Send out a newsletter – if you have a mailing list service, then you are already ready to go.  Create a promotion, add in a useful tip or two (maybe a new blog you found, color or fashion trends for the holidays – something that your readers can use) and highlight some new products.  If you have your mailing list already setup this can be done in about 30 minutes.  If you don’t have a mailing list service stop what you’re doing and set one up.  There are several to choose from and they range in price from nothing to a lot more than that.  We use and love Constant Contact and highly recommend them, but, do a google search for email marketing service and you’ll have plenty to choose from.  Make sure that you have an opt-in only list to stay within current spam mail regulations.

Sign up and start using Twitter - remember, Twitter is a give and take.  People are on there to market what they are selling, but also because they want to find out what you are selling.  If they are interested in your product, they will follow you.  Reward them by passing along useful tweets from others on your list and also announcing sales, promotions and events for your own store.

Find a blog to highlight one of your items.  Shopping blogs are everywhere these days.  Many of them will do a review in exchange for your product.  Although some of them charge a fee for this, many just do it on an exchange basis, using your item for their own use or for a giveaway.  Sometimes you can find a shopping blog that caters directly to what you are selling, but even others can find an umbrella blog – for instance, if you’re selling greeting cards, maybe you can find a shopping blog for moms,  a shopping blog for indie items or a shopping blog for handcrafted items.  How do you find these shopping blog – try googling your niche + shopping blog (i.e. boys clothing shopping blog).  Try to find a blog that is getting a decent amount of traffic – if they aren’t getting traffic then it’s not going to help you to have them review your item.  Check them out on Alexa or email and ask what their daily and monthly traffic is.

Run a special that applies to everyone who shops – people are definitely looking for deals, and while sales are nice, they don’t apply to everyone.  Try running some sort of promotion that gives everyone a discount - a $10 gift card for a $50 purchase (this is a good one because people have to come back to use the gift card), free shipping (this is my favorite – if I am looking for a certain item I will do google searches for that item + free shipping to try to find the store that is offering it with free shipping), free gift with purchase, or team up with a non-competing but similar store to exchange discounts – whenever I shop at the Carter’s outlet, they always give me a coupon for OshKosh – I’m much more likely to pop into OshKosh because I have a 20% off coupon in my hand.

Create an item of the day/week/month – pick a theme and then have a special on one item every day/week/month.  For long term marketing, you could do some sort of club that people join or sign up for and then are eligible for a discount for that item – think “flower of the month” club – but you could do it with anything – t-shirt of the month club, 12 days of Christmas layette set – where every day/week/month that theme item is on special.  If you can get people coming back to your store to check it out, they will be more likely to purchase it along with other things they see.

Remember, marketing is an every day event.  Don’t force the feast or famine.  Do a little every day – in good times and in bad, and you’ll be rewarded with consistent sales.