How to Promote Myself as a Cake Decorator?

ithiliendude

Hello all!

I am an experienced baker/speciality cake decorator who is looking to start up her own free lance business. I am unfortunately too young for people who run bakeries to take seriously, despite providing an extensive portfolio, and I want to take my baking career seriously

I want to start my own business of doing event cakes and favours, but I don't know where to begin. I considered joining the local market here in Limerick, but the pitch and set up fee is the guts of €50, which I can't afford... =(

Any advice/tips?

Acoshla

How do you mean you're too young for people who run bakeries to take seriously? If you want to set up on your own why would their opinions matter? You're never too young or old to work in a creative line of business once you have relevant experience.

Are the cakes in your portfolio ones that you have made for customers? Because then you should be on your way to getting established as a cake maker, happy customers and their word of mouth is the only way to get going in a business like that, that and to look for a market you can afford and join it. But to be honest €50 would be a pretty standard price to pay for a stand at a market.

If you don't already have business cards get some printed, put up some signs locally and see how that goes for the first while.

If you don't already have HSE registration and product liability insurance I would advise looking into that now, and public liability insurance if you decide to do a market.

TylerIE

If money is short some promo stuff you can do is free - obviously facebook, with one of your finest portfolio pictures as your profiler.

Also if your following Acoshlas suggestion

Vistaprint do free business cards. They charge for delivery but its a starting point.

Also you state your young, maybe negotiate with the market. One of the large Dublin markets used to have free stands for students. If your not a student they may consider one week free trial or something similar - nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Id suggest starting with friends and family. Maybe aim to get your cakes at a few big-ish parties like 18ths and 21sts etc. That way if people enjoy the cakes they may ask "who made it," etc, which means referrals. A distant relative who is a stay at home mother is making at least 3/4 cakes a week (often more) purely out of word of mouth.

If your in a small town or village or even part of a city with a community spirit, consider donating a cake to an event that a lot of people attend - e.g. a senior citizens group, or church meeting or similar. Check beforehand that they will use it and if possible maybe try to be there so that you can leave a few business cards lying around. Maybe even offer to do a demo on cake decorating? The same could apply perhaps if there is a childrens event on. The demo serves to get your name out there.

These ideas might not make you millions, but they should help you get a few clients that will give you some money to help you get a proper stand, etc.

Acoshla

Yeah I get the free cards from vistaprint all the time, it's great Also OP I'm young (26 is still young right?!) and when I was 24 I got a job in bakery based on limited actual bakery experience, but a lot of confidence and creativity, so I wouldn't let age be a barrier, if any bakery says that I would say it's an easy excuse as opposed to the actual reason they don't hire.

RATM

You need a professional website showing your previous works. Find a professional photographer with experience of shooting food.

Then ensure your site is optimised for keywords that people search for.

A quick look at the Keyword tool on Google Adwords shows that the term 'cake decorator' gets an average of 140 searches in Ireland per month. You can buy those keywords for €0.42c per click on a Pay Per Click basis which will get you onto Page 1 of Google. You can play around with the keyword tool to vary with the seasons i.e christmas cake decorators' 'communion cake decorators' etc.

On Adwords you can put a cap on your daily or weekly spend, i.e. if you cap it at €30 per week then when €30 is spent it will stop displaying your ads. Remember you are paying per click on your ad- if they don't click then you don't pay. If someone searches 'cake decorators' your ad will come up and drive traffic to your site. Once that is optimised and looks professional you'll start to get inquiries.

The Apprentice

RATM wrote: »

You need a professional website showing your previous works. Find a professional photographer with experience of shooting food.

Then ensure your site is optimised for keywords that people search for.

A quick look at the Keyword tool on Google Adwords shows that the term 'cake decorator' gets an average of 140 searches in Ireland per month. You can buy those keywords for €0.42c per click on a Pay Per Click basis which will get you onto Page 1 of Google. You can play around with the keyword tool to vary with the seasons i.e christmas cake decorators' 'communion cake decorators' etc.

Although i agree you need a professional site up with some fantastic hi res photos but i dont think the guy has a few bob to spare for that yet. As he mentioned above he was young so making an assumption that its out of his price range just yet.... But do get it done.

My second point i do not think that driving traffic with seo is going to give you the return you desire from those 140 busy bodies per month. Its all about return on investment, its not quite what you could drive traffic at to be honest on that keyword.

100% right on ppc traffic do.. On a wide net of keywords dependant on returns you could make it profitable dependant on lots and lots of variables etc. Clicks, roi , and costs again. It boils down to basic maths everytime and again.. it needs a website which he doesnt have yet.

