How do I get noticed?

The aim of JKToys.co.uk is to offer traditional wooden toys at the cheapest possible prices without compromising on quality.

Our first product line is going to comprise of wooden railway sets and associated accessories. As well as offering standard railway sets we are going to provide expansion kits which will allow a variety of interesting layouts to be built - these expansion packs will provide components at much better prices than buyin them individually.

The key question that is currently concerning me is how to spread the word of http://www.jktoys.co.uk/ in a cost effective way; in other words how to market the site. Options I am considering include:

1. Pay per click advertising


2. Setting up as an Amazon retailer


3. Setting up an ebay shop


4. Search engine optimisation - I definitely need to do more research into this area, there are plenty of companies offering the service but will it do what I need?


5. Local paper advertising


6. Niche market specific advertising.

This is something I am going to have to give serious consideration to over the next couple of weeks.

I have decided to set a target date of 1st October for the official opening of our e-commerce store - I think this will help focus the mind on the various tasks and decisions which need to be completed / made in order to hit the ground running with a smooth operation; I am very aware that to delay launching is preferable to launching with dodgy operations as bad press spreads quickly and I expect to only have one chance to impress each customer with our service. Key to minimising the marketing spend as discussed above will be to encourage repeat customers and personal referrals from satisfied customers - therefore customer service and satisfaction are my number one priority as I go through the job of working out the end to end process of order fulfilment. (obviously I'mbeing optimistic and planning for plenty of orders - if we only get 1 order a day I'm pretty confident customer service should be high!!)