In case you haven't visited the main Market Mommy site lately, I thought I'd introduce a couple of new sites to you. In the last week we've added a new blog listing and a listing to our mom websites page. You might want to check them out!
A Year in the Life of June Cleaver is a new blog listing on Market Mommy. From her About Me page:: "I decided that I wanted to live a more hands on, back to basics, simpler life. Modeling my project on 1950's, I couldnt think of a better role model than June Cleaver. My blog is about my year long experiment to live a simple life, go back to basics and try to improve myself and my family's life. I am hoping this will be a new life ahead." This Mom Told Me is a new mom website listed on Market Mommy. From her welcome page::
"This site is for all moms and families to share all types of information. I need you to send me any tips, ideas, information, pictures, articles, etc. Anything you know that you think other moms would like to know. Email your information to me and I will post it online with your first name and city. If you would like it anonymous, just let me know." Thanks for visiting and supporting our listers!  Felt like creating a new siggy this morning ;>)
Who doesn't want to improve? Do you ever find yourself in a rut and not sure what to do to get out of it? Survey your audience and customer base to help generate some new ideas. Ask them what they like and what they don't. Ask them what they'd like to see added or improved. There are some great free services out there to help you, like Survey Monkey and eSurveysPro. Constant Contact has a survey feature now as well, but there is a fee.
You can link to your survey from your site or blog, add the link to your regular newsletter or send out a dedicated e-mail asking folks to fill it out. And, if you want to beef up your chances for responses, offer them an incentive! For example, everyone that completes the survey is registered to win a free product!
While we're on the topic, why don't you take two minutes and fill out a brief survey about Market Mommy. Thanks!
 Heather Lopez started Happy and Healthy Mom last year because she wanted to focus on the health and well-being of new moms and mommies to be. Happy and Healthy Mom.com has a dual purpose.
First, it offers an e-zine and social network focusing on the health, nutrition, fitness and happiness of new moms and mommies to be. The site is completely focused on the woman, rather than happy in hopes of empowering mothers to take care of themselves without guilt. They also offer nationwide pampering events for women.
Second, the site seeks to empower mom entrepreneurs by offering them an opportunity to advertise their products and services to women without being crowded out by baby products. Happy and Healthy Mom offers a blog, grant for mom entrepreneurs and vendor space to mom business owners at their events.
According to Lopez, it’s very hard at times to balance family and work. “I try to make time for me, time for my kids and time for my husband to make sure that things don’t become overwhelming,” she said. She even blogged about it recently, you can read her post here.
Happy and Healthy Mom was started soon after her children developed RSV and pneumonia. She had already begun work on the site and decided she did not want them returning to daycare. She launched her site from her son’s hospital room.
Lopez’s site revolves around helping moms take care of themselves, and this, she said, is especially true for mom business owners. “Sometimes with being a business owner and a mom, we feel like a slave to several masters. We need to make sure we take care of ourselves, if we want to be successful in taking care of others,” she said.
Be sure to visit Happy and Healthy Mom and see what Lopez has to offer. If you purchase Luz Selenia handmade, one of a kind jewelry in her marketplace area, you can forward Lopez your receipt and get a free gift with your purchase. Be sure to mention Market Mommy in your e-mail! 
Mommy Monday is a regular feature on Market Mommy:: The Blog. Do you know a mom entrepreneur who should be featured here? E-mail Dawn and put Mommy Monday in the subject line!
I have a couple reasons that I want to tell you about The Work at Home Woman's Business Book Club. First, and most importantly, it is an EXCELLENT opportunity for you to learn more about the work at home world and network with other women. Second, Market Mommy is proud to have designed the club's new banner :o)
 Each month, the club will focus on a different book, with midpoint and final discussions. All books will be available for purchase in The Work at Home Woman's Business Book shop and you can sign up for e-mail updates about discussions, etc. by contacting Holly or commenting on her post here. You can also copy and paste the button and share it with others :o)
The club's first book is, The Mommy Manifesto: How to Use Our Power to Think Big, Break Limitations, and Achieve Success by Kim Lavine. For more details about the club, click here. For more information about Market Mommy services, click here. We are happy to work with The Work at Home Woman and value all of our customers! Holly is now eligible {as are all of our customers} to participate in our referral program. She will earn vouchers for each customer she refers to Market Mommy. Want more informaiton on our referral program? E-mail Dawn. Happy Friday and happy reading! Have a great weekend! 
P.S. I have baby fever. In the past 12 hours two of my cousins have welcomed new babies. Right before Christmas two of my friends did and I have another cousin due to give birth the first week of February. I think next week I'll honor all of them with a baby post soon ;o)
Obviously the devastation in Haiti is immense. And, there are millions of efforts to help. This includes many efforts by small mom business owners just like yourself! If you aren't already doing something, I encourage you to jump in and help. Market Mommy, for example, will be donating 25 percent of our January sales to the Red Cross. {You can see our list of services here, and our list of advertising options here}
Show us and the world what you are doing to help by signing Mr. Linky below!
 We are currently planning our next blog party on Market Mommy:: The Blog. This time around we are going to feature moms who sell handmade items on Etsy.com. The party will run February 15 - 19, and without a doubt will be a ton of fun!! For 2010 our parties are being restructured just a bit, but will still highlight great mom entrepreneurs and offer several fantastic prizes!! Mark your calendars because you don't want to miss this opportunity to win some great handmade items!
Are you a mom who sells on Etsy? Want to be featured during our blog party for free? E-mail Dawn with Etsy in the subject line and she'll get you the details. Hurry, there are limited spaces  available!! See you there!
