We have all had good days and bad in business. The small business person, lives daily on the hopes that he has a good sales or service day. In the case of employees who work independently at home for a living, it can be a different ballgame.

A friend of mine sent me an email, frustrated and upset because she had 3 client invoices outstanding, and her clients had not so much as even “suggested” the money due, was on its way. My friend was in desperate need for the money, she had worked hard for her income, and her own bills were now overdue.

“I have sent two invoices to each client, and have not heard back from them yet,” she complained. “I go through this every month with at least one client and it is so frustrating,”.

Business is business and one of the most important aspects of considering your business a success, is of course, the revenue generated. But there is also a certain ethic about getting paid, that parlays the success factor as well. Everyone hates to pay bills. Everyone also knows they have a responsibility to do so. In a harsh economy, or when times grow tight, the bottom line is that employers and employees must still get paid. Even if it is a small amount due, say, $125.00, that may be just what the employee needs to pay that electric bill, and the utility companies do not wait for THEIR money anymore. So the electric or water is turned off. Then there is a turn-on fee, and late fee adding insult to injury, and the rest of the budget goes haywire, all because that one check did not come in the mail on time.

I personally have never understand a system that punishes you for NOT having enough money. Another friend of mine, lost her husband in the war. She had to move out of the army housing with her 2 children, and find a p. She had no “extra” funds, but a little bit to get started until her husbands probate was cleared.

When my friend went to get the utilities turned on, she found that each utility company, the water, the gas, the electric and the trash company, all required deposits. Now she and her husband had fallen on hard times, just before he left for another country, and they had been behind in their bills with the collectors demanding payment. They worked out an agreement with the creditors, like responsible people do, however, the companies had a policy that the deposit amount you pay, is based on your credit score.

This poor woman, had to pay $300.00 just to have her gas and electric on, and $150.00 to have the water turned on. The policy did not care WHAT anyone’s circumstances were, they just knew your score was not up there where THEY thought it should be, so they made lots of money off of people who were already barely able to live. I had heard the same complaint from a disabled senior, who became sick suddenly, and had to move. Her deposits were sky high and it didn’t matter that she was disabled.

Business people have to realize that bills have to be paid. When one bill falls short, a whole chain reaction of events take place that your not aware of. Remember, the small business person or contractor, do not have the option of collection agencies, and rarely, deposits…so let’s remember to pay the small guy first. Their lights may depend on it.

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Tags: business, strategy, planning, ideas, start

I work with a flash game development company. Recently we have made a few business deals, and are now venturing into previously uncharted territory for us, thank you gifts/notes. What, If anything is customary? We also had a contact that helped arrange the deals in the first place. What would be appropriate for him? The gifts are for two different groups. One who we recently signed a contract with, and one who helped us get said contract in the first place. Would it be appropriate to give them the same gift or should they be individual.

Don’t worry too much about what is customary as far as gifts are concerned. The more original you can be, the better, as the standard range of corporate gifts (mousepads, pens, calendars, motivational cards and promotional CD-ROMs) are forgotten pretty quickly by most.

Claxon sent mugs to its affiliates a few months ago. While the gift itself was pretty standard, receiving a mug in the mail is a fairly rare occurrence, so this generated a good degree of buzz . CJ sent a wooden train whistle to a select group of affiliates years ago; a gift that is still discussed today, and Google sent funky illuminating radios.

As a matter of fact, all of those gifts generated buzz threads on Geek/Talk, as I’m sure they would have in other circles. They did so primarily through being unusual and not conforming to what is customary or traditional.

Even the timing of your gift can be most effective when it doesn’t conform to tradition. Often, companies will send gifts after an event has occurred or at Christmas time. If you alter this by sending a gift before the normal time, or by delivering gifts in celebration of the New Year, for example, you could further differentiate your brand from the others.

The choice of gift really depends on what sort of value it represents. A nice card may be all that’s required if you just want to show appreciation or celebrate a new relationship. If one of your clients represents a major brand who would normally only work through an agency or if your sales folk went out of their way to encourage an important prospect to use XGen rather than a competitor, then sure, a dozen roses (not red), a nice bottle of champagne, tickets to a concert or a hamper of gourmet goodies might do a better job of conveying your extreme gratitude.

Not everything has to be branded, and sometimes simply slipping a business card or a “with compliments” slip in with the generic card will be sufficient. If you are looking to give a gift that isn’t food or experience related, such as a mug, pen or item of clothing, definitely try to make sure that it’s branded. If the client does get some use out of your gift, your logo and contact details will then be readily accessible.

