congratulations!!
Here are some things i have done to get the word out there!
*facebook, dont underestimate it. Create a facebook fan page and upload some pictures of your work, including information. Have you friends "like" your fanpage and ask them to share it with their friends to "like". This creates a snowball effect where people see their friends liked something, check it out, like it themselves, call you or at least share you on their facebook. I hardly got any calls before facebook.
*Bazaars and fundraisers. I had some banners made with brouchours, a slideshow on a computer screen with things i had done, some samples to buy.
* Exchanging advertizing. I went to different places that associated with weddings and parties, such as small party stores, small new salons, small florist shops, (go for small, the big chains dont need your help) and tell them about yourself. Tell them you will attach one of theyre cards to your orders if they do the same for you. Tell them you will post on your website an add for them if they do the same for you. (example- all boxes and ribbons used to decorate these favors were bought at XXXX craft store). Tell salons, florists, and other business that you will reccomend them if they reccomend you. Or even offer a small percentage (like 5%) to said salon or florist when the customer who books with you said they referred them to you.
*free samples. When you have free time, make some free samples. like some mini cupcakes or something. Ask these same places to display them for you. Ask friends to take them to work with them. I used to have a couple friends and my brother every now and then take some cake balls to work with my business cards.
*On all orders I send out, I attach my sticker to the box. if the orders are favors, I attach my name and number to each tag. A lot of people just do it on the box, but youd be surprised how many women dont pass out your business cards. some do it because they want to be the "special" one in her circle who gets the wonderful cakes, and some of them even lie and say they made them themselves. I've had this happen to me a few times, so on all individually wrapped and tagged items, my name and number are on there on a tiny little sticker.
*make a website, not only does it show professionalism, but many people now adays google where they can get a cake rather than the yellow pages or asking around.
*ask anyone whose ever tried your work to take a minute and review you, weather on FB or the website. people are more keen to try you when they see other people complimenting your work. After each order when I see customer is satisfied, I tell her id deeply appriciate it if she gave me a review.
*tell everyone you meet and their cousin what you do. lol. even at the check out.
*Flyers, business cards, etc, put them everywhere!
*to give business a boost in the beginning if it needs one, offer some type of promotion or special, like some coupons or some free cupcakes( no more than a dozen and nothing elaborate or time consuming) along with a cake order. People love free stuff, and if you do this in the beginning, it will draw people to you, and theyll tell your friends.
Hope to have helped, and I wish you more orders than you know what to do with!
* if youre on a budget which a lot of us are these days, I know some women who "trade" theyre cakes for things. my friend is opening a shop and has a friend who is a graphic designer. She told her if she would design her logo, shop sign, banners, etc, that she would make her son a custom cake for free for his birthday. Lots of people want a custom cake and cant afford one, and do jump at the oppertunity to get one for free. So when I mention things such as banners for a bazaar, or anything you might normally have to pay for, offer a cake. you'd be surprised. the worst that could happen is they say no thanks.
Thumbs up to all the suggestions and a HUGE thumbs up on the bartering. SOOOO many people I know with their own businesses barter for goods/services. Especially photographers I know. Bake me a cake, I'll give you free pics, promote you on my blog/facebook page, take professional pics of your other cakes, etc....
Bartering opens up tons of opportunities.
I use Vistaprint for marketing materials.
Sign up for their emails. They will send you one every day but lots of great freebies and you pay just shipping.
One thing to keep in mind when you are planning advertising and media. QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY. I have tried to stress Quality from the start. If you do any one thing half way, it will bleed over into your image. My business cards are printed on 16 pt stock. They have a classy, elegant look, and I would challenge you to put them side by side with any other local business in my area and see which one grabs your eye first. Granted I paid $100 for 1000 of them, but well worth it in my opinion. You want your customer to feel special, to know from the start they are dealing with someone who is professional and to also feel like they are getting something that is of the finest quality. The same thing goes for your website, your facebook page (which is probably the BEST source for business), and your pictures. Make sure you try and take all of your pictures in the same location if you aren't able to take pictures at the party venues (I try and photograph my wedding cakes at the reception hall when possible). Always make sure that there is nothing in the background, that the lighting is good and the pictures are clear and focused. Quality and professionalism. Set yourself apart from all of the Tom, Jane, and Sally's who are "professional" decorators because they spent a few weeks in the Wilton cake decorating class.....
Thanks so much for sharing all of these great tips and advice! I appreciate it!
