Who wants more media coverage, more website page views, bigger mailing list, more Facebook Fans and more Twitter followers?  I know I do and assume you do too!  If you had a chance to listen to my interview a few weeks ago with Megan from Blogger Black Book, you might already be on the blog review bandwagon….. looking for those lucky reviewers who get to sample your products and write a review for you.   Finding the "right" reviewers for your line can be a tedious job but if you google blogs and take the time to go down the rabbit holes and see who they like and so on…….you can build yourself a mighty fine and valuable list. 

I reached out to my Entreprenette Experts and asked them to give us some of their favorite blog that do reviews so you can check them out an add them to your list.

Some of my top favs that weren't mentioned below are:

http://www.stylecaster.com
http://mommyandmegiveaways.com
http://coolmompicks.com/
http://www.purseblog.com/

http://www.refinery29.com/

Love to know your favs too!

1. Power Mom Bloggers Rule!

Best blogs for reviews: When working with Mom Bloggers, I like to check out their stats. I use a combination of their Alexa ranking, Twitter followers and Facebook fans to decide if the fit is right! I love all of the mom bloggers that I have worked with in the past. At the moment, I am working with:

Mom Spark
A Mom's Take
Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous
Social Media Junkie
Homegrown Families

Thanks to: Christy Cook of Teach My.

2. Two tools sites with cool stuf

Best blogs for reviews: I check Cool Tools and Wirecutters in my RSS feed everyday, knowing that each could have useful or interesting things. Cool Tools defines "tools" broadly and recommends the best and cheapest items. Its writers review only items that they have used themselves and that they can rave about. Cool Tools provides links for purchase.

Wirecutter covers consumer electronics & gadgets. It is written by gadget experts whose research allows them to say that something is "best."

Thanks to: Susan Gainen of nanoscapes small friends.

3. Savvy Mom On Call

Best blogs for reviews: As a mother of five and Mom'Preneur, I am always perusing product reviews blogs. A favorite of mine is Savvy Mom On Call. They post excellent product reviews that are helpful for parents and expecting moms. They award products with their “Baby Planner Seal of Approval” which lets parents know what products and services are good to use to help with a new baby. Savvy Mom On Call is also an excellent resource to help promote your baby product or service.

Thanks to: Karen Barski of KB Designs/Woombie/Mod'Swad.

4. It's a bird...a plane....

Best blogs for reviews: NO! It's a SUPER reviewer!!

www.thebabybottomline.com
www.adventuresofathriftymommy.blogspot.com

Thanks to: Kelly Kinney of PowerCapes.

5. Simply On Trarget!

Best blogs for reviews: http://simplystacie.net Google PR 4 Ranking
Alexa Traffic Rank: 9,962 Page Hits per month: +118,000
Monthly Unique Visitors: +46,000 Blog Followers: +10,500
Facebook Fans: 15,751 Twitter Followers: +24,600
simplystacieblog@gmail.com

Thanks to: Maureen Ruble of Simply Stacie.

6. For fashionistas and creatives

Best blogs for reviews: Our favorites are createdbychicks.com and Cheapchicas.com

Thanks to: Alma Steger of Untitled Advertising & PR.

7. Healthy Lifestyle Review Blog

Best blogs for reviews: Looking for a blog to review healthy lifestyle products? Check out http://livinghealthystuff.com/. Submit your pitches and press releases to the email address published on the site's advertising page.

Thanks to: Mary White of MTI Business Solutions.

8. Product Reviews for Parents

Best blogs for reviews: DadDoes.Com has become a destination site for parents looking for brutally honest, informative and fun reviews. The site spends weeks testing out products and provides honest reviews, with videos for busy Moms and Dads. Dad Does believes that parents care about more than just diapers and strollers-they don't stop eating, drinking and playing just because they become parents. Parents do see things through a different lens and Dad Does provides reviews on everything, through that parent lens.

Thanks to: Dan Nessel of Dad Does .

9. Honest Reviews From a Mom

Best blogs for reviews: I follow Inspired by Savannah, which offers product reviews and giveaways, in additional to spotlight weekly mom entrepreneurs and their products/services. This mom writes honest and thorough reviews and you can tell she actually tries out each and every product she features on her site.

Thanks to: Enrique Ramirez of Inspired by Savannah.

10. Review for yourself!

Best blogs for reviews: It's my firm belief that in order to properly review a product, a blogger must review it for themselves first. That may seem like a no-brainer to some, but many bloggers use outside services that will pay them for a 'on a whim' review. This is unethical! Bloggers who review are like reporters looking for all sides to a story. I prefer bloggers who test the product out and provide negative AND positive reactions, since you'll never find a product that's 100% satisfactory. Honesty is respect.

