Sarah Close moved from her native Great Britain to New Orleans when she was only 9 years old. Since then she has come to love the annual city-wide party the city is so well known for–Mardi Gras.
Working as a marketing director for another online company, Sarah began to wonder if she couldn’t design and market a site of her own. Just before Mardi Gras in 2000, she opened “MardiGrasStore.com.”
Since that time she has seen the enterprise grow to three full-time employees and a small office.
To see more background on Sarah’s growth, go to:
http://www.all-in-one-business.com/sots
Here are some keys to Sarah’s success:
1. Sarah does something she loves.
While it is hard work–especially right before and during Mardi Gras–she loves it. Loving the business your in can often keep you working through the tough spots.
2. Sarah captures email addresses and sends out a weekly newsletter.
This is one of the key ways she cultivates repeat business. By capturing email addresses and sending out newsletters, she keeps her customers thinking about her during times other than Mardi Gras.
3. Sarah carefully uses Pay-Per-Click search engines.
While she tried–and decided against–impression based ads, she has found Pay-Per-Click a great way to build her sales.
4. Sarah uses affiliates to increase her sales.
By joining Commission Junction, Sarah was able to receive several hundred affiliates. While most of them have not produced any sales, the top 20 have increased her sales by about 15%.
While not for everyone, affiliate programs can strenthen the bottom line for many online businesses.
5. Sarah uses offline methods to market.
From a purple delivery limo to a postal catalog, Sarah takes advantage of offline methods to boost her sales and profits.
6. Sarah keeps her costs low.
While she stresses that it cost her very little to start her business, she is quick to point out the necessity to keep ongoing expenses at a minimum. She sees this as necessary for survival.
To see more of how Sarah succeeds in her business–as well as her advice for starting your own online business–go to:
http://www.all-in-one-business.com/sots
Kevin Bidwell is owner of
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