I voted my last vote. Sent my last email reminder. Posted my last give-away announcement (except for announcing today's winners...news at 10).
As of this very second, there are twelve hours and fifty minutes left in the contest, still time for many votes to be cast.
But mine are in.
We were ahead the last time I could see the rankings, but you can never take anything for granted.
Win or lose, it's been a rewarding summer for us at Mary's Cakes.
The contest has become a way of life for us at the bakery and solidified so many relationships.
Since the contest started on May 21, we...
- made lots of new friends and reconnected with old ones
- gained 567 new "likes" on Facebook
- started a twitter account @marysnorthport
- learned how to send blast emails (and I promise not to do that very often)
- were inspired by the many signature items of other bakers in the contest
- discovered that we were not the only small bakery with a big passion for scratch-made items
- and learned it's a challenge to motivate people to vote every day, for 93 days.
It started as a short article in a baking magazine about a contest to win a big mixer. It has been a long, hard journey, but nothing worth winning comes easy. I discovered pretty early on in the contest that this was not going to be a cake walk. We were chased for a good while by another small baker in another college town. It was not always pretty but it forced us to think outside the box. If we really, REALLY wanted to win the mixer, we had to find ways to really, REALLY motivate our voters.
So yes, I was motivated by a vegan bakery with an extremely loyal following and we stepped up the game. We've given away more pastries, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, tshirts and cookbooks than I can count. But what we've gained more than offsets the cost of ingredients. The relationships developed with our customers over the course of this contest are PRICELESS!
Win or lose, it was totally worth it. I could not have imagined, before this contest, that people I barely know would embrace us and our dream of a new mixer. And make time in their busy schedules to vote for us EVERY DAY FOR 93 DAYS!! They are all truly friends and family now.
And for that... thank you Hobart, Traulsen and Baxter, the sponsors of the Get Back To Scratch movement, for providing this opportunity to grow and connect with our customers. Thanks Meghan for entering the contest. We have many dreams in common and I hope yours come true. To my parents, brothes, sister, neices and nephews, thanks for your help and understanding that the summer of 2011 was unlike any other. Lastly to the staff, friends and extended family of the bakery... you have made it an extraordinary summer of love, we could not have done it without you.
So now we wait... the winners of the contest will be announced on September 6.
Lastly, if you haven't voted yet (and it's before 11pm central time on August 21), please vote here:
Gee, thanks!!
Posted by: Marys Cakes | August 23, 2011 at 08:01 AM
Done voting your site and also liked your facebook and followed you on twitter guys. :)
Posted by: ottawa pastry lover | August 23, 2011 at 12:37 AM