While running a bakery may be a dream come true, figuring out how to get enough customers in the door can sometimes seem like a nightmare, especially if your business has been going through a slow period lately. If you’ve created a pleasant store atmosphere and upgraded all your bakery store fixtures, you may be wondering what else you can do to attract more business to your store. Thankfully, bringing in new customers isn’t as difficult as it might seem, especially if you play your cards right! Here are a few easy ideas that can help you attract more customers to your store.
1. Use Social Media
If your business isn’t already on social media, now is the perfect time to start creating several key profiles. With so many users, especially young people, using social media all the time these days, opening up a few accounts can make a huge difference in marketing yourself and helping to create brand awareness. Photography-based platforms like Instagram, for example, lend themselves especially well to the bakery business. Post a few mouthwatering photos of your offerings on a regular basis and you’re sure to attract more and more hungry customers!
Infographic created by Clover, a merchant services company
2. Revise Your Menu Regularly
While in older times, it may have been enough to provide just a few old standbys, today’s customers have increasingly adventurous tastes. To attract new customers and delight old ones, consider revising your menu regularly. A good rule of thumb is to keep an everyday menu on hand, so customers know they can walk in and order their favorites at any time, while also trying out a few new items on a regular basis. If your trial is a hit, consider adding the item to your everyday menu.
3. Start a Trivia Night
Finally, a fun way to help get customers in the door is to start hosting regular events inside your store, such as ever-popular trivia nights. You can provide two-for-one promotions on baked goods, for instance, and incentivize customers to stay, have a good time and enjoy some sweets while they’re at it. You can even create social media tags for the event and get some organic word-of-mouth promotion out of it, too.
If you own your own bakery, you know that perfecting your puff pastry recipe is only one piece of the equation for a successful business. If you’ve been having a tough time bringing more customers in and you’re not sure why, consider giving these three simple tips a try. You could be on your way to ramping up business before you know it!
Isla