All I want for Christmas is _______… To sell more stuff?

I understand.  You want some decent sales in time for the holidays.

I have a  last-minute strategy for how to get people to your website ASAP. Before I get to that, here’s what NOT to do.

1. Do not send 5 emails in 7 days promoting one special deal (today only!) and then another.  Yes, I just received this from a designer. And to be blunt, it smacks of desperation.
2. Do not rush out and buy a bunch of facebook ads and drive people straight to your shopping cart. Social media should be used to build relationships first (yes, even with a company) and conversion rates on facebook ads that go straight to a sales page are not very high. (They also cost more than ads that direct traffic to your facebook page, btw).

So what can you do?

Get yourself mentioned in blog posts. And get bloggers to Twitter about you.

But here’s the catch…

You cannot just barge in on someone’s blog and ask them to post about your line. You need to first think about who you already have a relationship with.

Look at it this way, if person X called you up and asked you to blurb about them in your blog…would you do it? Or would you do it if you could? Would you find it a strange request?  Rude even? Presumptuous?

If the answer is YES, I’m happy to help X out, then get on the horn and call X up and remind them you’re here and ready for business. If you’re not that comfortable with X, then start working on that relationship now for next season.

You see, fans of bloggers already have a relationship with that person, so if the blogger recommends you, it means a lot. That prospect is much closer to the BUY than a cold lead ever will be – because they trust the blogger.

Getting exposure through blogs definitely drives traffic. And free traffic at that. FREE in terms of money but not in terms of time and effort it takes to build those relationships. It IS an investment but it can pay off tremendously when you give it the time and energy it deserves.

So think about it… Who can you reach out to? Who can you gently nudge with news about your line? Who can you give a good reason to help you promote? You can even print this and make your list here:

1) ______________________________________________________________

2) ______________________________________________________________

3) ______________________________________________________________

And remember… If you cannot come up with names for this list, don’t beat yourself up. Just think about ways to change the situation for next year and get back on track.

No more feast or famine marketing! If you market yourself and your line consistently, and authentically, I guarantee you won’t have this problem NEXT Holiday season.

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Jane Hamill is the founder of Fashion Brain Academy, helping fashion designers on the BUSINESS side of things through online workshops and classes, private coaching, mentoring, and public speaking. Get her free report, “How to Find Fabric in Small Quantities and NOT Get Ripped Off in the Process” at www.janehamill.com/blog