Announcement!

Dear Loyal Readers,

I have some changes on the horizon to share with all of you.

Starting Tuesday, I will begin a new day job which will take up a lot more time and energy than my present job. While learning my new job, I will be posting less frequently than my usual two posts a week.

Once I get up and running with my new job, I'll be returning to college to complete my business degree in Marketing - and actually looking at a double major: Marketing and Advertising, since I have almost all the credits for an advertising degree right now.

So the downside right now is that I'll be extremely busy and won't have the time to devote to writing two posts a week. The upside is that when I do make an infrequent post, it will be really great information you can use. (Not that it wasn't before, but now it'll be really great info!)

If you don't want to miss a post, I encourage you to subscribe to this blog - there's a little box in the sidebar.

Thank you everyone!



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PS: The series I started on creating great viral blog posts is still saved in my "finish writing" folder and will be continued as time permits.

Viral Blog Posts: Controversy

Another tip on how to create a good viral blog post: Controversy

Like it or not, controversy sells. Remember Burger King using Sponge Bob's big butt to sell burgers? As parents objected, more and more people sought out the ad to see what all the fuss was about.

I'm sure that was Burger King's plan in the first place.

An unintentional controversy - which worked to the product's benefit - was when the first Harry Potter books came out. Some parents objected with claims of witchcraft, which drew more people to the books to see what they were complaining about. Of course, the books would most likely have been as popular without the controversy, but the news of these parents wanting the books banned backfired created a lot of extra buzz.

Can you create any kind of controversy to help your blog or business?

There is an ongoing controversy on Etsy over who was the first artist to come up with a certain kind of item (such as scrabble tile pendants); do you dare to boldly announce that you started the trend with the "original" version of your craft?

If you have a restaurant, how about inviting your competition to a good-natured challenge to a blind taste test on a similar item? Invite the press and the public. Gutsy, but sure to create controversy. And local buzz.

Is there any way you can "push the envelope" so to speak in your line of work?

A local coffee drive-thru here in Salem, is appropriately named Bikini Coffee Co: The female baristas wear bikini tops year round.
You can imagine this created some controversy - and a lot of publicity.

And a lot of business.

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Matchbook Notebook Promo Cards

I love it when businesses use visuals or hand-held things for advertising. I'm not talking business cards or coupons, but nifty little creative things really get my attention.

A couple of weeks ago I was cruising through my blog reader and clicked a link to Aurora's Garden, where she re-posted a link to Bluegrass Etsy where Etsy seller Kellibeans posted a tutorial slideshow. Ok, that was kind of a sister's friends' third cousin's aunt's best friend's mother kind of story, but I wanted to give credits where they're due.

Nevertheless, Kellibeans posted a GREAT tutorial. You could make these while watching tv, waiting in the car to pick up the kiddos from school, on public transportation, over your lunch break, or pretty much anywhere. Prep the materials ahead of time and keep them in your purse or bag and assemble them whenever you have a spare 10 minutes.

And how can you use these? Put some of those 151 Guerrilla Marketing techniques to use on your Matchbooks!

Here's the tutorial: Matchbook Notebook Promo Cards

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Viral Blog Posts: Humor + Picture

Last Wednesday I shared a blogging formula with you on how to create a good viral post.

Today we'll explore the first item on the list:
Humor + Picture

Of all my blogs (I author or contribute to 8,) the one post that has received (and continues to receive) the most traffic is this:

True Redneck Tube Top!!!!
Originally uploaded by Pam's Inbox

True Redneck Tube Top!!!!

This was taken in front of the Gardendale, Alabama, Walmart while she was going to the Flea market.
This is hysterical! Look at it closely.

Now I ask you...
Who but a redneck... stands and looks at a pair of men's briefs and
says hummmm...I can make a nice summer top from these!!

On the other hand...$6 for a three pack is a good price!!

Unless you're in a unique niche market, showing off upside down underwear with the crotch cut out (and technically this is a tank top, not a tube top) probably won't do squat to help you market your business. BUT - would you like some ideas on how to tweak this so it works for you?

Most of my traffic to the above blog post finds it on the keyword "Redneck tube top" or "True redneck tube top." What keywords are most commonly used to find your site? This is SEO in its most basic form and you can easily use it to your advantage.

With carefully selected keywords in mind, can you think of something business related that is just as funny? Is there a picture that goes with it? Blog about it.

Have you surfed around funny blogs like ebaumsworld, dribbleglass.com, or fail blog? Is there anything there that relates to what you do? Blog about it. (Be careful with your use of images and respect any copyrights that may apply.)

Have you received a viral email related to what you do? Post it to your blog. (That's where the above email came from.)

Try looking through Digg.com or other similar sites to see what's popular in humor right now. Blog about the blog post that's getting all the attention. (Even if you don't use a picture.)

Next Wednesday we'll explore the next viral blog post idea on the list.

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Create your own blog template

Are you bored with the existing blog templates available? Do you have a vision in your head that you want to create yourself?


Just wanted to take a quick moment to tell you about a blog post over at Sweet 'n' Sassy Girls about how to make your own blog design. If you feel so inclined to do so.

Here's the link!

http://www.sweetnsassygirls.com/2009/02/how-to-make-your-own-blog-design.html

I have put it in my sidebar under Blog Bling for future reference.

Cheers!

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++ Breaking News ++

According to BlogBadly.com (and re-posted by one of my mentors, BradBlogging.com) you get more traffic with viral blog posts.

