Effective advertising/marketing??

[staceyjlew]

Hi, just wondered, what everyone felt was effective advertising for them? I have submitted my website to yell and other free directories, and use a blog and facebook and twitter.

I am going to get some leaflets printed aswell.

I'd like not to pay too much at the moment, but really need to get my name and product out there.

What do you use and how good do you find it??

Stacey

[hdflred]

Ah Stacey

I know how you feel! What have I done?

Pay per click with yahoo................ not sure how effective, but gets you out and about until the search engines find you.

Fairs- great to give out business cards

Link swaps - ONLY with sites related to my business

Added myself to as many relevant directories as possible (I'm lucky as can be, children's, wedding,craft)

Got flyers printed - now need to hand them out, think of putting them under windscreens in car parks etc. And just generally leaving them where I can.

Press releases - I'm sending these out monthly online and some hard copies to magazines.

I have just negotiated a really good price for an Editorial in a local magazine also, but I don't know how successful that will be yet.......

Also did a guest blog for Tish Tash Toys..............

Advertising on Gogoblin a gift wishlist site....... not sure how good yet as earlydays

Any advice is really think outside the box, where else could people use your products? Negotiate and network!!! Everybody is a potential customer and so always be nice! You don't know who they know!!!!!!!!

[swirlyarts]

Send details of your stuff to contact at cuteable.com and if you put something like I'm from the Craft forum' in the title of the email then I will try and get round to featuring you soon (busy time of year!) If you have no idea what Cuteable is then look in my signature - oh and this applies to anyone else on the forum too - just send your stuff in to me and I'll see what I can do!

[SarahandIan]

Hi Stacey

All of the above (great suggestions). Also, get a sticker for the back of your car. All my relatives and close friends have put them on their cars. Keep business cards on you all the time. Look for competitions to enter into. Make sure you put your website on the bottom of all correspondence (where appropriate!). Thats all I can think of for now.

Sarah

[staceyjlew]

Thanks for your suggestions above everyone. I'll get in contact with cuteable - I have heard of it, through Twitter!

Also, Hdflred - where do you send your press releases online? I wouldn't know where to start with this one!

Thanks

Stacey

[swirlyarts]

Thanks for your suggestions above everyone. I'll get in contact with cuteable - I have heard of it, through Twitter!

Thanks

Stacey

Ooooooh - what were people saying on Twitter?? I hope it was nice!

[hdflred]

Hi Stacey

There are companies who will do this for you I used one called www.pressrelease365.com they had an offer on and I think it cost me about £12. I also went through the sort of magazines I want to get noticed by, in my case Junior, Counrty Living, Somerset Life and mailed my press release to them directly. It's good if you have the time to ring first and ask who you should sent it to and which email address.
I am just sending out my Valentines day one now as many magazines work a couple of months ahead. This time I have posted it to a couple of the "biggies" and enclosed some jewellery for them to see.
This link might help, like I say you can pay for it or if you scroll down it shows you where you can send it yourself if you have the time!

http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/P...2008031914870/

Other help on how to write it:

http://www.howipromotemywebsite.com/...s-release.html

Finally this link has lots of journalists looking for news stories of one sort or another, I picked a few who specailised in women, lifestyle, family etc that fitted my products and mailed them too!

http://gettingink.typepad.com/journos/

Hope that helps, sorry for rambling

[Caroleecrafts]

I have entries in the local villages on line directories, some even link direct with my web site, these are free so worth a go. also being local means you could get calls and visits but these are fun and keep you on your toes.

Networking groups are also good as you get to exchange cards and speed networking is brilliant as you get to talk for 3 mins about your business then your small group asks questions or offers help, then you move round to the next group and start again. Your confidence grows by the time you have done this 10 times.

[dolts007]

These threads are amazing and having just joined the forum, am now realising I have a steep learning curve ahead of me.

I have never heard of Etsy or Twitter, in fact I thought when I saw Twitter it was someone who was a member of a bird watching group !

How foolish do I feel !!

Will keep reading the threads to get up to speed !

i do have a website but haven't had much business from it so will take a look at the other options you have all mentioned.

[staceyjlew]

Thanks for all your great advice - will have a good look this evening at those press release sites and info - Thank you

Ooooooh - what were people saying on Twitter?? I hope it was nice!

I think it was you on Twitter! - Just you advertising new stuff you had put on there - it works!!

Stacey

[swirlyarts]

Thanks for all your great advice - will have a good look this evening at those press release sites and info - Thank you



I think it was you on Twitter! - Just you advertising new stuff you had put on there - it works!!

Stacey

Phew - that's alright then!

[Craftduo]

Great stuff

I am new to the game of self-employed. I work full-time at present and find it difficult to try and keep all the balls in the air. Some of these suggestions are great, as I need to find out ways to get my website and ultimately my cards seen.

How do you get blogs seen though, new technology is still a blurr to me.

Cheers Lisa