To wonder whether you would pay £1000 + to advertise on Mumsnet for a couple of weeks?

[NomadsLand]

Do you actually pay attention to the advertisements? I'm seriously considering advertising my business on Mumsnet but I'm wondering whether it's worth the cost when our 2-woman start-up company is struggling with cash-flow.

Pls advise me, oh wise women!

OP, what exactly do you manufacture?

Did Google ads at a cost of ....a lot! Useless.

How can I get through to Mary Portas? We're a Made in Britain company supporting the rag trade in Nottingham and yet nobody is interested. I went to Nottingham last week and it's so depressing to see the dying factories. We're supporting them with our business but nobody is really interested in helping us spread the message. Grrrr.

I m aware the ads are there. I know they have to be, as they bring in revenue. But rarely read them, and the ones that have moving elements are just so distracting, I often leave the page to get rid of them. So no - doesnt work for me.

Are you primarily a retailer or a supplier to the retail trade? If you want to supply, have you considered attending trade fairs such as PURE?

www.purelondon.com

Have a look at their website, the exhibitor pricing is quite reasonable, around £400 for a full shell scheme. This puts you right in the midst of buyers including large retailers including the likes of John Lewis, Selfridges etc whose buyers are likely to be attending such events.

I also run a website as a retailer rather than supplier so I visit these events myself looking for new suppliers like you (although not the same product line). Retailers are always looking for newbies into the market.

I wouldn't.

I actually looked into it a while ago and was shocked by the prices! Especially for an ad in AIBU only the Big Boys can afford to try to catch your eye in there!

But no, I decided it really wasn't worth it for me, based on the very short time that I could afford to keep an ad there and the number of people - myself included - who have never really taken much notice of the ads much less clicked on them.

If you're going to stand much of a chance of getting noticed, you'll have to be there for a while and be very prominent- both of which cost so much money, which is difficult for a smaller business. A few weeks tucked away somewhere isn't going to do much. And the small business thing - used to be £50, not sure if it still is - I wouldn't bother with either.

I think they should do a MNer discount, tbh

I use an adblocker , sorry

NomadsLand - I've looked at your ad and was momentarily interested in your Wishful Shrinking Long trousers. Alas not long enough for me.

I like your swim stuff too, but again not long enough, although great designs. I would love a more covered up look, say mid-thigh swim shorts. Don't like exposing too much! I think there's a gap in the market for a more covered up look.

Why would you pay £1000 when you can start a thread, get a few people interested, then advertise from free?

No, I don't take any notice of the adverts on Mumsnet and never click on them, but think I am possibly unusually resistant to advertising (as I am not terribly interested in shopping).

I agree with MaisyMoo, use the money for trade shows, they are a much better way to get in front of the people you need to.
I personally wouldn't spend the money on an ad on here.

Could you get a well known name/face to give you a testimonial/good write up. That could get you some good press. Not sure how you do this but bet you could do a better job than the PR company that you employed.

Also, have you looked at things like Enterprise Nation, they have good ideas about promoting businesses.
Good Luck!

Before this thread goes pooof, on account of the advertising let me just say this to you, as a really fat woman -

tunics / long tops
mid length sleeves

I am so so so sick of trying to buy clothes and finding they're all strappy tops, or to the 'waist'.

Or see through.

When you get to my size - you've got nothing that anybody wants to see through

Bigger women can look FAB. Just not in strappy tops and hipsters and tiny tops that come to the waist.

If you want to deal with clothes for larger women then please - as a larger woman I implore you - don't just make skinny clothes in a bigger size!!!

I agree with HeathRobinson and Hecate about clothes for the fuller figure and clothes that offer more cover. There's definitely a gap in the market.

NB have not looked in the look book whatever the eff that is, just under the tab ''swimwear''

This is the second time you have advertised yourselves for free on mumsnet that I have seen, so I guess not.

Investigate proper Search Engine Optimization for your site, to ensure people who are looking for plus size swim wear will find you.

You must be doing well if you are a 2 woman start up with a commercial site and with 20k to spend on PR.

Yes, it is the second time i have seen this too........

You don't see any using the iPhone app...I don't think

I have some trousers that look just like those shrinking trousers you have. Mine cost me £9 from m&s and are good quality, had em 2 years and still looking good. No way would I may £50 for what's basically a pair of joggers.

If you can afford to spend 20k on advertising then why are you moaning about spending 1k

If you are spending 9 pounds on a pair of trousers, then some poor child in Indonesia is paying the cost. I can assure you of this because I've seen it.

We buy and manufacture all our stock in Nottingham. No child labour there, unless you count our own kids! I can't tell you how many weekends we've spent weaving ribbons on swing tags and affixing labels to alleviate costs with the promise of a bbq and roasted marshmallows at the end of it. That's what WE have to do to manufacture in Britain. We are the new child labour! But hey, Id rather it be us, our business and our family than the depressing thought of hundreds of Indonesian children doing the same thing.

Can I just say how disgusting I think it is that the Olympic committee didn't insist that every supplier of Olympic goods and souvenirs be a British based manufacturer.

Just saying....x

And that's the problem. People want cheap clothes more than they want to protest against child labour in a country many many miles away. You will get some custom, yes. But the number of people who will say well, I can get a pair of jeans for a fiver... is huge.

Many people just cannot afford to spend seventy quid on a top. They can't. And so the cheap clothes are appealing, and they try not to think about the person who made these clothes, and what their situation may be, or say well, if we stopped buying these clothes we'd put these people out of work and they'd all starve.

I get most of my family's clothes from charity shops. I could not clothe us on 'ethical' prices. We'd be in rags.