Marketing Strategies…from a Non-Marketer
To begin with, I have no background in marketing. I have a degree in Piano Pedagogy. So, why am I writing a blog post relating to marketing strategies? Perhaps it is because I have been on an extended journey to improve my family’s health, or perhaps it is because I have had my eyes opened to some of the practices of marketing companies in order to sell their products, often over-promising and under-delivering OR delivering an entirely different product than advertised. Marketers are paid to know what language to use in order to reel customers into believing that their product provides some kind of advantage. However, words have meaning, and the language used matters. As a producer of goods, it is a goal of mine to ACCURATELY market my baked goods to my customer base. I wanted to share 5 key ways I choose to operate my little corner of the baking world.
Precise Language that is honest and forthright communicates love for one’s neighbor. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts recently, and the two sisters who co-host the podcast made a humorous point about those businesses who make the claim that all of their products are “locally sourced”. The hosts good-naturedly purported that making such a statement can quickly fall into the category of virtue signaling. I am sure there are producers who can source MOST of their products locally depending on what they are providing, but not everything can be produced locally. “Procured locally” should not be conflated with “produced locally”. Most consumers are far too intelligent to fall for such an ignorant (at best) and duplicitous (at worst) statement. As a Knoxville baker, the only ingredients I can truly find locally are dairy, eggs, honey, and local produce when in season. Organic: wheat, sugars, chocolate, maple syrup, spices, vanilla beans, and mineral salt are shipped into our state. Using the word “local” needs to be used with extra care. Customers can trust that I will not use misleading wording when I promote my business. To be able to source incredible, high quality ingredients from all over the world is a modern day gift to those of us who do what we do.
Thorough and Accurate Details - I appreciate details when I make purchases. Basics such as: What is the legitimate weight? “I mean, does that JUMBO Cinnamon Roll from Rachel Mae Bakes REALLY weigh in over 1 lb.?” What ingredients are used? Is the baked good being offered prepared ENTIRELY with organic ingredients, even the little details like butter, eggs, extracts, or seasonings? When was the item baked? What is the best way to refresh/reheat my items? How long was this baked good fermented for? Is this a discard recipe? What are some serving suggestions for Specialty Loaves? Is this loaf or baked good prepared with organic store-bought flour, organic unsifted, freshly milled flour and used immediately or a combination of the two? I desire to provide as much valuable information as possible to my customers because I very much appreciate when other business owners provide amazingly detailed descriptions of their products. People work hard to earn a living, and they want to be confident that they are receiving value for their purchases.
Transparency Regarding my Baking Limitations - Many customers ask if I make “fill-in-the-blank”. If I have no experience with baking the requested item, I will tell them so. Then, I will proceed to experiment with said item until it is perfected! Even with 3 decades of baking experience, I still consider myself a learner instead of an expert. I know that I have been given a gift, but with the gift comes the responsibility to steward it well. I am self-taught baker seeking to provide distinctive and delicious recipes you will not find anywhere else, prepared with excellence, and exclusively using the most superior organic ingredients I am able to purchase. I was recently joking around with a customer that maybe I can claim the title of expert in another 30 years. For the time being, I continue to consider myself to be in the “journeyman” phase of baking.
Content Creation and Intellectual Property - Professional photography skills are not one of my strengths, but I do make a noble attempt to stage and post photos presenting my products in an attractive way. If you see a photo on my website (except where noted), you can be 100% assured that it is a photo I have taken. Presenting my baked goods with my own photos is one of the first introductions that customers encounter when visiting any one of my platforms. Utmost integrity and transparency is paramount to gaining your trust, and that begins with the content viewed on my Website, Facebook page, and Instagram. Claiming someone else’s intellectual property as my own, whether it be their photos, recipes, or blog posts will never be part of my business model. What you view on my platforms may not be perfect, but it is my work.
“Staying in my Lane” - At times, I have struggled with how much I should post on my social media platforms. My metric for determining how active to be on social media is really quite simple. Because I absolutely love viewing posts from those I follow, I choose to believe that my followers enjoy seeing what I am up to in my little corner of the baking world. My goal is to provide joy to customers with the content I post sharing the baked goods I have created. “Truly 100% Organic Sourdough” is not just some kitschy tagline. It is foundational for what I do and why I do it. The enthusiasm and encouragement from my customers indicated by the consistent Weekly Sell-Outs confirms that this plan is working for the time being.
People over Profit - Collaboration over Competition, Abundance Mindset over Scarcity Mindset. One reason I give away FREE starter (1 per person), share helpful sourdough links from the REAL experts, and make myself available to answer sourdough questions with no strings attached is to keep my priorities at the forefront of my business model. I have never been, nor will I ever be very a good salesperson. There are incredible salespeople out there who care about people while also endeavoring to make a sale. Conversely, there are individuals who operate in such a way so as to contribute to the bad reputation at which we so often inwardly cringe. They are pushy, disingenuous, and typically dishonest in their dealings with others; over-promising and under-delivering. I have had my share of encounters with these kinds of individuals, and it feels icky to realize that their interest in you is purely about how they could make a sale. I would have to say though, I’ve observed some very successful business owners who do an incredible job of caring for people while running prosperous businesses. These individuals live open-handedly, always searching for ways to generously bless others. I love that so much.❤️
So, there you have it! If you made it through this long post, I applaud your perseverance! These ideas have been marinating for quite a while. It has been helpful to me to succinctly organize my thoughts on this important topic. I am encouraged and grateful that many of the business owners I am privileged to call friends, share this same mindset. It’s a special community to be a part of, and I am thankful to learn from some of the best out there.