Advertise with a Blog

One great way to advertise your business is with a blog. Providers like the one I use (blogspot.com) are free & easy to use. A Stampin' Up demonstrator that I know has been using one for a while & I get periodic updates from the blog to show me what she's posted that's new. She posts pictures of projects that she makes with her products, which shows off the products & makes you want to buy!



I've recently started a blog for my direct sales business as well & will be posting things that have to do with the company, ways to use the products, tips, etc. Using http://www.blitzfeed.com/, a weekly blog update will be sent to all subscribers (which is what I use for this site as well), so that my e-mail goes to those true fans of the products. No matter what your business is, there's probably some kind of useful tips that you could share through a blog, such as: decorating tips, recipes, project ideas, health tips, display ideas, etc.

Did you lose your horse?

This is the title of an article that I read today from a blog I subscribe to. Its one I enjoy and thought the message was a good one to pass along: http://48daysblog.wordpress.com/

Vista Print -- FREE business supplies!

Vista Print is one of my favorite resources to recommend! They have great deals going on ALL the time where they'll offer you things for FREE & at deep discounts. Some of my favorite things that I've gotten to promote my business include: free business cards, free thank you cards, free t-shirts, free address labels, free stamps, and free business card magnets!

If you haven't checked them out before, give them a try. They do beautiful work!
http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=312237203743

Custom Calendar for direct sales

I've tried so hard to find a calendar that would help me stay better organized & have finally decided to create my own! At this point, its just a simple excel spreadsheet that should print 2 calendar pages per piece of paper but I'd love to expand it into more. If you'd like to try out what I have so far & give some feedback on what works & what doesn't work, let me know. I'll e-mail you the file & you can give it a try!

Just e-mail me at kim@candlepartyconcepts.com with a subject of: I'll try out the calendar (or something like that!)

Using "Evites"

Evites are a great way to get in touch with people to let them know about events & to keep an rsvp tally all in one spot. They may even be a good way for your host to invite her friends to her party, but in order for your evite to be most effective, I recommend:

1. Make a phone call reminder the day before the party to remind all those who rsvp'd with a "yes" or "maybe".

2. Be sure to call all those who either didn't open the evite or didn't rsvp; either they never saw the e-mail or have forgotten to respond & need a reminder!

3. Call all those who respond with a "no" or don't show up after responding "yes" or "maybe" to see if they would like to order, even though they weren't able to attend.

Without good follow up calls, it is so easy for people to fall through the cracks with an evite, since many people don't even open their e-mail on a regular basis or may not have received the e-mail.