Blog Post 19: Why “Word Of Mouth” Is Not A Marketing Strategy
If you’ve spent any time around small business owners, you’ve probably heard someone proudly say, “I get all my business through word of mouth.”
For many bakers, it sounds like the ultimate goal. No need to post on social media. No need to think about marketing. No need to put yourself out there. Just make great cakes, look after your customers and let the orders roll in through recommendations.
The problem is that word of mouth is not actually a marketing strategy.
That does not mean it isn’t valuable. In fact, it is probably one of the most powerful ways a customer can discover your business. People trust recommendations from friends, family and colleagues far more than they trust advertising. If somebody tells a friend that your birthday cakes were incredible or that your brownies were the highlight of an event, that recommendation carries real weight. The issue is that many bakers treat word of mouth as the entire plan rather than seeing it as the result of a good plan.
There is a subtle but important difference.
A marketing strategy is something you can control. You decide where you show up, what message you communicate and how often potential customers see your business. Word of mouth, on the other hand, relies on somebody else deciding to talk about you. That means if your entire growth plan depends on recommendations, you are effectively handing control of your business growth to other people. They might recommend you this week. They might not. They might forget. Life gets busy and your business drops off their radar.
This is where many baking businesses get stuck. A baker might have a brilliant reputation and a handful of loyal customers who come back time and time again. Things tick along nicely for a while, but then a quiet period arrives and enquiries slow down. Suddenly there is a sense of panic because there is no system creating new opportunities. The business has been waiting for recommendations to happen rather than actively generating visibility.
One of the biggest misconceptions about word of mouth is that it happens naturally and continuously. In reality, referrals need fuel. People can only recommend a business they remember. They can only talk about products they have recently seen. They can only pass your name on if they are confident they know what you do and how to find you. This is why visibility matters so much. The businesses that benefit most from word of mouth are often the same businesses that show up consistently online, attend local events, stay active in their communities and make themselves easy to remember.
Think about it from your own perspective. Imagine a friend asks if you know a good local baker. If you have seen someone regularly posting on social media, sharing customer reviews and appearing in local groups, their name is much more likely to come to mind than someone you vaguely remember ordering from three years ago. Visibility strengthens word of mouth because it keeps your business fresh in people’s minds.
This is one of the reasons social media is still so important for home bakers. Many people dismiss it because they believe their best customers come through recommendations. They may be right, but those recommendations are often being reinforced by social media. A customer hears your name from a friend, searches for your page and immediately starts forming an opinion. They look at your photos, read reviews, check whether you are active and see if they can imagine ordering from you. The recommendation opened the door, but your visibility and credibility helped the customer walk through it.
Reviews have become a huge part of this process too. Modern word of mouth is not just conversations at the school gates or chats in the workplace. It includes Facebook recommendations, Google reviews, tagged photos, screenshots of customer feedback and online testimonials. Potential customers often research a business before making contact, particularly when ordering for important occasions such as birthdays, weddings and baby showers. A strong collection of reviews acts as proof that other people have trusted you and had a positive experience.
This is why asking for reviews should be part of every baker’s routine. Many customers are happy to leave feedback but simply never think about it. If you wait for reviews to appear naturally, you will receive far fewer than if you actively encourage them. A simple message after collection asking how everything went can often lead to a review, a recommendation or a repeat order. Those small actions create momentum that helps future customers feel more confident about choosing you.
There is another reason relying solely on word of mouth can be risky. Recommendations tend to be inconsistent. You might receive five enquiries in one week and none the next. That unpredictability makes it difficult to plan, invest and grow. A proper marketing strategy creates a steadier flow of opportunities because it is not dependent on chance. You are putting your business in front of people regularly rather than hoping somebody else does it for you.
This does not mean spending money on advertising or becoming a marketing expert. It can be much simpler than that. It might mean posting regularly on your business page, sharing customer photos, introducing yourself in local Facebook groups, attending markets, networking with other local businesses or creating seasonal offers that give people a reason to talk about you. These activities create visibility, and visibility gives word of mouth something to work with.
The strongest baking businesses often combine both approaches. They provide a fantastic customer experience that encourages recommendations, whilst also making sure they are visible enough for those recommendations to have maximum impact. They understand that customer referrals are incredibly valuable, but they do not leave their future growth entirely in the hands of past customers.
Customer experience plays a huge role in this. People talk about things that stand out. They talk about businesses that make life easier. They talk about businesses that exceed expectations. Sometimes the recommendation is not even about the cake itself. It might be about how easy it was to order, how professional the communication felt, how beautifully the product was packaged or how reliable the baker was throughout the process. These details often become the stories customers share when they recommend you to somebody else.
Local visibility also deserves a mention because it is often underestimated by home bakers. Being known in your local area creates opportunities for both marketing and referrals. If people see you at markets, community events, school fairs, networking groups or through collaborations with other local businesses, your name becomes more familiar. Then, when somebody asks for a recommendation, there is a much higher chance your business will be mentioned.
Ultimately, word of mouth works best when it is supported by marketing rather than replacing it. The baker who relies entirely on recommendations is waiting for opportunities to arrive. The baker who actively markets their business is creating opportunities whilst also benefiting from recommendations. One approach leaves growth to chance. The other creates momentum.
There is nothing wrong with wanting more word of mouth. Every baker should want that. It is one of the strongest signs that customers value what you do. The mistake is believing it is enough on its own. Word of mouth should be the outcome of excellent products, great service and consistent visibility. It should sit alongside your marketing, not replace it.
If your business has been relying heavily on recommendations and you are ready to take a more proactive approach to getting orders, visibility and growth, our Summer Order Sprint is designed to help. Starting on 13th July, we’ll be helping bakers focus on practical actions that get their businesses seen and generate more opportunities for sales during the summer months.
You can find out more and secure your place here:
https://bakingbosses.com/the-summer-order-sprint
Because the businesses that grow consistently are rarely waiting to be discovered. They are making sure people know they exist.
