Guide to Social Media Marketing for Bakery Businesses

If you’re not using the power of social media, you’re losing business.

In 2020, there are 3.6 billion social media users. That said, businesses are using it to propel their growth. But simply posting mouthwatering photos of your creations on your bakery’s social media accounts isn’t enough.

With fierce competition, it’s time to take social media marketing for bakery business seriously. But how can you make your brand stand out?

How Important Is Social Media For Bakery Businesses?

There are 6,000 retail bakeries and around 3,000 commercial bakeries in the United States alone. That said, the need to rise over the competition is huge. This is where a social media marketing strategy comes into play.

According to a study, nearly half of U.S. consumers said they’ve tried food trends because of a post on social media. Additionally, they follow and engage with foodservice accounts. In fact, 74% of responders even said they’re more likely to visit and buy from those businesses.

So using social media as part of your bakery marketing strategy can:

Increase awareness of your brand
Help connect with new customers
Keep your bakery stay top of mind
Promote your bakery specialties, menu, and services
Boost sales

And with the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important to maintain connections with customers. Take advantage of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Provide information, excellent customer service, and market your bakery business.

Which Social Media Accounts Should You Have?

There are a plethora of social media applications today. Does that mean you need to be on all of those platforms?

No, you don’t.

Each platform has its own pros and cons. Understanding what makes these social media apps different will help you choose which one is best for your bakery goals.

Below are some of the most popular social media platforms. Take time to consider each one. In fact, you can use a combination of these apps to take advantage of their benefits.

1. Google My Business

Does your bakery have a physical store?

You’ll want to set up a Google My Business account. This will help your bakery to show up in online searches.

But what is Google My Business?

It’s a free tool that features businesses in Google’s local search. This platform even puts businesses on map results which makes it easier for customers to find them.

And with 46% of Google searches involve finding local businesses, using this platform is essential. With this online tool you can:

Mark your bakery business on Google Maps
Direct users to your business page.
Add pictures of your store, specialties, and menu
Allow these photographs to be labeled through GPS information
Let customers leave Google reviews

Google My Business (GMB) can provide important information for customers. As a result, it increases awareness and will eventually boost sales.

2. Facebook

With over 2.7 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the biggest social media platform worldwide. So if you need to reach more customers, you’ll need a Facebook page for your bakery.

Use it to share videos, pictures, or create online events. This platform is perfect for customer interaction and engagement which helps expand your reach. Facebook helps you in establishing a personal connection with your customers. This will have an incredible impact on your bakery.

Here are a few things to remember:

Create a solid brand identity. This means having a consistent voice in all your posts.
Provide useful information for customers. If you have a physical store, place your location, business hours, and contact information.
Offer discounts and special promotions

3. Instagram

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for bakeries. It’s perfect for showcasing quality visuals that will entice potential customers. That said, make it a part of your social media marketing strategy.

In fact, Instagram users are more welcoming towards branded content. They are also more likely to follow and engage with businesses. So it’s an excellent platform for bakeries to boost brand awareness, attract potential customers, and build customer loyalty.

4. Twitter

Twitter is an excellent platform for real-time updates. It’s perfect for short and concise posts that are less than 140 characters.

Here are some ways you can use Twitter as part of your social media marketing strategy:

Promote baked goods and services
Provide quick updates about your bakery business
Share good news as well as upcoming events or giveaways
Providing customer service
Ask questions

This online tool is an excellent platform for bakeries to connect with current and potential customers. It helps boost customer engagement. Additionally, Twitter can also keep your business stay updated with the latest trends in your industry. It’s also an excellent resource for competitor analysis.

5. Pinterest

Pinterest is a visual platform. Users can curate content, ideas, and information. They have boards where similar topics, aesthetics, or ideas are grouped together. That’s why it’s extremely popular for bakeries and foodservice businesses.

It’s an excellent addition to your digital marketing strategy. For one, you can upload pictures and links to recipes. You can also post specialty baked goods to attract and keep customers. You can also use this platform as part of a wider digital campaign.

6. TikTok

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. Use it to get your bakery’s brand name and content in front of your customer base. Use it to attract and engage with your audience.

The secret is to create fun and visually appealing content. This video-sharing app isn’t for overly serious content. So leave perfection behind.

You can add music, filters, and even special effects on your short videos. When done correctly, this social media app can help grow your business. So take a look at the discovery page and explore what competitors are doing.

Take BrownieGod as an example. When they uploaded a behind-the-scenes video of their bakery business, it went viral. This resulted in 100 orders overnight.

The Step-By-Step Guide to Social Media Marketing Strategy For Bakery Businesses

1. Prepare Your Digital Assets

More and more businesses are taking their bakery marketing strategies to the digital arena. This means more competition. So the challenge in this ever-changing landscape is to stand out.

This means creating digital assets that are not only high quality but also eye-catching and recognizable. Your digital assets must help in creating your brand identity. So before you create your social media accounts, make sure to have your logos, profile image, cover photo, and baked goods photos ready.

These digital assets must have a consistent look and feel. That said, invest in these since you’ll be using them for a long time.

You can also use free resources such as:

Freepik: An excellent resource for vector graphics. They have free vector art, illustrations, icons, PSD, and photos. You can use these resources for your website, cover photos, and more. But if you want higher quality vector graphics, you can sign up for a premium account.

Vector Fair: Millions of free and low-cost vector graphics and images. They also offer premium subscription plans for full commercial rights, unlimited downloads, and more.

