bake - December 2020 - 10

practical marketing

Social media is one of the most effective marketing tools at your

ways look to engage with your followers. Siciliano suggests ﬁnd-

bakery's disposal. Not only are you able to promote your busi-

ing ways to incorporate user-generated content when available.

ness for free (or cheap, if choosing to do paid promotions), but

" If you're promoting a new or seasonal product, ask custom-

it also allows you to easily let your customers know the products,

ers to snap a photo of their purchase and tag your bakery in

deals and special offerings you provide.

their post, " she says. " This works best on visual social media sites

In order to boost your sales through social media, you need

like Instagram, but can also be effective on sites like Twitter and

to be able to properly communicate through the various chan-

Facebook. Not only does this promote the bakery to the cus-

nels your customers use. Consumers are creatures of habit, and

tomer's friends and family, but it strengthens your relationship

consistency is key for long-term success with any type of social

with the customer and improves their brand loyalty. "

and digital marketing at Dawn Foods.

One year ago at the 2019 edition of the International Baking
Industry Exposition (IBIE), Siciliano discussed the important

" Consumers follow local businesses with the expectation that

role branding and social media play in driving business growth

a bakery's social media page is the best place to ﬁnd up to date

and brand awareness for bakeries of all sizes in a seminar titled

news and information, " she says. " Once you've established a so-

" Branding & Social Media: Skills for Growing Your Retail Bakery. "

cial media routine (i.e. posting twice a week), consumers come

One of the key points Siciliano made during her presentation

to expect that and can be disappointed and frustrated if that

was that you can increase loyalty by engaging with users. For in-

routine is disrupted. "

stance, Instagram is built for foodie loyalists - people who love

Siciliano says that, for example, if your bakery has a " Donut of

food and are willing to share it on a visual-heavy platform. Your

the Day " special on weekends, you should post a high-quality,

bakery should look to create content that is visually appealing and

appetizing photo of that product ﬁrst thing in the morning on

that users will share, because it's free advertising for your business.

those days to let your customers know. The same goes for ﬂa-

Customer service is very important as well. Social media has

vors, so if you're known for swapping out cupcake ﬂavors daily,

become the new customer service channel in recent years, be-

share the day's menu on social media early in the day. You should

cause nobody wants to wait on a customer service phone call

also keep the time you post consistent so loyal customers know

anymore. Social media creates the expectation of a quicker re-

when to expect to check the ﬂavors for that day.

sponse, so it's vital to answer questions and respond to DMs/

Social media is a two-way conversation, and you should al-

10 < NOV-DEC 2020 | bakemag.com

comments as soon as possible.

©JACOB LUND - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

media campaign, says Keely Siciliano, senior manager of brand
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - December 2020