 Market Mommy is proud to be a sponsor of The Business Baby Shower! This contest, which began January 1 and will run through April 30, is a celebration of entrepreneur moms and all they do to birth a successful company while raising a family. The contest is a partnership between The Mom Entrepreneur and Corporate Mom DropOuts.
The Business Baby Shower Contest is open to mom entrepreneurs, in any industry, who are looking to start or grow their business. First, second and third place winners will be chosen in May. Winners will be showered with some awesome prizes! You can check out the list here. And, don't forget to check out all of the official contest rules here.
 Mumoocie. The company's name itself is intriguing, who wouldn't want to learn more about it? It's prounounced "mum-oo-see" and the product is a luxury talking pillow perfect for children who are scared to sleep alone or adults who like/need to sleep in a spooning position.
Leigh Woods invented and patented this co-sleeping body pillow in 2007 after her own daughter was afraid of the dark and scared to sleep alone. According to Woods, Mumoocie eases separation anxiety because it simulates a loved one laying beside you. It has a unique shape, retains heat/scent and includes a voice recorder so the child can hear their loved one.
Woods works out of an office in her home and finds it relatively easy to balance her business with her family because of their support. "It is not only my dream but my family's dream also. My children use my product and love it as well as believe in it," she said.
She also said that working at home is how she finds perfect balance. "Since my office is in my home, I am able to contribute to the school functions and activities that my children are involved in. I find the balance of both is perfect."
Starting a company is rarely easy, but Woods said it's easier if you are working with a product you are passionate about. From her time as a business owner she has developed advice she likes to share with others.
- Have a strong business plan in place
- Be aware of competitors
- Accept that there may be a time period without income
- Listen and ask advice from other successful buisness owners
- Utilize free networking sites
- Investigate the companies you work with to avoid costly errors
You can learn more about Mumoocie by visiting their website. Need a Mumoocie?? You can save 25% on your order when you use coupon code marketmommy!
Mommy Monday is a regular feature on Market Mommy:: The Blog. Do you know a mom entrepreneur who should be featured here? E-mail Dawn and put Mommy Monday in the subject line!
We've talked about Holly at The Work at Home Woman before, after all, it's one of the sites we love :-) She's full of great ideas, you should really bookmark her site. Now, she has started a special page to list woman owned businesses. It's easy to get listed, so check it out.
In addition, she offers some other great advertising options that you might like to consider. She offers options that range from $25/month for newsletter advertising to $250 for a dedicated e-mail blast. In addition to those options, and everything in between, she also offers custom packages and accepts giveaways. The Work at Home Woman is just another great avenue to advertise your mom-owned business within your budget. Details on her advertising options can be found here. Happy Friday!
I finally did it. I had a professional headshot taken. Well, actually it was sort of an afterthought at our holiday family photo shoot. Regardless, I now have a {much needed} nice professional picture of myself. Which, is a good thing to have. When doing business online and not in person it's hard to establish a personal relationship with your customers. A nice photo can help. Customers see who they are working with and you can improve your credibility. A picture is worth 1,000 words, right?
It may or may not seem obvious, but consistent contact and interaction with your customer base is crucial. Do you have an address list, e-mail or otherwise? Do you use it? A regular newsletter is a low-cost and effective way to keep your brand in front of previous and potential customers. If there isn't a newsletter mailing option included with your web hosting, there are several options available online. There are several low-cost options {we use Constant Contact}, and some free ones too, depending on your list size. Regardless of what service you use, here are a few tips when writing and sending your newsletter.....
- Be consistent and send out communication on a regular basis.
- Be consistent and use your logo and company brand frequently.
- Have a purpose, include company updates, promotions, newsworthy items in your newsletter.
- Include coupons and/or direct links to your website.
- Include an option for subscribers to forward your newsletter to others.
- Be polite, don't spam!!
Need help writing or designing your newsletter? We can do that :o) E-mail us! 
Welcome back! I'm sure many of you have been like me and taking a little time off for the holidays. Now, it's time to get back into the swing of things. {Wow! That flew by, didn't it?}
I thought today would be a great day to talk about planning. As you know, there is a ton of planning that goes into running a business. The same is true for marketing. I've been working diligently on my marketing plan for 2010. {And, I must say, I'm pretty excited about it!} Have you? If not, it's time to get started! First, you should start with an outline. What are your most important goals? Who do you want to reach? What do you want to accomplish? What type of budget do you have? Whether your business is brand new, or seasoned, a healthy marketing plan can help push you to the next level and/or help you maintain success. After you have an outline, it's time to take it beyond brainstorming and flush out your ideas and plans. Here is an example of the marketing plan format I've used for the past couple of years. - Cover Page
- Executive Summary:: Your company's mission statement and overall goal for 2010.
- Previous Year Analysis:: What are you building on?
- Target Market:: Who do you hope to reach out to?
- Overall Goals:: What do you hope to accomplish?
- Specific Goals/Initiatives:: This is how you plan to reach your overall goals. I set specific goals {by category} with a goal completion date and estimated cost for each.
- Budget:: It always helps to see your marketing budget in black and white!
- Conclusion/Summary:: A brief summary and notes on how you will track and measure success.
This may take you a page or two to accomplish, or it may be more detailed and take 10-15 pages. It all depends on your business size, age, budget and what you hope to accomplish this year. You, of course have the freedom to make adjustments and create a plan that works best for you and your business.
At a loss? Remember, Market Mommy can help! We offer low-cost consulation for mom business owners. Need a little help with one aspect of your plan? We'd be glad to help. Need a lot of help with your entire plan? We can do that too! Our hourly consultation fee starts at just $25. E-mail us, or click here for more information about the services we offer. Happy 2010!
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