What was once a relic that could only be found in diners, church basements or outside school gymnasiums, letter boards can now be found all over social media. Some say the appeal is in the nostalgia and simplicity. If you passed on the chalkboard trend due to a lack of artistic ability or even time, you might say the appeal is in the fact that a letter board is not a chalkboard.

1. “When life gives you lemons, give them back and demand chocolate.”
2. “Chocolate is made from beans. Beans are vegetables. Have you had your veggies today?”
3. “A day without chocolate is like…just kidding. I have no idea.”
4. “You can always trust me. Not alone with chocolate, but other than that.”
5. “Snaccident—Eating an entire pizza / box of chocolates / and a bag of chips—by mistake.” 

   Our Little Bees

6. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy chocolate and that’s close enough.”
7. “Wake up. Eat chocolate. Be Kind. Repeat.”
8. “When you decided to have a cheat day and all of a sudden it’s three years later…”
9. “Sometimes I think I’m a full grown woman, then sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom with a piece of chocolate—I said my kid couldn’t have.” 
10. “Whatever you do in life, make sure it makes you happy.”
11. “On the chocolate package it says ‘resealable’…wha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahah”
12. “Have you ever stopped to think maybe chocolate is addicted to me?”
13. “Yesterday, I really wanted chocolate. Today, I am eating chocolate. Follow your dreams.”
14. “Not all who wander are lost. Most of them are just looking for chocolate.”
15. “Life happens. Chocolate helps.”
16. “I’m not sure how many chocolates equals happiness, but so far it’s not 27.”
17. “Being a mom means knowing how to unwrap candy without making a sound…”
18. “Eat like no one is watching, or dance, whatever.” 

    The Writer Oak

19. “Dip it in chocolate. It’ll be fine.”
20. “Someday I will solve my problems with critical thinking, but today it will be with chocolate.”
21. “Day 12 without chocolate…lost hearing in my left eye.”
22. “I need chocolate because Monday.”
23. “I don’t want to look back one day and think, ‘I could have eaten that.’”
24. “I only need chocolate on days that end with y.”
25. “Yeah, abs are great. But have you tried chocolate?”
26. “Chocolate is my love language.”
27. “Put chocolate at the top of your list of things to do today. That way at least you’ll get one thing done!”
28. “A chocolate a day, keeps the crazy at bay.”
29. “I’m just a girl standing in front of a salad, asking it to be chocolate.”
30. “Tell me what ya want, what ya really really want. Chocolate. I want chocolate.”
31. “Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never had chocolate.”
32. “Skinny people are easier to kidnap… Eat chocolate. Stay safe.”
33. “The first five days after the weekend are the hardest. Eat chocolate.”
34. “I’d give up chocolate, but I’m not a quitter.”
35. “I almost choked on a carrot today—all I could think was chocolate would’ve never done this to me.”
36. “Chocolate says ‘I’m sorry,’ so much better than words.”
37. “Don’t wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty.”
38. “People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child
39. “You are what you eat, so eat something sweet.”
40. “I don’t mean to brag, but I just finished my 14-day diet in 3 hours and 12 minutes.”
41. “Kinda need to work out, kinda wanna eat chocolate.”
42. “Chocolate is better than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.”
43. "I'm a better person when I'm eating chocolate."
44. “When the going gets tough, the tough make chocolate.”
45. “A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.”
46. “Chocolate is to women what duct tape is to men. It fixes everything.”
47. “I believe in chocolate for breakfast.”
48. "Wanted: Chocolate with the nutritional value of kale, but that does not contain any traces of kale. Your move, science."
49. “Things are getting worse, please send more chocolate.”
50. “Life is short, eat dessert first.”
51. “Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. Chocolate makes it worthwhile.”
52. “I don’t need an inspirational quote. I need chocolate.”

