One really neat promotion idea you may not have thought of for your business is running a school fundraiser to support a local school. PTO fundraisers are always popular, and while you can support the PTO’s efforts simply by buying, using your business to host a fundraising event will get your company name out into the community while providing needed monies, too. (PTO Today has some ideas that might be useful.)

There are any number of possible fundraising events you can use. For instance, operate a kettle corn fundraiser at a local fun fair or crafts festival. Packets of kettle corn sell for only $1 each and you can earn a lot money for your favorite non-profit.

Or try an online fundraiser where you sell magazine subscriptions or credit cards (you earn money for each application). Friends and family nationwide can support this fundraiser, which is nice for grandparents and other relatives who live out of state.

There are other options as well, including presell brochures and catalogs where you take orders for gourmet cookie dough or Crayola cooking kits, among other things, or even donation fundraising where you use a scratch card or spinner and let people take a chance and see what amount to give.

Fundraisers can be a lot of fun, and they can really promote your business name in your local community. Giving in order to get something back isn’t the only reason to host a fundraiser, but it helps to know that you’ll be doing something good for a local school while you’re also doing something good for your business.

Business owners who grow their businesses through increased sales know how important it is to use mailing lists and leads to grow. And since any business owner needs more sales, it stands to reason that any business owner can benefit from mailing lists and leads.

A cold market is hard to work. But that’s what we have when we run out of warm leads or people we know. But there is a way around this… purchase the best sales leads you can find for your business. These will give you the ability to work leads that are specifically designed with your business needs in mind. That means you’ll have a better chance of getting results from them.

B2B mailing lists are a good option, too. These lists work well for businesses that offer products or services to other business owners. Why spend time and money contacting the wrong people for your business? B2B leads are ideal if your target audience includes other businesses.

If you’re looking for B2B sales leads, be sure they’re the right ones for your business. Don’t waste money on something you can’t use or don’t need. Instead, carefully consider the leads you plan to purchase and choose those that are best for you and your company.

Mailing lists and sales leads can be a great way to grow your business. When you use these tools yourself or provide them for your sales people, it can increase your sales success rate and profit. Your business can boom because of them!

As a business owner and writer, I’m always on the lookout for ways to tie every day aspects of life into a lesson to be learned in business. So, let’s take a walk down a garden path, so to speak…

When you think of “lockers,” what comes to mind? If you’re like me, you probably envision the standard gray metal school lockers, or those you see in the gym every week when you go work out. These are the typical lockers we see on TV, in high school athletic scenes, even in police department locker rooms (and being an avid cop show junkie, I see a lot of them!). Did you know there are other type lockers?

For instance, you can buy solid oak, wood lockers in a variety of finishes. These are nice lockers. Very high class. Or you can buy wire mesh bins that serve the purpose of a locker where security isn’t needed. These are similar to what you’ll find in a daycare, but nicer than I’ve personally seen. And you can even buy plastic lockers, which would be good for rowdy teens. There are a lot more options than I ever dreamed of, that’s for sure.

What does this have to do with business or business writing? A lot. All these locker options have been available for ages, and yet few people have ever heard of them. Had you? Think of how many businesses offer products or services that no one knows we sell.

If you offer a little-known product or service, it’s time to get the word out about it! Send out a press release. Write an article. Or hire someone to do that for you. But don’t keep the secret any longer… tell the world about everything you offer for sale. If you don’t, it’s unlikely anyone else will either. And you may find yourself with lovely products like wooden lockers that no one buys because they don’t know they’re available.

If you’re involved in any kind of trade show for your business, you know that your trade show booths are the mainstay of exhibit. Your booths are used to showcase your products and services, so they must be attractive, effective for their purpose, and easy to set up and take-down.

Table skirts are another important part of your trade show exhibit. By attaching them to the perimeter of your tables, you create a professional display booth that can even include your printed logo or slogan on the side. And of course, using a variety of colors depending upon your need creates mood and atmosphere to match the purpose of the exhibit.

While not everyone uses them, banner stands are very useful to help advertise your business during your show. You can set them up anywhere and they’ll let people know how you are whether your booth is indoors or outdoors. They’re definitely a desirable tool for trade show exhibitions.

And pipe and drape dividers create privacy walls and control the crowd around your booth, or anywhere else for that matter. These dividers are one of the many tools that you can use all the time, not only during exhibitions and trade shows.

While it may seem that investing in equipment for your trade show is a waste of money, that is certainly not the case! Using these tools can greatly enhance your appeal while exhibiting and increase the number of visitors your booth receives ten-fold.

Have you ever thought about using customized text messaging to reach your target audience, share info on a great sale, or even share tips and information with your contacts? 84444.com offers a solution!

This DIY text messaging system offers interactive or broadcast messaging to help you connect with others via mobile texting. And the nice thing is that you can be set up and ready to go in just a few minutes.

Using your computer, you log onto the 84444.com website. Set up your free trial account, then try it out. For instance, as a professional ghostwriter, I could have my clients text ARTICLE to 84444 for a discount on their next writing project.

