TIP TUESDAY: Great Low Cost/No Cost Marketing Tips from noisettemarketing

These tips come to you from http://noisettemarketing.etsy.com - Did you see the Great Giveaway that Isa has donated to us? Check it out!

Online marketing

• Use the internet to market yourself. It is so easy to get started marketing yourself online through your own blog, low cost online shop, simple website and a Flickr account. You have full control about the information you present to the world and can spend as much or as little time as you like on them.

• Start a mailing list. It can cost nothing to create an e-newsletter some providers as long as you keep your subscribers under a certain amount. You can ask current customers to sign up for special offers or exclusive previews of a new range which will increase the possibility of repeat sales.

• Get featured in blogs. You can send email submissions to popular blogs to help raise your brand profile. You can also suggest a guest blog post or a regular column if you have a great idea that you think their readers would love.

• Social networking. Utilise free social networking like Twitter and Facebook to interact with your target market. It can take time to create a following but it is great to make connections with other business owners as well as potential customers.

• Post in forums. Use Etsy forums and other craft forums to talk about your work and interact with other crafters. Spread the word about what you do as well as supporting other small business owners.

Offline marketing

• Face to face networking. It can be very effective to talk about your business face to face with others. Look for local business networking events in your area, craft or sewing groups so you can meet like minded people and discuss what you do.

• Wear your wares. If you make a wearable product such as jewelry, then wear it. If you make something you can’t wear, use it for its purpose. So for example if you make homewares, display and use them in your own home or give as gifts. If you make greetings cards, use them instead of buying shop bought ones.

• If you have business cards use them. So many people forget to give them out. Business cards need not be expensive. If you are short on funds you can make your own using card stock and various printing techniques. Be inventive and make your business cards memorable.