SEASONS & HOLIDAYS

• “Love is in the air. Nope, that’s chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
• “Roses are red. Violets are blue. Diets are hard. Chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
• “Ways to my heart: Buy me chocolate. Make me chocolate. Be chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
• “And IIIIIII E-III will always love yoooooou.” (Valentine’s Day)
• “She gave you life. Give her chocolate.” (Mother’s Day)
• “Thanks, Mom. I’m awesome.” (Mother’s Day)
• “I was going to tell you a joke about an egg, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” (Easter) 

 

• “You are egg-stra special.” (Easter) 
• “You’re one of my favorite peeps.” (Easter) 
• “Follow the bunny. He has chocolate.” (Easter) 
   
• “Easter eggs prove that kids can find things, but only when they want to.” (Easter)
• “We’d like s’more weekend, please.” (Summer)

• “Cozy sweaters. Crisp air. Apple picking. Hot cocoa. Crunchy leaves. Fall.” (Fall)
• “When someone says it’s too soon for pumpkin spice and you realize you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.” (Fall)
• “When the clock strikes midnight…pumpkin everything.” (Fall)
• “There’s nothing fun about fun-size candy bars.” (Halloween)
• “Trick or treat yourself.” (Halloween) 
   
• “We’re keeping it corny.” (Halloween) 

• “Hocus pocus. I need chocolate to focus.” (Halloween)
• “Don’t forget to buy your Halloween candy early, so you have time to buy more after you eat it all.” (Halloween)
• “Tonight’s the night we eat the candy! -Parents” (Halloween)
• “You’re never too old to beg for free candy.” (Halloween)
• “Thankful for…stretchy waistbands.” (Thanksgiving)
• “Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to set your scale back 10 pounds this week.” (Thanksgiving)
• “When you buy from a small business and actual person does a happy dance.” (Small Business Saturday)
• “Hot chocolate is like a hug from the inside.” (Winter)

• “I try to shop for Christmas gifts…then I see something and I think, you know who would like that? Meee!” (Christmas)
• “May all your regifting go undetected this year.” (Christmas)
• “How to host an introvert holiday party: 1. Buy snacks 2. Invite no one.” (Christmas)

 

Ful Candles

During RCI’s regional conference last spring, Tiffany Langlinais of Freret & Napoleon shared practical ways for retail confectioners to approach marketing in today’s social world. Langlinais pulled from her experience working with RCI member Laura’s Candies to share how candy makers of any size can elevate their online presence.

Is your business currently using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest? These are all avenues to connect not only with your current customer base, but also potential customers. Even more importantly, you should be using these platforms to sell your products.

Step up your social media marketing with the following tips:

• Research your favorite brands. What are they doing with social media that catches your attention?
• Make an attainable schedule for posting to social media regularly.
• Create a routine for posts. Pick a specific day of the week to post, even if it’s only once a week.
• For topic inspiration, check out any number of national holiday calendars. RCI members: Don’t forget to use RCI’s wall calendar as a resource for tracking confectionery-related holidays.
• Invite a fan to “takeover” your social media page and post about your confections.
• Create shopping catalogs on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest platforms.
• Create professional-looking posts by utilizing free resources such as Canva, Snapseed and Afterlight.

RCI members can login at retailconfectioners.org/pasteducation to view Tiffany Langlinais' full presentation on social media marketing, along with other education from RCI events.

We hope you are able to apply at least a couple of these ideas to step up your social media marketing!

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

You do it every day. When you see your co-workers on Monday morning, at dinner on Friday night, even when you're trying to convince your kids that green beans are good for them.

You tell stories to make your case and to make connections. That's what we do as human beings. In fact, we're hardwired for it.

If storytelling comes naturally to us, then it seems natural that we would use this skill in business—to attract customers, persuade partners and rally employees.

Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you build your storytelling skills from Jill Pollack of StoryStudio Chicago, keynote speaker at RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo in Chicago. To be persuasive and productive, the stories we tell at work need to be built with attention paid to: emotion, craft and action.

Emotion

No one needs to tell you that most of our decisions—whether in business or in life—are pushed along by our emotions. They also help us feel engaged in a story or a transaction. But how do you find and engage the right emotions?

Entrepreneurs can learn from fiction writers who have long known that the success of a story rests in finding "the significant details,” as Eudora Welty once wrote. In good stories, it's the details that captivate us, that allow us to "see" the story, and that invite the reader to get involved in the conversation.

If you write about your first bicycle as yellow with training wheels, that's not much to go on. But if you explain that your first bike was built by the boy down the street who added training wheels and streamers, and then jogged down the sidewalk with you, holding the banana seat with one hand while you learned how to pedal...now the reader has enough details to "see" the image. The reader is involved in your story, probably even starting to think about when they learned to ride a bike.