The other thing you can do is send a gift for them to giveto their children.

A regular pen set, mug, etc are often forgotten quickly but a cheap novelty item for a child will often have a greater emotional impact as they see the joy in the childs face – and it can still be inexpensive.

Just a different approach.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for SendFlowersGift. It offers same day flower delivery within the US and Canada, as well as fast worldwide delivery to international destinations. Start here to search by “Occasion”.

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Tags: ethics, ideas, business, conduct, issues

A PR event can be great for generating free media coverage for your client. One thing which can make it even more successful, however, is the presence of a celebrity or two.

By their very nature, celebrities seem to be followed by the limelight, and anything which they are seen to endorse or choose to be a part of automatically becomes more successful by association. This is why advertisers use celebrities to endorse products in print media advertisements and television commercials.

There are three main ways of attracting celebrities to your event, and which one you choose to take will depend primarily on the nature of the event itself..

1. Rent a Celebrity

Many celebrities are happy to show up at an event in return for a fee. Whilst few clients can afford the fees demanded by ‘A List’ celebrities (movie stars, gold-medal athletes, and so on), there are many more ‘B List’ celebs (soap stars, daytime TV presenters, etc.) who charge more affordable fees for an appearance.

While these individuals won’t necessarily have journalists from the gossip magazines following their every move, they almost always make it easy to get local television and newspaper coverage, which would normally cost much more than their fee.

2. Invite a Celebrity Customer

If your client has worked with or for a celebrity in the past then this prior association might encourage the celebrity to volunteer his or her presence at the event. For example, if a celebrity uses your client’s product with great enthusiasm, he or she might be more than happy to attend the event for free, or perhaps in return for a year’s supply of free product. The more enthusiastic the celebrity is about your client or his product, the more chance you have of having him attend.

3. Liaise with the Charity

If the event in question is being held primarily for charitable purposes, you might find it most useful to speak with the PR department of the charity concerned and find out if they already have some celebrity supporters who may be willing to attend. If they do (and most recognized charities have at least a few) then the charity’s own PR department should do the rest and ensure that someone comes to support the event you are organizing.

Although attracting celebrities often increases the effectiveness of a PR event, this doesn’t mean that an event which doesn’t have such high-profile support will be a failure. Certainly not. If any PR event is well organized and promoted properly, it will almost always prove to be a success as far as generating publicity for your client is concerned. Celebrity presence must therefore be viewed as the ‘icing on the cake’ rather than essential for success.

You can make very good money as a self-employed public relations consultant. Maple Academy (UK) runs a highly successful PR training course for anyone hoping to set up in this field. For full details, see this site.

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Tags: public relations, ideas, pr, event, celebrities

A PR event can be great for generating free media coverage for your client, but it needs to be properly organized or disaster may ensue. In this article I have set out some tips for ensuring that your PR event achieves all the goals set for it.

Organizing a successful PR event isn’t a complicated matter — you just have to follow a few guidelines in order to ensure that things are arranged as smoothly and effectively as possible by taking the steps described below…

1. Decide on the type of event

The type of event which suits your client will be determined by a number of variables such as his budget, the desired outcome and whether he wants to focus on swift or long-term success. Having discussed these factors with the person you are working for, you can suggest an event which seems most appropriate to his needs. The final decision, of course, rests with the client.

2. Set a suitable date

Whatever kind of event your client decides on, make it clear that all events take time to put together. Ideally, you should set a date at least six months hence for the event, and preferably more. The more time you have to promote the event, the more successful it is likely to be. This isn’t to say that planning an event to take place in six weeks time is impossible, because it isn’t, but it will require considerable effort to ensure that everything is arranged properly in such a short space of time.

3. Make a list of all that needs arranging

Different events require different arrangements. If your client wants to sponsor a sporting event then discussions will need to be entered into with the individual or team in question. If he wants to launch an open competition then decisions as to the type of competition, how it will be promoted and the prizes involved will need to be made. Whatever the kind of event you are asked to work on, make a list of every single thing which needs arranging, from organizing a suitable venue to obtaining any licenses which may be necessary (for example, a performance license or a license to run a lottery).

4. Start promoting the event

When you know exactly what you need to do to get a successful event organized, you can start promoting it. The most cost-effective way to do this is by sending press releases to as many as possible local (or national if the event demands this) newspapers, broadcasters and other relevant organizations. Of course, in addition to using press releases, other promotional methods can be employed if the budget allows. Advertising, direct mailshots and even internet promotion can all be used to good effect for many events.

