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Part I: So You Say You're a Stay at Home Mom with a
Home Business?
So you've decided to take a huge leap and become a stay at home mom, but you've also decided to start your own business. You've decided that taking on the daunting task of juggling kids, a household, and a business from home is for you. You've thought it through; you've selected your business, set up your work area, made your "Do Not Disturb" sign and even planned the first year. Now, how do you begin marketing?
In this first article of a three part series, I will address how to begin marketing yourself and your business. These three steps are so basic, that you may have overlooked them. At first, many people do. They want to become business moguls before even setting a good foundation for their business. Although it is a great aspiration to have, and always dream big, without the right foundation for your business, you will be part of the 98% of first-year failures.
The first step in getting your name out there is neither a web site nor a bricks and mortar retail/office space. The first step in getting your name out there is to make sure you have a market for it. Today, the Internet is a great tool to market your services or products, but its not the magic ingredient. Putting up a web site will not make you an overnight success. Think about this. There are millions of pages Worldwide (web) with tons of information. How is Sammy in Britain going to find your page as soon as you put it up?
It takes a lot of work to generate traffic and repeat clients. Therefore, make sure that you have a viable business that you can market in your own town, city or block.
Take advantage of your hometown. Put up flyers, posters, and advertise in your place of worship. Most churches have monthly newsletters that allows for advertisements in the back flap. Ask if you can leave business cards at your local bakery, hair salon, grocery store, or even post office.
But most of all, don't forget word of mouth. Have your friends tell everyone they know. You tell everyone you know. Give them all a handful of business cards to pass along to people they know. How many times have you not gone to a friends favorite "insert
favorite here." Be it their favorite hairstylist, seamstress, or even bakery for the kids birthday cake: You have fallen prey to a word of mouth referral. It is one of the best ways to advertise.
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