After being included in Knot Magazine’s Best of Weddings list numerous times, Aromas Boutique Bakery officially made it into their Hall of Fame. Founded by sister duo Jo-Ann and Eileen Barett, the business has also been recognized by Yelp, Thumbtack, and the Harlem Harvest Festival. And with good reason.
Chef Eileen's commitment to all-natural food and custom creations made the food service brand a standout at pop ups, wedding events, and tastings. But with the pandemic causing businesses to move their offering online, the bakery lost its main touchpoint to its existing and potential customers. So, Chef Eileen got creative with video. In the interview below, Chef Eileen shares how Animoto helped her find new ways to market her business and grow her audience.
We create videos using Animoto as a way to engage our customers. We wanted to go beyond the usual email blast. Animoto really gives us a chance, an opportunity, to give our customers a glimpse into what a virtual cooking party is like. They get to see the class in action. They get to see some of the dishes being cooked. And they also get to see the final product.
Initially, a hundred percent of our events were cancelled, so we really needed to take a step back and look at how we’d move forward. We remembered how much fun our cooking parties and cooking classes were, where people came into our kitchen and created a meal together. So, we thought ‘how about creating these virtual’? Even though everyone is stuck at home, it doesn’t mean that they can’t somehow get together. Our virtual cooking classes really allow people to come together, even though they’re in their own kitchens, and create a delicious meal.
I actually do this every Thursday with my really good friend Rabbi Karyn Berger. She is based in Georgia, and I am in New York City. At the beginning of each week, we choose a recipe we want to cook together. We go off, we buy our ingredients, and then we come together Thursday nights at 7:30, and we create the meal together.
The inspiration behind this video was simply bringing joy during the holidays. The holidays this year did not look like holidays of past years, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be festive. So, we wanted to bring our cooking parties to as many people as possible and invite them to host one.
How I know that it was successful is that I immediately got a request for a cooking party for children.
The advice I’d give somebody creating videos would be to ‘be yourself.’ I’d say ‘have fun with it.’ And I’d also say, ‘practice, practice, practice.’
Want to start connecting with your audience online? We've made sure video is the easy part. To create a video like Eileen’s, add your own photos, video clips, and text to our Virtual Event Promo template. Then, share directly with your audience on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more.
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