Can Social Media take the cupcake to another level? Cupcakes have been a food trend ever since the Magnolia Bakery in New York was featured on Sex and the City and this hilarious SNL video. Since then cupcake specific bakeries have been popping up all over the world. Some have disappeared and others have managed to outlast the fad. I have tried to sample as many as the cupcake offerings in British Columbia as possible, it’s only fair to the cupcakes. While all were very attractive, there is only one bakery that has cupcakes so good that I think about them daily and will pay a bridge toll just to taste them again: Frostings Cupcakery in Langley. Part of the reasonI think about them every day, besides their sumptuous cupcakes, is their presence on social media.
I shared the photo below on Twitter and Facebook through Instagram last week and it was retweeted by @frostingcupcake with the comment “Hey, we recognize those :-)”. While I did pay for the regular size ones, the little mini red velvet cupcake at the bottom was a freebie I earned by checking in at their store using FourSquare. They have three specials set up through FourSquare, including 10% off for the mayor (it pays to be important). On Frostings’ Facebook Page they share their daily line up of flavours, so because I’ve “liked” their page, it pops up in my home feed tempting me every day.
Using Social Media to engage, reward and remind their customers, Frostings has created a loyal following. Let’s compare the stats for Frostings to another more established cupcake bakery in Vancouver: Original Cupcakes on Denman.
Frostings Cupcakery Vs. Original Cupcakes
2009 – year established – 2002
1449 – Facebook Page Likes – 527
98 – people talking about them on Facebook – 21
2736 – number of Tweets – 602
1355 – Twitter Followers – 3702
618 – Following on Twitter – 46
233 – FourSquare Checkins – 338
Though Original Cupcakes has been around seven years longer and has more than double the amount of Twitter followers than Frostings Cupcakery, Frostings’ followers and fans are much more engaged with their more active and interactive Social Media presence. If you think that’s impressive, wait until you taste their cupcakes!
Update: June 13, 2012
When I tweeted this post I included Frostings’ Twitter handle @frostingcupake and got the nicest reply:
Fuel Becomes You 
Hi Julia- I loved this post! What a great format (nice and clean) and excellent comparison! Now I really want a cupcake! 😀 It has been quite interesting to see the rise and fall of many of the cupcake bakeries around Vancouver. I remember scoffing at the first Cupcakes bakery down on Denman many years ago and thinking it was a crazy idea for someone to pay $1.50 for a cupcake! Ha! who would have known they would have taken off so much?
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Thank you! I wish I could deliver cupcakes over the internet, at least you are not taunted by the delicious aroma of baking, Frostings smells amazing.
If you thought $1.50 for a cupcake was high, now there are $3.00 doughnuts: http://edeats.com/cartems-donuterie/
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I think about the e-mailing cupcakes all the time! Ha! But I also think about teleporting a lot too!
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