************************************************************************** Thanks to everyone for entering! Comments for this post are now closed. The winner is comment # 19 :: Kim, owner of Shop With Me Mama. Congratulations!! *************************************************************  Happy Summer! I am so happy to be part of the Summer Blog Tour! Thanks Abbey {Living my MoMent} and Holly {The Work at Home Woman} for putting this together! I’ve been having a ton of fun from the get go! And, of course, thanks to everyone for stopping by today!
My name is Dawn, and I’m the mommy behind Market Mommy! I have a wonderful hubby, two terrific preschoolers and we live in rural Ohio. My background is in marketing /communications and in 2007 I launched Announcements Galore, an online shop that sells photo cards, photo magnets and keepsake photo collages. I started Market Mommy in hopes of utilizing my marketing skills to help other mom entrepreneurs market their businesses.
I’m very proud and honored that Holly and Abbey came to me when they were first preparing for the Tour and asked me to design the tour’s button ad. I’m pretty thrilled with how it turned out and super excited to see it plastered all over the blogosphere! Button ad design is just one of the MANY marketing services that Market Mommy offers! If you are having a special event or promotion on your blog, or just need a new, updated button or banner, I’d love to help you out. Our prices are very reasonable!
 I’m very excited to tell you that Market Mommy will turn 1 next week! MarketMommy.com was launched June 1, 2009 and this blog shortly followed. I, personally, have had so much fun over the past year. I’ve met some FANTASTIC women, gained some great friendships, learned a lot about myself and even made a little money :)
To celebrate, we are having a First Birthday Extravaganza the entire month of June! There will be a full month of guest blog posts here on the blog. The schedule we have lined up is truly awesome! There will be some fun giveaways! And, best of all, there will be a large marketing prize package given away to one lucky mom business owner! It is valued at over $2600! So, mark your calendars and be sure to stop back next week!
Ok, now for the giveaway! I’m giving away winner's choice of a $25 gift certificate to Announcements Galore or Market Mommy. It can be used on any goods or services from either site. For your first entry, simply comment here and introduce yourself!
Earn extra entries by doing any of the following {please leave a new comment for each!}:
• Follow @MarketMommy on Twitter
• Follow this blog!
• Sign up for our free monthly marketing e-newsletter
• Blog about this giveaway {include a link in your comment, please}
• Tweet about this giveaway!
Visit http://tinyurl.com/27enooa! @MarketMommy has a #giveaway going for a $25 gift certificate to Announcements Galore or Market Mommy!
You can tweet about this giveaway once a day until the 31st to earn extra entries, simply leave a comment each day that you do! All comments will close on Monday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Just in time to start the Extravaganza!
Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you’ll follow my blog and become a regular visitor! And, please, sign up for our free e-newsletter! Our monthly mailing is filled with marketing tips, features on mom business owners, coupons and much more!
 You may not have realized {it's kind of snuck up on me too} but Market Mommy will turn one on June 1! This past year has truly flown by!
As you can imagine, I would not let such a significant date pass by without a party. So, in addition to our exciting site expansion and redesign, I'm throwing Market Mommy's First Birthday Extravaganza here at The Blog! The entire month of June is going to be a blast!
There are several ways you can get involved. First, we are putting together an AWESOME prize package for one lucky mom entrepreneur. This package already totals over $500 and we're just getting started. Do you have a product or service that would be useful to a mom business owner? We'd like to include it in our prize package, contact me for details! We're especially looking for advertising space :>)
Do you have a great product, but it's not necessarily aimed at women business owners specifically? We'd still like to feature you and your product on The Blog. We will be hosting various giveaways throughout the month of June, so contact us to get yours scheduled!
And, the entire month of June The Blog is going to be packed with guest blog posts. We are going to have posts on a variety of topics, including 5 Must Haves on Your Facebook Page, Affordable Child Care Options, How I Run my Business for Next to Nothing, and much more! Are you a veteran blogger that would like to write a guest blog post for our Extravaganza? Contact me with your topic idea today!
