Despite our ability to call, text, or send a carrier pigeon, email remains an important means of communication. In fact, over 306 billion business emails were sent or received each day in 2020. And in 2024, that number is predicted to grow even more.
Bakeries should take note of this trend and use email to their advantage. Email marketing campaigns significantly widen your reach and get real customers in the door. Trust us—you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number of new patrons coming in to try your pastries! Here’s how you can get started.
Collect Email Addresses
The first step is to start collecting email addresses. As you brainstorm ways to get contact information, be sure to think about your own email habits. What gets you to sign up for promotional emails? What piques your interest? Consider this when crafting a subject line.
One way to collect email addresses is to offer customers something in return. You get what you give, right? Instruct your front-of-house staff to ask customers to sign up for a loyalty program in exchange for their email address. Perhaps signing up for the mailing list gets them a discount or promo code. And don’t forget to send your customers a little something special on their birthdays!
Luckily, adding a custom field in your point of sale system to keep track of email addresses is simple. With BakeSmart on your side, you’ll be collecting contact info like a pro in no time.
Hold In-Store Events
Once you have a strong email list, you can start thinking about the best ways to communicate with your subscribers. The point of email marketing is to give customers an incentive to visit your bakery in person—so, why not hold an in-store event?
In-store events and workshops create a sense of community, as well as draw in more paying customers. Think about what will pull a big crowd. Themed events, live music, and free stuff are always great choices.
For large events, consider using emails to generate buzz. Send several over the course of a few weeks, as this increases the chance of a potential customer opening at least one. Pique their curiosity with the first email in the series, but don’t give them the specific details just yet. Keep them looking forward to future emails from your bakery! You might also use email campaigns to advertise and roll out the following:
- Giveaways
- New product launches
- In-store discounts and coupons
- Secret sales
- New blog posts
Divide Up Your List
If you have a diverse clientele, you might consider dividing, or segmenting, your email list into groups. Segmented emails go to specific addresses on your list and allow you to send relevant content to a unique group.
Here’s how segmenting works. You send out a general email advertising gluten-free products. Then, you check statistics on which customers clicked the link. Now you know who is most interested, and you can create a list of customers who might enjoy future gluten-free goodies.
Beyond segmenting by preference, you can also organize emails based on engagement with your campaign. You might send follow-up emails to subscribers with low engagement to encourage them to come in and enjoy a sweet treat.
Aren’t sure how to segment your list yet? No worries! Take the time to really get to know your email customers and make a note of the campaigns they’re most interested in.
Helpful Hints:
Good email marketing often comes down to trial and error. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tips and tricks that apply to even the most off-the-wall bakery. Pull from these helpful hints as you kick off your email marketing campaign:
- Attention comes at a premium! Promotional emails need to be interesting enough to keep your customers reading, while still being brief and to the point.
- Don’t be afraid to show a little personality in your emails—one that reflects your bakery’s brand, of course!
- Use high-quality visuals. People eat with their eyes first!
- Be sure to include coupons that are easy to redeem on mobile devices. Don’t expect your subscribers to plug into a printer.
Email marketing shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, 89% of marketers consider their email campaigns successful. While it takes a little work on your part, you’ll reap the sweet rewards of new customers coming through the door.
Start Your Collection with BakeSmart
Creating an email campaign for your bakery can bring you endless benefits. If you need some help managing your newfound contact info, look to BakeSmart. Our software is designed to provide everything your bakery needs, from generating email lists to tracking custom cake orders. Schedule a demo to see what BakeSmart can do for you—and enjoy our 30-day money-back guarantee!