You’ll also need graphic design software and apps:

Canva: Ready-to-use, aesthetically pleasing templates for a variety of social media platforms. They also have an extensive graphic, text, and video library for presentations, infographics, and more.

Sketch: An online design toolkit. Perfect for creating pixel-perfect icons, vector editing, and conceptualizing new visuals.

Crello: Offers over 30,000 static and animated templates for social media, ads, and more. They also have an extensive library for premium stock images, full HD video clips, and animation.

2. Set Up Your Social Media Accounts

There are various social media platforms available. It can be a bit overwhelming especially if you’re starting out. So try to establish a social media presence on a platform that best suits your business.

Bakery businesses do great on visual platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. So be selective. To get started, you can choose one or two platforms to focus on. And once you get used to your social media marketing strategy, you can start scaling your marketing efforts.

That said, create a social media account on the platform of your choice. Make sure to provide relevant information including:

Name of your bakery
Address if you have a physical store
Contact number
Email address
Delivery options
Business hours

3. Keep Everything Consistent

Consistency is essential in social media marketing. This allows your audience to recognize your brand from all the noise. Consistency also boosts audience engagement and reach.

Here are a few tips for keeping everything consistent:

Make your brand name consistent across social media channels. This means using the same account name and handles. In doing so, your audience can easily find you.
Your logos, cover photos, food photos, and videos must have similar aesthetics. This will help establish your brand identity.
Aside from your digital assets, you also need to be consistent with your brand voice.

4. Set Up A Posting Schedule

Like your baked goods and mouth watering creations, your social media posts must always be fresh. This is made possible by scheduling content. Plus, you need to know the ideal posting schedule and frequency for each online platform.

Facebook: 2 times a day, every day. It’s best to post at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Twitter: Since it is ideal for short and concise messages, you can post up to 14 times a day during weekdays. Avoid posting more than once per hour. During weekends, post around seven times a day.

Instagram: It’s recommended to post at least once a day. Avoid posting more than 3 times since your followers might think you’re spamming them.

As an added tip, always post near or during the holiday season. In doing so, you can promote seasonal offers.

Lastly, the caption must be relevant to your followers. Add information about your product pricing, delivery options, and fees. You can also provide information about other services like customized baked goods.

Here are some of the recommended social management tools for content scheduling:

Hootsuite: This online tool offers integrations for a variety of social networks including Facebook and Instagram. Hootsuite offers a 30-day free trial period. It’s perfect for:

Social media listening
Managing multiple social media accounts
Post scheduling

Rebrandly: This is an excellent link management tool. Use it to shorten long URLs so you can easily share links across social media. It also lets you create customizable URLs, fast redirects, and check for expired links.

Buffer: Another online tool for managing social media accounts. It can also be used for social listening, monitoring data analytics, and insights. But it is best used for scheduling and publishing content across social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.

Later: Perfect for planning, scheduling, and publishing social media posts. It also allows you to gather insight and measure results. One of its key features is telling you the best time to post. So you can schedule your posts in batches.

Meet Edgar: This social media management tool allows you to schedule, curate, and repurpose content. It also auto-generates content, quotes, and captions. So you never have to worry about running out of content to post!

5. Engage and Build a Community

The key to social media success is building an engaged and passionate community. As a result, it boosts brand loyalty. These loyal followers will share your content and buy your products.

Here are a few tips for community building:

Ask questions in your caption. Encourage your followers to share their thoughts.
Reply to their comments. This shows that you are listening to them and you value their voice.
Thank customers for reviews.
Address complaints. Make sure to maintain a professional and helpful tone.

6. Consider Buying Ads

Once you have established a good foundation for your social media marketing strategy, consider buying ads. Set aside a budget for ads since it will help in boosting your reach.

Consider using targeted ads. For example, on Facebook, you can target local customers using their built-in ad tools. Here are some of the ads platform you can consider:

Google Search Ads: Perfect for driving traffic to your website. For example, if a customer is searching for baked products you offer, your website will show up in search engines.
Google Display Ads: Promote your bakery while your target market is browsing online. These ads will also appear in search engines, YouTube videos, Gmail, or mobile apps.
Facebook Ads: With millions of users, advertising on this platform has a huge chance of success. These ads seamlessly integrate into users’ Facebook feeds. So it looks like a normal post.
Instagram Ads: You can promote the posts you’ve shared on Instagram. The ads look like a normal post so it doesn’t throw users off. You can choose between photo ads, stories ads, carousel ads, video ads, and more.

Social Media Tips for Bakeries

To be successful, you need to post high-quality visuals. Take advantage of filters and editing apps. And make sure that your captions are entertaining, informative, and encourage action.

But don’t stop there.

Ask friends to leave positive reviews for your bakery products
Encourage the participation of your followers. For example, you can create a poll for your next product or ask a trivia question.
Host giveaways
Post discount codes
Tag your store address
Create a branded hashtag. Use it to curate user-generated posts.
Feature posts of your customers on your social media pages.
Post location photos
Take your followers behind the scenes. For example, use social media features like Instagram Stories to give them a tour of the kitchen.
Share baking tips and recipes.
Add a call-to-action in every post

In Conclusion

If social media marketing is done correctly, your business will harness its full power. For one, you need to choose the best platform for your bakery.

Then create a social media marketing strategy that is appealing to your audience. Use different types of content to keep your social media pages fresh and entertaining.

Lastly, understand who your audience is and which social media app they use. Digital marketing is about reaching new and current consumers. It’s only wise to be visible where they are.