Networking can make the best advertising!

Sometimes the best advertising campaign you can devise is one that includes networking with other small business owners with the same target you have.

I recently started building more MomPacks, which is an idea created by MomPack. It is an excellent resource for work-at-home moms and small business owners. My goal is to fill my packs with as many fillers as possible and have them ready for a consignment sale mid-August. In making this packs, not only do recipients get others' information, but I will also have my business name on the pack topper and business information contained in the packs.

These packs are fun to receive. You open them up and get to look at all the neat information that, sometimes, you've never seen before.

I've heard some people say they've never gotten business from the packs. Some have had successes. The way I look at it is that if you spend $30 on making and shipping fillers for these packs (which range from business cards, post cards, and small catalogs) and you get ONE sale from that investment, you have a potential to turn that sale (no matter how big or small) into something MUCH more. That's one new person to add to your list of potential repeat customers, and that is worth its weight in gold in these hard economic times!

Finding others like you, like what MomPack is all about, will open up so many new doors for ideas and potential customers. Please, if you are serious about your business, visit MomPack and become a member of their Yahoo group. It's worth every minute you can spend with the group.

Will be back soon!

As many of you know, I haven't been blogging because I am on maternity leave! My twins were born on 6/10 and I plan on taking the rest of June off from working (for the most part).

More topics will be posted SOON!

Start a Newsletter!

If you own a business, you need a newsletter. Plain and simple. It doesn't have to be complicated or extravagant, but it does need to exist!

One thing I've learned from hosting contests at Mommy Loves Freebies is that many small business owners do not have a newsletter for their website. When I encourage them to go ahead and start taking names for a potential newsletter, many are surprised by the positive response. Even specialty shops for items that are for special occasions get newsletter sign-ups.

Another thing I've learned from my own experiences is that having an incentive to read the newsletter really pays off. Those who subscribe to The Parent Station's Newsletter can reply to the newsletter for Prize Bucks that are redeemable at Mommy Loves Freebies. This at least gives me some indication of how many people are paying attention to the newsletter. If you can offer some sort of incentive to your readers, DO IT!

Be sure you visit the Newsletters topic at WAHStation to read more about creating and making the most out of your newsletters.

Affiliate Advertising

For those of you who've signed up with multiple affiliates, you are probably wondering how to go about getting those affiliates advertised. After all, you need to advertise them in order to draw in orders and revenue. This can be an extremely daunting task considering the fact that most of you with affiliates have more than a few you'd like to make money from. Here are a few tips as to how you can do this in a very cost-efficient manner.

Step One - set up a central website to promote your affiliates.
Although I highly suggest you not use a free site service like GeoCities, if this is your only means of getting things up and running, it would be a good way to start. The point of this site is to make it a catch-all for all the products and services you promote. Say your name is Susie, you might want to consider setting up a site called "Susie's Emporium." On that site, you will have your businesses categorized by what they sell... from cosmetics to stuff animals. Then, go out and promote YOUR website.

Step Two - take advantage of free link submissions.
Submit your link for your central website AND your affiliate websites to as many sites as you can. If a link-back is required, let the website owner know that in the case of your affiliate, you can't link back from that site, but you do have a site for links and that you'd be happy to link to their site from yours. In my case, I completely understand this trend and in my free link exchanges, I don't mind doing this at all!

DO NOT make the mistake of feeling like you have to spend money to advertise each affiliate you represent. The money you spend will most likely go to waste because in normal circumstances, you will not make enough referral sales or commissions to recoup the cost of advertising each individual affiliate.

There are a few more things you can do to help promote your affiliate. If you enjoy writing, think about writing some GOOD free content and submitting your articles to places like ezinearticles.com. If you represent a cosmetics company, we all know how popular minerals have become. Write an article about the benefits of or the trend of mineral make-up and in the author resource box, put your name with the affiliate name and link you represent.

These are just a few ways you can promote your affiliates without breaking the bank. In fact, the only thing you should be spending on this is time... not money! Good Luck!

