in September but it seems dead now. I don't know if it's cost effective to even keep paying for hosting when nothing is happening. Some facts: I've e-mailed everyone I know about it, went on mixers and even co-hosted a party for small business owners in my area. Basically, I'm constantly exposing myself out there to get the word out but I know it's not enough. I know I haven't explored all avenues (including not having enough items offered) on the website but when do I know to stop being stubborn and to regroup (not to be mistaken for failure). At the maximum, I think I've spent between $1k-$2K so far.

I'd appreciate some fresh ideas and thanks a bunch for your input.


Btw, it's www.culturebee.com.

Hi Paloma,

How long have you been in business?

Regards,

Pat Hardy
P Hardy Technologies, Inc.
Retail and Internet Consulting Solutions.
50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd. #400, Uniondale, NY 11553
1-800-896-4022 (phone) 516-342-4825 (fax)

Looking for higher profits this holiday season? Visit:
http://www.phardy.com/ideacafe for more information.

If that is Sept. 06 then you are giving up WAY to soon!

There are so many things you can do to get the word out.

I did a press release, www.ereleases.com has groups you can choose from like fashion or women's interests. I think while this is costly it could be great for you, you get in one magazine and your going to get traffic and buyers!

There is www.payperpost.com where you can pay to have your site blogged about. There are other blogs out there that you can submit samples to like www.mommieswithstyle.com that will blog about you. Another source is www.bellaonline.com I sent samples to one of the fashion writers and she put my stuff in an article.

I find lots of info on www.wahm.com message boards as well.

There is also pay per click ads on Yahoo and Google that will put you on the top of the search.

This is not the field of dreams where if you build it they will come, this is work. Offline mixers are good but you have to get your link out there in cyber space so that people can click on over. Offline promotions people have A. remember you and B. take the time to sit at the computer to come look.

Best of luck to you... and btw believe that your business is worth the fee it costs to host the website.

Tiffany

I would agree in the thought that it is WAY too soon to give up.
Unfortunately, it does take time to build a customer base; whether you market on-line or as a brick and mortar.

The product line looks very good. A couple of suggestions I would give would be possible marketing on eBay, linking or partnering with other "women-focussed" businesses, link exchange with on-line travel companies, hotels, gift shops and so forth.

Depending on stock, you may also consider placing a sample in select Hotel Lobbies, Travel Agencies, ect.

There are lots of options available.
We work with a company that offers similar items and they have taken the additional step to offer personalization of each bag.

Currently, they have a base of resellers in excess of 500.

Lots of options and possibilities.

Hope this helps. Dont hesitate to contact me if I can be of more assitance.

Hi Paloma,

Here are a few things to consider to generate traffic to your website. Some you may have excerised already:

1 - Word of mouth.

2 - Participating in online bulletin board discussions.

3 - Hand out flyers.

4 - Include your business information in your email signature.

5 - Sponsored (pay-per-click) advertising.

6 - Search engine optimization.

7 - Networking on websites such as Idea Cafe, LinkedIn, and Ryze.

8 - Writing articles on your area of expertise.

9 - Include your contact information on your stationary.

Others may have additional ideas.

If you need assistance with a few of these (such as #5 and #6), let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you.

Regards,

Pat Hardy
P Hardy Technologies, Inc.
Retail and Internet Consulting Solutions.
50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd. #400, Uniondale, NY 11553
1-800-896-4022 (phone) 516-342-4825 (fax)

Looking for higher profits this holiday season? Visit:
http://www.phardy.com/ideacafe for more information.

How about adding articles or other content that would be interesting or helpful to travelers, maybe even a travel blog?

With a sales site, a person only has an incentive to visit if they want to buy.

If you can offer them a reason to visit through the value alone of the site, your market, in terms of visitors, is suddenly much bigger.

To turn those visitors into customers, you could offer a newsletter with travel tips, reviews of travel sites, etc. In the newsletter, include links to your site and promote your products.

Nancy
Cheap Advertising Ideas
http://www.CreateYourMarket.com