Marketing - Ways To Over Deliver with your Cake Business

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Marketing is essential to having a successful cake business. It doesn't matter if you are a small home based operation or a large bakery. However, the majority of people in the baking and cake decorating industry make the mistake of thinking "word of mouth" is the best form of advertising. Will you get referrals based on "word of mouth"? Sure, you'll get a few here and there.

But, what about the hundreds of other people who don't know about you and your delicious cakes?

Let's take a look at the fast food chains.

How many people verbally told you about Hardee's $6 burger and how good it tastes? What prompted you to get the burger? Ask yourself this question.

How many of you have seen the Hardee's commercials and associate their burgers with grown people? Would you agree that McDonalds is for little kids, mostly?

You see, these companies have created their images through marketing and now they have positioned their brands in the minds of millions. That's the power of marketing!

You don't have to have an expensive budget to market your baking business. You can easily use smart strategies to get that mind positioning!

Recently, I received an order for a caramel cake from a lady who usually buys her caramel cakes from another lady. You see, if the other lady used great marketing strategies to position herself in the minds of her clients as the ultimate person to bake caramel cakes, they wouldn't dare go to another person for that type of cake.

Think about this:

When was the last time you picked up the phone to talk with your clients?

When was the last time you sent out a personal thank you letter?

When was the last time you asked specific questions to see exactly what your client wanted? (Most people don't listen because they think they have the answers.)

Marketing is a must if you want to make a little or even a lot from your passion to bake cakes.

5 Ways To Over Deliver With Your Cake Business!

One of the major ways to position you as the cake specialist in the eyes of your clients and prospects is to over deliver. Below, you'll find the 5 best ways to over deliver.

1. Always send a thank you letter with every cake order after the cake is delivered. Think about how you feel when someone thanks you for something. People rarely say "thanks" in business, and you can bet your customers will remember you for it.

2. Give balloons with your cakes! Think about it. Most cakes are ordered for some type of special occasion like birthdays or anniversaries. A bag of balloons along with a delicious cake is a great product. It's even better if your client wasn't expecting the balloons and they get them for no additional cost. Yep, for $1 bag of balloons, you can position your business in the minds of your clients.

3. Give extra cup cakes with the cake order. This strategy is great, especially for clients who can't get a slice of the cake until the special event starts. They can eat the cup cakes immediately. Plus, they feel special that you made the cup cakes just for them.

4. Always give your clients some type of coupon they can use for their next order. Less face it, people love to use coupons. If you use them in your business right, you'll get more business.

5. Send your clients a birthday cards or letter on their special day. They will be more than happy to know that you care about them and not just a cake order.

About the Authors: Andreaetta and Vondre’ Whaley are known as “The Cake Couple.” They specialize in helping home cake bakers get more customers, increase their profits and how-to's of operating a home cake decorating business! Please visit their website at http://www.sellcakeslikecrazy.com