If you knead to get more customers and sales into your bakery, it’s time to roll out these eight easy and quick bakery marketing ideas to maximize your revenue this fall.
1. Maintain a strong and unique brand
Consistent branding is vital in establishing trust and recognition among your customers. You must add your logo, brand colours and website information to your menus, brochures, flyers, packaging, coffee cups, in-store posters, signage, delivery vehicles, website and social media channels.
Think of what makes your bakery brand different from the others in your area, and then create a unique selling proposition, followed by a strong branding strategy that includes catchy product names and colourful packaging displaying your logo and appropriate tagline. Make sure your branding reflects your bakery’s identity on your logo, website, social media platforms and marketing materials. And make sure you have some great fresh products and excellent customer service.
2. Attract customers to your online menu with mouthwatering images
When people browse your online menu, they should immediately be attracted by the pictures they see. Posting photographs of your bakery products is a great way to get people into your bakery. Colourful and high-quality photos are crucial in online bakery marketing because they draw customers’ attention and trigger hunger. Invest time in capturing high-quality images and videos of the best-selling products on your menu, including behind-the-scenes preparations and customer engagement.
Go to YouTube and type something like “How to take the best photos on your iPhone” or “How to take the best photos of your bakery.” You will see tons of different and easy ways to do this using your iPhone.
Photography can make or break the way you present your bakery products. You may also consider hiring a professional photographer, which is a small investment to make your food more enticing. You can also reuse these images as much as you want on your website, social media, and in various ad and promotion campaigns.
3. Send regular promotional and marketing email updates
Once you have gathered email addresses, you should have a decent customer database. Your next step is to create an effective email marketing campaign to keep in touch with your customers. Email marketing is a great way to keep your customers updated on what’s happening at your bakery including new bakery items, specials, recipes and baking tutorials. This is one of the easiest ways to reach customers and encourage them to place an order or to view your promotions and discounts.
Email marketing is an excellent tool for staying connected with customers and driving repeat business. You could also have weekly or monthly newsletters featuring new bakery items, specials, quick and easy recipes and baking tutorials.
4. Use QR codes to improve customer satisfaction
QR codes give your customers more information about your bakery operation and products. These codes can be placed on your menus, flyers, brochures, bakery boxes, front door and windows. When customers scan these codes, they are linked to your website, social media pages or online ordering page. Implementing a QR code menu will speed up the ordering process and increase sales.
5. Step up your social media media presence
A strong social media presence is crucial for any bakery looking to attract new customers, boost visibility and engage directly with their community. Social media platforms are great ways to reach potential customers. Did you know more than half of consumers discover new bakery or restaurants through platforms like Instagram and Facebook?
Use your social media channels to promote your bakery by posting mouthwatering photos, new menu items, bakery specials, events, settings and strategic promotions.
You should also run social media ads specifically targeting people living near your bakery operation.
6. Display eye-catching signage with photos of mouthwatering products
To grow your business, you need your message to be seen. You need mouthwatering bakery images to attract potential customer into looking at and reading your signs. Your signs should be designed in a way that no one can ignore. This is the best way to catch the eye of foot traffic.
When designing your signage, let your content breathe with negative space and don’t try to include too much text or photos. Use three to five colours of your colour palette, limit the number of fonts, but use a large enough font for legibility. Colours have great eye-catching potential and will significantly impact the public’s perception. Choose colours that reflect your brand and something that will stand out in your area.
7. Ask for reviews from happy customers
Many consumers regularly read reviews when searching for food. Positive reviews build trust and help your bakery rank higher in search engine results.
There are various ways to ask your customers for reviews, such as in person, over the phone, via your company email, website, social media, or on your receipts.
Use an area on your website or email, text messages or in-store materials to ask your customers to leave your bakery an honest review.
Monitor your reviews to see what people say about your bakery operation. Use sites like Google My Business and Yelp to keep track of your reviews. Always respond to both positive and negative reviews by staying professional.
8. Encourage repeat business through loyalty programs
Implementing a loyalty program will encourage repeat business and customer retention. You can do a punch card system whereby you offer free coffee, free doughnuts, etc., after a certain number of purchases. Consider a points system whereby customers could earn one point for every dollar spent or get a reward after a number of visits. The points could be redeemable for discounts or free bakery items. What about a birthday club? Give members a free treat on their birthday.
Loyalty programs will provide valuable customer data and insights, which will be helpful for your future promotions and marketing campaigns.
For more helpful tips on marketing your bakery, check out “7 easy bakery promotions” by Diane Chiasson.
Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 35 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, send her an email at chiasson@chiassonconsultlants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com