Marketing Barefoot

Last Post here . . .

2009-09-25T15:08:00.002-04:00

Hi All - I wanted to let you know the new blog and shop should be up next week. This is the last post on this blog. When the new mac daddy is up you will be able to reach it by the same URL: http://www.marketingbarefoot.com

Your status as a follower will not "follow" you to the new service - you will need to re-register with me!

I so look forward to this next big phase and glad you are joining - Did I mention I will be launching with a big fat give-away? Don't Miss It!

See you next week!
Laurie

Update

2009-09-15T10:45:00.004-04:00

I have NOT abandon this project - actually I am working feverishly on it behind the scenes. This blog is being re-designed and moved in an effort to really up the offer. Please stay tuned and bear with me - it won't be long now . . .

While you wait . . . here are some goodies to help you promote "Free Shipping Offer" and Kids Kitchen. Use these for your e-mail signatures, e-mail campaigns and post them on your facebook!

All the best - & PLEASE stay tuned!

Start a Business . . . Oh, you did that!

2009-07-18T11:40:00.004-04:00

A friend recommended a book to me, not a lay on the beach and read it book - but rather a book I kind of pick up and flip through from time to time for little bits of inspiration.

"The Top 10 Distinctions between Millionaires and the Middle Class" by Keith Cameron Smith. Let me start with my own distinction. You need not stop reading right now if you don't have sights set on becoming a millionaire. I have changed to lingo to suit my own needs - in that my "millionaire-dom" is in more in terms of financial freedom, "middle class" to me, in the context of this book is living a bit on the "strapped" side . . .lacking said freedom.

You don't need to rush out and buy the book - I am going to spew most of what I find useful over time - little nuggets to take with you, ponder, consider and perhaps put into action.

Here's one: The author continues to express that millionaires depend on multiple sources of income. A ha, not just one W-2 from the primary bread winner. He gives lots of examples of where this income can come from, or does come from in the profiles of "millionaires" he sites.

One thing he recommends is: Start a Small Business.

"In my opinion, everyone should have a small business. I am not saying to quit your job and start a business. I am suggesting you start a part time business while working at your current job.

One way of doing this is to join a network marketing company. Direct sales and network marketing companies are a great way to start your own business. They are very low risk with the possibility of very high reward. They have proven systems in place that work and coffer support to help you . They are a great way for you to be in business for yourself but not by yourself. I have three recommendations if you are considering joining a network marketing company:

1. Make sure you sincerely believe in the products or service CHECK!
2. Make sure you fee at peace with the people you meet. CHECK!
3. Make sure the company is involved in some kind of charitable work. CHECK!

If these three requirements are met, then I believe you can create a very successful part-time business. Setting a long term goal to earn more from your part time business than you do from your full time job . . . ."

I am going to end this post here - but will continue to elaborate on the little nuggets of this book that not only motivate me to move forward, but that help confirm that in choosing Barefoot I have chosen well. My efforts will pay off in the end. I can find peace, success and financial freedom all from my at home business, because by chance or by strategy I choose the company I keep wisely.

Apps for your Barefoot Biz

2009-07-09T10:08:00.003-04:00

Do you have an iPhone? and iPod Touch? If you do you might want to look at the "Ring it Up" app. Good Gracious - now this is getting good!

There are two versions of this app - The "Ring it up Free" - you got it, the app is free to down load. It has all the functionality - but can not interface with an additional app and account that will enable to you process credit cards.

The paid version of "Ring it Up" can partner with another app (they recommend) that will allow you to process credit cards, live and on the spot at your events.

So where do I begin? I have "Ring it Up" on my phone. In many cases it is just what the doctor ordered. It does allow me to ring customers up a little quicker (in that I need not hand write everything) A 'ring it up" transaction REQUIRES me to to get my customer's e-mail - because I e-mail them their receipt from the iPhone. This little nugget is great in two enormous ways:

1. I love getting a customer's e-mail! So often I feel I miss such opportunity when I meet a customer at an event, have great conversation sell some wonderful titles and then they walk away never to see me again - Now I get their e-mail and they can potentially be a long term customer!

2. It makes me paperless, it's green, it's easy, and throughout the event and at event end I can run all sorts of report and then e-mail the reports to my computer - I have a constant glance of how my sales are what is selling - etc etc etc!

It's really quite cool.