The fourth option, is just to come, hang out with us, enter some giveaways and have a good time! I hope to see everyone here. We are excited about our first birthday and hope you are too! Thanks for your support over the past year, we appreciate it!
Who:: Dawn @ Market Mommy
Business Established:: Market Mommy officially launched June 1, 2009.
What she does:: Market Mommy is an online marketing resource for mom entrepreneurs. It includes a free e-newsletter, this blog, low-cost advertising and marketing services, and MUCH MORE!
How she finds balance:: Divide and conquer! I have separate time set aside for family and another block of time for business. I don’t mesh the two!
Her best advice:: Go for your dreams! You never know what you can accomplish until you try!
Get it now:: Buy one month of advertising, get one free! E-mail me if interested!
What they are giving away:: Two winners!! Set of 250 business cards {design, printing & shipping included} AND a month of free advertising on MarketMommy.com and in our e-newsletter
Play and win:: What marketing piece do you find most useful and why? {Be sure to mention which prize you’d prefer, if you have a preference.}
To register for THIS prize, comment on THIS post with the answer to the play and win question above.
Extra Credit::
You can earn extra entry each day by doing any of the following and then leaving a comment {with link} about it. Follow us on twitter, tweet about the blog party {include @MarketMommy in your tweet too!}, blog about the party, follow this blog, grab our blog’s button, fan us, or sign up for the Market Mommy e-newsletter. All comments on this post close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, April 23.
Our main site, MarketMommy.com, is a great marketing resource with a lot of helpful information. Topics include; budgeting, marketing materials, public relations, advertising and more.
Educating yourself about the world of marketing can go a long way when you are trying to promote your business. That’s the sole reason Market Mommy exists, to help you market your business more affordably and more effectively.
We are very proud of our Quick Reference page. It’s a condensed dictionary of marketing-related terms. Now, when you read an article on marketing, you’ll know what they’re talking about! Here are just a few excerpts from the page, visit it for many more definitions!
Click Through Rate:: The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click through; calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions.
Media Kit:: Information offered to potential advertisers by publishers to help advertisers understand the publisher’s rates, visitor demographics, terms, etc.
Niche:: That part of the market consisting of those people most likely to be interested in a product or service you are selling. Often referred to as ones target market.
Rate Card:: The published rates and ad space availability for a particular media such as a web site. Usually subject to change and often negotiable. May also include technical details regarding the banner specifications.
Reach:: The number of unique visitors that visited a site over the course of the reporting period, expressed as a percent of the universe for the demographic category.
ROI:: Return on investment (ROI) is the process used to determine whether the monetary benefits from an expenditure, such as an advertising campaign, are above or below the amount of money spent on the campaign.
SEO:: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of promoting a web site through a search engine’s organic listings.
Have a happy, productive day!
 We have a great opportunity for you!!
As I mentioned yesterdday, I was contacted by Randi at the Columbus Womens Living Expo which is being held May 22-23 at the Franklin County Veteran's Memorial Center. They are anticipating apprimately 6-7,000 women in attendance.
If that alone isn't reason enough to attend, check out these other FABULOUS reasons:: - The event is sponsored by ABC6 and Fox28, which means great possibility for media exposure!!
- The show will feature fashion, beauty, lifestyle, fitness, health/wellness, home, decor, and food; bringing in a great variety of women and customers!
- You can sell items at your booth for no additional charge, and make a great profit!
- Randi is offering exclusivity to all direct sellers!
- If you mention Dawn at Market Mommy referred you, that would bring the price down from $575 to $517.50 and a corner space from $650 to $585.
- There are stages that each vendor can utilize for up to 30 minutes durring the Expo for no additional charge!
This is going to be a phenomenal event and you don't want to miss it! There is also opportunity to cut costs and share a booth space! If you are interested in reserving space, please contact Randi asap at 203.259.3351. Be sure to tell her Market Mommy sent you. And, let me know so you can receive a special 'thank you' gift from us, we'll see you at the Expo!! 