5. Use your list to set things up

Now that you have started the ball rolling by promoting the event, start working through your list and setting things up. Hire the venue, send out invitations and do whatever else you have decided you need to do to make the event a success.

6. Aim to get ongoing publicity

Once everything is in place and the event itself is sorted out, aim to get even more publicity by contacting the feature editors of newspapers, magazines and television shows and inviting them to cover the event. If the event is something that will be of interest to their readers or viewers, you can get coverage before, during and after the event — thus turning perhaps a ‘one-day’ PR event into a publicity campaign which spans several weeks.

If you follow these simple guidelines, your PR event should be a resounding success and generate lots of valuable publicity and goodwill for your client.

You can make very good money as a self-employed public relations consultant. Maple Academy (UK) runs a highly successful public relations training course for anyone hoping to set up in this field. For full details, see this Site.

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Tags: ideas, organize, pr, event, public relations

Here’s a cause for celebration – your business anniversary! Why not throw an anniversary party where you get all the gifts:

New and Repeat Business: Celebrating your anniversary demonstrates to customers and prospects that, while others have come and gone, your company has flourished. You’ll win recognition for your accomplishments and spread awareness of your products or services.

Competitive Marketplace Advantage: Celebrating your anniversary trumps your competitors. Some may not realize how long they’ve been in business; others may not recognize an anniversary’s marketing potential. You’ll bring attention to your company, stay in the spotlight throughout the year, and gain competitive marketplace advantage — so critical in tough economic times.

Stronger Relationships: Employees, customers, vendors, suppliers, and the community have made your success possible, and an anniversary is a perfect occasion to acknowledge those contributions. You’ll stimulate a sense of pride in your supporters for what they have helped you achieve and reinforce their roles as advocates for your company.

Whether you’re celebrating a milestone year (those ending in 0 or 5) or an in-between year, your anniversary is a chance to remind the marketplace of your company’s past success. Celebrating your anniversary with a promotional campaign – your anniversary party – becomes a “sell”-abration, contributing directly to your future success.

Here are three business anniversary ideas for celebrating and “sell”-abrating your anniversary:

Create a Themed Anniversary-Year Campaign. Wedding anniversaries are often celebrated according to a traditional list of anniversary symbols. Today, a new twist on that time-honored idea has been created just for businesses: “The Bartel Years(TM)” is a roster of symbols to inspire business anniversary ideas for a century of anniversary promotions. Did you know, for example, that Chocolate represents the 7th business anniversary year, Apples & Oranges represents the 29th anniversary, and Nickel represents the 46th anniversary?

Let the symbol for your anniversary year inspire business anniversary ideas for an array of promotional campaigns directed to customers, prospects, employees, and the community at large. For example:

A company celebrating its 33rd anniversary (Maple) could send maple-flavored candy to customers with a card, announcing the milestone and thanking customers for the company’s “sweet success.” To thank employees for their loyalty and hard work, a company could hold a pancake breakfast cooked by management and served with commemorative bottles of maple syrup. A company could also plant maple trees in a local park as a community-service project that would thank the community at large for the company’s success and longevity.

Harness the Power of Publicity. Editors at newspapers and trade journals hunger for good stories. However, having an editor gobble up your business anniversary story means offering more than just a mere appetizer: the fact that you company’ is marking an anniversary. Instead, you must serve a satisfying main course – an interesting story about your company – for which you offer a choice of entrées. You could offer a story showing:

* Your company’s achievements or the changes you’ve seen in your industry during the time.

* Astounding production figures such as the number of widgets your company has produced during its history.

* Developments in your company such as the introduction of a new product or service.

* A special gift to the community or a community-service campaign launched during your business anniversary year.

How do you get the media’s attention? Offer your company’s anniversary story via a pitch letter or media release directed to print and broadcast outlets. Include a compelling hook or headline that explains the importance of your business anniversary to your industry, your customers, or the community.

Leverage the resulting publicity by highlighting media appearances in your newsletter, by including photocopies of newspaper and magazine articles in prospective client packets, and by posting clips of radio and television interviews on your Web site. 

Offer Special Anniversary Year Pricing and Packages. If your company sells products, consider offering special business anniversary year pricing. A company celebrating a 30th anniversary could discount any item over $30 by 30% for the first 30 days of the company’s business anniversary year. If your company sells services, consider offering special business anniversary year packages. A legal firm celebrating a 4th business anniversary could offer a fixed-price package of four services such as initial consultation, will, health care proxy, and power of attorney. Mention your special anniversary year pricing and packages in any promotions you do during the year.

