Looking Good Online is a Piece of Cake!

Finally! A handy-dandy guide to maintaining your online presence and the presence of your bakery!

They say you are what you eat. Well, when you're online, you have to be cake. C.A.K.E.

C is for CAREFUL: Are you careful with what you put online? And I'm not just talking about your bakery Facebook page or your website. You know how people are- there are all kinds of cyber-stalkers out there. Your clients will look at your personal page to see which football team you cheer for. They'll read your personal blogs and troll your Instagram.

The internet is forever. Be careful what you put out there.

Limit your profanities. Don't share private information. Oh, and pretend to be professional. Complete sentences aren't enough, you also have to write with complete words.

Think ul get ur $$ if u rite lik ur txtin? LOL!

And enough with the selfies! If the most interesting thing you have to share is your face (or other parts!), that doesn't say much for you.

A is for APPROACHABLE: Do people feel comfortable contacting you? Do you use a friendly tone online? Use normal language and save the technical jargon for your cake friends.

Don't get snooty when someone mixes up "layers" and "tiers."
Don't try to correct their grammar.
I know, "fondue" drives me crazy, too. But let it go, Elsa.

Remember, you sound just as ignorant to your plumber or your IT guy as a new client sounds to you. Which brings us to...

K is for KIND: Are you using your online presence for kindness?
Do you regularly thank your customers?
If you see another artist make something amazing, share it, compliment it, and make sure you give proper credit!
No Vaguebooking or passive aggressive status updates- that just makes everyone feel uncomfortable.
Don't complain about your customers OR your competition. And don't encourage others to do it, either.
There are plenty of good, kind things to say. If you can't tweet something nice, don't tweet anything at all.

E is for Easy to Find: They can't order from you if they can't find you!

Do you have your Facebook page set up with your city/location? Do you have a Google Place set up so that people will see your name when they search "<your city> cake?"

Keep your website, blog, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebooks up to date. Post new pictures or updates often.

Make sure your phone number and email are easy to find and tell your clients which you prefer for contact.

That's it!
Careful, Approachable, Kind, and Easy to Find. Think C.A.K.E. online and you're online presence will be nothing but sweet!