Down side. You have to enter inventory into the app. I chose to go by price point instead of entering every SKU. Mine looks like this:

Vendor: Barefoot Books
Product: Paperback with CD
Price: $9.99

Vendor: Folkmanis
Product: Puppet
Price: $14.99

and so on . . . It gives me a real nice look at what I sell without being too nitty gritty.

Other downside is that if you do a large event and have lots of sales (how could there be a downside to that ?) the sending off all the e-mails can take a lot of time. You have to send them one at a time . . . Additionally I have not found a way to "export" the emails I collect on location - but rather had to e-mail then print a sales report and manually enter them into my e-mail account ready for the the next e-campaign.

Looking Ahead - adding on a credit card processing service is music to my ears - I can think of no better solution when at large scale events (or any event really) than to be able to process credit cards right there on the spot. There are additional fees, apps and services to investigate. I could not justify the cost for myself in the summer which is my slow season, but when fall/holiday hits I will certainly sign right up.

With the new Barefoot credit card acceptance terms - we are now required to collect the customer's full billing info in order to process cards through Barefoot - might as well do it electronically on the spot!

If you don't have an iPhone . . . well, sell some books and buy yourself one and write it off at the end of the year!

"There's an App for that"

Moo Mini Cards

2009-07-07T22:00:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Moo.com? Might be my favorite little business solutions/identity site Anything this good of course is not cheap, but then again it's not over the top.

Moo offers these darling little "mini cards" they are half the size of normal business cards and have so many marketing uses it is endless. (who set the standard size anyway . . . . Moo says mini cards are "green" as they use 1/2 the paper!) As soon at the Marketing Barefoot Etsy shop is open (hopefully mid month) you will be able to choose from many custom designed barefooty standard business cards, in the meantime you might want to add a little "moo" to your portfolio.

I have used Moo cards (was introduced to them by Barefoot Ambassador, JJ Blum's "GeekDad" Husband) for a while now and find all sorts of ways to use them:

Use Moo cards "Thank You" for purchase and have the text on the back include a discount code for their next purchase

Use Moo cards to drive customers to your blog - where you may host a barefoot button

Use Moo cards as business cards

Use Moo cards to simply promote your URL

The attached Jpeg image (end of post) can be uploaded to Moo for use in your moo mini card.

Visit Moo.com.

Select Mini Cards

Select start designing your mini cards

Select upload your image

Upload this provided Jpeg image of the barefoot kids.

- this image is too big for the space provided - I "crop it" in their system by starting the image with the African girl in the green shirt - end it with the painters easel.

Moo allows you to upload many images to have all of your cards look different - but - this is the only image I have right now that works, and while fun to have multiple images - I think this one is good

enough for all to be the same

For your text on the back I have found the purple text looks great (the orange is too light and very hard to read)

I have used their "Thank You" image on the back - when using the card as promotional offering on next purchase.

Enjoy poking around their site - and for all of our UK friends - guess what? Moo.com is a UK company.

They have great sticker packs - that I look forward to getting enough images to fill . . . that too shall come in the mean time, here is the image: Enjoy . . . . & MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

More Stationary

2009-07-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

I know as a company Barefoot is not issuing a big push for our historical "Summer Sale" - however when ordering last night I realize there are many great selling titles at significant discount. I do think worthy of a marketing / e-campaign push. Attached to this post is a "Sale" image you can use as a signature or as an e-mail from your account.

As well - one more cutie to attach as a signature to keep your e-mails looking fresh and exciting.

Enjoy!

Coupon Code

2009-07-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

I just received and e-mail with a coupon code for POSPaper.com. If anyone is in need of a credit card imprinter I posted earlier or any other office supplies - shop from POSPaper.com and use this code: POSJULY42009

the offer is valid until July 8th.

Happy Fourth!

Email Stationary

2009-07-01T13:44:00.000-04:00

With the launch of the new website today . . . well it's just all too exciting. I know our friends in Cambridge are working full steam ahead to get all systems go . . . but there are just some little tools I think we NEED.

E-mail stationary being one, and one that suits Ambassadors well. I quickly pulled together two today . . . feeling a little manic today!

These are jpeg images you should be able to grab from this post. Use as an image in your e-mail signature.

Why do I re-create them? Most of these types items that come from Barefoot directly do not always suit the marketing needs of Ambassadors. These images in particular did not say "Barefoot Books". Since our e-mail addresses don't always indicate we are affiliated with Barefoot - I felt the image should communicate it for us. You could also use these for an e-mail campaign if you are itching to do so.

