I currently work for my family business.
I am part of the 3rd generation of very successful bakers, so bakeries have been in my life since birth. Family holidays, no matter where we were, often consisted of my dad getting excited that he saw a bakery and wanting to go in it. He would cross roads, stop traffic just so he could get a glimpse and taste the local products. We would stand by him extremely embarrassed when he asked the bakers questions in either English, loud English or bad English, or if we were lucky he would speak English with a French accent- no matter what country we were in! He has a passion, which is lovely, even if it did annoy us when we were younger.
With my growing passion for affiliate marketing, I found myself comparing it to a bakery.
When you step into a bakery, and you’re greeted by the warm aroma of freshly baked goods, the site of tantalising treats displayed behind a glass case, and the promise of something delightful to savour, Much like a bakery, affiliate marketing offers a similar blend of creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship. In this blog post I’m going to explore the delicious parallels between affiliate marketing and a bakery, uncovering how both endeavours can rise to success from humbling beginnings.
1.Variety is the spice of life: Just as a bakery offers a diverse array of baked goods, from freshly baked bread to delicious cream cakes, affiliate marketing spans a multitude of niches and products. Whether you’re passionate about fitness supplements, tech gadgets, or fashion accessories, there’s a niche for every taste. Like a bakery menu the world of affiliate marketing is filled with endless options each catering to different preferences and interests.
2. Quality ingredients, Quality results: At the heart of every successful bakery lies the commitment to using high quality ingredients. Similarly, successful affiliate marketers understand the importance of promoting products and services that provide real value to their audience. Building trust with your followers requires offering recommendations that are genuine, reliable and beneficial. Just as a bakery’s reputation hinges on the quality of ingredients, the integrity of your affiliate programme is paramount to your success. As a company we often have feedback on our prices. This is because my dad REFUSES to settle on quality. He will buy the highest quality product, because for generations our customers reply on us for quality. It would be easier to buy a cheaper alternative, but if we break trust, we don’t have a business. Do not settle for a cheap alternative, or your business wont last.
3. Crafting Mouth Watering Content: much like a master baker skilfully combines ingredients to make create mouth-watering pastries, successful affiliate marketers craft compelling content to engage their audience. From informative product reviews to captivating storytelling, the art lies in creating content that resonates with your audience and drives them to take action. Like a perfectly frosted cake, the key is in the presentation enticing your audience to indulge in what you have to offer. I’m personally finding this quite tricky at the moment. Mainly because there is CURRENTLY a lot I can’t show on my TikTok videos. I am trying to capture snippets of my day where I am on my own and able to film. This is a personal target of mine, but I’d love to know what you think too! Check out my videos HERE
4. Building a Brand Identity: Just as our bakery has its own unique brand identity, successful affiliate marketers develop their personal brand too. Affiliate marketing is too in a crowded marketplace and it’s through consistent branding, engaging storytelling and memorable visuals that is essential for building trust and loyalty with your audience. Much like our bakery, a recognisable brand fosters a sense of connection and familiarity with your followers. You need that connection. I often see our green branding and logos in shops when the locals are using our bag for life in the shopping. I’m excited for the day when I see my own logo pop up or someone else sees it and gets in touch.
5. Scaling Up For Success A bakery grows from a small shopfront to a bursting enterprise. My Grandad started the business in 1 shop. My grandad baked in the back while my grandma sold the products at the front of the shop. Affiliate marketers to can scale up their operation for great success, whether it’s expanding into new niche or leveraging automation tools. Scaling up requires strategic planning and execution. My grandad would be delighted to see the bakery business now. We have just opened shop Number 62, have a few online shops and 10 shop on wheels. I’m sure he would be incredibly proud of my Dad, brother and sisters. They have really shown me how to create a successful business.
In the world of entrepreneurship both a bakery and affiliate marketing offer pathways to success. As an aspiring affiliate marketer, I am going to take inspiration from the humble bakery in 1957 and rise to sweet success. So I’m going to roll up my sleeves, preheat the oven and bake up some success in the world of affiliate marketing
Wish me luck! If you too would like to build your own business, CLICK HERE and sign up to my newsletter. I will personally get in touch and show you how I started this exciting journey.
So you sell bakery products online? How can affiliate marketing work with that aspect of the family business? I feel there is a magical link there that needs to be excavated!!
I absolutely love the analogy between a bakery and affiliate marketing, especially the point about using quality ingredients to achieve quality results. Just like your family’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards in your baked goods, promoting products that truly provide value to your audience is crucial in building and maintaining trust. This resonates deeply with me, as trust is the foundation for long-term success in any business!
Sarah, you had me at the donut cover photo! I have a massive sweet tooth that I am trying to control. What a great parallel. I so enjoy your posts and how you tie in your experiences and life to affiliate marketing. For me it’s finding my right niche and offering the best hope for them. You are so right on being successful means providing value to your customers. If they get value, they increase their respect for and trust in you. I have been hesitant about making videos because that requires creativity to create content and I am quite left brained. However, as I am learning in Beginner’s Advantage (yes I am behind, only on week 9), having a primary and secondary strategy can be quite successful so I am beginning to venture into the video realm. Such a huge learning curve. Thank you for your post. I always get inspiration from you. I will be watching your videos for inspiration.