Yikes. I’ve really been slacking lately. I apologize that the blog has been a little less desirable to read lately! As you can imagine {and hopefully understand} I’ve been busy! Forgive me if today’s ‘catch up’ post runs a little long!
What’s been consuming my time?
Home Life
Life at home with two small children is never boring, and rarely relaxing. I am currently preparing for my daughter’s third birthday and party, so that’s exciting. I can’t believe she’s turning 3!! My son will be going to pre-school or pre-kindergarten next year :*( So, we’ve been starting that process. I can’t say it’s much fun. I am definitely not looking forward to getting them into college, pre-school is proving hard enough!
Expo Opportunity
I was contacted this week by the Columbus Women’s Living Expo 2010. The event is happening May 22 and 23 in Columbus, Ohio and it’s going to be an excellent opportunity for moms to showcase your businesses! I am planning a separate detailed post only about this opportunity, but if you’re interested, contact me now. I can get you a 10 percent discount on your space and they’re offering exclusivity for any direct sellers. Attendance is anticipated to be 6-7,000!! Terrific exposure for your products and no additional cost to sell your items at the event!
Expansion
As I’ve been mentioning for the past several weeks {and months} Market Mommy is expanding in 2010! I can officially say we will be redesigning our site in the coming months to add new features, like business listings and a forum! Yay! Also, we are expanding our design and printing services. I will be posting a price list and details soon, but we can now offer you design AND printing of any item you need to further brand your business! Business cards, magnets, letterhead, envelopes, note cards, folders, banners and much, much more are now available through Market Mommy! More details will be coming soon!
Ok, that’s just a brief rundown of what I’ve been working on. More detailed information will be coming soon. Hope you all are having a fantastic week!
So, for me, Friday's seem to fall into one of two categories.
- I'm extremely motivated to get as much done as humanly possible before the weekend starts.
- Or, I'm so lazy and unmotivated that I pretend it's already the weekend and don't do a thing.
Do you have this problem? There never seems to be a happy medium on Friday. It's always all or none for me. Right now I'm in limbo. My coffee hasn't really kicked in yet and I'm leaning toward the slacking type of Friday. However, I have a to-do list a mile long staring me in the face. Blah. On a bright note, one of my to-do items is to finalize the menu for my daughter's upcoming birthday party. She will be three and we are celebrating princess-style. It should be fun. Time to get motivated ..... Although I struggle at times, time management is an important component of running your business. We all always need more time than we have. So, make what time you do have productive. Focus on one to-do item at a time and before you know it you'll have several crossed off! Enjoy your weekend! Oh and by the way, February's newsletter will be published latter today. If you're not already on the list, sign up! We share some great insider-only info with our subscribers ;)
Who can't use more marketing tips? The Toliet Paper Entrepreneur has put together a fantastic list of 61 tips on their blog today. You can check it out here. And, of course I'm sending you there for a reason! Market Mommy is lucky enough to be one of the featured contributors! There really is some fantastic advice given by some great entrepreneurs, so be sure to bookmark it!
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 ;>)
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!
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!
Hurry!! Contest ends soon!!
You may remember that we announced a little contest a couple of weeks ago to increase our subscribers, fans and followers..... Thanks to all of you who are participating! There is a small window of time left, so keep referring your friends to Market Mommy! The contest ends this Sunday night. All of the details can be found in the original post here.
Holiday Blog Party begins Monday!!
Our Holiday Blog Party will begin here, at The Blog, on Monday! This is not a party you want to miss! We will be giving away more than a dozen awesome prizes from great mom entrepreneurs! Check back each day for fabulous features and fun extra credit entries!! 
For the past few days I have been busy organizing and putting the finishing touches on our 2009 Holiday Gift Guide at Market Mommy. {Note:: this link will expire in just a couple days. After that, the actual guide will be found here.} I am SUPER excited for it to be published in another week. Oftentimes it is hard to compete and get your products included in various gift guides. That is why I created a guide at Market Mommy exclusively for mom entrepreneurs. And, I’m happy to say that we had a great response, and no mom business owner was turned away!
