Lean in to seasonal flavors
Starting in the fall with apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, pecan, cranberry, and caramel. The month of December tends to focus on hot chocolate and Christmas flavors like peppermint, gingerbread or eggnog, but don’t forget about fried foods for Hanukkah.
Create limited-time offers (LTOs) for the major holidays
Think: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah.
Create festive shapes and designs like donuts in the shape of turkeys and snowflake cookies, or incorporate seasonal flavors above.
Add take and bake pastries, cookie tins, advent calendars, hot chocolate bombs, activity kits, and even virtual baking classes into the mix.
Collaborate with local businesses
Collaborate in the form of limited-time offers, in-person baking classes, community events, etc.. La Casita Bakeshop recently co-hosted a leather art class for Halloween. Tickets included one free pastry from their seasonal menu.
Promote catering
…and make the inquiry and ordering process frictionless! If possible, dedicate a staff member to calling on past catering customers, or reaching out to local businesses or organizations who might need dessert trays this time of year. Make sure to avoid these top catering mistakes.
Keep your online listings up to date
Remember, search engines like Google need to see consistent information across digital platforms to help you show up higher in search results.
Make sure to keep your menu and hours up to date, and not just on your website! You can do this manually on social media (the Instagram Highlights or Tik Tok playlist features are great for this!), Google, Yelp, yp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable and the like, or you can use a menu and listings management software like Marqii.
Need help with SEO and all things online marketing? Here’s a good place to get started.
Invest in high-quality photography
Studies show that photos sell more food online. Repurpose photos across channels, including your website, online menu/listings, social media, and email.
Learn more about the why photos are important to sell your baked goods, along with 10 food photography tips.
Stay consistent with email or SMS marketing
The goal here is to get into your customers’ inboxes so you’re part of their dessert “consideration set” this season. Keep in mind that it takes time to plan, copywrite, schedule, and report upon these efforts.
Final tip
Outsource one or more of these marketing components so you can focus more on operations during busy season. Comment below or send me a message at info@donutdigest.com to discuss your unique situation.