In business, the same is true. Just as you focus on the details of your ingredients and processes, attending to the details in your marketing—even if you're just greeting someone who has walked into your store—can mean the difference between a customer who feels unwanted and one who feels like they are now a participant in the “conversation.”

Even if you're not in full story mode, using clear details in your conversations will guarantee you a better relationship.

Craft

Even though we are all able to toss out a great story in the middle of a cocktail party, the stories you use at work should be crafted. Just like a house is built with bricks or wooden beams, stories are built on details and images and rhythm and voice, and so much more. Key among these craft elements is the idea of tension and conflict.

While most of us don't like conflict in our lives, we must have it in our stories. Think about it this way: in a story, tension and conflict can be either a threat or an opportunity.

In business we usually refer to this as creating a sense of urgency. "If you pay now you can save ten percent." That's the opportunity. The threat: "If you don't pay now, you'll be charged an additional ten percent."

In stories, this concept works in a slightly different way. We create tension by sharing obstacles that may have been in our path. For instance, your signature chocolate relies on cocoa nibs from Ghana. But your sources have dried up and now you have to find the right quality beans somewhere else. And, you had to beat your competitors to them. We like our stories to have heroes. Overcoming obstacles, big or small, makes you a hero.

Action

Every story is persuasive in some way. Opinion pieces in the newspaper try to convince you to see the news the way the writer does. Novels and movies persuade us that this fictional world is real. Advertisers know they are not selling soap; they are selling us the idea that if we use this soap, we will be beautiful.

To be persuasive, stories need to have a solid structure and a clear call to action. We must want our audience to do something. Imagine this: you spend 15 minutes explaining the process of developing a new, unique flavor profile and tell the story of how you stumbled on to it after you thought you were creating something else. Then you say, "let me know if I can help you find something,” and you walk back behind the counter.

Even if the consumer found the story intriguing and would like to taste this new flavor, if you don't ask them to try a sample or buy some for dessert this evening. They will likely reply, “that's interesting,” and move on.

Now, imagine this: you stand in front of a consumer with two trays and ask them to choose which one they think is the enhanced flavor. Right away you have gotten the consumer involved in this story. After pointing to the tray in your left hand, you say, “Right! Take a taste and let me tell you how we stumbled upon this extraordinary new flavor. We were in the back room on a cold and snowy Saturday morning…”

Now you have made them a part of your story and because you asked a question, they are immediately involved in the conversation. When they serve the candy at their next dinner party, they will tell their guests your story, and then these new people will become a part of that story. And on and on and on.

You can see how powerful this can be.

What stories should you tell?

There's a good chance you are not at a loss for personal stories, but in business we want to make sure the stories we craft will support a sales or relationship building goal. Here are just a few ideas for where to find good stories:

1.Why you got started in this business.

2.Why you stay in this business.

3. How you source your ingredients and materials.

4.What makes you different.

5.What suppliers you work with and why.

The next time you start telling a story, stop for a moment and realize you are building a chain of connections that have the potential to reach far and wide.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Letterfolk,Quotesletterbox,Letterfolk

1. “When life gives you lemons, give them back and demand chocolate.”
2. “Chocolate is made from beans. Beans are vegetables. Have you had your veggies today?”
3. “A day without chocolate is like…just kidding. I have no idea.”
4. “You can always trust me. Not alone with chocolate, but other than that.”
5. “Snaccident—Eating an entire pizza / box of chocolates / and a bag of chips—by mistake.” 

   Our Little Bees

6. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy chocolate and that’s close enough.”
7. “Wake up. Eat chocolate. Be Kind. Repeat.”
8. “When you decided to have a cheat day and all of a sudden it’s three years later…”
9. “Sometimes I think I’m a full grown woman, then sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom with a piece of chocolate—I said my kid couldn’t have.” 
10. “Whatever you do in life, make sure it makes you happy.”
11. “On the chocolate package it says ‘resealable’…wha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahah”
12. “Have you ever stopped to think maybe chocolate is addicted to me?”
13. “Yesterday, I really wanted chocolate. Today, I am eating chocolate. Follow your dreams.”
14. “Not all who wander are lost. Most of them are just looking for chocolate.”
15. “Life happens. Chocolate helps.”
16. “I’m not sure how many chocolates equals happiness, but so far it’s not 27.”
17. “Being a mom means knowing how to unwrap candy without making a sound…”
18. “Eat like no one is watching, or dance, whatever.” 

