Low Budget Advertising

As we've stated in last blog entries, it's vital to advertise online for small business success. But let's face it; we can't simply afford all the advertising that is out there. So how does a small business achieve a great online presence? Well, it's funny because not only small businesses should take the following into account, but the larger, more established businesses as well. Heck, one could even hire someone for such a presence with all the possibilities that are out there today.

Below is a list of quite a few sites every business should consider in their online media plan. Starting with social networking sites and ending with classifieds. Some of these sites may take higher priority to others listed depending on your target market and niche. The possibilities are endless here. Be sure to join and comment on forums and groups specific to your niche that may not be listed below. There are many other smaller localized sites to look into as well. It may seem overwhelming at first but the key is to pick your target and diversify, so you're not putting all your eggs in one basket, or in one online medium.

This has been a work in progress. Please feel free to contact us to include sites you feel we've missed out on. Our team will review for inclusion in another post.

Short Cuts to the GSS List of Coolest Sites to be Seen On!

	Myspace  A place for friends.
	Facebook  Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you.
	Ladies Who Launch  Network for lady entreprenuers, business magazine, & more.
	Flickr  Share your photos. Watch the world.
	WomanOwned  Small business networks & resources for women in business.
	Viewpoints  Find reviews from people like you.
	Plaxo  Stay in touch with the people you care about.
	Indiepublic  Indie Community. If you're an artist, designer, retailer, we've saved a seat for you.
	Stuffable  Where cool people come to show off cool stuff.
	Epinions  Unbiased reviews by real people.
	Squidoo  Share your knowledge and passion with the world.
	BzzAgent  We are the leading word-of-mouth media network.

	StubbleUpon  Discovers web sites based on your interests.
	Digg  Discover the best of the web.
	Wists  Shareable image bookmarks for any page on the web.
	Ma.gnolia  Discover, share and discuss the best of the web.
	Del.icio.us  Bookmark things for yourself and friends
	Google Shared Stuff  Easily share any webpage with your friends.

	Kaboodle  Have fun shopping with friends, share and discover new products.
	ThisNext  Recommend, share and discover great products.
	StyleHive  Connecting stylish people.
	StyleFeeder  StyleFeeder discovers products for you based on your unique tastes.
	Wishpot  Makes it easy for you to shop anywhere, keep all your finds in one place, & connect.
	Zebo  Where friends help you get cool stuff.
	Woot!  An online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap.
	Buzzillions  Unbiased product reviews from actual buyers.
	Crowdstorm  Expert product reviews.
	Pronto  Get recommendations, compare & buy at the lowest prices.
	ShopStyle  Feed your fashion habit. All the stores you love. All in one place.
	Shoppero  Recommend. Discover. Make Money.
	Osoyou  Stare. Shop. Share.
	I Like Totally Love It  Products you didn't know you wanted but suddenly, like, totally need.
	BoxedUp  Organise your internet shopping and make it more fun with boxedup.
	AgentB  a place for you to find and share great deals from across the Internet.
	No More Notebooks  Social Shopping has come Online. Create. Compare. Recommend. Discover.
	BunnyBot  Instant messaging, instant shopping feedback, instant fun.
	Desiresin  Add, share, rank, and find social shopping bookmarks.
	Product Wiki  Unbiased product reviews and information.

	Girl Shop Spot  A girl's best friend. Shop. Discover. Meet. Sell. (pay-for-performance, coming soon)
	Mintd  Shop, buy & sell independent goods. (% of sales)
	eBay  New & used goods at low prices. (% of sales)
	Yahoo! Local  Find businesses and Services near you.
	Merchant Circle  Find new customers.
	Google Maps  When potential customers search Maps for local information, they'll find your business.
	Yellow Pages  Reach new customers with yellowpages.com.
	Smashing Darling  Leading the Indie Fashion Revolution. (% of sales)
	HGTV Marketplace  It's Shopping on HGTV. (pay-per-click)
	eBay  New & used goods at low prices.
	Beautiful Shops  Women entrepreneurs find success & happiness with online shops.
	Etsy  All things handmade. (% of sales)
	PriceGrabber  Comparison shopping, online shopping, product reviews. (pay-per-click)
	Google Adwords  Grow your business with Google. (pay-per-click)
	Amazon  Online shopping for electronics, apparel, computers, books, & more. (cost-per-click)
	Gifts  Wedding gifts, anniversary gifts, gift baskets, gift cards. (cost-per-click)
	The Rose Bridge  Fine boutiques at home & abroad.
	Find Gift  Find unique gift ideas & creative gifts. (pay-per-click)
	Google Product Search  Search for stuff to buy.
	Shopzilla  Comparison shopping online. (cost-per-click)
	MyStore  Buy or sell online for free.
	Like  Shop visually for shoes, handbags, and more.
	WahmsShoppes  Created to offer mothers in business an affordable eCommerce solution.
	Shopping  Online shopping, price comparison, product reviews. (cost-per-click)
	BizRate  Price comparisons & product reviews. (cost-per-click)
	Become  Compare prices & research products. (pay-per-click)
	Crafster  Crafting community, including craft forums about knitting, crochet, sewing and more.

	Plurk  Plurk is a social journal for your life.
	Twitter  What are you doing?
	Posterous  The place to post everything.
	Virb  Put all the things that make you you - in one place.