Thanks to: Zlata Faerman of I Have Zlata Thoughts and ZlataPR.

11. Favorite Mom/Entrepreneur blog

Best blogs for reviews: Simple Mom, is one of the top 5 blogs that I actually read when I receive an email from them. The articles are written by many inspirational women, and they address various topics from packing lightly, home schooling, balancing work and personal life. They also do my favorite product reviews.
http://simplemom.net
http://simplekid.net

Thanks to: Elizabeth Del Rosario-Baker of WOMB Lifestyle.

12. Best Objective Product Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: Money Crashers is an awesome site that reviews a wide variety of products, including baby products, beauty products and recipes, meal-planning services, couponing tools, flight and travel products, smartphone apps, and online financial tools. Everything reviewed on the site has been used by its team, as they do not promote anything that they would not recommend. It's a refreshing set of objective reviews that serve as useful tools for those trying to decide how best to spend their money.

Thanks to: Andrew Schrage of Money Crashers.

13. Best Blog Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: 1. Love From The Oven - www.lovefromtheoven.com

2. Goodies For Gifts - www.goodiesforgifts.com

Thanks to: Kim Celano of KC Bakes.

14. Best Baby Blog!

Best blogs for reviews: One fantastic blog that does reviews on baby and toddler products is www.Ratedbymom.com. This site is the ultimate guide for any new parent who is looking for the most up to date products for their newborns. You cannot just trust word-of-mouth for every product you are going to purchase. Having a legitimate source for truthful reviews and articles is key to finding the latest and greatest products for the new members of your family.

Thanks to: Ian Aronovich of GovernmentAuctions.org.

15. Cruelty-free Beauty is Best!

Best blogs for reviews: My Beauty Bunny is one of my favorite blogs. They focus on cruelty free skin and hair products with great reviews and giveaways. The main blogger is super stylish, animal-loving Jen Mathews who writes honest and informative reviews!

http://www.mybeautybunny.com/

Thanks to: B. Bell of beatrixbell handcrafted jewelry.

16. Blogs on the Rocks

Best blogs for reviews: . http://cupcakesandcashmere.com: must-read if you're interested in fashion, home decorating, and cooking. Emily pulls many cute & innovating ideas, and makes it easy and quick to read
. http://womenonthefence.com: for all Women On The Fence in life, in love, and at work.. Erica helps them GET OFF THE FENCE and start living
. http://pinterest.com: the Place to Go to for consumer product reviews/ideas for babies, women, men, home, cute DIY concepts etc. Follow me http://pinterest.com/livejulie

Thanks to: Julie CROS of Post Planner.

17. AnyLuckyDay Product Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: AnyLuckyDay has been doing product reviews and giveaways since January 2009. Each day they feature a new company and product. They have an engaging video each day with a product overview, and then they giveaway the product in a random drawing at the end of the day. They've featured everything from jewelry, to clothing, to food, to electronics, to other quirky gadgets and gizmos.

Thanks to: Giancarlo Massaro of AnyLuckyDay, LLC.

18. How To Create A Smoky Eye

Best blogs for reviews: Everyone wants to perfect their holiday makeup look, simply and with panache. If you’re going for an intense smoky eye, you only need these three (3) beauty products: black liquid liner/waxy black eye pencil, lengthening mascara and false lashes. Darker shadows tends to hide your lashes, but the false ones will really make your eyes pop, whether they are blue, brown, green, hazel or somewhere in between! Adding a dark coal color in the crease of the eyes will make for a dramatic statement!

Thanks to: Emilie Yount of Fit&Fab Living.

19. Mom Bloggers Know Products!

Best blogs for reviews: These mom bloggers stand out for their awesome product reviews. We love Rave and Review for her innovative, thoughtful product reviews which always include amazing images. We love Reviewed by Mom for her always making sure she includes details any potential buyer would need to know. We love The Modern Mama for being super sweet, engaging and from the heart. We love In R Dream for her passion in sharing her 2 cents. We love Mama Ash for being the “mom in the know” for everything parenting.

Thanks to: Janine Streiter of Parent Tested, Parent Approved.

20. Unbiased Supplement Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: I write honest, science based reviews on dietary supplements. If it's on TV, radio, the web or in magazines I review it.

When a product has no research I dissect each ingredient and link to the actual scientific evidence for / against the ingredient so people can judge for themselves if a supplement is worth it or not.

Thanks to: Joe Cannon.

