If you’re running a home bakery business, you need to advertise and let people know about your business to get your name and logo out there. Nobody is going to take your business seriously unless you present a professional image!
When I had a custom wedding cake business I used basic business cards and other ways to promote my cakes to brides and other wedding professionals who could refer brides to me.
These are some of the types of things I used, and you can get them for your own business after customizing them because I’ve made the templates available on Zazzle.
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Business expense!
Remember that any paper or promotional products that you buy to use in your business is a business expense, so you should keep the receipts for tax time.
A professional photographer once told me that you should get the best quality paper that you can afford, and I agree.
When you give people your business card, you want it to feel heavy and substantial, not flimsy. It gives them a definite impression of quality when the card feels a certain way, which might sound weird, but it’s true.
Don’t print your own cards, order something that’s personalized to you and is a real card, not something that you printed at home on regular paper. You don’t want people to associate your business name with being cheap!
You want them to understand that you’re a licensed and legitimate business that they can rely on, and how you present yourself really does matter.
Photo business cards.
You’ll need some kind of business card that you can give to people when they ask what you do. Make sure that the design matches your business branding and aesthetic…If you do really formal cakes you don’t want a card that’s colored like the circus with big balloon lettering on it.
I found that a minimalist card with a photo of a cake that you’ve made works well, and it will let you show off some of your work. You can make several different versions if you want to showcase a few different things that you make.
I had cards with cakes and cookies, and depending on what people were thinking of ordering, I would hand them out to different people.
One thing that’s REALLY important if you work from home is to clearly say “by appointment only” on your cards and website. You also don’t want to leave your address on the card because people will show up at random times thinking that you have a storefront.
These cards are some of the designs that I have that you can personalize using the templates on Zazzle. Click on the photos to go to each listing.
You can do a QR code or a logo on your cards. The QR code is good for convenience, and the logo will reinforce your branding, so you can decide which one you prefer.
For these templates, you can add your own photos of your cakes and products to the cards.
They’re also available with a black background.
Minimalist business cards.
You can also get business cards that are just text with no photos. These are good if you do a lot of things and don’t want to limit yourself, or if you want to keep a formal aesthetic for your business brand.
These cards have text and a space for a logo, or you can use the illustration of a cake on a stand that’s on one design already.
Both designs are available in multiple colors, and you can customize them all with your information. If you don’t want some of the info on the card, just delete that line from the template and it won’t appear on the final design.
Office paperwork.
Beyond business cards, you’ll also need other types of paperwork for a home-based bakery business. I put together a few of the types of things I used so that you can brand them with your own logos and use them.
This pad of appointment sheets is the one that I used as intake sheets any time anyone called to ask about a cake. It has space to include all the basics that you’ll need to keep track of their wedding date, tasting appointment, etc.
These come in pads of 40 sheets that you can customize with your logo. I used these forms to keep a customer’s information in one place until she booked with me, then I put it into her file to go with the contract.
This binder can be customized to use for your employee handbook, appointment sheets and to-do lists, or to keep recipes in. You can also use it for a control journal, which is really important for home-based businesses. Find out why, and get the free insert pages for that in this article.
Branded sticky notes.
These 4×6″ sticky notes are available in different colors, and you can add your business name and logo to them, or leave the drawing of the cake stand.
These are handy for daily use, or you can get them to give to your customers as business promotional items.
Delivery paperwork.
If you use one thing in your business, use these.
I designed these for deliveries. I filled out all the details for each cake and left it with the person who would be cutting the cake, or I put it on the cake table if I couldn’t find the cake-cutter.
This way the people at the venue knew everything about food allergens, tier flavors, and anything they needed to save for the bride. (If the bride is saving the top tier, you can take a 7″ cake box and leave that too, and the venue people will love you.)
These cards make it super simple to fill everything out and not forget anything that you need to tell them.
Product labeling.
If you make products that you send home with people in small batches, you’ll need boxes and product labeling.
One thing that a lot of stickers you can get DON’T have are the ingredients, which are usually something that’s required if you’re selling food.
I designed these stickers so that you can personalize the name of the product and the ingredients.
Or you can delete the text on the bottom of the sticker then write it in yourself using a sharpie. That way you’ll have the flexibility to add whatever information you want to.
They come in multiple colors, and if you want me to do a version with your specific business branding colors, just send me a message.
Promotional products.
Handing out promotional products to customers and employees is a good way to get your name out there. I have pens, magnets, hats, can coolers…All kinds of things that have business logos on them.
The important thing with this is to choose things that people will use long-term so that your name is in front of them for longer than a few minutes.
This logo notebook can be edited to add your logo, and you can edit it on Zazzle to change the background color to a specific hex code if you use branding colors. (If you can’t figure it out, send me a message and I can do it for you.)
Pens are a good, inexpensive option that people will actually keep and use. They linger around for months in people’s houses, so they’ll think of your business every time they reach for it.
Branded water bottles are a useful thing to give out to employees and customers if they book a wedding cake with you. These come in multiple colors and can be edited to add your business info and logo.
For something that really lasts a long time, get promotional magnets. People use these on their refrigerators, and they stay around for years. I have a bunch on my fridge and it’s very handy when I want to find someone’s information.
This logo wrapping paper is handy for wrapping things, or you can get logo tissue paper to go with it. Check the section in my Zazzle shop that has all of the business wrapping paper options.
Custom signage and supplies.
If you rent an office to do tasting appointments, or you want a sign to put on a door to make your business space more official, get a sign that you can hang up. This one can be customized with your business name and logo, or you can leave the picture of the cake on there (I drew it, so you have my permission to use it!)
These simple, branded aprons are good for presenting a professional look, and you can personalize them with different colors and your logo. If you’re meeting with customers you shouldn’t assume that you can get away with looking unprofessional, because people tend to be suspicious of at-home bakeries. Anything you can do to present a professional appearance is important, and having branded items is one way to do it.
You’ll definitely need a name badge for meeting with people, whether it’s for clients or other wedding professionals. I kept a name badge in my purse to wear at wedding meeting events, and you should have one or two of your own. Customize yours here on Zazzle
