In my previous life, I would spend my working days advising on, and building marketing plans for companies of all sizes, shapes, and colours. Although that life is now far, far behind me, the way people market themselves within the cake industry, is something I can't help but notice.
I don't often write about it though - but as it's such a crazy time and I've had a few emails asking for a bit of advice, so I thought it might be worth writing this. If it helps one person, then it was worth doing.
First off, I say some things in this article that may come across as negative – but I hope when you read through, you will see that they are not meant as a criticism, nor a judgement - they are just observations and hopefully (for some) will provide a much-needed confidence boost and help keep you selling through these difficult days.
There is no secret sauce when it comes to marketing your cake business – don’t we all wish there were? But there are things that it is very wise to avoid.
This article is about one of those things, along with some tips about how to steer well clear of it and keep focused and positive.
so what's going on?:
From a marketing perspective, the pandemic has really changed how companies are communicating and overall, it has been a positive change. We have certainly seen more personality and humour from many of the big businesses, along with a generally more informal approach to messaging and tone of voice. Their aim: to keeping the ball rolling and the conversation going with their customers - even though many have been unable to trade.
However, not all the changes have been so positive... It seems a rather strange trend has developed in the cake industry (and possibly in other industries too). In my head, I call it sympathy marketing, but let me explain...