I think your FREE method to get the coverage you require is Social Media.
3x exact ones which are FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and LINKEDIN

Your area of expertise isnt really too niche specific because im assuming u can get 40 or 50 cake designers in your local catchment area, even if your in dublin sure, most travel far and wide to get work.. this isnt good at all.
You need solid networking, start blabbing everything, start throwing out business cards like they were yesterdays newspapers.. network network network... Every man and his dog has a birthday next week !!!
The attack plan i would suggest is creating your footbook profile with again some nice (im assuming u can borrow a camera) 3 megapixel is PERFECT for website use, often even to large that u need to downsize.. when there that small they will look hi res/hd perfect..
Twitter - spam that bad boy every time u crack an egg, mixxx dough, or turn on the oven.. (its a pity u didnt have a website - some great social seo )
LinkedIN is for the moms and pops that search on that stuff which is every growing and is now the 3rd biggets (i think) social platform in ireland for professionals.. which is what you are..
Create an aura of professionalism and you will get clients i have no doubts. If your skills are up to par the repeat buisness for every client is endless.

Keep records of your clients.. emails, adddress, phone numbers, height weight, sex. its an invaluable marketing list u will eventually understand how to work ..
(PPC Campaigns for the future) the chicks cant stop with the bloody cc :S

Endless work to me would be ..

1. Birthday 2-3 a household
2. Confirmation, christenings,
3. Going away cakes, austrailaia shaped ones, army tank cakes, list is endless
4. Coming home, welcome home, etc Missing you
5. Breaking up with the gf cake divorce cake (heart smashed in two) ive seen this, friggin awesome..


Maybe im going to far but your the cake designer or maker, you should know what your selling, who your selling too, why, where and when..

Go research your marketing 4 p,s
Price, place, promotion, product.

Im rambling again, the only reason is because it has an interest, i love watchin cake boss and the show rocks. Cakes rock, you rock ..

Get on it


Best of luck appy

Acoshla

To be honest you don't need a photographer to shoot all your cakes, just get a good camera, this is highly impractical in the day to day life of a cake maker, if cake orders are going out you don't have the time or money to be getting a photographer in just to shoot one to three cakes on a Friday before they are all collected for their weekend parties.

Start with facebook, if you can't afford a €50 market then you won't be able to afford a website, but a lot of cake makers now don't have websites at all, just facebook and word of mouth. I have both and still get most of my business through facebook, as my main customer base is 18-35 and are all on it.

ithiliendude

First off, thanks to all involved! And I shall answer all your questions. This of course will be quite long, so just skip to where I have you quoted

Acoshla wrote: »

How do you mean you're too young for people who run bakeries to take seriously? ... You're never too young or old to work in a creative line of business once you have relevant experience.

Are the cakes in your portfolio ones that you have made for customers?

I'm only 20, and have no professional training or experience in the field of speciality cake decorating.

My problem is people tend to judge 'young' as 'inexperience', and consequently 'liability', and none of the bakeries I've applied to has given me a chance. Besides, nowhere is hiring at the moment.

However, I've been making and decorating cakes for every birthday of every family member and about 90% of my friends, wedding anniversary cakes, church fete cakes, and have been doing so since I was about 7 years old. I'm pretty damn good at it at this stage! =D

Money has rarely changed hands for my cakes as, well, I've too nice so far to charge people =P

If you don't already have HSE registration and product liability insurance I would advise looking into that now, and public liability insurance if you decide to do a market.

Yes, that would be useful, alright. I'll look into that

TylerIE wrote: »

If money is short some promo stuff you can do is free - obviously facebook, with one of your finest portfolio pictures as your profiler.

Also if your following Acoshlas suggestion Vistaprint do free business cards. They charge for delivery but its a starting point.

My brother is a qualified professional graphic designer, and he says he'll help me with all my promotion as long as I feed him cake... which works for me! =D He'll do my business cards and give me advice on promoting my business.

Also you state your young, maybe negotiate with the market. One of the large Dublin markets used to have free stands for students. If your not a student they may consider one week free trial or something similar - nothing to lose, everything to gain.

I am a student in Limerick city, and I don't think they do student deals, although I really have no idea. I'll contact some friends of mine who trade in our market and get some more information

Maybe even offer to do a demo on cake decorating? The same could apply perhaps if there is a childrens event on. The demo serves to get your name out there.

Now that is a fabulous idea! My boyfriend is a ju jitsu instructor, and he does free demos at local schools, and they do very well to promote his dojo. This is something I will consider! =D

RATM wrote: »

You need a professional website showing your previous works. Find a professional photographer with experience of shooting food.