Then, when my clients respond, they receive the information I provided via the 84444.com website and we’re good to go! It’s really a neat service. You can learn more about it on their FAQ page. Then, give it a try and let me know what you think!

As an online marketer since 1998, there have been times when I’ve sought marketing and SEO help from a professional simply because I didn’t have the time to devote to marketing my own business. I learned a long time ago that you can spend money, or you can spend time to build an Internet business. Sometimes, my time was maxed out, so I spent money instead.

Before spending money on SEO services, however, it’s always a good idea to choose a company who is recognized by other professionals and organizations. Check Entrepreneur.com, The Wall Street Journal and online Business Journals to find a suitable provider before you hire someone to be sure they can do what they promise and will meet your needs.

While there are many companies that offer SEO services, there are few who are recommended by all of these and more. WebiMax, ranked as the number one landing page optimization company in the United States and second in overall SEO, is one of them. Their services include search engine optimization, Pay-Per-Click marketing, and even Social Media Marketing.

WebiMax offers a free analysis and quote, as well as an extensive online portfolio so you can see the results achieved for other clients. They even publish a blog to help their clients better understand SEO and all its intricacies.

While you can do a lot yourself to build your business online, there are times when you need a professional to do a job right. I’ve often recommended that online marketers hire a professional writer, simply because there are times when you can’t do it all and shouldn’t try. The same is true for SEO. When your future relies on your business success, do everything you can to see that it succeeds. Sometimes that requires professional assistance–be it writing or online marketing.

Looking for a new way to promote your business for little cost? Try using free samples, commonly called incentives.

Incentives are an excellent way to generate extra sales for your business. They give targeted prospects a “taste” – sometimes literally! – of what you have to offer, and let repeat customers try something they might not have bought from you before.

If you own a candy wrapper business, create several full size candy bar wrappers using your latest design and send one to each of your former customers and current prospects – with a candy bar inside, of course!

Do you make crocheted baby blankets? Offer a miniature version as an incentive.

Sell balloon bouquets? Include a free pack of your top quality balloons with orders over $X amount.

Teach scrapbooking classes? Give your students a tag, a small pack of eyelets, or a few punchies with their purchase.

Are you a beauty consultant? Include a fragrance or lipstick sample when someone buys a new eye shadow or compact from you.

If yours is a service business, you can still make use of incentives.

Consider:

• Free distribution with a press release for business writers.

• Submission to 100 extra sites for website promoters.

• A complimentary bookmark design for desktop publishers.

• An extra web page when designing a website.

The list of possibilities is endless, but whatever you decide, make use of samples and incentives to build your business and generate more and repeat sales.

Sales slow? Try using your regular working hours to promote your business!

• Submit your links to directories online.
• Submit free ezine ads wherever you can.
• Find link swap partners and get your link listed all over the place.
• Write short articles and submit them to ezine publishers and websites to use with a live link to your site.
• Send out a note to your previous customers offering a 20% discount for any order placed this month.
• Ditto above with a 20% discount for referring a new customer.
• Print some simple fillers and send them out to other business owners who will swap fillers with you. (If you’re a Mom, find over 8,000 by joining The Mom Pack.)
• Print some color flyers and post them on bulletin boards and in windows ALL over your town.

These are some proven techniques for getting your name in front of people. And that’s the best suggestion I can offer when sales are slow… tell more people about your business!

P. S. If you need help creating a flyer or fillers, Quality Business Writing can help – and at a great price!

You may be familiar with the term, but not certain what a press release (PR) is.

A PR is basically, a news tip. Ideally, it’s short and sweet. And it’s sent to editors of magazines and newspapers, and to production managers of radio and TV stations to inform them on an interesting piece of news. That’s why they’re sometimes called News Releases. A PR must contain full contact information – first and last name, address, phone, email. And no, the paper won’t publish that information. It’s for the editor to use to contact you if he or she wants to know more about the story you sent them.

A PR is not an article. It can be used as a full article by the publisher if written well, and if an editor is only looking for a “filler.” But that’s not the intention. The intention is to grab the editor’s attention and get them to contact you to do a full story. A good PR could lead to a full page story. It happens often! That’s why the PR is short – ideally, a page or less. NEVER over 1.5 – 2 pages. Your PR should leave an editor wanting to know more.

A PR is also not an ad. It’s news. The personal aspect is what typically interests the editor. Your background and how you got into business is news, not the fact that you sell jewelry from Mexico – unless you focus on the fact that it’s jewelry made by Mexican artisans who are struggling to feed their 12 kids. But then the story becomes the artisans, not you.

When you send out a PR, send it to all the papers in your area and surrounding areas, as well as local TV and radio stations, and a few places online to get the greatest visibility.

Using a PR is a fantastic way to get your company name in print and get your business noticed. It’s much more effective than paid advertising if done right. But don’t gamble with a PR… if you can’t write one well, hire a professional. It can make the difference in your PR making the paper or making it only into the trash.