I keep coming back to Francine Pickering’s expert advice on the 9 golden rules to promoting your business with reference to Mama Jewels and have formulated a marketing strategy. I have to say that I am still struggling for time and it is not a glossy laminated poster on my office wall yet and to coin a very out of date and un PC phrase – it is a little bit ‘on the back of a fag packet’; however at least I have a strategy which I can get my teeth into and is not costing me too much money.

My first decision was to follow Francine’s’ advice and consciously not do any more paid advertising for the time being. This advice falls in-line with the advice given to me by a very good friend who owns an online Flower and gift website. The kind of advertising that my current budget can afford has not been effective so the focus is on PR and I am learning an incredible amount day by day.

So how is it going? Well I’m finding it incredibly exciting and enjoyable and every small step just seems amazing. I think 'slowly but positively' is the best answer I can give in terms of actual success, but this is a stark contrast to advertising results so far.  I have had a couple of on-line magazine features and inafishbowl have certainly helped with raising my profile together with some help from business link who are interested in doing a feature. Locally I am now known as ‘The lady who does the baby jewellery’ (clearly that title needs work) Sales are steadily increasing week by week and the past week produced rather a flurry with Christmas gifts being purchased both on and off line.

My most recent decision has been to join a new PR collaboration with a group of Mumpreneurs who have baby related but very different products. The aim of the collaboration is to utilise the knowledge and contacts of an Industry specific PR agent who will be looking for Baby product related features and opportunities with Mum and baby related magazines and publications. As they already have the contacts with these magazines it should save me an enormous amount of chasing and research time and will give me space to look at other marketing ideas. This is just on a trial basis but the some of the Mumpreneurs and products involved have already had great success so I am very optimistic and excited to be involved with such well know names!