I could use some marketing advice!

[jenbond]

I have a work at home business where I sell things. I could use some advice on how to get my name out and get more business.
I do have a facebook page so I have a small start.
Any suggestions are appreciate.
Jen

[Dugsmom]

The first thing you should do (on this site and every other site that allows it) is to add a signature line with a link to your FB page/online shop. I click on links ALL the time and have purchased items from etsy (from members on this site whose links I clicked on and liked what they created).
This is a very cheap (FREE) and easy way to get your name out there. Of course, you have to be active on the site...the more advice you give (make sure it's meaningful and not just a word or two just to get your name out there) or questions you ask, the more people will see your signature/link.

[BLESS]

Facebook is definitely a good start. Do you have an Instagram as well? It may be worth it to start one if you haven't. You can put up pics of your items and random "regular" pics as well. The main thing is giving yourself maximum exposure at the least expensive cost until you grow. What type of products do you make? It may also be worth it to join the different FB groups where there's some relevance. Oh and if you haven't already done this...add your FB Page to your personal FB Profile so that under "jobs" it shows your FB page as a link and people can click on it.

[Stephanie Lintz]

Pinterest might help, too. I read that if you have a Pinterest business page you should have a ton of other, interesting pins.....more than your own product, to drag people in. I did a little friendly spying on a couple direct sales people's Pinterest (who I knew were successful in their companies) and their Pinterest did follow that formula.

[Catherine L]

What you need is targeted traffic.

A few suggestions to get you going:

1. Niche Forums
2. FB, Twitter, G+
3. Buy Mailing List Blasts
4. Setup & Grow Your Own List
5. Pinterest

[jenbond]

Thank you everyone!

[Stephanie Lintz]

Where do you buy mailing list blasts and how much do they run? This is e-mail correct? I hardly glance at unfamiliar e-mail, can it really be effective?

Thanks!
Stephanie

[VictoriaCavallo]

First you want to get clear on who is in you target market - your ideal customer - so you can then make a list of all the places they hang out online.

Some places you might find them (I don't know what your market is);
Facebook (use your profile and fan page)
Google plus
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
LinkedIn (if your product is for professionals, businesses)
Forums...like this :-)
They're the main ones but there are others.

You can also create a blog (again targeting the content to your target market), and do some SEO to get your blog articles ranked on Google for your keywords.

Starting out I would definitely suggest basic blogging, Facebook & Google+ and start building an email list.

[Marci Miller]

Originally Posted by jenbond

I have a work at home business where I sell things. I could use some advice on how to get my name out and get more business.
I do have a facebook page so I have a small start.
Any suggestions are appreciate.
Jen

I agree with instagram...and FB is great, but you could also do small inexpensive "promote a post" on there to increase your likes and traffic. Also, you could join FB groups.

Sorry if I missed it and it was already mentioned, but have you considered online classifieds like Cragislist, OODLE and OLX?

How about small button ads on niche websites...it can be as inexpensive as $15 to $20 a mo. Just make sure and check the site's traffic first on Alexa.com

Also, small newspaper ads might help and also don't overlook free ads on online newspapers...hope this might help!

[mwldream]

For me when I am starting the first thing I do is:

set up a blog
set up social media channels

Start adding daily content on my blog
Interact daily on social media

Then after about a month

video marketing and putting videos on You Tube
forum commenting

And then rinse and repeat. With you having products to sell Pinterest is very good for this.