Marketing your business?

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Marketing your business?
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

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n

Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 211
Location: Lothian

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 1:05 pm Post subject:

Sally, get a blog!

Write on your blog often... at least every other day.
Write knowledgeable posts, with good links to useful websites so that people see YOUR blog as an information resource.
Look for the blogs of other enthusiasts in your field... re-enacters etc, comment sensibly on their blogs, not self promoting comments, but thoughtful, interesting comments which will send them clicking to YOUR blog, where there is a link to YOUR shop.
Do write about what's in the shop, but make sure that's not ALL you write about.
When you go to festivals and events, ask if you can take photos of people wearing costumes, their equipment (!) etc... make sure you get their name and their permission, and then put them on your blog as "this weekend I met Fred and he had the most fantastic Fredogolopolus which he made himself, isn't he clever?" Ask if they have a blog and make sure you link to it, and comment on it. Most people will be really chuffed to get a mention.
Once it's up and running, offer a small prize every so often as an incentive for people to comment, this makes them engage with your site. I have offered a set of knitting needles for example. A few weeks ago I couldn't think of any new names for the yarn colours, so I asked for suggestions... they flooded in.
Consider integrating blog and shop.
When Fee (fab person) did my new site I asked it to be set up so that when someone goes to the site

www.theyarnyard.co.uk

they go first to the blog.
The longer they spend on the blog, the more likely they are to look in the shop. If the blog is interesting (I hope it is), then people who have no intention of buying will still come back, just to be entertained. Eventually they may buy something.
I started the Yard in September last year.
I have never advertised anywhere, and I think that at the moment, if I advertised I would be swamped and that's not what I want because my standard of customer service would go down.
Just because the business advisors say you need to pay for advertising, doesn't mean they are right!

n

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 3:11 pm Post subject:
Hello stranger! How's the yarn empire going? (Actually, I know it's going very well, because I read your blog. So obviously it works, least on gullible yarn-a-holics like me!)

n

Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 211
Location: Lothian

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 4:01 pm Post subject:
I rest my case! Nice to "see" you again, WW. n

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 4:57 pm Post subject:
Ha ha - Little do you know I've been spying on you via your blog!

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 4:59 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Ha ha - Little do you know I've been spying on you via your blog!

Beware blog stalkers.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 5:45 pm Post subject:

I guess it depends what you're selling. I can see a blog working if you're selling yarn as there's a pretty hefty yarn/knitting blog community who will just be looking for blogs to read - the shop is an added bonus. However, I don't get many people going from the blog to the site by nature of what I sell. If someone is looking for a gift or specifically hand made felt they won't think of looking for a blog first - they'll want to go straight to the site. They look at felt blogs for ideas to pinch

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 07 7:40 pm Post subject:

Stacey wrote:

They look at felt blogs for ideas to pinch

Not always true - I look in awe and wonderment at both felting and knitting blogs.

But maybe I'm the exception that proves the rule...

dottyspots

Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 286
Location: South Yorks

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 07 6:31 pm Post subject:
Oooooh, knitting and felting blogs.... I came across Cledry before I came here through searching for that sort of thing. Sally - if you have a blog I'd certainly read it

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