Amy Noelle is the culinary genius behind Sugar Flower Cake Shop. Sugar Flower Cake Shop creates unique special occasion and wedding cakes made from local and sustainable ingredients featuring realistic-looking flowers handmade from sugar. We thought we’d ask her a few questions about how she’s mastered social media for her business. Here are some of her “slices” of advice:
When do you like to post? How often do you post?
I like to post when I actually have something to say. The timing varies, though. We are more active on the weekends as that is when our cakes are ready for their close-ups. I recently learned a handy-dandy trick from Andrew and Pooja at Spark Growth Partners who dazzled me with the ability to schedule Facebook posts. I just started this today and have posts ready for the rest of the week!! Super excited that I don’t have to remember to put super important posts out there when I know I’m going to be busier in the shop.
What are your favorite blogs?
Sugar Flower Cake Shop has a great relationship with Martha Stewart Weddings, so I’m always tuned into that blog. We follow a ton of wedding industry professionals to see what they are up to. My favorite non-wedding blogs are from NYC Business Solutions (helping to keep me on track as a business owner) and Urban Simplicity (helping to keep my stuff, and sometimes my brain, organized!)
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Yelp, etc… What are your two favorite social media platforms? Why?
Instagram and Facebook – I like the immediacy of Instagram to be able to take photos of our work on the go. It connects with Facebook so we haven’t lost those fans. I also like Facebook for being able to post links in addition to pics. Twitter is too limiting for me and, while I can waste hours on Pinterest at home, it’s not as easy to use when I’m out and about.
Apple iOS or Google Android? Which apps do you find most helpful for your business (e.g., Pages for Facebook, Hootsuite, Yelp mobile app, etc.)?
I’m an Apple girl, for sure! Having my iPhone, iPad and MacBook able to easily sync is super important for a business owner. As for apps, I’m addicted to getting alerts from Pages, but the app I most use for my business is my credit card processing app (a girl has to get paid in order to have the luxury of social media!!).
If you could give one piece of advice about using social media to someone just starting out in your industry, what would it be?
Have a consistent message across all platforms and look for ways to integrate them so you don’t drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. It’s important to respond to people when they mention me on Twitter, but I don’t use that as my primary way to push out information. (My tweets are integrated from my Facebook page feed.) Also, download the apps to your phone. Some of the features are limited in the app, but they are often easier to use than waiting until you get back in front of a computer.
“Like” cakes? Who doesn’t. Check her out on Facebook at SugarFlowerCakeShop, or follow her on Twitter @sugarflowershop and Instagram @sugarflowercakeshop.