Marketing List

I came across a great list of marketing ideas over at Rose Works Jewelry that got me thinking about the marketing things I do. Check out her list, then come back to read about things I've tried and what I think I'll try next. From her etsy list, I have talked in the forums and joined teams. I've only created one treasury - I'd like to do more, but I don't have time to wait for them to become available most days, so I have to get pretty lucky with timing. I haven't done a lot of listing and relisting either, though I do try to time when I list new items to busy times of day when there might be more people online browsing. From her advertising sites, I've used Project Wonderful (and I accept these ads on my blog) and Entrecard. I love both of them. I haven't really used Craigslist, but it's probably worth looking into. I don't plan on using ebay, ever. I've joined many of the networking sites she lists (see my networking page - the page links are up at the top) and I probably could to more with them, but it comes down to time. At the moment, twitter is the one I'm using the most. In the list of random techniques, one that I haven't tried that I probably should is including my link in forum signatures for non-etsy forums. A newsletter is another option that is probably effective, but I do worry about people thinking it's spam. The other ideas in that section are things I already do. Blogging - well, yeah. :) And the off-line section - I have business cards, which I think are lovely, and sometimes I remember to hand them out (but I should be better about that). Before my son was born, I wore my jewelry every single day, and often got comments that led to me talking about my business. I've had to temporarily put that on hold because I don't like having earrings pulled on. I do sell in local galleries, and have sold in a couple of boutiques. I've also donated items for charity auctions and other events. I may try buttons or magnets at some point, but I have a more relevant promo item I give away, which is sample-sized jewelry polishing cloths that I package in little baggies with a sticker that has my website info on it. One thing that isn't on the list that I've been meaning to do is drop off business cards at local businesses, such as coffee shops, that have a community bulletin board or other space for local businesses to leave cards or flyers. Although it's true that you can reach a global audience through blogging, I believe that getting really known locally is something that would really help my business take off. To that end, I have work in two local galleries, and I have plans for more local promotions and marketing. We'll see how it goes! I'd love to hear about your marketing, what has worked, and what you are thinking about trying.