Many small businesses including craft bakeries are actively seeking the secret to becoming an overnight success on social media.
In fact, Google searches for ‘how to go viral’ have increased 27% year on year.
Should a firm enjoy an explosion of online exposure, the resultant spike in customers can be exciting. However, the sudden surge in demand for products or services can easily overwhelm if not handled properly.
Small business insurance provider Hiscox spoke to a few SMEs who have experienced virality to find out how they coped and what they have learned.
Among these was Chatsworth Bakehouse in south London, known for its community-first approach and high-quality baked goods. Co-owners Sian Evans and Tom Mathews started the business in their flat during the pandemic – Mathews switched professions from chef to baker and took care of production and menu development, while Evans managed operations and the Instagram account.
“We didn’t intend to go viral,” commented Evans. “I think with the nature of what we do, the fact we used Instagram as a shop window for people to find us, as we’re in a South London neighbourhood, meant that people were able to share our story and it organically grew.”
As a small business outside the city centre, their story resonated, and customers felt part of the journey. Sian’s engaging social media content played a pivotal role in attracting new customers, whose glowing reviews helped spread the buzz.
Chatsworth Bakehouse opened its first physical location 18 months in, at a small red shop on Anerley Road near Crystal Palace. With demand increasing, it opened its second site just three doors away in July last year. Their first shop serves up sandwiches and slices, whilst the newer site is a walk-in bakery where you can normally find buns, Guinness cake, cookies, porridge loaves, and by-the-slab focaccia.
“We get lots of queues, so we have to manage those and the communication around that. Queuing is never fun, but we feed people while they wait and try to make it part of the experience,” revealed Evans, noting that they have hired someone specifically to manage the line.
“I would say our customer base is 45% repeat and 55% new based on the data we have which is great – not just responding to virality but serving our regulars week in week out and bringing new customers in on the ride too which was what we wanted,” added Evans.
Hiscox also talked to psychotherapist Eloise Skinner and business experts David Horne and James Dooley to discover key strategies for navigating and leveraging viral success. Here are their three key tips for business owners who have found themselves going viral:
Stay grounded
Owners need to look after their mental health, pace themselves, and seek support for their personal life as well as their professional life during high-stress periods. “Remember that viral moments do often subside, and calmer periods are likely to return,” comments Skinner.
She also notes that things can often get lost or overlooked whilst in the midst of virality. “If there’s some important feedback you want to action, or a comment you’d like to respond to, make a note of it, and return to it later,” adds Skinner.
Busyness relief
Consider hiring temporary staff to help keep up with demand. “Expanding the team with temporary staff or freelancers provides immediate support, allowing the core team to stay focused without risking burnout. It’s all about splitting the work smartly so nobody gets buried,” asserts Horne.
Dooley says he’s seen companies use partnerships to scale logistics quickly, either by outsourcing fulfilment to third-party services or temporarily hiring additional staff to help manage orders. “The trick is to ensure that your operations don’t buckle under the strain, which could lead to negative reviews or harm your brand. Building relationships with flexible suppliers ahead of time will help ramp up production fast,” he comments.
Retention tactics
To help sustain customers and growth post-virality, Horne suggests offering special deals to keep interest high. “Once things settle down, analyse what happened. Look at your metrics and see what they are telling you. You might find new customer segments you had previously ignored,” he says.
Horne also advises owners not to lose their human touch. For example, regular emails that go out to everyone captured in a CMS system will go a long way to having people stay around while managing a backlog, he says. “Sustainable growth lies in cultivating a smaller, engaged, and targeted audience,” he adds.
No comments yet