Can a Website Increase Exposure for Your Business?

[heat123]

I was trying to brain storm last night about getting my name out there. It would be just the same as canvassing catalogs but via website but don't know if it's within the new regulations?

I thought about sending a mass email to every single one of my contacts with regards to a drawing I will hold if they log onto my website and aswer a question or survey or something -winner will receive something extra I have. Just to get exposure to my site?

Or have some kind of contest with my contacts, have them pass my email onto to their list of contacts and who ever has the most referral contacts respond wins something? Again for exposure to my site. If they choose not to participate they can at least browse PC stuff and I can direct them to a free recipe if anything!

Would these allowed drawings and such? Anyone have any thoughts to this?

 

[pamperedbecky]

Heather,
I think that's a great idea! And it's "legal" to do because you're doing this to your establish contacts through email. You're not publicly advertising it on the internet, so that's fine. After every show I send all the guests who gave me email addresses an email with the recipe from the show (I am going to start posting this on my website to direct more traffic there) and I always remind them I have a website. I tell them whoever contacts me through my website via the "contact me" section will receive a free gift from me. I'll send them a Season's Best or something.

I think that's a great idea to make one of your "News" items a trivia question or something like that about PC. Maybe a special feature of one of the products and maybe they can find the answer by searching through the products and their descriptions. Great idea!!! Maybe include it in an email announcing the February host special or something so they get excited and maybe interested in hosting.

 

[sweet]

Really a good idea, I was wondering about how to get people onto my web site. To make in whort. I feel like it does't realy do anything except being one more expense. so I will try your idea

 

[heat123]

thanks Becky!I'm going to try it and see if I get any new contacts or bites! I am going to try something different each month with my website to get my name out there! Since I've had my site I have had 3 orders from shows but want more traffic! I too need to push recipes from each show to guide guests to it and check it out!

I'm trying! Hey on another note, I picked up the phone twice this week for CC calls! For the first time! That's a proactive thing I am doing this 2006! It's getting a little easier to call machines. Next I have to call when they are actually home!

will let ya know how it goes.
great idea about posting FEB specials will do that too!

 

[ange13]

Hi Heather!

My director told me that one of the "higher up" people are doing something very similar with their websites. They have a hidden recipe or something every month which encourages people to visit her site every month and email her with where they found the recipe and she will send them a small gift.

I thought it was an awesome idea too. Was going to start that this year too, cuz I'm with you. The website is great, but not that many bites that I can tell. Only 2 individual orders, and haven't had a host yet use the invites. I had one host do the wish list. But that's it..........


Good luck, and keep us posted on how your idea works out!

ange

 

[Michael Serrano]

I've too have been brainstorming ways to get my site "Out there" while staying within the new restrictions. I did a "Quiz Question" type contest last month which ran for 3 weeks and emailed it to 60 people and posted it on my website. I then followed up with another email each week until the drawing date. Sad to say, I only got 1 person who answered the question http://www.chefsuccess.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=27625#
Frown

I just updated the contest and question for January and I'm hopping to attract more people this time. I am advertising the contest at each of my shows and When I talk to potential customers.

 

[cat]

Or have some kind of contest with my contacts, have them pass my email onto to their list of contacts and who ever has the most referral contacts respond wins something? Again for exposure to my site. If they choose not to participate they can at least browse PC stuff and I can direct them to a free recipe if anything!

Would these allowed drawings and such? Anyone have any thoughts to this?

I really like this idea a lot, since it expands upon your list of contacts! Hopefully it can generate more contacts and lead to more business! I'd like to try this out too and will let you know if I get any response!

I just subscribed to the personal website in Nov and I ran a promotion by emailing everyone in my address book. I told them I'd give credit to people who ordered from my website (i.e. the first 10 people to place a $25 order or more will receive $5 credit towards their next purchase), but I only got 3 orders from that. Well, 3 more than I had before!

 

[pamperedmaren]

Ideas for my own siteHi, I'm glad to find a thread on this because I've been thinking about it myself quite a bit lately. I just started a monthly e-newsletter to all my past customers and hosts, and my goal is to get them to visit my site every time they get the newsletter. This month, I posted a 'contest' that whoever unscrambled some product names and emailed me with the answers would get a prize. I haven't had any responses yet, but my customer list isn't that big yet anyway.

I'm also trying to find other reasons for them to go there... like posting recipes from my shows. Also, I just started weight watchers, and I have a list of what the points are for all of the recipes in our current cookbooks. I thought I would post that, too, assuming it's "legal" to put something that references another company on there.

One last note - I did have a fundraiser recently for a school's choir, and I encouraged the kids to have even distant friends/family make orders off the website. It was a FABULOUS fundraiser (over $6,000!) and I know that got a LOT of exposure to my site. No one has made repeat orders yet, but it hasn't been that long, either. Plus, I did get a lot of contacts to add to my newsletter list.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this. I'm learning a ton!
Maren Kreun
Independent Consultant
[email protected]