Make sure you get in there in test your new links and usage of the new address before blasting too hard! Best to you all - It's a new day!

Creating a Mailing List

2009-06-23T15:54:00.001-04:00

Maximizing each event is so key. In the Barefoot Ambassador program there are many ways to communicate, sell, reach and offer your products and services. Having your eye on growing each channel is certainly time well spent.

For example: Growing your mailing list. Barefoot releases beautiful e-mail campaigns for Ambassadors to use, but who are your going to mail it to? Your friends and family can only shop so often. You need a mailing list, a good long, strong list.

A great way to build a list is to simply have a sign up at each event you participate in. You might just be surprised at how many people join. Once they meet you, hear what you have to say about Barefoot, get an introduction to our assortment - they will be much more likely to respond to an e-mail you send them!

You can offer a "free prize draw" to collect e-mail addresses, but I find that if I just ask them to sign the mailing list they do - and it's a more straight forward way to simply ask them to join - they may just even open the e-mail when I send it.

Go Here to download a simple sign up sheet - I print these on bright orange paper and have it on a clip board with a cup of pens at the ready at every event.

Set a goal of how many valid e-mail addresses you want to collect at an event, a month, a year. The first goal I set for myself was 2000. Knowing that the turnover rate of e-mail to click to purchase is incredibly small - I knew I had to really focus on building the list.

With that goal nearly achieved I have moved my next goal to have a total of 5000 by January 2010. With the change and upgrades to the Ambassador program I have switched my e-mail management to Constant Contact. (there are about a million services to choose from - just came across this one yesterday . . . soo cute: MyEmma, wish I had found it sooner) Our new website is so robust, beautiful and much easier to "shop" - This partnered with the serious business tool of a professional e-mail service should prove to be great step in a new and right direction.

Credit Card Imprinter

2009-06-22T20:07:00.000-04:00

A credit card imprinter can be an invaluable tool. When at busy events there is nothing worse than taking too much time to write up your customers orders and having a line form. What's more is putting yourself at risk for handwritten errors. Purchasing a credit card imprinter is a great way to speed up the process and eliminate costly errors.

The model shown is available at POSPaper.com it sells for $16.95. Feel free to shop around there are numerous online resources for these types of point of sale tools. Don't forget the proper sized slips.

Remember, imprinting a credit card is just to save you from having to hand write it. This slip should just be for your records and keep on file only until it has been entered into the Barefoot system and cleared - after which it should be destroyed. Since I keep these for my records only - I simply imprint the card and write the total to be charged. I do have customers sign and write in their phone number and or email.

Always get a customer phone number with credit card purchases and don't forget to record the CSV number.

Shopping Bags

2009-06-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

I love love love the green shoppers offered by Barefoot - but we have to be honest, it is not a complete solution. I was using them for all my customers who wanted bags and quickly found I was going broke.

When ever possible I encourage people to go bag free - but that is not always possible. I found a great solution at NashvilleWraps. These bags are made from 100% recycled materials and are just nice plain kraft shopping bags.

I went for the "Shopping Bag Assortment" it contains a selection of sizes and quantities for a total of 125 bags for $38.50. All of the sizes have great uses.

A teeny small for puppet or cd purchases, the next size is good for board books or paperbacks (if you slightly bend to fit it in) The large size is good for a big bounty of Barefoot in all shapes and sizes - the Queen size - well, we should hope . . . there are only 25 - so far I have used them for household use mostly . . . but good to have around.

At this quantity they are .31 cents each . . . . safely consider this a good tool for a minimal investment.

I do still keep a small quantity of the barefoot green shoppers on hand - they are great for giving, selling and awarding a customer with a large purchase.

Customer Mailings

2009-06-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

There are times when you need to mail a catalog or other information to customers, schools etc. I have found a few great envelops that are very eye-catching and, in my opinion, very barefoot.

Both are from EnvelopeMall. the first is the Astrobright 6 x 9 Booklet envelope - a package of 100 is $12.50. Comes in many barefoot colors and is the perfect size for a catalog. I have used it in "orbit orange", "celestial blue" and "re-entry red".

The second is the Dotted Washi, the orange is perfect and I love it love it love it - very whimsical and fun - but these are $21.95 for a package of 100, so you have to make the budget decision.

I find having these on hand always comes in very handy - and if I know I am doing a back pack fundraiser or other larger scale mailing this is first on my list of necessary supplies.

