As an at-home baker, you know that making your business visible to customers is just as crucial as getting the yeast in the bread dough. While there are many complex approaches to marketing your business, there are also simple things that you can do to find loyal customers.
START A BLOG
Starting a blog about your baking is one of the most versatile tools for bakers. In your blog, you have the opportunity to utilize articles, pictures, and videos to showcase your products. It also allows your customers a way to contact you. While your blog is primarily about what you bake and the services you offer, by making your posts creative you can also appeal to a larger audience.
To attract new readers and followers, one thing you can do is share your knowledge as an experienced baker. It could be something as easy as writing a post or short video about where you’ll be selling your goods, or it could even be about a trick you’ve found that would help novice bakers improve; however, your posts could also be more complex and share recipes, or even just a sped-up video of you making your favorite dish.
BAKERS OF INSTAGRAM
Becoming a social baker goes hand-in-hand with blogging. Being social is something that doesn’t take too much effort, but it can be extremely rewarding. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be on all the social networks; instead, you can choose a few outlets that will benefit you the most.
Perhaps one of the best social platforms for bakers to consider is Instagram. The simplicity of sharing only photos and videos can work to your advantage as a baker. Instagram is almost
like a portfolio that showcases your work for your customers. Additionally, your feed can also be used to directly address your customers and tell them about events, promotions, and even to ask if they have any request to post about.
FOOD ON FACEBOOK
It might sound obvious, but as an at-home baker you need to use Facebook to its fullest potential. Don’t limit your baking business to just your friends; instead, create a business page for your bakery. A business page will be more visible to your potential customers and help you market better.
Use your Facebook page to set you apart from other bakers. This means that not only are you using the page to promote posts from your blog, but you are also posting content like photos, memes, and ads that are specifically for Facebook. You might also consider boosting your posts and creating ads for your bakery to target a specific group of customers.
BE A GUEST, INVITE A GUEST
Now that you’ve considered starting a baker blog and being active in social media, it’s time to consider being a guest for someone’s blog or social media channel and inviting a guest to your post on your channel. By networking and collaborating with relevant food pages and other businesses, you can benefit from the exposure to your guest’s audience as the guest will benefit from exposure to your audience.
GET OUT THERE
The surest way to all your customers’ hearts is through their stomach. This means that you need to get out there and sell your food. As an at-home baker, keeping tabs on celebrations, fairs, and other events near you is a must. One of the best ways to ensure that you are where your customers are is to follow local news outlets, magazines, and community event calendars.
It might sound like a lot of work, when all you really want to do is bake delicious food, but the
return on your investment can be well worth the effort. By taking a proactive approach to marketing your at-home bakery, you will begin to standout from other bakers in your area and your customer base will grow.
BY LYNDSEY LARSEN
Lyndsey Larsen is an experienced writer with a background in corporate communications nonprofits, SAAS corporations, and nutraceutical companies. She has previously worked as a journalist for regional and national publications. In her spare time, she enjoys chasing butterflies, rockhounding, and spending time with her two kids in Utah’s mountains or deserts. Find Lyndsey on LinkedIn.