One thing to keep in mind when you are planning advertising and media. QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY. I have tried to stress Quality from the start. If you do any one thing half way, it will bleed over into your image. My business cards are printed on 16 pt stock. They have a classy, elegant look, and I would challenge you to put them side by side with any other local business in my area and see which one grabs your eye first. Granted I paid $100 for 1000 of them, but well worth it in my opinion. You want your customer to feel special, to know from the start they are dealing with someone who is professional and to also feel like they are getting something that is of the finest quality. The same thing goes for your website, your facebook page (which is probably the BEST source for business), and your pictures. Make sure you try and take all of your pictures in the same location if you aren't able to take pictures at the party venues (I try and photograph my wedding cakes at the reception hall when possible). Always make sure that there is nothing in the background, that the lighting is good and the pictures are clear and focused. Quality and professionalism. Set yourself apart from all of the Tom, Jane, and Sally's who are "professional" decorators because they spent a few weeks in the Wilton cake decorating class.....
I second the quality thing, especially in cards and brochures. If you dont' think you're good at it, ask someone to help you. There are a lot of good, simple to use, tools out there.
Some great thoughts on here. We've been in business (from home) now for a year and friends and family are getting a bit fed up with being asked if they want any cakes for anything!
Not done facebook yet, and my only concern is that no-one will visit. I can see that if you have a big customer base that it can really take off, but if you're only small, then I just don't know if it will work. I suppose everyone starts small in the early days.
It's not that no-one likes our cakes, it's just word-of-mouth doesn't seem to happen. We've got a web-site & give out business cards to everyone that orders, or that we manage to talk to. Our cakes are cheap compared with local competition, and I suppose we just need to cross the dividing line that is the difference between not getting any orders, and having a nice steady flow of orders.
I suppose people only hear about those individuals where it's worked, and don't get to hear about all the others where it hasn't.
Sorry, rant over. Just nice to be able to say how things really are. Thanks for reading this far, and I hope I haven't depressed anyone too much.
In reference to the cards vs. stickers question: business cards are seen only by the person you give it to. labels, can be put on every item that leaves your store - that way, people at the event/party get to see where the product came from. Having said that, all the more reason labels should be the best quality, clear and concise. I think you should emphasize your Business Name, Address, Telephone, not the LOGO, as some do. Beautiful labels on a roll are not expensive and are very handy.
BakedBeauties, thank you!!
I'm struggling with a similar story. I've been doing this from home for a year, and although I have surges of business at times, the slow periods are hard to take. May and the first half of June, I was booked pretty solid. But this month is slow, and it's discouraging. I never touched a cake until a little over a year ago, so I try to console myself with the "look how far I've come in such a short time" thing.... We all have to start some where, right?
Now, my depressing rant is over too. Sorry, for my "woe is me" message. I had a last minute cancellation this morning, and I'm a little bummed. 
We buy blank address labels and print custom labels on our laser printer, works very well.
I get the vast majority of my business from social media. Where else can you advertise to thousands of people every day (or more)? I have never made a cake for someone that they did not take a picture and post it on their FB page. Ever. The next thing you know, the friend of a friend is calling placing an order. Pictures of your cakes being enjoyed by customers are particularly powerful, but make sure you also post a pic of the cake alone. A professional pic! Not one sitting on your dining room table next to a box of cereal with the cat in the background. Take the time to drape and light.
Remember though, that when you post on FB you are creating the same brand identity as you are when handing out business cards. If you do whimsical cakes, do whimsical postings. And - this is not the forum in which to badmouth the president, talk about how much you love Jesus or be aghast at the Casey Anthony verdict. Keep it businesslike.
Instead of stickers, I use my business card attached with double sided tape. You have to try a few before you can find one that will stick well enough to stay on, but will come off the card and the box in perfect condition. Every company's card is different, so I can't make a suggestion except for gloss cards.
Facebook is a huge asset! Everyone starts thier page with zero fans. You send requests out to your friends and then hold a contest. Make one post on your wall asking your fans to click the "share" button on the bottom left of your page. This will post a link on thier page that all of thier friends will see. Make sure your company overview on your info page is professional and updated, this is the blurb that will post on your friends' pages when they click "share". Ask them to "like" your post or leave a comment to be enetered into the contest.
Give away a couple dozen cupcakes, gain 50-60 fans, and the ripple effect goes on and on. before you know it you've got 600+ fans. I do a contest every 2 to 3 months.
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