Jordan
I am a left brainer too. I’m actually left handed and all my life I’ve been told that I should be creative so I don’t know what went wrong along the way! Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it
Great metaphor!!! Nothing like walking into a bakery – the smell, warmth, and colors. Your post brought me back to my childhood and going into old style bakery shops with my grandmother. Almost impossible to find those types of shops anymore. If you continue to build your affiliate empire with the same attention a master baker gives, you’re going to be very successful! Thanks for the post.
There is nothing like a bakery visit. I do love stepping into other peoples bakeries and seeing what they have. Its the sampling I love the most! Thank you for the comment, have a lovely week
Sarah – This is such a great analogy! The idea of how you got into the bakery business and how the lessons you learned in that business apply to affiliate marketing is spot on. In order to be successful in this business you need to follow a recipe just like you would follow as a baker. While I’m not a baker, I know a few and they tell me that they still follow a recipe. But by means of experience they are often able to complete their task without written assistance. I truly hope that for you and me and those of us trying to make it in this business. Have a great day and week, my friend!
Thank you Ernie. We have recipes but I think the bakers have done it so often they don’t use them anymore! Have a lovely week x
Sarah, this is brilliant. I love how you compare your family’s bakery business to affiliate marketing. This was very well written and so enjoyable to read. And, might I say, too, that your videos are terrific!!! Firstly, being in the US, your accent is adorable. You make everything you say such a pleasure to listen to, and now, I look forward to hearing from you every day. I admire your short and to-the-point video content, proving that that’s all it takes with TikTok. Keep it up, girl.. you are doing fabulous.
Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement, I really appreciate your comment. They are short because it takes me forever to stop laughing. The out takes would be hilarious
What a great analogy between a bakery and our business. You are so inventive and I just love your videos. You must have a massive family to be running 70 plus shops! (Just kidding). Is it franchised or do you just keep hiring more and more managers? Anyway, another great blog from your immense imagination. A pleasure to read as always.
You would think wouldn’t you! We di actually have a big family but not one large enough for the whole business. We do treat everyone like family, I have many “Aunties” and “Uncles” that have been in the business for a very ling time. Thank you Andy
Hi Sarah,
What a beautifully written and inspiring post! I love how you’ve drawn such vivid and meaningful parallels between the world of baking and affiliate marketing. Your family’s dedication to quality and passion for their craft really shines through and provides a fantastic analogy for success in affiliate marketing.
Your points about variety, quality, content creation, brand identity, and scaling up are spot on. It’s especially inspiring to see how you’ve applied the lessons from your family’s bakery to your affiliate marketing journey.
Thank you for sharing your story and insights. Wishing you the best of luck as you continue to grow and succeed in affiliate marketing. I’m excited to follow your journey and see where it takes you! Keep up the great work!
Meredith
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Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your inspiring post! Your comparison between baking and affiliate marketing beautifully illustrates the dedication and quality required in both fields.
I was moved by your father’s commitment to quality ingredients and how it parallels integrity in affiliate marketing. Building trust with our audience is foundational to long-term success.
Your point about crafting engaging content resonates deeply with me. It’s an art to create content that informs and captivates. Your analogy to baking has given me a fresh perspective on approaching this creatively.
Lastly, your family’s journey from a single bakery to a thriving enterprise is truly inspirational. It shows that with hard work and dedication to quality, great success is achievable. Wishing you the best of luck as you continue to grow your affiliate marketing venture.
Looking forward to more insights from you and perhaps even exchanging tips. Keep up the fantastic work!
All the best in your journey.
Sarah,
I love the analogy between a bakery and affiliate marketing. Yes you are right that only the best ingredients should be used in both. Our customers deserve the best and we should give that to them. That is how to build trust and keep that trust.
Sherri
I loved the use of the analogy of affiliate marketing & a bakery, as having a “similar blend of creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship”.
You’ve added the ingredients I needed to add spice to affiliate marketing.
Those are 5 important concepts to keep in mind to grow an affiliate marketing business.
Thank you
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Sarah, I love how you’ve drawn such a delicious parallel between baking and affiliate marketing! Your passion for both shines through clearly. The emphasis on quality, crafting engaging content, and building a brand identity resonates deeply. It’s inspiring to see how your family’s dedication to excellence in baking is influencing your approach to affiliate marketing. Looking forward to seeing your affiliate journey rise to sweet success! Keep up with your brilliant videos. I enjoy watching them thanks, Atif.
I found this post so entertaining and engaging! It reads much like a story. Although I have some experience in the entrepreneurial world, I know nothing about running a bakery, and certainly not running a business to the size that you describe! That is remarkable… and to your point, I have ZERO doubt your Granddad is beyond proud of your Dad and siblings. I never would have thought it this way, but the comparisons you made regarding a bakery to affiliate marketing were quite creative and very on point! As always, thank you for creating such great posts that I look forward to reading each week!