I am a trained photographer, so that part is easy =P

A quick look at the Keyword tool on Google Adwords shows that the term 'cake decorator' gets an average of 140 searches in Ireland per month. You can buy those keywords for €0.42c per click on a Pay Per Click basis which will get you onto Page 1 of Google. You can play around with the keyword tool to vary with the seasons i.e christmas cake decorators' 'communion cake decorators' etc.

That's also a good suggestion, and I'll keep this one in mind for when my business has picked up a bit and I can afford to spend money on official promotion. For now, I think I'll stick with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn until I have extra money to afford paying for advertising, as The Apprentice said:

The Apprentice wrote: »

Although i agree you need a professional site up with some fantastic hi res photos but i dont think the guy has a few bob to spare for that yet. As he mentioned above he was young so making an assumption that its out of his price range just yet.... But do get it done.

I think your FREE method to get the coverage you require is Social Media.
3x exact ones which are FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and LINKEDIN

This, and everything else you said, is very good advice

Endless work to me would be ..

1. Birthday 2-3 a household
2. Confirmation, christenings,
3. Going away cakes, austrailaia shaped ones, army tank cakes, list is endless
4. Coming home, welcome home, etc Missing you
5. Breaking up with the gf cake divorce cake (heart smashed in two) ive seen this, friggin awesome..

Go research your marketing 4 p,s
Price, place, promotion, product.

I had not before now sat down and genuinely considered the kind of jobs I would be asked to do until you suggested it. This is of course sensible! =D

Once again, thanks to all! I hope to hear some more suggestions and reactions

Tangled

As a mother, can I suggest something as basic as a flyer with photographs on it on supermarket notice boards? This would catch my eye.

Also agree with Facebook, great for a visual product like yours that you can be updating all the time.

Can you do a display in a window of a high traffic area? A cafe (who aren't competition), an empty shop unit (chambers of commerce etc push to have displays in empty windows to clean the area up). Can you tie in with some local cafes - leave a display portfolio on the counter, give them a cut for any orders they take?

If you can't afford a website how about setting up a blog - blog some of your decorating, maybe give some tips and techniques (without giving away all your secrets of course!). Register it with Irish Food Bloggers Association.

How about tieing in with wedding suppliers in the area (dress shops etc) - maybe have a discount flyer available there?

I think it would be worth getting the money together to go to the market, you'd really be reaching your target market there. Can you do something like sell cupcakes on the day to try and recoup some of the cost?

lysh

Again, like a few people have said, facebook is a good way to get your name out there by uploading pictures and getting people to comment on how good your cake was done for them.

You could also set up a free website using weebly.com, this won't get any hits though until you advertise locally to start with e.g fliers in shop windows and tell everyone you know!

hope this helps.:)

ithiliendude

Thanks everyone! I have found this very helpful.

I think my plan is to save a bit of money and rent a market stall to promote myself. My brother will help me design an identity for my trade, and help with business cards and an online portfolio. I will advertise locally with fliers and cards, and also online through Facebook and Twitter.

I will also devote some time to working out what it is that gives me my edge. I think I'll focus on kawaii and colourful things that children and young people will like, but also some adults. I can also make sweets and confectionery such as fudges, pulled sweets and toffees, which might give me an added element of interest

Watch this space for an address for my portfolio!

Again, thanks to all involved =D

siobhy

Hi I have a masters degree in sugarcraft did the Knightsbridge pme however I do believe that you cant beat the hand of experience and it sounds to me that you have a real passion for this, I wish you the best of luck in the future.

ithiliendude

siobhy wrote: »

Hi I have a masters degree in sugarcraft did the Knightsbridge pme however I do believe that you cant beat the hand of experience and it sounds to me that you have a real passion for this, I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Thanks very much! A masters in Sugercraft sounds like all my Christmases coming at once, haha! =D

siobhy

The masters is made up of 3 modules, Sugarflowers, Royal icing, and Sugarpaste, these can be done seperately over a year or 2 or all together, in cookshop.ie othewise known as Brennans Cookery School in Cork city, I think the train from limerick return is 24 euro, the modules cost 340.00 euro each and go for 5 weeks one day each week, and the beauty of it is that you can pay in installments over the 5 weeks, hope this helps, also there isn't any cake decorating guild in Limerick, you dont need any paperwork to set one up just a love for cakes, its usually one night a month where like minded people get together to talk cakes, organize demos and enter shows ect, the next big cake show is in Cork on the 9th and 10th of March 2013, you should enter it , you dont need any qualifactions, you will find out more about it if you check out the Cork sugarcraft guild,
Good luck Siobhy:)

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check out vistaprint.ie for free business cards etc. all you pay is postage.
i got a banner from them recently.

FelineFelix

Get busy on Rollercoaster.ie also to engage with the mums looking for birthday cakes, communions and all that gooey stuff.