Marketing 101

Little did I know sitting in my Mktg 101 class at TAMU in 1977 that today I would be actually using that degree! Well, advertising your business on the internet is so simple that it hardly takes a degree to figure it out.

It is all about visibility. What can you do to get others to 'see' your business?

The easy answer is advertising, but where to advertise? For centuries business benefited from print advertising. Well, if that still worked, Newsweek Corp would have sold for more than a buck today!

Internet advertising is now the best way to get your business out there. Many spend thousands for a website and Adwords and SEO tools so they can get their page to appear on the 4th page of the search results. My guess is many of you don't have that much green or that much time.

Today, you have found THE answer. Why not advertise on the oldest and most popular site promoting not just Canton First Monday, but the vendors who make it possible?

Consider these three major reasons to join us:

Visibility

It is no surprise that alot of people plan their Canton trip before they leave. 100 years ago that planning involved hitching the horse to the wagon and loading up the goods and the missus. Now, it involves hitting the internet.

As the page at right illustrates, people who search for goods they want to buy in Canton will find CantonTradeDays.com first.*

Once on the site, analytics have shown that shoppers will look at 8 other vendor's pages by using the site-specific search engine. They don't need to know the site name because every vendor on the site gets their own page!

Already have a website?

Your page will link to your own site. Having a big site link to yours -and yours linking back to it- is the first means to increase your search results. Many advertisers tell me over half of their visitors come from CantonTradeDays.com!

Customized Message

At least two other websites promote First Monday vendors. They do so by putting your name and description in 1 to 3 categories.You might even get a single picture.

Here, each vendor has a custom designed page so shoppers can clearly see what you have to offer. Yes, I meant to say 'see.' You don't get just a single picture but a dozen or more. Your page is optimized for the search engines and you get to say just what needs to be said to make your message crystal clear to shoppers already looking for what you have to offer.

The goal here is to show shoppers the variety of products you offer. Don't worry if you sell out of an item shown on the site. But if you need to make updates, the fee is a flat $20.

Facebook marketing

In February the cantontradedays.com FB page was created. Now over 6000 shoppers follow the page. Even if you don't care for FB personally, it can do great things for your business. True, anyone can promote their business here, but I give extra special attention to my advertisers!

Take advantage of this method of self promotion by giving shoppers extra incentive to find you in Canton. Many vendors post a message say "say you saw this on FB to get a 15% discount."

Other great reasons to join the crowd!

Integrity - Many have been ripped off by 'internet experts.' When you sign up with us, I do the work and you can see the results before you pay me!

Discount Coupons - Offer shoppers who find you online a discount. About 10,000 shoppers a month look at our coupons page. This is the best way to see the effectiveness of your advertising dollars.

Value - 10 bucks a month is all it takes** 33 cents a day for internet advertising that works.

Flexibility - Initial payment (one year plus the setup fee of $30*** + tax) can be made in three installments if it helps with your cash flow situation. After the first year, you can renew for six or 12 months at a time.

Proven Results - I have code on each vendor page so I can see how your page performs. I carry around the data in Canton so just ask to see how many people saw your page last month. The average is 680 visitors and up, depending on the season!

Turn your Page into your Website! - Once your page is set up on CantonTradeDays.com it is one simple and cheap step to add your url (address on the internet) to the page. This means that when people ask, do you have a website, you can say, "Yes!"
[Example: Cindy Ishee at The Picture Barn, a longtime advertiser told me she wanted her own website. I explained that the cheapest way to do that was to buy the url 'thepicturebarn.com' and point it to the page on my site. She was delighted and now just prints www.thepicturebarn.com on her business cards. If she decides later on she wants a full site, she already has the url and can point it to the new website.]

The process is simple and risk-free:

1. Give us the text and photos you would like on your page (or I can take the pix at your booth).
2. We build your page and email you to let your know its ready.
3. We visit your booth at the next market to collect for the year or in three installments of $55 each.

Get started now by sending me an email!

*Not every vendor can come up on the first page of the search results. The focus here is that the site will come up before other sites promoting Canton and before your own business site. This makes it possible for multitudes to find your site via the link provided from your page on CantonTradeDays.com.

** $10/month for First Monday vendors and merchants. Merchants, Resturants and B&B's open all month long can advertise for $25/month.

*** As a thank you to all of our veterans, the setup fee will be waived for vendors who have a former or active duty service member as owner or part owner.