Vhari Russell, founder of the The Food Marketing Expert, suggests small changes bakers can make to raise the profile of their business

It’s almost the time of year to start thinking about changes and New Year’s resolutions – not only for us personally, but for our businesses too.

In light of this, how about some suggestions for ways you can boost the profile of your business through social media?

One of the most effective strategies is not to make big changes, but incremental changes you can stick to.

Many of you will have different goals and objectives for success in 2019.

Below are some suggestions of incre- mental changes you could make to improve, grow, build your brand and increase sales.

  • Make an account with Buffer or Hootsuite to enable you to schedule your social media activity. You can then create a base level of content in an hour a week and the platform will schedule it for you throughout the week. Both offer free tools.
  • Use your phone camera to share your amazing daily bread and other creations. Your consumers want to see how you bake your products and what products you make. Share this on Instagram, and encourage your customers to purchase online from the comfort of their own phone.
  • Look at creating a new social media channel. If you don’t have Instagram, create an account and set a goal for the number of posts you are going to put up weekly.
  • If you already post on Instagram, try using different hashtags to engage with a new audience.
  • Respond to all comments on your social media feeds.
  • Refresh and add new images to your website, as new content is vital for your Google rankings. 
  • If you don’t have a website, you can create a simple one with Go Daddy or Squarespace to give you a global shop window.
  • Join in the discussions around trending topics such as The Great British Bake Off.
  • Create special bakes for seasonal occasions. If you can’t do this, try creating a buzz around ‘love your local bakery’ this Valentine’s Day, for example.
  • Talk to customers about your social media and ask them to follow you: existing customers are your best sales too.
  • Collaborate with a pre-school or primary school and run a session on how to bake bread, or why not hold a tasting of baked goods?

So make 2019 the year you make little changes. Promote your business in new and innovative ways to stand out and increase sales by building your brand presence.

Topics