Dealing with Pipe and Drape

2009-06-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

At larger scale events there sometimes is a "pipe and drape" set up - the color selection can really ruin your display if the colors are not "Barefoot". I have purchased red curtain panels from Ikea to be prepared for these situations. I always have them with me - (sometimes use them as table drapes) and if the event has black and gold pipe and drape back ground I simply hang the red curtains over the pipe, pin up my banner and off we go!

I think these are the ones I have . . . . but not sure. It's best to go to Ikea if you can to check the weight and quality of the fabric.

here is a photo - wish I had an iron with me . . .

The Table Drape

2009-06-02T11:03:00.001-04:00

Oh to cover the table well. This is something I have struggled with over the years and I finally think I have it "right". Draping the tables beautifully (and inexpensively) can really make a difference. It is also important to be prepared for what each unique event may offer in the way of table shapes sizes and extra nooks and crannies.

I recently re-did all of my table drapes and I couldn't be more thrilled. (BTW I own a sewing machine and can crudely sew - this does come in rather handy - but is not necessary)

I recently was at JoAnn Fabric when they were having a sale. They had a whole group of brightly colored (very barefoot) denim. It's a great weight fabric that is sturdy and the colors are simply divine.

I purchased one yard pieces in solids of: purple, yellow, green. Then I found another on sale bolt of a rich raspberry fabric in a nylon/polyester (this one is great - it doesn't wrinkle) bought many yards of this at a great price.

I cover the whole table in the raspberry (if this piece is long enough the edges do not need to be finished - just tuck under) - then made square "toppers" in the contrasting color (also added a ric rack trim to the toppers to give a little more punch and color . . . and because I thought it fun . . .)

Ikea also sells some fabric in good solids - but be careful some of the fabric weights are way too thin and cheap.

a few personal opinion notes: bed sheets do still look like bed sheets when put on a table. Stick with solids. Use the catalog and the product as your color guide. Heavier weight fabric preforms better and lasts longer. Find fabric on sale and buy some extra yardage, it will always come in handy. Do your best to have a cloth that reaches the ground on all sides a shopper may see. No need to see the ugly legs and your use of storage under the table . . .

if you can't sew - try using the iron on hem tape called "stitch witchery" or something like that to iron your seams closed - you could also fabric glue a trim onto your drapes.

Building a Display

2009-06-02T10:39:00.000-04:00

This will be the first of many posts on building a display. As my business has grown and changed over the years, so has my display with it. I find new things, discover was was great, what was not so great - what, in the end was too heavy and cumbersome to bother with and all.

Creating height is always the challenge, or should I say creating height that is not too heavy to actually carry around is the ultimate challenge. With the goal of getting the most out of a table top space here is something new I have found to be quite useful.

The "Mammut" side table in red from Ikea. It's a great price at $24.99 and is very light weight. While it doesn't hold a ton of merchandise - is does a great job of adding a little height and a punch of color. I have used them on a table top and on the floor to gain a little real estate.

Are You Maximizing Your Barefoot Potential?

2009-03-30T16:04:00.000-04:00

We are thrilled to launch Marketing Barefoot! So glad you found us. We strive to offer seriously affordable creative marketing solutions to help you grow your Barefoot Books Business. The flexibility of this exciting and unique program lends to many creative ways to grow and build your business - We look forward to offering a wide range of services and solutions to get you moving on your way.

WHAT WE OFFER:

Free Files: download, print and use - we are full of big ideas so subscribe to our feed to make sure you get the latest "trick"

Pay Per Files: available in our Etsy Shop - Check out this robust list of tools (that are continually be updated) you can either print at home or send to one of our featured service providers. (please always use the provided inks, we are able to keep our design prices so low for you by setting up affiliations with these providers.) You need a pay pal account to complete all transactions.

Semi-Custom Files: check out this list of files of marketing materials that we will customize with your information, url etc. A great way to grow your Barefoot brand.

Custom: Need something else? We are happy to take on full custom design jobs for you - email us with the specs and we will put together a design quote for you.

Referrals and Ideas: We are always looking for nifty finds, products, services and other goodies that tie in perfectly with the Barefoot offer. Weather you market online or in person check out our list of links, ideas and inspiration!

Something more? Do you have a suggestion of files, products or services - let us know we are all ears!

[email: marketingbarefoot@gmail.com]

So what are you waiting for . . . . go Barefoot!