How to market your cake business in Nigeria
Instagram set-up, WhatsApp Business, prices vs DM for price, deposits, seasonal peaks, Google and reviews: a practical guide for Nigerian cake bakers.
By James Olawale · · 8 min read
To market a cake business in Nigeria, treat Instagram as your shop window and WhatsApp Business as your till. Set up your Instagram bio, highlights and pinned posts so a stranger can see your cakes, prices, lead times and delivery areas without sending a DM. Post finished cakes, short process videos and clear order information every week, take orders on WhatsApp with a deposit, and plan ahead for Valentine's, Mothering Sunday, Christmas and wedding season.
Below: how to set up each channel, what to post, how to handle "DM for price", order rules, the busy seasons, Google, reviews, partnerships and phone photography.
Set up Instagram as your storefront
Most new customers will find you on Instagram, look at your page for a few seconds, and decide whether to message you. Make those seconds count.
Bio. Say what you make, where you are and how to order, in plain words:
Custom cakes, cupcakes and small chops boxes in Lekki and VI.
Order 7 days ahead. Delivery across Lagos Island.
Tap the link below to order on WhatsApp
Add your WhatsApp link as the link in bio, or a simple page with your menu and WhatsApp button.
Highlights. Highlights are the menu board most customers will check. Good ones for a cake business:
| Highlight | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Menu and prices | Sizes, flavours and starting prices |
| How to order | Lead time, deposit, how to confirm, what happens next |
| Delivery | Areas you cover and how delivery is charged |
| Reviews | Screenshots of real customer messages, with names hidden or their OK |
| Wedding cakes | Tiered cakes and tasting information |
| Gift boxes | Cupcake boxes, bento cakes, tasting boxes |
Pinned posts. Instagram lets you pin posts to the top of your grid. Pin your three most useful: a price and menu post, a "how to order" post, and your best recent cake.
What to post
A cake business has more to show than finished cakes. Mix these through the week.
- Finished cakes, with the client's OK. Ask before posting, especially when the cake shows a name, a photo of a person or private news like a pregnancy reveal. Many clients are happy to be tagged; some prefer the name blurred.
- Process videos. Crumb coat, piping, stacking tiers, the first cut. Short clips with real sound do well as Reels. See our Instagram Reels ideas.
- Cross-sections. The inside of the cake: layers, filling, texture. This answers "is it dry?" without a word.
- Tasting boxes. Small boxes of your flavours for couples planning weddings or people trying you for the first time.
- Price and lead-time posts. "6-inch two-layer cakes start from ₦[your price]. Order at least 5 days ahead."
- Delivery areas. A simple map or list of where you deliver and on which days.
- Behind the scenes. Your kitchen, packaging, the 4am finish before a wedding.
- Order calendar. "Two slots left for Saturday." Only if it's true.
For more formats, our bakery Instagram post ideas has 40 ideas you can adapt. Posting time matters less than posting regularly, but if you want a starting point, read the best time to post on Instagram in Nigeria.
The "DM for price" problem
"DM for price" is common on Nigerian vendor pages, and it can put buyers off. Some read it as "the price changes depending on who's asking", and some won't message at all because they don't want to haggle or feel pressured.
You don't have to publish every price. Publish enough to build trust:
- Starting prices. "Bento cakes from ₦X. 8-inch two-layer from ₦Y." The final price depends on design, and customers understand that.
- What changes the price. Size, number of layers, fondant vs buttercream, toppers, fresh flowers, delivery distance.
- A price list in your WhatsApp catalogue and your "Menu and prices" highlight.
When ingredient prices change, update your price posts and highlights. An old price that you then refuse to honour does more damage than no price.
WhatsApp Business: catalogue, Status and broadcasts
Most cake orders in Nigeria are finished on WhatsApp. Use the free WhatsApp Business app, not your personal WhatsApp.
Catalogue. You can add each cake or box to your catalogue with photos, a name, price, description and link. WhatsApp reviews catalogue images before customers can see them (WhatsApp Help: create a catalogue). Send the catalogue link whenever someone asks "what do you have?"
Status. Post on Status every day you bake: today's cakes, a slot that opened up, a delivery heading out. Customers who've saved your number see it, and it costs nothing.
Broadcast lists, only to people who opted in. Broadcasts reach only people who have saved your number in their phone's contacts, and each list holds up to 256 contacts (WhatsApp Help: broadcast lists). That's a good rule anyway: only message people who asked to hear from you. Ask at the end of each order: "Can I add you to my list for Valentine's and Christmas offers?" Let people leave whenever they ask.
Quick replies and labels. Save your order form, bank details message and delivery fee message as quick replies. Use labels like "Deposit paid" and "Delivered" to track orders.