So, keeping with the Holiday Gift Guide spirit, I thought I’d let you all know about a few other great gift guide opportunities that are still available for the upcoiming season. Check them out, and submit, submit, submit. But, remember to follow their requirements and read all the details first! Happy submitting!
Gifts for everyone::
· Mom Fuse
· A Cowboy’s Wife
· Our Ordinary Life
· Rockin’ Mama
· Mama Cheaps
· Through Hazel Eyes
Gifts for children and babies::
· Mission Mommy
· Baby Friendly L.A.
· Posh Little
Foodie gifts::
· My Wooden Spoon
Techie gifts::
· Tech Savvy Mama
And, don’t forget there are just a couple days left to reserve your spot in the 2009 Market Mommy Holiday Gift Guide! Click here for details! Have a fabulous fall weekend!
If you want to be featured in the hottest Holiday Gift Guide exclusively for mom business owners, time is running out! In less than a week, listing purchases will be closed and just days after that the 2009 Market Mommy Holiday Gift Guide will launch!
We are super excited! There are going to be some fabulous businesses featured! You don't want to be left out! Purchase your listing today! 
 In an effort to acquire more newsletter subscribers, more Facebook Fans and more blog and Twitter Followers .... we are going to have a bit of a competition.
Are you in the competitive mood yet?? All you have to do is spread the word about Market Mommy and Market Mommy:: The Blog. It's easy! You can grab our button and post it on your own blog or website, you can e-mail your friends, tell your Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers ......... any and all of the above will work. Here's the deal. You want them to sign up for our newsletter, Fan us or Follow us or the blog and let us know that YOU sent them. There is a field on our newsletter sign-up for such a purpose, or they can message us, e-mail us or tweet us to tell us how they heard of Market Mommy. You earn one referral point for each person who does any of the above. This contest will last for 30 days, therefore it will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 15. The person with the most referrals combined will win a great prize! What is that great prize you ask? The winner will get their choice of either a $35 gift certificate to Market Mommy {great for advertising} or a $35 gift certificate to Announcements Galore {just in time for holiday card purchasing}. So, there you have it. Put us in your newsletters, on your blog and tell your friends! Good Luck! 
 Sorry for the delay with today's post. I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting the announcement of the winners of the Autumn Blog Party. Unfortunately, everyone in my house has been sick for the past few days and it's slow going around here. So, without further delay, here are the winners. If you are a winner or prize donor expect an e-mail from me before the end of the day. Thanks again to everyone who helped make the party a success! The next party is the Christmas/Holiday edition and we already have a ton of great stuff lined up!! So stay tuned!Thanksgiving T-Shirt from Just For U Creations :: LeilaniSanta T-Shirt from Just For U Creations :: Heather M.Your choice: A set of 100 1" round or square scratch off labels OR a package of 10 Scratch off Games :: DeniGot Baby! Long-sleeve white T-Shirt from ExpecTees Maternity :: Angela$25 Gift Certificate to My Baby Pajamas :: MenaCustom made 12x12 Halloween scrapbook layout from SubtleThoughts :: DeniBreast Cancer Pink Ribbon on Black Damask Scrabble Pendant from Pendantlicious:: AngelaSet of two Kewt Bandana Bibs in winners choice of a girl or boys set from Kewt Kids :: JenniferJumbo Hairbow from Tickled Pink Hairbows :: DebCD One on One with Lisa Ford – A Customer Centric Conversation by Kristina Evey :: Gail2 $35 Gift Certificates to Market Mommy :: Mena and Heather S.
 Welcome to the Autumn/Halloween Blog Party at Market Mommy:: The Blog! We are so happy that you have stopped by! This week is going to be a TON of fun, so I encourage you to stick around. You will meet some great mom entrepreneurs, hopefully learn a little something from them, and have a chance to win their great products!