The Ups and Downs of Free Banners

Free banner design and the use of free banners could be your best bet when trying to advertise online without spending too much money. However, there are some downfalls for the use of free banner services or premade banners.

First, if the banner you are using has the free banner service's name or website address on it, and something like "Free Banners" - it can potentially take away from the validity of your business, the seriousness of the advertiser, and ultimately CLICKS on that banner. Many of these services offer you the chance to pay a very low fee to remove that information from the banner. If this is how you want to advertise, I HIGHLY suggest you shell out a couple of bucks (truly, I believe it may be only $2-$3) to have that tag line removed from your banner.

If you choose to purchase pre-made (pre-designed) banners and add your business name and/or tag line to that banner, you need to make sure you are purchasing a set that isn't just "pretty" but applies to what you are doing, what you are selling, and what audience you are trying to attract. For example, just because you like roses doesn't mean you should pick a pretty banner with roses on it for your Candle business. Pick a banner with candles! Make sure the design and/or images on the banner compliment the business.

Remember, when it comes to representing your business online, especially through the use of graphics, your money can go a very long (or very short) way. Yes, I know you'd rather NOT spend money on advertising, but don't be frugal at the expense of your ad campaign.

As for our ad services, I offer free personalized banner design for those who need it, after they've purchased advertising from me. Although it won't be animated or super-duper dazzling, I'm not going to offer you a piece of junk, either! Remember, those banners are going to be displayed on my site! I WANT them to be appealing and work for you!

The Three Month Rule

From my own research outside of the stats I collect on my sponsors' ads, I've learned that it takes an average of three months of advertising before you see results. This seems to be some sort of standard in the ad world... because it applies to print and online ads. This is why most of the low-cost advertising at Towle Creations is in three-month bundles.

I've also seen that my sponsors' ads tend to follow the same trend (at least, in the stats I am able to collect). I relate this trend to how I react to advertising on the TV, too...

Many times I catch myself seeing a commercial and it doesn't really register. It might be quirky, strange, bizarre or out of place... either way, I really don't pay much attention to it the first few times I see it. It's when that "click" happens (what causes it, I'm not sure - when it happens, again, not sure) that I actually WATCH the commercial and say "Oh! That's what that commercial is all about" or "That's what the commercial is for..." It is at that moment that it has registered and my decision is made as to whether or not I care (I will either search out the product, or not... you know what I mean).

I think banners online work the same way. Whether they are in rotation or are static (in their own dedicated spot), people glaze over them for a while and then one day a CLICK happens - they've actually paid attention and clicked on your banner.

This three month rule isn't always three months. It could be three days, three weeks.... but for a cumulative effective ad campaign, you should invest at least three months worth of time (and money) for one ad campaign. If you like it, then renew! If not, then try another banner or give up the ad completely.

Yes - try another banner. I said it. Sometimes that first three month test-run can be ruined by an ineffective banner. OR, say you signed up for six months or longer on your ad campaign. Make sure you have the option to change your banner at least every three months. That way, you renew interest to those who've seen it, caught the eyes of those (perhaps) that didn't have interested before, and reminded those who pay closer attention to banners that you are still active and want their business.

Bottom line, my suggestion is to ALWAYS invest at least three months of time in your ad campaign on any one site. I honestly believe you will get more for your money that way!

Banners [should] Say it All!

Your banner can be the make-or-break point for a potential customer. Since I deal with a LOT of sponsors with banners, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Heck, since beginning my own advertising campaigns, I've had my own really bad ones and really good ones. It takes time to learn what works and what is just a flop (visually and effectively).

A good banner tells the person who sees it what you business is, what you sell, or gives them a hint at what your site offers. If you sell cloth diapers, your banner should have cloth diapers on it or at least the word "cloth diapers." Say your banner has a cute baby on it, some funny font, your business name, and some flowers. Does this tell ANYONE that you sell cloth diapers? Nope! Of course, if your business name is "Rachael's Cloth Diaper Store," that would be one thing. But if you have a name like "Rachael's Boutique" then it doesn't say anything about what you sell. The point - make your banner effective by effectively showing what you sell either with words or pictures.