    The Writer Oak

19. “Dip it in chocolate. It’ll be fine.”
20. “Someday I will solve my problems with critical thinking, but today it will be with chocolate.”
21. “Day 12 without chocolate…lost hearing in my left eye.”
22. “I need chocolate because Monday.”
23. “I don’t want to look back one day and think, ‘I could have eaten that.’”
24. “I only need chocolate on days that end with y.”
25. “Yeah, abs are great. But have you tried chocolate?”
26. “Chocolate is my love language.”
27. “Put chocolate at the top of your list of things to do today. That way at least you’ll get one thing done!”
28. “A chocolate a day, keeps the crazy at bay.”
29. “I’m just a girl standing in front of a salad, asking it to be chocolate.”
30. “Tell me what ya want, what ya really really want. Chocolate. I want chocolate.”
31. “Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never had chocolate.”
32. “Skinny people are easier to kidnap… Eat chocolate. Stay safe.”
33. “The first five days after the weekend are the hardest. Eat chocolate.”
34. “I’d give up chocolate, but I’m not a quitter.”
35. “I almost choked on a carrot today—all I could think was chocolate would’ve never done this to me.”
36. “Chocolate says ‘I’m sorry,’ so much better than words.”
37. “Don’t wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty.”
38. “People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child
39. “You are what you eat, so eat something sweet.”
40. “I don’t mean to brag, but I just finished my 14-day diet in 3 hours and 12 minutes.”
41. “Kinda need to work out, kinda wanna eat chocolate.”
42. “Chocolate is better than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.”
43. "I'm a better person when I'm eating chocolate."
44. “When the going gets tough, the tough make chocolate.”
45. “A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.”
46. “Chocolate is to women what duct tape is to men. It fixes everything.”
47. “I believe in chocolate for breakfast.”
48. "Wanted: Chocolate with the nutritional value of kale, but that does not contain any traces of kale. Your move, science."
49. “Things are getting worse, please send more chocolate.”
50. “Life is short, eat dessert first.”
51. “Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. Chocolate makes it worthwhile.”
52. “I don’t need an inspirational quote. I need chocolate.”

SEASONS & HOLIDAYS

• “Love is in the air. Nope, that’s chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
• “Roses are red. Violets are blue. Diets are hard. Chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
•  “Ways to my heart: Buy me chocolate. Make me chocolate. Be chocolate.” (Valentine’s Day)
•  “And IIIIIII E-III will always love yoooooou.” (Valentine’s Day)
•  “She gave you life. Give her chocolate.” (Mother’s Day)
•  “Thanks, Mom. I’m awesome.” (Mother’s Day)
•  “I was going to tell you a joke about an egg, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” (Easter) 

 

• “You are egg-stra special.” (Easter) 
• “You’re one of my favorite peeps.” (Easter) 
• “Follow the bunny. He has chocolate.” (Easter) 
   
• “Easter eggs prove that kids can find things, but only when they want to.” (Easter)
• “We’d like s’more weekend, please.” (Summer)

• “Cozy sweaters. Crisp air. Apple picking. Hot cocoa. Crunchy leaves. Fall.” (Fall)
• “When someone says it’s too soon for pumpkin spice and you realize you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.” (Fall)
• “When the clock strikes midnight…pumpkin everything.” (Fall)
• “There’s nothing fun about fun-size candy bars.” (Halloween)
• “Trick or treat yourself.” (Halloween) 
   
• “We’re keeping it corny.” (Halloween) 

• “Hocus pocus. I need chocolate to focus.” (Halloween)
• “Don’t forget to buy your Halloween candy early, so you have time to buy more after you eat it all.” (Halloween)
• “Tonight’s the night we eat the candy! -Parents” (Halloween)
• “You’re never too old to beg for free candy.” (Halloween)
• “Thankful for…stretchy waistbands.” (Thanksgiving)
• “Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to set your scale back 10 pounds this week.” (Thanksgiving)
• “When you buy from a small business and actual person does a happy dance.” (Small Business Saturday)
• “Hot chocolate is like a hug from the inside.” (Winter)

• “I try to shop for Christmas gifts…then I see something and I think, you know who would like that? Meee!” (Christmas)
• “May all your regifting go undetected this year.” (Christmas)
• “How to host an introvert holiday party: 1. Buy snacks 2. Invite no one.” (Christmas)

 

Ful Candles