Free Advertising

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Ranked #118 in Shopping, #2,006 overall

This site is a reposting of some of the great free advertising listed in the cafepress forums - if you have something great to add to this let me know I will add it to this lens!!!!!

PS - if you love this lens rank it using the stars at the top and tell others how great it is!!

Submit your content to search engines 

These are some links to well known and lesser known search engines. Most search engines do take approximatly 4-8 weeks before you will show up, so make sure you submit early.

send an email to - url@askjeeves.com to submit yourself to Ask Jeeves
Google
This link allows you to submit your url to google.
MSN
this link allows you to submit your url to MSN search
Alta Vista/Yahoo!
Alta Vista is now a division of Yahoo! this link allows you to submit to yahoo and give some information about other yahoo submission programs (some free some paid)
All The Web/Yahoo!
This is another site now run by Yahoo! there is no need to do so if you have already submitted to yahoo from another site.
ISE.com
this is an index of directories. I have not used it yet personally - however it was highly recommended by another cafepress shopkeeper.
Add Me
addme.com has a selection of free sites you can be added to in exchange for a link to thier site - it can help to bring some in - thier full list of submission has a fee but there is a group they will submit for free

Free Advertising Oniline 

Check out these great sites and how they can help you get free advertising
Froogle / google base 2 thumsb up
froogle is googles shopping center - and it is a great resource to get your items listed there - now this can be a daunting task but there are a few programs that can help like Instant Cafe Premium works to create a feed for your shop. Instant cafe must is downloaded and can only be used on PCs.

once you create the feed you can easily log into froogle/googlebase and upload your whole feed & within 24 hours all of your items - not each design but each design on each product individually - will appear in froogle/googlebase!!

listings last 30 days so once it is up for a month you can forget about it - then you just have to make a new feed once a month - or if you dont add new product just resubmit this feed as long as it does not have an expire date attached.
Blogger / Blogspot (or any other free blog site) 2 thumbs up
create a blog - chronicle your adventure in shop owning - or life - or fun - or what ever you want to post - the more you put the more people will want to read - the more who read the more who come!!

No matter what your blog is about in the or footer place a note that says "help support this blog" with a link to your shop....or when posting about the fun family BBQ include a link to BBQ aprons on your shop and say how much you love the apron you got....
Squidoo!! 2 thumbs up!
Make a lens....or 50....

I think i need to point out that the biggest draw for a squidoo lens is the topic and no one wants to search for a site about your shop or they would just go to your shop....HOWEVER if your shop offers designs about dogs, make a lens about dogs write a few text modules about your dogs tell a funny story about a dog you know then include links to your cafepress dog designs. Then make a lens about another section in your shop and do the same...Squidoo is very popular and well indexed in search engines because of it's informational pages about topics. Write a how to lens about cleaning your oven if it is something you love to do or have a special trick to getting it done right....then include links to your BBQ aprons and framed tiles as hot plates and cooking aprons....or just add a "support this lens" cafepress module and let everyone know that more great tips will follow and the more support the more tips you will be able to offer!!
T-shirt Forum 1 1/2 thumbs up
this site is great to chat with other t-shirt shops on and off cafepress - and posting here with your link in your signature (which is allowed if done within the rules) will get you search engine hits!! This site is found repeatedly by yahoo searches sending people shopping on my store!!

This site is also a great place to learn more about Tshirt shops on and offline as well as rules, laws and the reality of selling shirts.
Twitter - 2 Thumbs Up
Twitter is basically a micro blog. it is very similar to blogger but most twits are sent from cell phones or mobile devices and are short because of text limitations. on twitter you collect followers and when you send a twit it shoots a message to them. So try not to abuse twitter but sending useless twits or you will begin to lose your followers!
Facebook - 1 thumb up
Make a facebook account for YOURSELF - then make a fan page about your shop....invite all your friends to join your fan club!

Be careful not to make your personal page about your shop or facebook will delete it. they also will delete accounts that do not appear to use your real name (although i know many people who use a middle name as last name or a family name instead of their real last name but be careful when doing this).

You can also collect friends by joining different applications.

do NOT spam everyone's walls by placing ad's on their walls.

do regularly update what you are doing on your own profile and include a link - since others will be able to see what you are up to that way!
Myspace - 1 thumb up
Myspace is a personal profile site where you can add links and banners to your shop. Many people use myspace to collect friends leave links on their comments section and blog.

Myspace links left on peoples comment walls can be picked up by search engines, however myspace overrides the links and converts them into their own weird format which tends to override any help with search engine results. Also over commenting with links may get you banned from myspace.

