We have basic cable and Netflix, so that means that we don’t see some series that have been out for years until they finally show up on Netflix.

One of the latest “new” old shows my family has fallen in love with is  TLC’s “Cake Boss.“

We love watching the adventures of Buddy Valastro and his family bakery Carlo’s Bakery.

Anyway, after watching an episode on an eighties-themed cake that they designed, I was curious to see how old Buddy and some of the rest of the cast were. I went to Google to find out the answer and ended up on a wikipedia entry for the show “Cake Boss.”

How Content Marketing Made A Hoboken Baker Famous

While I read up about the show I realized something pretty surprising: content marketing has made a local baker from Hoboken, New Jersey one of the most well-known and popular bakers in this country.

Let me explain.

I want you to realize that the show itself is a content marketing vehicle for Carlo’s Bakery. It doesn’t directly advertise and promote the bakery the way a commercial would. Instead, through entertaining stories, it reveals why the bakery is different and better than others.

Through the stories that are portrayed in each episode, you discover things such as:

• The history of the 102 year old bakery
• You see how talented Buddy and his staff are at designing and designing cakes
• You see how popular the shop is
• You see their most popular items and how they make them

What result has the content marketing of this show had? It has transformed it from a popular local bakery to a national sensation.

Here are some of the things that have happened:

• The popularity of the show has not only increased business for Carlo’s Bake Shop, but it’s also increased tourism to the Hoboken area.^[27]
• Because of the show, Carlo’s has received national recognition.  
• Buddy has been featured in many publications like Modern Bride  and The Knot.
• Buddy’s cake design was voted by the Today’s Show viewers as best cake in America. 
• He’s also appeared in many other media outlets, besides TLC. One channel where he has made multiple appearances is on the Food Network. He was featured there because of his intricate sugar art designs specialty cakes and wedding cakes.
• The series has become so popular that Carlo’s Bake Shop has become a tourist attraction and now has lines going into the bakery which often extend down the block and around the corner.
• If that wasn’t enough, Hoboken renamed the corner of Washington Street and Newark Street to “Carlo’s Bakery Way” in 2010 in honor of the bakery’s centennial.^[29]
• In 2012, as a result of the attention that the series brought to Hoboken, New Jersey, the Hudson Reporter named Buddy as an honorable mention in its list of Hudson County’s 50 most influential people.
• Buddy’s notoriety has not just led to awards, but also book deals. On November 2, 2010, Buddy’s book, Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia, was released. It was based on the history of the bake shop and the Valastro family. It also features recipes. It is was published by Free Press in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Carlo’s Bake Shop.^[17]
• The success of that book led to a second book called Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy’s Best Recipes and Decorating Secrets. This book is more of a cook book. It was also published by Free Press and released November 1, 2011. It featured Buddy’s cake, pastry and decorating recipes.

How You Can Apply Content Marketing Lessons From The Cake Boss

In years past, you could read a story like this and give the excuse that this isn’t possible for business. But is that really true nowadays? With Youtube, blogging, and social media why couldn’t you do something like this on a small scale for your business?

Why couldn’t you post short video segments of your business and employees doing what you do best? Why couldn’t you share the stories and adventures that your business goes through on a regular basis? Why couldn’t you harness the power of video and do something like this?

Isn’t that, in sense, what Gary Vaynerchuk did? He leveraged the power of video and his personality and increased the sales in his father’s wine business.

But even if you don’t decide to create videos about your business you could apply some lessons from Buddy Valastro to your blog or website.

2 Important Content Marketing Lessons From The Cake Boss:

1. Be yourself.

This is your chance to allow people to relate to you and like you. This is important because people do business with people they know, like and trust. Buddy and his family are shamelessly who they are on the show. This probably turns some people off. But more importantly it causes millions of others to be drawn to their show and the bakery BECAUSE OF who they are. Use content marketing to reveal the things about you that make you and your business unique.

2. Don’t sell. Tell stories.

Tell stories of how your business got started, what happens daily in your business, the lives of you and your staff, etc. Instead of saying how popular your business is, you shoulds tell an entertaining story about dealing with so many clients. Instead of just promoting a popular product or service, tell a story about it. Tell how it came to be, how it’s different, why people like it so much, etc. 

People love stories. People love to get caught up in the suspense and drama of a story.

Do everything you can to share the unique story and drama of your business and life. Share the ups and downs. Share the laughs and tears. Share victories and the losses. 

When you do, people will begin to care about you, your business, and your story – just like they do with Buddy and Carlo’s Bakery.

And if you do it consistently and correctly, you will see the popularity of your business increase just like the Cake Boss. 

Proof Of The Power Of This Kind Of Content Marketing 

Let me give you one final bit of proof of the power of this type of content marketing based on telling your unique story.

When I heard of the devastating results that “Hurricane Sandy” had on the East Coast and I heard that Hoboken was hit pretty hard, guess what my first thought was?

I wondered, “I hope Buddy and his family (and the shop) are ok!”  I don’t even know Buddy. He doesn’t know me. But that’s how engaged I’ve become with his story through the content marketing vehicle of his show. It caused me to be concerned about him, his family and his business.

And it looks like I wasn’t the only one. This is Buddy’s most recent tweet… 

Thx for all the well-wishes! The whole family is doing good. We’re working hard to get @carlosbakery and Hoboken back on their feet.

— Buddy Valastro (@CakeBossBuddy) October 31, 2012

Related articles

Scott Aughtmon

I’m author of the book 51 Content Marketing Hacks. I am also a regular contributor to ContentMarketingInstitute.com and I am the person behind the popular infographic 21 Types of Content We Crave.

I’m a business strategist, consultant, content creation specialist, and speaker. I’ve been studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline) since 1999.

===> If you would like to see ways that we could work together, then please click here to learn more.