, it is important to have a GMB account so that you don’t miss high-potential paying customers.

Below is what a sample GMB listing from Army Navy looks like. Notice that they have more than 200+ reviews which suggest that thousands of customers already ordered from them.

If you are interested in setting up a Google My Business account, you may refer to these guidelines provided by Google.

3. Use Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)

According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family compared to other types of advertising. Nowadays, recommendations can be done virtually via social media, emails, and SMS. There are two ways to use WOMM, Organic WOM, and Amplified WOM.

• Organic Word of Mouth is when people naturally promote your product. This is very common in food businesses that have Instagram-ready servings.
  
• Amplified Word of Mouth is when marketers use campaigns to accelerate the effect of this strategy. This is so effective that is why big companies hire popular celebrities to endorse their products.

4. Attract new customers with mouthwatering photos on Instagram

Chocoberry MNL is one of the food businesses that we know has an effective Instagram strategy. They are famous for their chocolate-covered strawberries. They are very successful in such a way that you need to order 2 or 3 weeks in advance so that they can accommodate your order. They attract new customers using their Instagram account and they send their customers to their website where they take their orders.

Why should you use Instagram?

• Instagram is the second larget social media network with over 1 billion users as of this writing.
• Engagement with brands is 10 times higher than on Facebook
• You can promote your website on your IG account
• Hashtags and Stories can increase your brands visibility

5. Be a Foodpanda Merchant and/or GrabFood Merchant

There is no better way to sell your food than to sell it to people who are ready to place an order. Foodpanda and GrabFood are among the popular food delivery service available in the Philippines. With Foodpanda having 50 million app downloads, and Grab having 100+ million app downloads, there is no doubt that you can use this strategy effectively.

Advantages of using food delivery service

• People who uses the app has the intent of placing an order
• Reach customers near your location
• No need to worry on logistics

If you are interested in this strategy, you can learn more about this by reading these guides below:

1. How to be a Foodpanda Merchant/(Foodpanda Seller)

2. How to be a GrabFood Merchant/(GrabFood Seller)

6. Use SMS to encourage repeat orders

In Bulacan, there is a meat shop that collects the mobile numbers of their customers and registers it into their system. You will earn points by showing your mobile number to them every time your purchase from them. Sometimes, you will receive promos that they sent via SMS. You can also do this using a Facebook page. Every time someone placed an order, you may ask for your customer’s mobile number and register them into your system.

7. Create a website

About 81% of people do an online search for a product or service. Having a website can increase your brand discoverability because it allows your food business to appear in Google search results. Aside from Google, you can also use other marketing channels to drive traffic to your website. You can use Facebook, Instagram, SMS, and email to send traffic to your website.

6 Reasons why you should have a website

• Increase brand credibility
• Increase brand awareness
• Your website can sell products directly to customers and accept payments
• You can track marketing strategies that are effective using a tool called Google Analytics
• You can collect phone numbers/emails and send them promotions
• You can send push notifications directly to their mobile phones and inform them about your latest deals.

Despite having so many benefits, we put this strategy as the last strategy because it requires a lot of resources to accomplish. You will need to pay for a web host, domain name and hire freelancers if you don’t know how to create a website.

Conclusion: There are many strategies out there on how to promote a food business. When selecting a strategy, you should consider the amount of time that you need to dedicate, the amount of risk, and the impact of the strategy. Maintaining a balance between these factors will increase your chance of succeeding with these strategies. We recommend that you study each strategy and pick 1 until you master it.