7 ways to make a memorable brand

Bakeries can build more revenue by maintaining a strong brand. Brand is what your bakery is all about. Brand is a promise. It conveys quality, consistency, familiarity and trust. During a slow economy, this comfort and familiarity is what people crave. A strong brand image will bring your operation added value, command higher prices, attract better employees, and most of all, bring you more money.

Your brand needs to be refreshed every few years lest stale like bread. Your bakery’s brand is much more than a creative logo or a catchy slogan. It’s the sum of everything your customer experiences, from your products to customer service, and how your bakery looks inside out.

Here are seven tips to help you build a Popeye of a brand.

1. Know your audience
Do not try to create a brand that will appeal to everyone. You will end up with a brand that lacks definition. Understand your bakery, your customers and your competition. Who are your current customers? Target your brand to the specific demographics to which your bakery appeals. Is your neighbourhood more family-friendly or full of students? Do young, busy, urban professionals surround you? Are there a lot of offices nearby? You need to cater your brand image to the right crowd.

2. Create a positive perception of your brand name
Define your brand using as few words as possible, and push your definition to your customers. Use powerful and compelling words to drive your message home. You should be able to tell potential customers exactly what to expect from your bakery by stringing together a few key words. Key phrases immediately bring to mind delicious food that your customers really want to eat.

3. Be consistent with your brand image
What is your bakery really about? Everything in your bakery must convey what your brand wants to say including your interior design and décor, signage, colour scheme, menu, prices, food, drinks, uniforms, marketing, advertising, website and customer service. One of the most important points to remember is that you want consumers to always remember your brand. Your brand has to be cohesive throughout your entire bakery, and must reflect your bakery’s desired image and vision. Keep in mind lighting, flooring, and powerful graphic images and menu boards. Ensure that everything is consistent in look, feel and colours, and also has a recognizable style that is not only apparent inside your establishment, but also outside, online and in print. It is very important to display a consistent branding strategy across online channels that will create and reinforce brand recognition.

4. Deliver on your brand promises
The most important element of branding is being able to deliver on what your brand is promising. For example, if you say that you offer fast service, make sure it’s fast! You need to gain the trust and loyalty of customers by standing by your brand name and what it offers.

5. Create merchandise with your brand and slogan
Once you have established your brand, you can build on it by offering retail merchandise that features your brand name and slogan, especially if you have a particularly witty slogan with double meanings. Do you have any signature products? Consistently promoting your signature items is part of developing a strong brand for your bakery. For brand awareness, consider selling other non-food retail items such as candles, napkins, cards, cookbooks, cake stands, decorating kits, aprons, magnets and kitchen tools. The possibilities are endless and the merchandise also acts as free advertising for your bakery.

6. Use point-of-sales materials to promote your brand
Evaluate your signage. Signage and point-of-sales materials are key to developing more instant recognition of your brand. Use POS materials to highlight upcoming specials and promotions, but make sure that your brand logo and slogan are featured prominently. It is important to create visually stimulating materials so that your customers will remember the images from your POS materials even after they have left your bakery.

7. Use social media
Social media marketing is one of the most powerful and inexpensive ways to promote your bakery and reach worldwide audiences. Open accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Invite people to try your bakery, and tell them to tell their friends about the “best bakery in town.” It will enhance the visibility of your brand, promote brand loyalty, recognition, and also help grow your sales right away.

Brand is more than marketing; it’s the “soul” of your bakery. Be sure your consumers remember just how great of a soul you are!

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 25 years. She is recognized as the industry leader in providing innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com,
or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com.