Marketing a Home Bakery

Hi Kay, I am pretty much in the same boat as you at the moment. Word of mouth is really were it all starts. I use a Web page, face book and flyers. I am also wondering how to get NEW customers.

Hi, I opened my home business in august of last year. Im still pretty small as I live in a very small town with a ton of bakers. But the best way I have found is to get in the public eye. I do several local festivals and sell cupcakes and display my cakes…also some good ideas would be to offer to donate a cake as an award at local fairs or events. We have a boating event that I am currently planning on doing this for. I have not advertized in the paper yet, but that is another way to go as well. Word of mouth is by far the best way though!
Joy

Hi home bakers. Word of mouth is the easiest (and cheapest) form of advertising. Ensure that your customers are delighted and they will tell a load more people. Using facebook pages to advertise your skills is also another free way – so long as you can tell people your page name. Ensuring that local communities know about you too. It helps if you ‘specialise’ in an area. For instance if you were a specialist in novelty cakes for adults – approaching catering managers of venues where the parties are held, would be a good idea. There are many cheap (and free) ways of getting people to know about your business, without going to expense of newspaper adverts and printing too. So good luck with your venture.

i too am in the same boat. word of mouth is the best form of advertisement. Each time we make a cake, we send in a couple of business cards with it. it helps others remember us, when they have any events.

I agree about word of mouth, but it’s also really important to have a web presence. A website, even if it’s just a static page, plus a facebook page, a Twitter account (linked to FB, no work at all!) and all of the free listing sites are a great way to get spotted in a search.

My friend is on facebook only and has lots of business good luck

A website is great investment for the home business..most people google everything to find wwhat they are looking for so if you have a website it will come up during searches..im home based and dont know where I would be without my website. It doesnKt have to be super fancy but I do recommend getting one with a section for potential clients to contact you about cakes. Facebook is a great marketing tool as well..let people know what you are up.you can also do local craft fairs and other local events that need vendors..the expoure can be great and you are getting your product out there. Most of these arent expensive. I would recommend investing in business cards and pass them out to everyone you meet..you can get cards made cheaply through vista print along with things like a car magnet to get your name out there…I hope that helps..i do all of the above and have met news clints this way..

A lot of cake decorators just become known for their talents and get word of mouth marketing happening by itself. One strategy is to ensure you have happy customers and then ask them if they know anyone else who would be interested in your craft. Personal recommendation is by far the best way to build a business without paying out lots for adverts. You could maybe offer a special deal to either the friend who recommends their friend – or a discount card for your customer to give to their friend. People like to help their friends – especially if they are pleased with your service! Hope that helps. ….:) Kx

Hello Kay,

I’m seeing some interesting ideas here. The point most make is that you want your work to be seen, whether it’s online or in person.

Adding to the online point of view, if you’re shorter on the budget side, I’d suggest a Facebook Fan Page to begin with. You can get it up and running quickly, have a photo gallery of your work, etc.

Although you can get a few local “Likes”, with your Facebook friends, I’d suggest you use their Pay Per Click advertising. It’s great if you are on a budget. You can place the amount you are willing to spend it can be anything, say $10-$20 for a 4 day campaign, you can pick the territory you want the ad to be placed for (wherever you live), chose if you want men or women to see it, their age group, their interests.

You will only pay for the people who actually click on your ad (cents ) and if you set the ad right, it will not spend more than the budget you give it.

That will help you get new people who will see your work and start contacting you. A little investment can go a long way.

Best wishes,
-K
Cake Is Everything