What makes a good viral blog post? According to Max at BlogBadly.com you should try one of these formulas:

• Humor + Image
• Controversy
• Breaking news
• Info + Lists
• Funny Cats
• Cool Trick + Video
• Fun Game
• Outrageous Claims
• Ron Paul

Oooooookay, not sure about Ron Paul, but if you think about any blog post (or email for that matter) that nearly everyone knows about, chances are it uses this formula.

How can you use this as a marketing tool for your business?
We'll explore this every Wednesday over the next month.

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Put Your Shop in Your Pocket

Today I'd like to show you how to put your shop in your pocket for about $11.

No, I'm not kidding.
Yes, I said you can put it in your pocket.

Just upload your pictures to a digital key chain or digital photo frame.

Digital key chains have a picture area of about 1.5" and run from about $8 to about $20.

Put on your thinking cap and imagine the places where this could come in handy...

• In line at the grocery store or post office
• While getting your hair or nails done
• When buying business supplies
• Out with your friends or family - show them what's new
• Any time you're doing some business networking
• Picking up kids from daycare (or school)
• On an airplane
• At a sporting event
• Social Events
• Church

This is useful for any business who relies on visuals.
Can you imagine these kinds of small businesses showing their digital pictures to prospective customers?

• Etsy Shops


• Restauranteurs


• Realtors


• Travel agents/Vacation Planners


• Hairdressers and salons (how about showing off bridal hairstyles)


• Bridal Boutiques


• Retail shops - fashion, home decor, jewelry...


• Antique shops


• Florists


• Interior Decorators


• Faux Painters and Mural Painters


• Auto Dealers


• Auto Detailers


• Dentists - teeth whitening and orthodontia


• Tattoo artists


• Professional Home Stagers


• Landscape Professionals

Another similar idea is to put your images in a digital picture frame. You could set this anywhere, but it may have the biggest impact in these locations:

• Craft Shows
• Waiting rooms
• Home Shows
• In a lobby
• Work out an arrangement with a complimentary business, for example, you could show your bridal floral creations in the bridal gown boutique down the street.

Digital picture frames vary in size, starting at about 7" and their prices start at about $50 and go up from there.

So now I'm sure you're thinking of places where one of these could help you showcase your work. Please comment here with your own ideas!

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OK, I lied.

Over the past two months, I just posted all kinds of guerrilla marketing ideas in a series called 151 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas You Can Use.

I'm sorry to have mislead you with the title. That was not 151 ideas.

The grand total came to 193 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas You Can Use.

Whoops!

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151 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas :: Wholesale

Today's Low-cost, High-impact Marketing Ideas focus on Selling Wholesale.

For the full list of ideas, organized by category, check out this post.

1. As far as some of my larger orders - I actually approached people I know who use large quantities of canes or beads on my own online and bead shops offline. Most of them at least heard me out and I got enough orders written that it's made it profitable over the years. Neither of those are quick fixes though - six months to a year before they start showing results.
   
2. http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/2006/01/wholesale_retai.html
   
3. I priced my products with wholesale in mind from the start and think it's really important to figure out how to do that if you want to make a living from your work
   
4. Also, several customers found me at craft shows
   
5. have made for you custom POS fixtures, and offering a discount when they buy a whole fixture's worth, can be real money makers. Buyers like to get in and out easy, and If you have on display a whole filled fixture, with a price list for the exact items on the fixture, they tend to just buy twice as much
   
6. Wholesale trade shows and trade magazines such as The Gift Shop magazine
   
7. http://qbranchltd.blogspot.com/2008/02/selling-wholesale-part-i.html
   
8. http://www.designspongeonline.com/bizladies
   
9. I found that directly targeting stores myself is too time consuming. That just did not work for me.
   
10. When I first started looking for wholesale accounts, I definitely did some soliciting. I created some line sheets (there are lots of examples out there if you google it) and attached them with a brief note of introduction. It worked surprisingly well, and really got my foot in the door
    
11. Get sales reps! You pay them 15% of the sales, you sit back and listen to the fax ring in your orders, pay them commissions on a monthly basis, on PAID SALES ONLY!
    
12. The first thing you should do is post that you wholesale in your shop announcement. That is the easiest way to start. Most people are looking for a catalog, if you convo me, I'll send you the link to my catalog.

As mentioned in this post, the ideas in this post came from my snippets of ideas saved from Etsy forum posts over the last year. If you provided an idea listed here, please comment and I'll credit the idea to you with a link to your shop, ok?

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151 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas :: Video

Today's Low-cost, High-impact Marketing Ideas focus on Video.

For the full list of ideas, organized by category, check out this post.

1. how about making a video/ commercial on youtube, with the right tags you're guaranteed to get views and visits
   
2. Sell more than handmade items. Use video to sell your story.
   
3. I am actually planning to vlog some craft tutorials to attract some traffic
   
4. If the way your create or sell your product would be at all interesting to watch - create and post Youtube videos about it. Humorous commercials will get you attention here too!
   
5. I've also thought about selling video beadweaving tuts for download.
   
6. You can show people your products and services by posting videos to your website, blog, social networking sites, etc
   
7. There is a website call animoto.com that allows you to upload images to their site, and they have some software that creates the video for you.
   
8. I have done a couple of videos of the things that I make.

As mentioned in this post, the ideas in this post came from my snippets of ideas saved from Etsy forum posts over the last year. If you provided an idea listed here, please comment and I'll credit the idea to you with a link to your shop, ok?

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