Who doesn’t want more traffic to their on-line store! We all know that more traffic results in a higher sell-through rate! But, how does one generate traffic when on a budget? As a WAHM with (3) on-line stores, I know all-too well how frustrating it is to not have enough money to advertise or spend money on other marketing strategies. However, I have found a few ideas that have created more traffic for me and more sales, all while staying within my budget! The best part?? Some of these ideas are FREE!!

1. Really Smart Deals (RSD) Traffic exchange- http://reallysmartdeals.com/

This is a manual traffic, banner, and text exchange. RSD can help you to increase sales and your business presence! This is a niche site for shoppers and sellers. This site provides a place to market products for free! Get your store fronts and pages seen!

2.WAHM-Trade- http://wahm-trade.com/index.php

This is another wonderful manual traffic exchange site, targeted just for work-at-home-moms! This, also, is free, or for less than $5 a month, you can become a pro member and receive lots of extra perks!

**With both of these sites, you will get your banners, websites, store fronts, and text ads seen!!

3. Need a banner completed quickly and for FREE? Try out Ad Designer at addesigner.com

You can create custom banners easily and for FREE to use at traffic exchanges and more!

4. Do you Squidoo?? Here’s another FREE way to advertise your store, show off your knowledge, and generate traffic to your store! You create a lens, or web-page that showcases your expertise. Create links to your store and items, display pictures, and you can even include a place for others to add their links and guestbook comments! Plus, you can make $$$ while doing this! FUN! Check out one of my Squidoo lenses: http://www.squidoo.com/babydresses

5. Use business cards! Check out vistaprint.com. They regularly run specials for FREE cards, magnets, pens, even t-shirts! I never leave home without a stack of cards to help promote my business! Leave them on the restaurant table with the tip, on the magazine table at the doctor’s office, by the ATM machine; the possibilities are endless. I give them to my family and friends to also distribute!

6. Network with other moms who have their own business and/are WAHM! Participate in forums, but also network with other moms in your local community! Meeting other WAHM can help to advertise your business products, as well as open the door for a support network. As I was talking to a friend from church, we realized that there are several other moms who have their own businesses. We plan to get together for a networking breakfast to see how we can support one another and maybe even create a directory of the WAHM in our church.

7. Barter with your friends! I made a few personalized chidlren’s books for my friend, who in turn, made my son’s 1st birthday cake and took his photographs!

8. Include a flyer in all packages that you ship out with your store url, up-coming sales and specials, and maybe even a coupon, promotional code, if your site allows you to do that!

9. Include your store url in your email and forum/message board siggy. Make sure you check the forums and message boards policies on this!

10. Stumble your sites at Stumbleupon! http://www.stumbleupon.com/about_ie.php

Again, this is FREE! Have your sites seen as users stumble the web! I made a sale within just a few days from “stumbling” one of my listings!

This list of ways to generate traffic to your store for free, or nearly free, is certainly not exhaustive, but it is a start !

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 5:25 am and is filed under Mommy Auctions, WAHM Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.