Which anniversary will your company mark this year? Congratulations! Now, with these business anniversary ideas, you’ll be ready to celebrate and to “sell”-abrate!

Pauline Bartel is president and chief creative officer of Bartel Communications, Inc., an award-winning corporate communications firm, specializing in marketing and public relations. In honor of its 10th anniversary, Bartel Communications created “The Bartel Years(TM),” a roster of symbols to inspire business anniversary ideas for a century of business anniversary promotions, and launched The Bartel Way(TM), a business anniversary consulting service. Bartel Communications is the business anniversary ideas expert. Download free PDFs of “The Bartel Years(TM)” and the Special Report, “The Top 10 Business Anniversary Ideas For ‘Sell’-abrating Your Business Anniversary” here

Copyright (c) 2007 by Pauline Bartel

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Tags: business, business anniversaries, ideas, publicity, relationships

So you’ve hung up your shingle and clients aren’t exactly beating a path to your door. What can you do? Well you might think standing out on the street with a megaphone will do the trick. And it may be one way to gain attention for your business, but an overall public relations plan incorporating a number of promotional ideas could be just what your business needs.

Public relations is communicating who you are, what you do and how you make a difference. It’s about having successful “relationships” with your “public”. They could be friends, clients, potential customers, competitors or the media who can all help spread the word about your business.

One way of communicating your message is through publicity or media relations. Sending out media releases to create awareness of your product or service through editorial coverage is great publicity and it is very effective. They say publicity is seven times more effective than advertising. But it is just one tactic of an overall public relations plan that you could incorporate.

Let’s look at a few other ideas:

* Newsletters email or hard copy – direct communication with your public, clients and customers. Send out some sort of communication to your data base at least once a quarter to keep “top of mind”

* Write articles about your area of expertise and submit them to business or consumer publications and online sites such as this one you are reading. I have had work come to me directly through published articles

* Fact sheets or a brochure. Include written information about you, your product or service with any mail outs

* Create a website. This is your online PR brochure but you need to keep telling people about it. Make sure you incorporate strategies to promote your site, such as include the domain name in every piece of communication collateral you have, whether it’s brochures, stickers, pens or caps. Put it everywhere

* Product launches and product giveaways to the media. Create “buzz” for your business by giving something away. Be generous as ultimately it will help with sales

* Public speaking – free speeches to Rotary clubs or other organisations is a good way of letting people know about your business and area of expertise. By being known as an expert on a particular topic and getting the word out perhaps the media will contact you

* Networking – join organisations of like minded people such as business networks or your local Chamber of Commerce. Build rapport and relationships to help spread the word about who you are and what you do

* Special events such as a trade show or entering business awards can help boost your profile. Why not hold a launch or an open day or even a cocktail party at your place of business to thank your clients or customers

* Sponsorships. If you can’t afford to hold your own event why not sponsor an event that somebody else is organising. Make sure your sponsorship is acknowledged on any advertising and other communication collateral

* Something as simple as sending thank you notes and letters is good personal PR

Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace – your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. To learn more about how you can achieve recognition, enhance your image and shine, sign up for free monthly tips here.

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Tags: pr, public relations, publicity, media, ideas

Business Thank You Etiquette

Business etiquette is a very important factor in business today.The following suggestions may help you when acknowledging a compliment or a gift, or when you are extending a thank you to someone for a job well done.

Saying “please” and “thank you” are not empty gestures. When you say “thank you,” you are showing appreciation and displaying confidence.

Receiving compliments graciously should not be hard to do. The trick is to simply say, “thank you” to the colleague, supervisor or client who has complimented you on a job well done.

How do you say thank you after a business breakfast, lunch or dinner? Of course, give an immediate verbal thank you to your host, and then follow up with a note of thanks. Even if you communicate frequently by email a quick, hand-written note is a much more personal and much under used method of conveying extra thanks.

If a co-worker or business associate refers a client to you, thank them for their assistance. A short note will let them know how much you appreciate their collegiality. And they are more likely to refer to you again.

If you have pulled a meeting together with speakers or special guests, make sure to write a thank you to each immediately after the event. Keep a small supply of thank you cards in your desk drawer to make this kind of follow-up quick and easy.There are many events in the corporate world for which gifts are a necessity. When a company shows its appreciation for employees, clients, suppliers, and any other group of people who help to make them the success they are….

