If your store’s Grand Opening is around the corner or if you have a 10 Year-Anniversary coming up, you may be thinking about hosting a special event to mark the occasion. It is important to recognize that organizing a successful event takes a great deal of time and planning. Sure, you can whip an event together in one week; however, chances are you’ll be stressed out, over budget and may never want to host one ever again. To prevent this from happening, we have compiled below a list of Do’s…

Finally a break for Small Businesses - 70% off direct mail postage!

The USPS just launched an incredible program that cuts postage costs by 70%. If you market to consumers in a specific local area, this new program can dramatically increase your ROI. In short, you choose “carrier routes” and the post office delivers flat rate pieces to every home on the routes for 14.2 cents each. That’s a 70% savings in postage and, including printing, can be an overall 50% savings in…

About one in six Americans move each year. If you are mailing to customers and inquirers whose addresses you’ve had for years, you are likely throwing away a large part of your marketing budget.

Before any mailing, you should have your printer or mail shop “scrub” your list. They can run it against the NCOA (National Change of Address) database to identify people who have moved and give you the option to mail to the new addresses. In addition, they can CASS Certify your list…

Great marketing ideas are born from listening to the market.  Simple tools like Google Alerts or Social Mention can keep you up to date on what people are saying about your brand, your location, and your products.  

Internet listening posts like Google Alerts and Social Mention work in the same way. You enter search terms, and get the latest web and news items related to your topic(s) sent right to your inbox.  Get started by entering your brand…

If you have an interview scheduled with the local newspaper, it is 100 percent okay (and a smart idea!) to ask the reporter in advance for a list of questions they plan to ask during your conversation.  Take the time to review your key company messages and set out some simple talking points that you would like to discuss.  Also, remember to speak in complete sentences because it is easier for journalists to quote you that way.   It’s also helpful to research the types of stories the reporter…

Prior to placing any advertising, you’ll request ad rates from the media outlets you’ve selected as part of your ad plan.  Don’t take these rates at face value.  Call the ad representative and discuss the rates, frequency (how many issues in which you’ll advertise) and ad sizes. Negotiate the rate and ask for added value.  For instance, if you place an online banner ad, will they thrown in a paid calendar listing?  If you place a print ad, will they include an online ad for a reduced cost?…

Depending on the type of business you operate, a grand opening celebration or ribbon cutting with your local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to let the community know you are open for business.  You can alert the media in your town about the event through a press release or media alert and also submit a calendar listing and invite the public to stop by.  We also encourage you to hang posters or flyers in your store to alert current customers about your grand opening celebration.  During…

With over 500 million active users on Facebook and 175 million registered on Twitter, social media platforms are helping small businesses refine their brands.  When used correctly both are excellent networking tools that let you engage with your customers and enable you to get the message out about your company news.  Whether it’s an announcement, an upcoming event, new product or special day these platforms can help spread the word about your business in a timely manner.  Keep in mind that…

Whether you are looking to develop a new marketing campaign, a clever social media promotion or gain insight on how to improve your current business, hosting a simple brainstorm with colleagues is a brilliant way to share ideas.  To make the most efficient use of everyone’s time, designate a leader who will explain the mission at hand and ensure the conversation stays on track.  Brainstorms should be fun so a relaxed, informal approach works best.  Carve out an hour over lunch, put your…

Experience has shown that best results come from meeting for only an hour a week. That being said, we meet every week, and discuss progress toward your goals and strategies for doing things faster, smarter and better.

While a crisis is not something you ever hope for, it’s certainly something you should plan for. Any good practitioner should be prepared to handle difficult situations and hard questions should they hit your business for any reason.  Make sure you know who to contact at the corporate level and what company protocol is, in case any problems should arise and the media contacts you directly.  Depending on the situation, corporate communications may designate a spokesperson or prepare a…

As with any industry, PR has its fair share of keywords and catch phrases. Here are a few common PR keywords that you should know right away that will help you navigate the PR world with greater ease.

• Press Release - a one to two page announcement prepared and distributed to the press to generate coverage and stories.
• Pitch E-mail – a compelling e-mail sent to the press to inform them of a newsworthy topic and gauge their interest in writing a…

Public relations and advertising can often be confused. Both disciplines deal directly with the media and help get your name out there. In fact, both public relations and advertising share some things in common including driving sales, communicating your brand message, generating awareness and building your company’s image and reputation.  However, there is more that sets public relations and advertising apart than binds them together.

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Public relations is the practice of managing communication between an organization and the public. It’s all about reputation and is the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you.  Its components vary, but are generally made up of media relations, community relations, employee relations and social media. 

Public relations can play a critical role in achieving a competitive advantage and when used correctly it can help drive positive word of mouth to…

By now, you are probably aware that Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service.  In fact, you may have created your own Twitter handle but are lost as to how you can use Twitter to increase business locally and differentiate yourself from the competition.  Since Twitter was created five years ago, it has gained worldwide popularity with nearly 200 million users generating 200 million tweets daily making it a must use tool in today’s business world.  Below are some hot…