Create Signature Cakes Crea Pasteles Distintivos - Your BakeMark

CAKES & DECORATING
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Gear up for
Graduation Season
Graduation season can generate
sales spikes in average weekly
sales of cakes and cookies as much
as 50 percent higher from mid-May
through June at bakeries. That’s
when more than 4 million graduations
take place every spring and
summer at American colleges and
high schools. So it’s best to be prepared.
Bakeries that plan ahead can
capitalize on this terrific opportunity
to maximize sales during the
upcoming graduation season.
Make a list of schools in your
MARCH 10 | PANADERIA
area or state, including public and
private schools, and build your
graduation chart using an Excel
spreadsheet. Under each school,
list the respective school colors,
graduation dates, mascots and other
special graduation events in your
surrounding communities. Educate
your sales and customer service staff
with this information weeks in advance
to ensure they are prepared.
Start putting out signs inside
your bakery about graduation specials
in April, or sooner. Find out if
you can distribute fliers or newsletters
at area schools, and check into
electronic notices that you can send
to schools for posting on their websites.
Make sure to contact local and
regional media outlets (newspapers,
radio stations, etc.), and think of
creative ways to promote your bakery.
Contact your city’s top Spanishlanguage
radio station and ask if you
can participate in a free giveway of
a graduation cake from your bakery
for an upcoming promotional idea.
Don’t forget catering events as
another option for graduation parties
and celebrations. If you don’t
do your own catering, partner with
a local caterer to supply their bakery
needs.
Most important, highlight
your bakery’s ability to “cater” to
social gatherings in your customers’
homes. Two ways to do this are
by offering small treats such as cake
balls, cake pops, cupcakes and cookies,
which are perfect for dessert
buffets. Be sure your clients know
that flavors, icings and decorations
can be customized with enough lead
time—say, 48 hours—and possibly
for a small fee. Another inventive
way to cater to customers enter-