OMG are you as confused as I am at times with blog reviewers and if they are a good idea or not?  I just had to have a chat with my friend Megan over at Blogger Black Book and ask her to share her insider info with me (us) on how to best use bloggers to promote your brand.  As usual, Megan comes through with awesome info on how to find the right bloggers for your brand, how many to work with at a time, and how to get a blogger marketing strategy in place.  The most important thing, is to be clear with your objectives for having the blogger review your product – it is to drive FB fans, build your mailing list or direct sales to a certain retailer…….whatever the objective, be sure they are aware and can fulfill your requirements.  The other big take away for me was a great reminder – that the blogger must mirror your target market in order to be successful in reaching them!  Don't forget to register your blog for FREE at Blogger Black Book.

Megan is generously offering a 50% discount on her Blogger Black Book year long subscription for only $750 to get her monthly updated lists of bloggers.  Or, if you want to get her one-time download today, it's only $500.  Email Megan directly and be sure to mention ENTREPRENETTE for the discount.

As the end of the year rapidly approaches for everyone, I know us product minded people are scrambling to make it the best quarter of the year, and some rely on 4Q sales to make their entire year!  My mind has been working overtime these days coming up with some out-of-the-box ideas for my clients and myself as I'm sure you are too. 

I want to share a few ideas that I have for you along with my Entreprenette Experts who offer some great tips too!  I'd love to hear your ideas too, so please share them in the comments so we can all have a great 2011 and encourage each other.

On-Line offers: I like to create a rush to purchase during the holiday season.  One thing I find to work well year after year, is to offer a different item on sale each day from Black Friday until Christmas.  If you don't carry enough items to cover that many days, you can make up different offers like 2 for 1 or buy one get 50% off on something else…. be creative and cross promote your own products.  You can even find other lines that compliment yours and offer something from theirs, and they from yours – gives you more exposure.

Wholesale Sales:  While stores are offering their own buying incentives to their retail customers, it's a good idea to find ways to entice buyers on your end to help them sell more of your products.   You might offer free shipping with a minimum order, offer a free extra item if the order is over a certain dollar amount, find an inexpensive promotional item that you can include for free with large orders.  If you are feeling really confident, offer a money back guarantee on orders placed by 10/31.

Trunk Shows:  Pick a cool store in your neighborhood and offer to do a trunk show.  Engage the surrounding stores and restaurants in participating as well with raffles, give-a-ways and special offers the same evening making it into your own "Fashion night out".

Home Parties: Everyone wants to give to charity especially at the end of the year.  If you can find a person with a nice big home who has lots of friends (hopefully wealthy ones),  and is passionate about a specific charity, offer to do a sale at their home and donate a percentage to their charity of choice.  They invite their circle, the charity will usually help promote it, and you can invite your list too.  Everyone wins!  This is also a great way to get rid of old samples and slightly damaged seconds……make a basket (or table) of the discounted stuff and watch it fly out the door at super low prices.

Have fun and good luck!

Clearly I am on a BIG sales kick right now to help you come up with as many ideas as possible to raise your sales RIGHT NOW!  We need to get your customers to open their wallets!  I reached out to my Entreprenette Experts to get some innovative and different ideas for you to try right now.

One other fun tip that a friend is doing now (and said I can share it with you all) is to offer a % off that matches the count down to Christmas.  So if you want to start today December 1st, there are 25 days left……today's sale would be 25% off, tomorrow 24% off and so on down the line……… this is a way to create a buying frenzy to get your customers clamoring for the items at the highest discount.  Post this on FB and email to your mailing list right now!

Hope you find some good ideas from my Experts here – let me know your favorites and what you try out and the results!

Let’s be real – we all want to make as much money as possible each year, yet as we get closer to shutting down for the holidays, we sometimes just get into “shut down” mode a little too quickly!

Let’s change that this year and take a vow together, to make the MOST of the last two weeks of every year and to think outside “outside the box” to make as much money as we can…..because we can!

Here are some ideas that we are using to generate more sales in both of my companies, Simply Sarah and Entreprenette.  Jump on board and let’s end in a BIG way this year.  Obviously, a lot of people are done with their shopping by now, and on their way out mentally as well. But every few orders add up to a larger sum at the end of the day……so let’s just piece it together.

1. We called Curves, a national Women’s gym and asked to do a holiday sale.  They were thrilled and my assistant went yesterday for a few hours and cleaned up!  The women there were excited to get their last minute gifts and work out at the same time.  Park once, accomplish twice.

2. We took advantage of tomorrow being the last day to ship UPS ground and we put up a ONE-DAY only 50% off sale yesterday.  We got 15 orders in the first 30 minutes……the rest of the day more trickled in.  Again, ching ching.