*One final note beware of ads and adbanners appearing on their site they are known for being infected with viruses that attack your computer just for closing the popup ad....I got caught by one and i know several other people who have also!
Bebo (AOL/AIM) - 1 Thumb up
Bebo is AOL/AIM's new profile service....so make a profile...make it about you with links to your websites and info about what you do....as a designer!! They are search-able by people and web-spiders! Once it is done you dont have to worry about it!
Yahoo Profiles
Just like Bebo...yahoo profiles are search-able...so make one!
Craigs List 1 thumb down
online classifieds & forums - be careful if you post your link in the forum you might get yelled at for spamming!!! and if you post a classified ad make sure you use pictures and include lots of information!! Each location you put an ad in your have to type it differently - you cannot place to same ad in multiple markets - also don't be upset if they pull your ads - some markets are picky and like to have your classified removed - no big deal just post it in another city!!!

Many people have difficulty with craigslist because on average you will have 50% of all posts removed...it can be time consuming but can work.
Webrings - 2 thumbs down
webrings are from the 90's but a lot of people still use them - sign up place the webring link at the bottom of your oage then join webrings relevant to your shop - people surf from one ring to the next linking to your store - be careful though - as of january you will only be able to join 5 free - so make sure they count!!
This has moved to the bottom of the list now that webrings is trying to charge people to be a member - you can still have a few webrings (they limit like 5 or something) - remember this causes a "leak" on your site and many affiliates will not want to partner with you.

More Free Advertising Online 

Other great ideas for getting free advertising online.
  • Join related forums - by that i mean forums related to your designs. if allowable place your link in your signature....if not place it on your forum profile. Then chat with the regulars on the forum, do NOT just join to talk about your shop though...you need to actually follow the rules of the forums!
  • Comment on other people's blogs - when related - and include a link to a RELEVANT design....do not just spam everyone's blogs with links to your site this will get you banned fromt he blog sites and hated by everyone as a spammer
  • there are other social networking sites like windows live & friendster...join up and make a profile!
  • Try chat rooms, do NOT just post your link and leave...that will get you hated not loved & most people will think your selling porn. Instead join into the chat, chat for a few minutes with the people then say "hey i have to get back to working on my webstore" normally someone will ask what you sell and that when you can interject your link! there are chat rooms on myspace, yahoo, facebook (inside some of the applications)

Free Advertising Offline 

Great ways to get free advertising offline.
  • Tell everyone you know or meet!!!! Then hand out business cards to anyone you tell. You can buy your cards from Zazzle, from a local printer, from vistaprint, or just make them yourself! Either way hand them to everyone. Talk to receptionists in the doctors office, the lady behind you in a long line, sales people, cashiers, the guy next to you on the bus...then work into the conversation that you design and sell t-shirts or posters what ever the occasion calls for and offer a business card!
  • Leave business cards where allowed. Many businesses have bulletin boards where you can leave cards (but carry your own thumb tacks) places to try include: libraries, pizza parlors, chinese take away, colleges, bus stations, coffee shops, book stores, car repair shops....basically anywhere someone may have to hang out for a while and wait

    Also try the exit of grocery stores where they ave those little tear off cards, you can usually turn your business cards on end and slide them right in there!
  • leave a card tucked in a library book when returning it - 90% of the time the cards are shaken out of the books, but there is still a chance someone may see it ont he librarian's desk. You can also tuck it in a library book on the shelf, although it could be 6 years before someone checks that book out again!
  • Give your products as gifts for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, Christmas and any other gift giving holiday. Include your card in the gift, you can make it pretty by using a hole punch to the corner of your card running a ribbon thru it and then tie the ribbon into a little bow & safety pin it to the tag inside the garment!

    If you are giving a book as a gift leave a card in the book for use as a bookmark!
  • Trade your skills! contact small local non-profits like independent animal shelters, local home-town museums or historical societies, veteran associations or other small town groups. Offer an exchange, they may need someone to help them set up their website, create a logo or help with fund-raising. You can offer to build them a store (in their name and TaxID/social security number) in exchange for them keeping a link on their store/website linking to your site/store..set up the shop and place a small handful of designs up for them (maybe create a quick create template for them), and then teach someone there how to check for sales, and add new designs if they want to. Make sure they know the URL for their new online store and get it linked to their website if they have one.
  • I have heard of people dropping them in envelopes with bills, this could be beneficial but be careful many bill envelopes say explicitly not to do this, and it culd delay processing your payment if the employee is in a bad mood and the card gets in the way of their doing their job, or if the machine to open envelopes is automated it could jam the machine and cause more problems then help!!
  • Place a bumper sticker on your car with your URL.

Help Support this Lens 

Shopaholic Chick
Shopaholic Chick - designs for the whole family with links to many of my other shops!
KiKi Kitty
Cute little black cat designs. perfect for Halloween or everyday.
That's My Baby
Cute little baby designs for anyone who is having a baby or preparing for a baby shower! great little gifts for the mommy to be or party favors.