Why the Holidays are a great time to “advertise” Your Bakery.
If you’re reading this blog post when its being published you’re likely in the thick of the holiday season. And for some bakers it can feel super overwhelming with a flurry of orders and not enough hours in the day.
But if you’re like me in my first year of business you're probably stuck looking through the baker forums on Facebook wondering how the heck everyone has gotten so many cookie orders when you’ve only been able to get one or two orders and no matter how much you post online you’re still getting crickets not customers.
If you’re booked out and aren’t looking to fill your calendar any fuller then please skip over this blog post you’ve got enough to do.
However if you have some time this holiday season and you’re feeling a little frustrated that your cookie business isn’t getting much traction I want you to keep reading !
My favorite way to “advertise” ….
My favorite way to advertise for my cookie bakery is to hand out free samples. I’m convinced that once people taste what you have to offer they will be hooked ! Usually handing out samples is a simple task during the warmer months when farmers markets are open and people are more active. So the holiday season is the perfect time to get a little crafty with your marketing. So here are three ways I have used samples to market my home bakery business.
Donate to a charitable event.
Typically during the holiday season there are an abundance of fundraisers and charitable events looking for donations in your local area. So instead of donating cash volunteer to bake cookies for your local silent auctions (examples include events for your kids school or rotary events). Or donate drop cookies to your local firehouse or police station. Most local charities will make sure to publicly thank their sponsors which allows you to help your local community and get your name out there at the same time. Be sure to leave business cards with your baked goods as well make sure your packaging is well labeled with your business name so that your future customers will know how to find you.
Bake as a way to say thank you !
Another way to find new bakery customers is to bake cookie boxes as a way to say thank you at the end of the year. I like to bake cookies and hand them out to local businesses, my mail man, co-workers and anyone else who’s helped me through out the year as a way to show them how much I appreciate them. Cookies are also a super sharable item so its very likely that whomever you send cookie boxes to will share them with their family and friends increasing your business reach. Be sure to sneak in a business card and make sure your cookie packaging has your business name on it. You never know who in your network might be looking for a baker so make it easy for them to remember who you are.
Do a pop-up for a charity of your choice.
One of cool things about having a small business is that it allows us to give back to our community. Over the years I have set up a mini pop-up with other local retail locations where I bake a few dozen cookies and we “sell” them for donations to our local food bank. Its a great way to not only get your name out there but also helps your local community. There are so many ways to give back during the holidays from collecting donations for a local food bank to ensuring local kids have warm jackets for the winter there are so many ways your cookies can help your community. And again this is a great way to meet new potential customers and get your name out there.
Ok so what do you think? Are you ready to start baking some samples?? If you’re struggling with orders I want to encourage you to pick just one of these ideas and try it out! The worst thing that can happen is you make someone’s day with your delicious cookies and the best thing that can happen is that you grow your network of customers, which sounds like a win-win to me.
And as always if you have any questions feel free to send me an email at kaitlyn@bigfootbakeryllc.com or send me a message on the gram @cookieladyacademy. I love talking all things baking !
Happy Baking Kaitlyn