Client Appreciation

Travel/Conference Comforts

New Contact Introduction

Company Growth

Congratulations

Closing the Deal

Thank You

Customized Marketing Tools

What Are Gifts and Incentives?

It’s very important to realize that corporate gifts are not promotional items. Gifts and incentives are totally different from promotional items given out at trade shows.
Corporate gifts are given to clients with whom you have an ongoing working relationship. They can also be given to your employees to recognize outstanding performance or for personal achievements such as a promotion or birthday.

Please note that sales incentives also differ from gifts. They recognize employees who reach certain goals and employees work to achieve these goals in order to get the incentive. Incentives range in value and type but are usually more extravagant than corporate gifts.

When To Buy For Clients

We usually think of the holiday season as the time when businesses give corporate gifts to their clients. So why don’t you make yourself stand out from the crowd by giving gifts in the off season. There’s no gift giving protocol that requires you to send gifts only in the holiday season.

For example, think about giving a gift to celebrate the completion of a big project you’ve worked on with your client. Or how about recognizing a special event? Did your client just open a new office? Gifts are a great way to say “congratulations.”

While there are many appropriate times to give gifts – there are also times when you absolutely should NOT give a gift. For example, giving a gift during a bidding process could be seen as bribery.

When To Buy For Employees As with clients, holidays are a popular time to buy for employees. It’s a good way to say “thanks for a great year” and the best time to give an annual bonus.

You can also recognize personal achievements, like birthdays, promotions, and the birth of a child with gifts. Small gifts are appropriate and always appreciated.

When considering incentives there are many choices. We often consider sales incentives, but you may also want to consider rewarding a marketing team who creates a great campaign or technical team who works over to get you up and running ahead of schedule. Consider gifts like fruit of the month clubs

Gifts For Clients

After you decide when to give, the question now is what to give. And here you have so many options.

Food gift baskets are a very popular and cost-effective choice. Gourmet gift baskets are sure to please everyone and you can choose from gift baskets ranging in price from $ 20.00 to over $ 100.00 . Popular non-food gifts that are also fairly inexpensive include flowers, and office items.

Whatever you give, if possible try to make it relevant to your client. Think back to your conversations with your client. Did they mention a special hobby or interest? If the gift coincides with a hobby, the gift will be even more appreciated.

For example, if your client mentioned they love fishing, a simple book on fishing would be perfect.

Then make it even more personal by adding their name and a short thank you on the inside cover.

I personally don’t suggest charitable donations … some clients could find this offensive

Gifts For Employees

Plaques and trophies are always a great way to recognize a special achievement your employee makes. They’re personal and can be displayed wherever the employee chooses.

Bonuses are a good idea for employees. The idea may seem impersonal, but you can be sure money will be well received. It can be given as a year-end gift, or as an incentive.

Of course, an incentive doesn’t have to be money; it can be a holiday, or even a car. Remember that the bigger the incentive, the harder your employees will work for it.

Gift Etiquette

The most important rule, with both employees and clients, is to not offend! And that doesn’t just mean not giving a gourmet gift basket with pork to your Jewish client. There are many other ways to offend that you really should make sure to avoid.

Find out if your clients company has a gift giving policy. This is very easy to do by calling the business and ask the receptionist or HR department. Do you know if your own company has a policy, you should also check it out before choosing a gift for your employees or workmates.

Very extravagant corporate gifts (not incentives) are considered inappropriate in most cases. Not only can they appear as bribery with clients, they can make the recipient feel uncomfortable (especially if they want to return a gift).

If you would like to deliver the gift in person this is fine but it is a good idea not to wait around while they open it. If you’ve sent the gift through the mail, don’t ask the recipient if they’ve received it. The best idea is to call the vendor.

How Much Should You Pay?

You needn’t spend a lot to make a good impression with your clients or employees.

It’s very common for businesses to spend less than $50 total for each client gift. It’s also a good idea to tailor each gift to specific clients ( if you can )- you may also want to spend more on clients that do more business with you.

Monetary gifts for employees are at your discretion and can be a set amount or a percentage of the employee’s salary.

If you’re a small business and considering an incentive program, big ticket items are out of the question. Instead, consider awarding day trips to somewhere close by like an amusement park for the family, or leisure-oriented items such as theatre tickets, a day at a spa, or a night at a hotel.