Lead times and deposits
Clear rules protect you from last-minute orders and no-shows. Put them in your "How to order" highlight, pinned post and WhatsApp catalogue, and say them in every chat.
| Rule | What to say |
|---|---|
| Lead time | Your minimum notice for regular cakes, and a longer one for wedding and tiered cakes |
| Deposit | How much is paid to confirm the order, and that the slot isn't held until it's paid |
| Balance | When the rest is due, for example before delivery |
| Changes | The last day the design or size can change |
| Cancellations | Whether the deposit is refundable and up to when |
| Delivery | Areas, how it's priced, and whether it's included |
The numbers are yours to set. What matters is that they're written down and the same for everyone.
Plan for the busy seasons
Cake demand in Nigeria clusters around a few dates. Start posting two to three weeks before each one, open a limited number of order slots, and post a final call a few days before.
| Season | When | What to post |
|---|---|---|
| Valentine's Day | 14 February | Bento cakes, heart cakes, cake and flower bundles, couples' boxes |
| Mothering Sunday | Usually March; dates vary by church (timeanddate) | Gift cakes and boxes to send to mum, church group orders |
| Easter | March or April | Family-size cakes, gift boxes |
| Wedding season | All year, with your own busy months | Tasting boxes, tiered cake gallery, booking open posts |
| Christmas and Detty December | December | Christmas cakes, party trays, office orders, owambe and party cakes |
| Birthdays and kids' parties | All year | Theme cakes, cupcakes, a "book your date" post each month |
Check Mothering Sunday dates with the churches near you, since Anglican and Catholic churches don't always mark it on the same Sunday.
Get found on Google
When someone searches "cake shop near me" or "birthday cakes in Wuse", Google often shows a map with local businesses. A free Google Business Profile puts you on it.
- If you have a shop, list the address and opening hours.
- If you bake from home, you can hide your address and list the areas you deliver to instead (Google Business Profile Help).
- Add photos every week: finished cakes, cross-sections, packaging.
- Add your WhatsApp number and Instagram link.
Our Google Business Profile setup guide walks through it step by step.
Reviews
Reviews do the selling for you, on Google and on Instagram.
- Ask after delivery, when the customer sends "the cake was lovely!" Reply with thanks and your Google review link.
- Ask everyone, not only the happy ones. Google's policy says businesses can't selectively ask for positive reviews or offer discounts or freebies for them (Google review policy).
- Save screenshots of customer feedback (with permission) for your Reviews highlight. Hide phone numbers.
- Reply to every review, including the bad ones. Stay calm and offer to fix it privately.
More in how to get more Google reviews.
Partner with event planners and vendors
Event planners, decorators, venues, photographers and small chops vendors meet your customers before you do.
- Send a tasting box to a few planners whose work you admire, with a short note and your price list.
- Offer a clear referral arrangement and put it in writing.
- Tag each other on events you both worked, with the client's OK.
- Be reliable. One late wedding cake can lose you a planner for good.
Take better photos with your phone
You don't need a camera. You need light and a clean background.
- Shoot by a window in daylight, with the flash off. Avoid yellow bulbs at night.
- Use a plain background: a white wall, a board or a cake stand. Remove clutter from the table.
- Shoot at the cake's eye level for tall cakes, and from above for cupcake boxes.
- Cut a slice for at least one photo of every new flavour.
- Take a short video of every cake: a slow turn on the stand is enough.
- Wipe the lens before you shoot. Kitchen hands leave smudges.
Step-by-step help: phone photography tips for small businesses.
Keep posting when orders get busy
The weeks you're busiest are the weeks your page goes quiet. We make Scala to fix that, so read this with that in mind. Scala plans and designs a week of Instagram and Facebook posts from your own cake photos (plus X on the Growth and Scale plans) and posts them after you approve. It can send email campaigns to your own customer list, make Reels from your clips on Growth and Scale, and check your website. It doesn't post to WhatsApp, reply to DMs, run ads or post to TikTok yet (TikTok is rolling out). In Nigeria it costs ₦9,900, ₦39,000 or ₦99,000 a month, paid in naira with Paystack. See Scala in Nigeria or Scala for bakeries.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start marketing my cake business in Nigeria?
Set up an Instagram page with a clear bio, menu and price highlights, and pinned "how to order" post. Move orders to the WhatsApp Business app with a catalogue, create a free Google Business Profile, and post finished cakes and short videos every week.
Should I write "DM for price" on my cake posts?
It's better to show starting prices and explain what changes the final price. Hidden prices put some buyers off messaging at all, and clear prices save you time answering the same question.
How much deposit should I ask for a cake order?
That's your decision. What matters is that the deposit, lead time, balance due date and cancellation rule are written down, the same for everyone, and repeated in every chat.
Can I send broadcast messages to all my customers on WhatsApp?
Only send them to people who agreed to hear from you. WhatsApp broadcasts only reach people who have saved your number, and each list holds up to 256 contacts.
When should I start promoting Valentine's and Christmas cakes?
Two to three weeks before the date, with a limited number of slots and a clear order deadline. Post a final call a few days before the deadline.
