Best way of promoting your business

[soccerjunkie821]

Hello everybody, I know some of us are using our machines for hobby and some for business. For those trying to market their products and services in local markets, what do you feel has been the most effective in drumming up business? Local trade shows? Facebook pages? Any feedback is appreciated!

[evansd2]

There have been threads about this sort of thing. If you search you can find them. Let’s see…

[evansd2]

Aha here’s one.

Show me your businesses!

OK, full disclosure - I bought a Glowforge a couple years ago with the intention of starting a new business, but it’s honestly mostly just been gathering dust. I’ve done a few simple things like ornaments and a few gifts, but learning Inkscape, designing, figuring out how it works, plus having alignment problems were too overwhelming for me. Also, I convinced myself I couldn’t create anything that someone couldn’t buy from China much cheaper. So I ignored the Glowforge and focused on my othe…

[geek2nurse]

I’d have to say participation in the forums / groups, and building yourself a positive reputation.

[bansai8creations]

It may vary on what your trying to sell–if it’s products you’ve made with the GF, it’s the product you’re marketing, which may vary the audience & the approach versus if it’s a design or custom build service you’re offering.

I use my GF as a tool in my business crafting leather goods, and my main advice is that whatever it is you do for your business, be sure you really enjoy the products & the process, and that will shine through when you interact with potential customers. And since @evansd2 already provided links to other threads, I will avoid rehashing ideas for how-to…

Alas, this year, at least in my area (Puget Sound/Seattle), shows & local markets are cancelling even thru September so far. So may be not a good year to try to do shows in your area, either… Though you can always start looking at dates and building a list of ones you want to join & learn their application/entry process so you can hit the ground running next year!

And if it’s products, think about how you want your table display to look at a show–lots of ideas thru websites, and if/when you can go to shows, take notes of what you like & what suits your product. And I’ve made use of my GF to make a lot of my booth signs & display aids (risers/holders).

[Cora]

hey there! I personally share my projects and prototypes on my personal facebook vetting my friends for ideas / etc. Once I get something complete, I’ll post on my Etsy. I have a domain with google (domain.google.com) that costs only $12, and then I set up forwarding to my Etsy shop. I just started Etsy ads and they seem to work! I also post on Facebook marketplace and “boost” my posts so I get more views. Happy to talk more in the private messaging here!