Even if you are on a small budget, you can still give gifts and incentives. You just need to be creative. There may well be some creative and crafty people within your organization who will be happy to help you out with ideas or the actual gifts.

With all of the choices out there, gifts and incentives are within any budget. And just think — gift-giving and incentive programs are not just a sign of generosity; they are a very important part of maintaining positive and healthy relationships with your clients and employees alike.

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Tags: pr, communications, gift, ideas, public relations

For years, PR practitioners have argued that one of the best ways to garner publicity is to “go where the media is gathered.” Finding the press is the easy part, but turning its attention towards yourself or your company in a beneficial way takes strategy, chutzpah, and good fortune.

When Janet Jackson performed at the Super Bowl in 2004, her suspicious “wardrobe malfunction” turned the eyes of the nation upon her, and the furor following the event put her prominently in the news. Whether or not Jackson planned the incident, it failed to sell her CDs or advance her music career.

A publicity stunt is only worthwhile when you are able to leverage the media spotlight to further your communication objectives without damaging your credibility. Here are a couple of publicity stunts that worked and the strategies behind them:

1) In 1984, I broke the Guinness World Record for the most time swinging in a hammock. Interestingly enough, the record I broke was my father’s, and he done this a few years earlier as a way to get media attention for his store specializing in hammocks. The stunt worked for my father, and he got some favorable write-ups that led to an increase in sales.

My hammock record was even more successful in creating publicity because I tied it to a timely event. I sent out press releases and contacted the media notifying them that I was breaking the record as a way to gain attention in a bid to make hammock swinging an Olympic sport. Since I broke the record just before the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the media loved the story and covered it in print and on television. Sales of hammocks rose even higher.

2) John Younger, founder and president of Accolo (an HR recruiting company), read a front page story in USA Today about a controversial Paris Hilton television commercial for Carl’s Jr. It struck him that she had probably never eaten a hamburger in her life – and that this could be tied to the concept of hiring the right person for the job. With this in mind, he proceeded to create a 30 second spoof video entitled “Rethink Recruiting” emphasizing how hiring the right person makes all the difference.

Accolo’s advertisement generated millions of downloads from the company’s website, and it was prominently featured on Good Morning America, Jay Leno, WGN, The Big Idea with Danny Deutsch (MSNBC), the New York Times, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, and many more media outlets.

In a recent email from Younger, he wrote “Accolo has considerably more market awareness when we contact prospects, referral sources and candidates… It positively influenced our largest contract to date.”

If you’ve pulled off a publicity stunt that helped your achieve your business objectives, I would enjoy hearing about it and sharing it with others.

Patrick Galvin, the “Chief Galvanizer,” started Galvin Communications to help companies galvanize sales through creative marketing rather than expensive advertising. In Buzz Bulletin, his monthly ezine, he demonstrates how you can increase your visibility, credibility, and sales with word of mouth marketing, PR, and other innovative tactics. He is a popular keynote presenter at corporate and trade association conferences throughout North America.

You can subscribe to Buzz Bulletin at galvincomm.com For current insights into word of mouth marketing, visit Patrick’s Buzz Builder Blog
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Business owners and managers want to create awareness of their business. And many times they want to (or have to) create that awareness with a very small or no budget. This presents a challenge so one needs to apply some strategic thinking to do this.

Employing some strategic thinking, here are 13 strategic, creative and inexpensive ways to inform your existing and prospective customers and clients know who you are, what you do, and what core values you exemplify in your business.

1. Volunteer to speak at one of your local service clubs.

2. Write articles for your local community newspaper.

3. Develop and offer free or very low cost seminars or workshops to educate the public on a subject that is related to your field of business.

4. Volunteer to provide tips to a local community organization in subject areas related to your expertise.

5. Become active in your local chamber of commerce.

6. Publish a series of “tips” articles related to your business field and provide free distribution.

7. Offer to write a weekly “tips” column in a local newspaper.

8. Offer to be a guest and to be interviewed on a local talk radio show.

9. Partner with a related, but non-competitive business, to reach a common target market.

10. Consider a joint venture with another business to sponsor an event or a local sports team.

11. Use the Internet professionally and creatively to increase awareness of your business and your products and/or services.

12. Write and distribute a free newsletter about your business.

13. Give away something free from your business.

If you are interested in learning more about strategic, creative and inexpensive ways to create awareness of your business, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group ™

If you are interested in learning more about strategic, creative and inexpensive ways to create awareness of your business, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site here

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 225 articles on business.

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Tags: pr, ideas, awareness, business, creative