[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ever heard the saying, “the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach?” This is especially true on Valentine’s Day, meaning your customers are ready to gift something sweet! Celebrating Valentine’s Day at your bakery is the perfect way to entice new and existing customers. When you give your customers a festive, memorable experience, they’ll be encouraged to return for the holidays to come.
Here are five sweet ways your bakery can celebrate Valentine’s Day and create more buzz for your business.
Create a Countdown to Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the ultimate holiday for all things baked goods, so why not build up the excitement? One simple way to achieve this is by creating a countdown campaign for your customers. If you are offering multiple Valentine’s Day specials or events, consider creating a calendar that lists all your festivities leading up to the holiday, then share it via social media and email. Customers always appreciate staying in the know of exclusive deals and specials, so start marketing to the masses!
Drip campaigns, in particular, take your email marketing to the next level. With any basic CRM (customer relationship management) tool, you can schedule a series of emails in advance, so the campaign will send to your customer list based on how you set it up. The content of your email can include featured or limited-time products, coupon codes, store event invites, or even your own spin-off to a gift guide. You can split the guide up into different categories like “for her,” “for him,” “for kids,” or “for the gluten-free.”
Make sure to share your countdown on social media too! Let your followers know that you’ll be sharing the details of your bakery’s festivities every day leading up to the holiday! Bonus points if you create some fun promotional graphics in your posts—they can double as flyers to pass out or hang inside your shop!
Offer Featured Products for a Limited Time Only
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”29906″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Adding featured menu items for a limited-time-only will help you generate buzz around the holiday. This is especially a great opportunity to experiment with new flavors and test what customers really want. If your new items don’t sell well, then you can simply stop offering them after the celebration. But if you’ve found something that is wildly popular, you can bring it back from time to time. However, the key to limited-time offerings is to make sure that they stay limited. Customers usually jump at the chance to try something special before they miss out, so keep it semi-exclusive.
Some special offerings for Valentine’s Day can include dessert boards, take-home baking kits (perfect for kids), or really anything in the shape of a heart. Be sure to play up colors like red, white, and pink!
Decorate Your Storefront
Getting creative with decorations allows you to communicate artistically to your customers and remind them that Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Decorations also make a great conversation piece when customers visit the store. You can even set up a photo backdrop for guests, who can then share it on social media.
Host In-Store Events
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”29907″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Customers love experiences! What better way to get folks in the door than hosting an event? Since events are social activities, attendees are likely to arrive in pairs or groups. This is the time to make a lasting impression on the people within your community. Some enticing event ideas to host at your bakery include baking classes, live music performances, and dessert tours.
Share a Post That Shows Your Love for Baking
What inspired your love for baking? Who has helped you get to where you are? Valentine’s Day is an ideal day to share your bakery’s origin story and why you love doing what you do. You have lots of options for how exactly you’d like to tell your story—it may be through a blog post, social media post, or short video. Regardless, anything personal will catch the attention of others. If you’d like to thank your staff members or mentors that have supported your business, be sure to tag them in the post because they will most likely share it—meaning that you both benefit from the cross-promotion.
Leveraging storytelling as a marketing tool will build up your brand in a more organic way. Customers want to feel a sense of humanness behind your brand, so by all means… get a little personal with your customers. They will appreciate the rapport you’re creating with them. Ultimately, if you want to build trust in your brand and acquire more returning customers, it starts with rapport.
With all your celebrating, you may attract more orders. Streamline your ordering process and schedule a demo of BakeSmart today to learn more about how you can conquer the chaos.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