This the official party post, and referred to in all future party posts as such :-D. You MUST, and I repeat MUST, leave a comment here to be registered for any prize. Every comment on any post after this is just extra credit. We’ve got 12 great prizes to give away {see the list below}!!
And, this is what you must include in your comment here {It is a party after all, let’s get social!}::
1. First name {introduce yourself!}
2. Link to your blog or business if applicable {this is a free, bonus way to promote yourself, make sure you take advantage of it!!}
3. In order of preference, your top 3 picks for prizes {prizes are listed below}
4. Tell us either why you are attending the party, or what you enjoy most about Market Mommy
That’s it, and you’re registered. Glad to have you along. There will be more chances to register all week by commenting on the individual business features. So, stay tuned for some great stuff. The Party will officially end on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Extra Credit on this post::
You can get an extra entry {one each per day} by tweeting, facebooking or blogging about the Labor Day Blog Party. Extra credit is also available if you follow this blog, become a fan on Facebook, grab our button or sign up for our newsletter. Just be sure to leave an extra comment on this post with a link showing us you did so, and always leave a way to contact you! There will also be extra credit opportunities tagged on to each post this week. So, be sure to check them ALL out for details!
PRIZE LIST::
Thanksgiving T-Shirt from Just For U Creations
Santa T-Shirt from Just For U Creations
Your choice: A set of 100 1" round or square scratch off labels OR a package of 10 Scratch off Games
Got Baby! Long-sleeve white T-Shirt from ExpecTees Maternity
$25 Gift Certificate to My Baby Pajamas
Custom made 12x12 Halloween scrapbook layout from SubtleThoughts
Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon on Black Damask Scrabble Pendant from Pendantlicious
Set of two Kewt Bandana Bibs in winners choice of a girl or boys set from Kewt Kids
Jumbo Hairbow from Tickled Pink Hairbows
CD One on One with Lisa Ford – A Customer Centric Conversation by Kristina Evey
2 $35 Gift Certificates to Market Mommy
 We are so happy to have Christian Work at Home Mom on board as our newest Premium Partner in the E-zine category! Please visit the site for awesome information, resources and advertising opportunities!
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com and the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-At-Home Mom (Beacon Hill Press, 2009). She graduated from Grace University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development/Family Studies and Bible. Jill has worked from home since 2000 and started her own home-based business to assist other Christians who desire to work from home while maintaining a godly life. Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children. Jill's articles have been featured on websites like DrLaura.com, ClubMom.com, and she is an expert author on EzineArticles.com. She is also a contributing author in four books. Jill is the host of the podcast, Christian Work at Home Moment and co-host of the LIVE internet radio show, The CWAHM Network.
Visit CWAHM and check out everything they have to offer!
Hi Everyone! I'm proud to say that the Baby Fair this past weekend was a success! It was BUSY even though it was a little dreary outside. I'm happy to say that I generated a lot of interest in Announcements Galore {especially thanks to our scratch off discount cards from Karen at MyScratchOffLabels}! And, the women LOVED the basket donated by Market Mommy and all of you wonderful mom entrepreneurs who contributed.
The winner of the basket was Amber S. and the winner of the $50 gift certifciate was Kelsey M. Both are great prizes, but Amber is really getting a treat! Below are all the great items included in the basket and their generous donors. Please be sure to check them ou t, they are all fabulous!Baby Fair Prize Basket Included::'So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom?' From Jill at CWAHM Baby’s First Journal from Lindsay at Glow Baby Bag and Organic Bath Mitt from Jules at AmoliaMae Thanks again everyone!! 
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Happy Summer! I am so happy to be part of the Summer Blog Tour! Thanks Abbey {Living my MoMent} and Holly {The Work at Home Woman} for putting this together! I’ve been having a ton of fun from the get go! And, of course, thanks to everyone for stopping by today!
I’m very excited to tell you that Market Mommy will turn 1 next week! MarketMommy.com was launched June 1, 2009 and this blog shortly followed. I, personally, have had so much fun over the past year. I’ve met some FANTASTIC women, gained some great friendships, learned a lot about myself and even made a little money :)
