So you've heard of Pinterest right?  Perhaps have signed up to reserve your name but aren't quite sure what to do with it?  Are you totally into it already?  I'd have to say I am somewhere in the middle as far as expertise but I am using it and loving it, have the icon on my website but still consider myself a newbie.  It is totally fun, can be way to totally loose yourself in time……but I am starting to see how it can really help your business gain more traction and get more eyes on your product!

I reached out to my friend Lynn Steinberg of Goodies For Gifts as she has really put Pinterest to the test over the past few months and has already seen over a 5% increase in traffic to her website coming directly from Pinterest…….which gives you more people to market to!

Click here to listen to our chat and learn how to maximize your Pinterest boards to attract your target market and gain more followers and sales.

Quick Navigation Tips for Pinterest:

1. Click on the red Pinterest logo in the middle at the top of the page and it will direct you to your home page where you can see all your friends pins.
2. While on your home page, look on the left and you will see a recent activity bar that shows you who is following you, suggestions of who you should follow, and you can see who has repinned, commented or liked a pin of yours.
3. Hover your mouse over your name on the top right corner and it will drop down a menu where you can easily go to your Boards, Pins, Likes, and more!
4. On most sites you have the option to “Pin it” straight onto your Pinterest board. You can pin anything onto Pinterest from articles to photos from an online catalog. You can even pin personal photos!
5. Be sure to add the "Pin it" button to your toolbar so you can easily grab any image you see on-line and Pin it.

***Lynn has arranged for a  yummy discounts from one her vendors in time for Mother's Day!
Use coupon code goodies for 15% off of any Cookies and Corks products at Goodies For Gifts

Follow Lynn and stay in touch on Pinterest  Facebook & Twitter

Love to know your thoughts, tricks and tips in using Pinterest……and of course……leave your handle so we can all follow you.

Getting products to celebrities can be very exciting! It can bring you major brand recognition, possibly get you on TV, attract wholesale buyers, boost online sales, start new trends, and give you awesome credibility! Choosing the right celebrity for your brand depends on who your target market admires, so be sure to approach celebrities that will entice your buyers.

Having a story behind your brand can be an important selling point when pitching your line. Think about why and how you came to develop your designs and weave that into your story to add interest and intrigue. When sales staff can tell your story and engage customers, they are more likely to close the sale.

Love to know your story……care to share below?

Getting to know your target market is probably the MOST important thing you will ever do in your business. Really dialing into this (one) person is the key to your success. Grab and pen and paper and make a quick list of the ideas I give in this short video and get cracking on your ideal avatar. Love to know what you come up with so be sure to share it with me.

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.

I saw a video the other day with my good friend and mentor Mike Michalowcz and it got me thinking…….

How can bootstrapping really make you a better business woman?

A lot of us dream of a big investor coming in (our knight in shinning gold coins) and solving all our problems, bringing a lot of savvy to the table, helping the business run more smoothly, and giving us that long awaited salary……right? Hey, I have been there with you……several times……in fact, I did bring on investors, and did hope they'd do all those things I mentioned above.  But did they?

Not really.  I did get a salary for a short while, and that was fabulous and all, but my business was still in it's terrible state of being mismanaged.  All the money really did was give me a longer leash to keep doing more of the wrong things the wrong way.

If I'd never gotten the money, I know I'd still be in business today!  

Bootstrapping really does keep you thinking on your toes (all the time), and in a different way than you would if the sand wasn't pouring out of the hourglass.  Being honest with yourself, and your bank account, is one, if not the most, important thing about your business.

Bootstrapping doesn't mean you can't grow.  It just means you grow more slowly, which believe me, is usually better.  Being "forced" to be more creative with your money, usually results in you becoming more innovative. Perhaps you are inspired to contact old friends with influence, approach the famous person you see at the drugstore, reach out to the unreachable, take that leap of faith your family thinks you are nuts for doing.

In order to find the things that will work for your company, you must be committed to trying everything.

As a true bootstrapper you will:

Only use the money you have in the bank today
Brainstorm creative sales strategies
Call buyers more than once
Present incentives that a buyer cannot turn down
Create more interesting press releases
Print and package everything yourself
Reexamine your production costs more often
Call the people you can ask for free advice (even if they never offered)
Drive the extra mile to save on your bottom line
Work late into the night
And pay yourself at least 10% of every dollar you make

What are your Bootstrapping tips?

If you want to check out the video with Mike…….It's worth the 3 minutes.

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.

When you hear the word press release what is the first thing you think of?  Somebody has great news to report right?  I think the same thing, and sometimes we can even be jealous of them and wish it was us right?  Did you know that the first thing most people feel when hearing the word press release is fear……of writing one.  Well I can relate to that as well can you?  It can be really hard to write about yourself, especially when needing to sing your own praises – you are sooooo not alone in that sister!   That is why god invented copywriters!  Yahooey! 

So what can we do to get ourselves great news to report? 

1. Getting products to celebrities
2. Reviewed in an on-line magazine
3. Mentioned in the newspaper
4. Landing a really big account
5. Portrayed or profiled in a glossy magazine
6. Hosting a trunk show
7. Doing an in-person event
8. Writing a book
9. Being on TV
10. Getting your product into a movie

My Entreprenette Experts give some great ideas on how to write a great press release that will help you get more eyes on it, more interest, and give you a better shot at some action! You will also find tons of leads for free and paid websites to post our release……and even a few places that will do it all for you…….loving that!  Don't be shy – let the world know what a superstar you are.  It's all in the spin.  And like I mentioned earlier, Copywriters are there for a reason……I use them all the time.

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!