Online Marketing: Market Your Scrapbook Company Online

Promoting any new business can be difficult. A great place to start is the internet- where you can spread the word to more people, quickly. The best part? Most of it is free! Here are 5 steps to promoting yourself in cyber world:

1. Have a Website, and make it good.
This is the not-free part, but it’s the most important step of marketing online. There are many options for an affordable website- you can have a great, simple site for under twenty dollars a month and expand when necessary.

What’s a good website? Just make sure it expresses your company at its best. Some general rules: 

* Pick a good domain name. Are people more likely to remember www.sally&scrapbooks2343.com or www.sallyscrapbooks.com? 

*Clarity is key. Take a good look at your site. Can you read everything without squinting? Does it look disorganized or jumbled? Are there too many fonts? Look at the first thing that jumps out at you. Is that the first thing you want a viewer to notice? Have at least three people take a look and give you some feedback. 

*Got style? You want your site to be clear- but you don’t want it to be boring. After all, you’re not boring! Play around with the layout. Put in some pictures. Some color. Think about the your favorite websites and why they are your favorite. 

*Stand out. Think about your business- why is it special? Maybe you’ve got a great story as to why you started it. Maybe you’ve got a unique perspective on scrap booking. Maybe you are just great at what you do. Show it! Express yourself, and your company, through your website.

2. Spread the Word.
Here’s where networking meets self promotion. Check the web for scrap booking groups and forums (scrap booking.com and scrapjazz.com both have message boards). Log into these sites and check out the message boards. There are usually many messages asking for advice in scrap booking, tips, etc. Here’s where you come in. Give your advice; give tips, feedback, conversation, just get out there! And at the bottom of every message, provide a link to your website.