3. We have been commenting a lot on fashion blogs for the past 3 months testing the waters to see what kind of traffic we could get from each site by tracking through google analytics.  Luckily a blog we had commented on a few times wrote a review mentioning the Handy Hold All yesterday and we got about 6 orders.  Not a huge response, but every penny counts!

4. I took out an ad on Facebook Monday to test it out and see if new fans convert to sales.  We are getting new fans (which is always great) but I can’t figure out how to tell if they are converting……working on that part!!

5. Twitter, twitter twitter.  Can I say that again???  If you missed last weeks awesome demo by Kerrianne Mellot go back and try out her suggestions of how to get more sales using twitter.  I have gotten 2 paying clients for Entreprenette through twitter connections. I have also made some other great connections on Twitter for speaking engagements, as well as new friends etc..  all good stuff.

6.  Affiliate programs.  Get one going now!!  It’s not too late to offer someone a year-end bonus for promoting you or selling your product.

7. Start a drop ship program.  We have recently been promoting this again because it’s like making money in your sleep.  Someone else sells your product and all you do is ship it.  Let them do all the marketing while you do something else to bring in money!

8. Create a twitter storm.  Write to your list and ask them to contribute to a blog post you are doing (today). Tell them you are writing a last minute holiday gift guide for the slackers out there who can’t find the “perfect” thing.  Ask them to tell about the best “white elephant” gift they ever got – post all the responses in your blog and call it the last creative gift on earth…..or something like that.  Email all the contributors and tell them the blog post is up and ask them to tweet it out…..they will because they can tell their friends and followers they are # so in so.  NOTE: Be prepared to twitter a bunch of cool relevant things to attract all your new bees to the hive!

9. Create a last minute contest on your blog. Now that we are not allowed to post contests and giveaways on Facebook (ggrr)…..blogs and twitter seem like the places to do this now.  Get your fans to leave comments on a blog post you wrote and twitter another one to be entered to win something….because everyone loves to win!  Make them refer to your twitter name so you can see the mention.

10.Throw it all in the pan: Get your best customers on the phone and offer them a deal. Offer free shipping to one lucky person.  Email your friends a great deal and ask them to send it to 5 friends for you. Ask friends to repost your deal on their FB pages.  Post about your last minute deals on forums, meet up groups, networking groups and any on-line budget fashionista website you can find.  Find mommy groups, lactation centers, or the YMCA and see if you can go sell your stuff there.

Ok, I am fresh out of ideas……give it all you have and bring home the bacon baby!

BONUS: If you don’t have a product, give yourself a gift and let’s get one going!

To purchase a Handy Hold All go to Simply Sarah.
Use coupon code MOMPRENETTE for FREE shipping.

1. Organize your handbags.
The Handy Hold All is the perfect solution to keeping your closet neat and your handbags looking like new!

2. Clean up your hubby’s baseball caps.
Are baseball caps scattered all around your house? Now you can put them all in one area. And the next time he asks where is favorite cap is you will actually know!

3. Coat Closet Boredom?
The next time guests walk in your front door and you offer to take their bag and coat, you will impress them with your super organized and cute coat closet!

4. Hang up your favorite scarves.
Keep your favorite scarves from getting wrinkled or lost by hanging them up on The Handy Hold All.

5. Dorm Room Disasters?
No more! Keeping small dorm rooms organized and cheery is always a challenge. Not any longer! Make sure to send one in your next care package!

6. Tight on Closet Space in the Guest Room?
Hang a Handy Hold All on the back of your guest door and slip some hangers through the loops and Voila! An instant closet!

7. Are Bulky Winter Jackets Taking Up Excess Space in Your Closet?
Solution, hang The Handy Hold All up in your attic, slip some hangers through the loops and add your winter jackets/coats. Now go shopping for some new spring/summer clothes to fill up all your new found closet space!

8. Too Many Necklaces? Too Little Time?
Let The Handy Hold All help you out! Collect all your necklaces around the house and hang them up. Problem Solved! Now get back to what you were doing!

9. Baby Bags and Packs Weighing You Down?
Pick a bright fun Handy Hold All that your baby will enjoy looking at and hang all your baby bags on back of your baby’s room door.

10. Gifts!!  Gifts!! Gifts!!
*Need a last minute hostess gift?
*Know a High School Grad going to College and need the perfect Gift?
*In a bind because it’s your friend’s birthday and she already has everything?
*Still searching for that perfect anytime gift?

The Handy Hold All comes in a box with a over the door hook making it the perfect instant gift!