	Craigslist  Craigslists classifieds.
	Posteroo  Post your classified ads.
	HappyHippie  Eco-friendly retail direcectory.
	Oodle  Online classifieds - cars, homes, jobs, pets, & more.
	Pikaba  Community marketplace, online merchant network.
	CMather  Classified advertising for your products and services.

After reading countless articles on recession and the economy, I decided it was time to write my thoughts about how I see the small business surviving. If any business can, shouldn't it be yours? Because so many large corporations are making cuts, laying off employees, and finding ways to survive by cutting the obvious, small companies can first take a look at the whole picture and then determine what steps are needed to move forward. I intend in helping you by writing this entry.

What do people do when there's a fire in the building? Run to the nearest exit. Since we can't escape a recession, how do we put out the fire? We can first help the situation by working to not add to the fire. If you take a look at past recessions, there is always a cause and effect of each. For instance, take the housing bubble. The last 5 years we were all chasing the American dream, buying homes, refinancing, and getting home equity loans because it was the thing to do, adding to the fire. Rates were low and demand was high because everyone wanted a larger piece of the pie. Now, everyone is feeling the pinch, of less home equity, credit card debt, and increase in gas and electric bills. Not to mention, costs of putting your children through school. So how will all this help my business? By taking a look at the cycles of a boom, recognizing signs of a fire, and keeping it at bay before one starts. Since we already have been alarmed of a recession, we need to keep business losses at bay by not running towards the exit door.

Are you ready for the good news? Despite all the talk of spending lows, recession, retail gloom, we can still keep our businesses afloat. You as a small business owner can re-assess a business plan, advertising, and pick up where corporations have left, making their cut back your gain. For a little extra confidence booster, try this. According to eMarketers, Multi-Channel Retailing report, who analyzes the features that contribute to making online product research an essential driver of offline retail sales. "Any retailer who isn't using the online channel to promote offline sales-as well as online sales-is missing a huge opportunity. In 2007, eMarketer estimated that store sales influenced by online research totaled $471 billion. Comparatively, retail e-commerce sales were $136 billion. Another way to look at it is that for every $1 in online sales, the Internet influenced $3.45 of store sales." So as a Girl Shop Spot advertiser you are ahead of the curve.

These are my suggestions in keeping the fire out at your shop:

1)  Whether you're a merchant online or off, it is vital to take advantage of online ads to promote spending. Advertise and promote your business on niche specific sites, where a click is a legitimate lead versus a browser.
2)  Try not to make advertising cuts, just be more selective and re-assess campaign possibilities. For example, everyone has headed for the exit signs on Google and Yahoo Ads. This makes it much more affordable and easier to reach your customers with all your competitors at bay. Try buying low cost ads on certain search engines and popular search sites that will help drive traffic.
3)  Negotiate for better rates in advertising. Since many have left the building, the opportunities should be endless here. Also, barter with like sites and businesses that can both benefit from the exposure.
4)  Support Commerce by Community. When you shop and spend, make sure to support your GSS Community. Shop with them when the opportunity presents itself.
5)  Participate in Co-Op Marketing and partner with a business that compliments yours for promotions, contests, and ads.
6)  Increase advertising budget if you can. By increasing your budget, your impressions increase, and with less noise, your impressions denote more bang for your advertising dollar.
7)  Create more than one way of purchase. If you're only an online merchant, find other sites that link directly to buy from you or that you can sell through. If you are a small business that doesn't have means to sell online, find other ways to achieve e-commerce. GirlShopSpot.com will soon be providing an e-commerce solution for you, at very minimal cost.

Whatever you do, don't get discouraged. Have faith and don't be afraid to ask for help from a friend, your community, and the one above. When this is all over, the ones who fought will stand strong, while the rest begin to run for the next big thing or exit sign. Consuming yourself in these things only keeps you from your main goal, success.

There are two key reasons to advertise:

1) To reach people who are in need/want of your product/service right now
2) To reach people who will be in need/want of your product/service in the future

The best argument for advertising and the question to ask yourself is this: How else will buyers find me?

How long it takes for your advertising to work depends upon:

  Desirability of your product/service
  The size of the market for your product/service
  Competition in your market
  Your pricing
  Your credibility
  The economy
  Whether your product/service is considered a necessity or a luxury
  How visible you are in the marketplace

What advertising should I use? The answer to this question depends upon the following:

  Who your target buyers are and how they buy (length of sales cycle is important to know)
  What your business and sales goals are
  How close you are to your prospective buyers
  The size of your advertising budget
  How well you can meet demand for your product/service
        Your manufacturing process and distribution channels for products
        Your labor resources for services

Advertising examples:

  Web-based advertising including shopping sites like Girl Shop Spot, online directories, Pay-per-lead/click, Affiliate Advertising, sponsored listings, blogs, and much more
  Mobile advertising via cell phones, iPods, and more
  Print ads in magazines, newspapers, phone directories, catalogs
  Direct mail like postcards, brochures, and letters
  Outdoor ads like billboards, banners, taxi toppers, and other signage

Quick Reference Notes from Gerard J. Tellis, Ph.D., from Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How, and Why Advertising Works

  Advertising's effects are not instantaneous. Consumers take time to absorb (and trust) messages that interest them...consumers often are not motivated to make a purchase until they have a need for that item.
  Advertising is a subtle force. Research shows that, on average, sales increase 0.1% for every 1% increase in advertising spending...The point is that advertising has to be carefully planned and executed over an extended period of time.