All your friends rave your homemade cakes and cookies, and you’re culinary creations are showstoppers at any event, huh? Oh, wait, you’ve been told a thousand times that you should turn your baking skills into professional.
And finally, you have overcome the gazillion hurdles and launched your dream business. Yep, you have a bakery or café that you can call your own. It’s the apple of your eye, and you’re churning out goodies by the dozen. Yet, don’t have the required customers to meet your targets?
Believe us, to run a successful bakery it requires more than a beautiful cupcake. You need to stay committed and continually look for new and innovative ways to market your delicious goodies. After all, if you don’t spread the word out or reach to your target audience, no one will know the existence of your bakery, even if you have the best creations in town.
Take a look at our curated list of fail-proof ways to market your bakery and to gain an edge over your competitors. Of course, the perfect cupcake will help a lot in your success too!
Let’s get down to business.
1. Create a Standout Product or Niche and Stay on Top of your Game in it
With so many bakeries in and around town, how do you make your business stand out from the rest? What do you offer that customers come back to you and only you? Choose a single product, be it a cream puff or signature éclairs or choose a niche like cupcake sundaes and be absolutely good at it. These products must have zero competition in your area.
Decide what you want to be known for and work on it, till you attain nothing short of perfection.
2. Allow Space for Customisation
Most bakeries lose out in the race because they have fixed products on the menu and there is no room for customisation. After all, who doesn’t feel special when a person goes out of their way to meet their special requests?
Ice cream sundaes with no nuts? Or a black forest cake slice that is half the regular size? Be sure to get it done! Going the extra mile is what creates loyal customers who keep coming back and who become your unofficial ambassadors.
3. Good Communication is Key
When a client walks into your store, remember that he/she is there for your guidance as much as buying a pastry. Most customers who walk into a pastry shop are clueless as to what they need. Give apt names for your goodies, place flavour or ingredient cards to help your customers get an idea of what’s there in the dessert.
Explain what cakes are ideal for what events and how you can customise it, to suit the specific needs of your client. Remember that your sales personnel are the face of your business and a cheerful, happy to help employee is half the battle won.
4. Provide Special Offers Often
If you want to out beat your competition, provide special offers periodically and not only during the festive season. Something as simple as providing a sixth cupcake free for every five cupcakes bought on a Sunday is sure to bring in gangs of friends to your doors.
Ensure that people know about your offers by advertising: social media, window art, local television channels, newspapers, and pamphlets, try out different methods to hook in different audiences. Make offers that people will love coming back for.
5. Over the Top Customer Service
Don’t forget that “Customer is King”. Pull out all stops and create exceptional customer service to generate word-of-mouth advertising. What better ways to pull in new customers than by hearing the reviews of your regular clientele?
Deliver more than just what you promised. A handwritten card wishing your client on his/her birthday, fancy napkins with every cake delivery are small things to improve your ranking with customers.
6. Develop a Unique Voice Online
In today’s world of Smartphones and high-speed internet, a business that doesn’t establish its presence online is sure to get lost in the cacophony. A sound digital marketing strategy is essential to get it right.
Do you want your business to appeal to Gen-Y? Then give it a fun, humorous voice. Attract older audience? Then make it classy and elegant. Above all, a stale social network page is worse than having no presence. Stay fresh by providing engaging content, conducting contests regularly.
7. Sell your USP
First, chart out what makes your bakery different from the rest. Is it your use of only organic products or the unique flavour combinations found nowhere else? Or is it quick delivery? Do you bake all your goodies fresh every day?
Understand your USP and flaunt it to create a brand name for your business. This is essential to retain existing customers and to attract new clientele.
Above all, Don’t Lose Focus on the Quality!
While all the seven points listed above help you gain an edge over your competitors, it will turn to nothing if you compromise on quality. No cutting corners and no mixing cheap ingredients, just to save a few bucks.
When it comes to a bakery business, Quality is the cornerstone of your empire, and everything that you build depends on it. So, perfect your baking skills, brush up on your techniques and serve pastries, cakes and cookies that are heavenly! Cheers for running a successful cakery!
And not to forget, GurgaonBakers has become a successful Bakery in Gurgaon considering all the ingredients of success listed above.
