There are two types of people when it comes to local bakeries: those who have an established favorite in their mind, and the ones who seek out the shop they need when it’s time to celebrate a wedding, birthday, or office party. You can target both by using your social media accounts carefully.
In some ways, promoting a bakery is just like getting customers for any other type of business. In other ways, however, it’s pretty unique. That’s because people tend to have strong preferences – and even emotional ties – to certain cakes, pies, and cupcakes. Of course, if you’ve been in the business for more than a couple of months you already know this.
Those preferences, along with the visual nature of baked goods, make Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest perfect for finding new customers for your business. Here is how you can use these social platforms to get customers and keep them loyal to you year after year…
Maintain a Strong Social Presence
This isn’t as daunting as it might sound. Maintaining a strong social presence just means that you have accounts on all the big platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, etc.) that your customers prefer. It also helps if you make sure your contact information is up-to-date and post a few photos every week. You can even use apps to schedule them ahead of time so it doesn’t become a drain on your workday.
Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews
No matter how great your bakery looks online, customers are going to want to know what their neighbors thought about what you made. That’s where the power of online reviews comes into play. You can’t control all the feedback that’s left for your company, but you can encourage customers (especially the really happy ones) to say good things about your business online. Do that often enough and you’ll see business take off in the right direction.
Post Pictures of Your Best Creations
Who doesn’t love a photo of a fantastic cupcake or some other baked good? These kinds of pictures give us a sense of warmth and comfort, not to mention the desire to try whatever it is we are seeing. While a lot of companies need complex social media marketing strategies, the average bakery can get by with a handful of high-quality pictures posted to their accounts on regular basis.
Get Seasonal With Your Baking
For little bit of added attention you can put seasonal twists on your most popular items. Come up with breads, cakes, or other items that are made from seasonal ingredients or match the mood of the holiday. Customers may take notice and place orders, they might also share the images with their friends and families – furthering your social media marketing reach in the process.
Don’t Forgot to Offer Coupons and Specials
It can be a lot of fun to post images and watch the likes, shares, and comments pile up on your social accounts. However, don’t forget the goal is to increase revenue. By including coupons, limited-time offers, and regular discounts in your social marketing feed you can increase sales directly and use the power of your profiles to improve your bottom line. That’s what makes the time and effort required to keep up with your social accounts each week worth the trouble.
Is it Time to Bake up a Smarter Business Strategy?
If you ever wondered what it might be like to get much bigger returns from your website, online ads, and social media strategy, this is your chance to find out. Contact the experts at Biondo Creative in Philadelphia today to see how we can help make your bakery more profitable.