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Next Month's Article will be on independent sales reps Click here to email if you'd like to be interviewed for that article.

No Money (Down) Advertising

author:  Sandy Paluzzi 
       The Bead Peddler ®

Everyone knows that advertising pays for itself.  Still not everyone has the money to invest in the advertising up front.  Even those who do have the money to pay for advertising are usually glad to receive some with no cash outlay.  After all, the roi (return on investment) is great if you have zero financial investment. 

Sometimes you will invest time in gaining free advertising. Many people who sell on the web have pages for reciprocal links.  The brick and mortar equivalent  of reciprocal links would be to cross advertise with another  craftsperson or with a storefront.  Simply hand out each other's flyers to your existing customers.  Imagine how effective it would be for someone who beads wedding favors to cross advertise with a florist.  Website owners can  also request links on sites that pertain to beading and/or crafts. 

While the above mentioned techniques are the most common forms of free advertising, they are not the only means.  Those who sell on the web can also write articles for publication and/or be interviewed for articles.  Those sellers who have been interviewed by The Beading Times report they get approximately 100 visitors from an article that appears for one month.  People who sell their goods locally can likewise write an article for publication in their local newspaper.  While most people who live in urban areas are not going to be published in a metro newspaper, they can easily be included in their neighborhood paper.  Press releases announcing the start of a new business are good especially if the entrepreneur can come up with a special angle.  For example, those beaders who do children's parties could write an article entitled 'New Twist For Children's Birthday Parties'. If the paper is not inclined to print an article that is that specific, the author can write an article on 'Different Themes For Birthday Parties'.  Said article could include three or four different party options, including the bead parties the author throws.  Informational contact info could be provided in the article.

In addition to totally free advertising, there  are no money down advertising options.  Charitable organization's fundraisers are great opportunities.  I sell beads on the internet.  A state wide aquarium society asked me to donate fish beads to their annual auction.  In return for my beads, I received advertising in their newsletter which is distributed on a national level.  I also received a link on their well trafficked website.  Great deal for both The Bead Peddler® and the aquarium society. 

Not all fundraisers are auctions.  Holliday Smith of JoolSupplies.com sells beads and other jewelry making supplies on the internet.  She has also assembled a line of beaded jewelry that she sells at local hospital fundraisers.  The hospitals allow her to come into their building to display her merchandise  and sell for a day.  They advertise the fundraiser both internally and externally in their community.  The hospital also assumes responsibility for collecting money for the sales which frees Holli up to show the goods and chat with the customers.  At the end of the benefit,  Holli receives a percentage of the gross sales, typically 70-90%.  Holli has said that some fundraisers result in sales of 5000.00. 

Next month's marketing article will discuss independent sales reps, yet another way to achieve no money down advertising.

Is there an aspect  of marketing that you'd like to see discussed?  
Would you like to share some of your marketing knowledge with other beaders?  Click here to email your questions or article proposals

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