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Friday, August 24, 2012

Creative (and Free!) Marketing Ideas

I've already talked about one free way to promote your business. If you are a small business with a tight budget, bartering (especially with other small businesses) is an excellent way to gain exposure.

You can barter items for professional photography. Professional photos of your clothing with models of different ages can help sell your items. The photographer gets free items for her kids and exposure for her business, and you get beautiful, professional pictures of her items.

If you sell accessories that would make good photography props (tutus, diaper covers, baby hats or cocoons), make a deal with photographers. You can supply them with some photo props in exchange for professional photos of your items. You would also be promoting their photography business when you put their pics in your listings, and they can keep a stack of your business cards on hand in case any of their clients want to purchase your cute accessories.

Business card/Promotional Materials Swap- You can swap promotional materials with other businesses who sell different items to your desired market to include in customer packaging. For example, if you sell children's clothing, you could swap with somebody who sells children's shoes, decor or toys.

Blogging- If you have a blog, you can swap blog features with another shop. There are lots of bloggers who are looking for people/shops to write about.

Giveaways- I don't recommend participating in online giveaways, but sponsoring giveaways at fundraisers or events is a great way to gain exposure. Just make sure the event will be attended by people in your target market.

Teams- Etsy has teams that work together to promote each other. I've posted before about EtsyKids. You can see more Etsy Teams here.

I hope these are helpful! Let me know if you have any other free marketing ideas!

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