Do you ever feel like,"Should I really be doing this&qu - Page 2

I don't litter either and others who do is one of my pet peeves.

I don't care how much work you put into your flyer or how much money it cost you. If I find that thing on my car it is going into the bin, unread.

Maybe it's just me, but I am not a huge fan of the business name. I don't feel like you should have a business name with sexual overtones unless that is part of your marketing strategy (i.e. erotic bakery). Definitely consider revising your website. Look into local colleges and see if anyone wants to take on that project.

You do very nice work. You should showcase some of your nicest work on your homepage. I also think you should expand on your flavors a bit.

Also, try tapping into something that BV doesn't do. I am not familiar with his products, but maybe look into allergy-friendly products or try to find something else he doesn't do.

Definitely narrow down your target market because that will make it easy to determine what your products will be.

Good luck!

If your target market is weddings you do NOT want to be using flyers like that. I'm also one of the people who ignore/throw out/get annoyed by flyers, and that kind of thing isn't going to win you any bridal love.

Your best bet is to find a wedding networking group in your area, advertise in wedding magazines (not national ones, local ones that actually have a circulation, you'll need to research that), contact venues and planners, that kind of thing. Wedding cake business is a different animal, and not always a kind one.

Just an aside, I don't think that vgcea meant that you personally are a nuisance, but that the experience of having to deal with unsolicited stuff being put where you then have to deal with it is a nuisance. I have to agree...And the brides that I talk to agree too. They don't like it when people send them emails, direct mail etc. They get so much of it it gets to the point that they just ignore it, or actively won't buy from the people who send them things.

You could always put the flyers up on community bulletin boards, like in Panera or the library. Or at preschools, daycares etc if you want to do littel kids' birthday cakes. Or save them for handing out if you do a wedding show eventually. Or just write them off as a business expense. Everyone has tons of marketing materials that make their way into the recyciling eventually, not every advertising campaign is successful.

I just thought I should clarify something. What I meant by expand on your flavors was to give the potential customers a very detailed description. For example, really emphasize the quality ingredients you use (vanilla bean paste, liqueurs, etc). Let them envision the cake taste and texture from your description, if that makes sense. It sounds corny but it works. If you bake from scratch, definitely advertise that!

But definitely put a lot into your website. In today's technology-based world, people go to the web first 99% of the time.

yes...make them hungry with the descriptions of your cake.

Thanks Costumeczar.

@ OP: I was going to say something about reading comprehension and be truly mean but since you're a little on the "sensitive side" now, I'll hold my tongue (or, in this case, my fingers).

See that's the problem with posting on this sight. It's like getting in a cat fight from the get go. Nearly every post, on every topic has someone who who takes a fit of somekind. I have a business of a different kind and i have flyers that have made me lots of money. It is not illegal to put flyers on houses or cars and i will stand behind me flyers 100 percent. Go to wedding expos with your flyers and pass them out, if that IS illegal than see if you can place them on cars outside that venue. Post ads every other day on craigslist in your area, put up a facebook page of your cakes and show them to your friends and family and watch the word spread. Offer a discount on your flyers like 5 % off your first order. If you check out the other bakers on facebook through craigslist you will see how many people like there cakes and ask there prices and then they tell them to call them for a quote.
Do not be discouraged from some on CC, you will find that alot of them get into cat fights all the time on here.
Everyone has very strong opinions on EVERYTHING. BTW i get lots of business from my flyers for my other business, it just takes a little while. I will get a call like " i have your flyer from a while back and i was just wondering if i can make an appointment."


when the CFL passes here in california, i will try my business but i will not give up my day job cuz i make way more money than i ever could making cakes. However i love making cakes and it is something i would love to try.
Although CC kinda takes the fun out of all of it when there are so many cat fights.

I'm not sure how accurate that is. In my experience the vast majority of posts do not have this kind of drama, it's just that the small minority that do are more memorable.



According to the OP it is illegal, at least in some areas.



I agree that a FB page is valuable, but you'll want to be careful with the other advertising strategies you mentioned like posting on Craigslist and offering discounts. If you want to focus on the low end of the market that's fine, but if you want to compete on quality instead of price and target upscale customers you'll want to stay far away from CL and littering with flyers, and pricing too low or offering discounts may even be seen as a negative with upscale customers.