July 26th, 2007
Often you can create themes for your home business promotions around special events and occasions. Christmas in July, the latter part of this month, has become one that some businesses focus on. This would be especially true if you have a business that sells holiday items and supplies.
Over at b5media’s Arts and Design Channel, we’re featuring an Artists Showcase based on the Christmas in July theme. At my Quilting and Patchwork blog, I discuss Quilters Think Christmas Thoughts in July, with suggestions for getting started on those holiday projects.
Can you take advantage of various themes…holidays, occasions nationally as well as in your community, group business events, theme months (National “whatever” month or day), etc. to call attention to your business and help your customers/clients? You also can select a theme relating to your business and develop an event around it. Use your creativity and make these fun events for everyone.
Have you held Theme Day events you’d like to tell us about?
Tags:Arts+and+Design+channel b5media business+promotion business+themes Christmas+in+July home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business theme+day
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By Mary Emma -- 0 comments
July 13th, 2007
Repeat customers, repeat clients and repeat promotion all are important to a home business, whether you operate solely on the Internet or from your home for local area consumers. Simply having a one-time customer or client or one promotion won’t keep your business going.
In the world of print advertising, a one time ad in one publication may be seen by several people. But the repetition of seeing your name out there in more than one ad or promotion will more likely fix it in numerous customers’ and potential customers’ minds. Then when they need your particular product or service, your business will come to mind.
With promotion on the Internet, your name at one location just one time won’t result in much interest or business. There are ways you can get your name out there without being offensive, yet will cause you to come to mind.
When you’re using blogging as a way to promote your business (or are involved in blogging as a business), you’ll want to provide useful information as you make your name know.
Yvonne Russell, at Grow Your Writing Business, has an informative post, Thirteen Ways to Increase Traffic to Old Posts, that gives you ideas for using related posts to inform your customers or blog readers. Also, if new customers begin reading your blog, they may be interested in previous information you’ve posted, so links back (repeats) can prove helpful.
What are ways you can use the “repeat” theory, yet keep your promotions fresh and interesting in your home business so they’ll bring in repeat as well as new customers?
Tags:blogging business+promotion clients customes grow+your+writing+business home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business home+business+promotion Yvonne+Russell
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By Mary Emma -- 2 comments
July 2nd, 2007
“Going Green” seems to be a very popular concept nowadays. I’ve seen lists of green movies, green songs, green singers, green concerts. I’m sure there will be more “green” events, people, and projects as soon as others consider it as “the” way to appeal to the general public or put themselves or their business in a favorable light.
In the current context, it doesn’t mean:
*you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
*you’re a novice or new at what you’re doing
*you’re sick after eating something that doesn’t agree with you
*you’re naive
“Going Green” appears to refer to being environmentally conscious or “earth friendly“. However, you don’t have to be a radical, march in protests, wave banners, criticize your neighbors, or dress in paper bags.
You could, in a quiet, friendly way:
*Use recycled paper in your correspondence, photocopier, printer, and other tasks
*Recycle the trash from your home and office. Some towns require that you recycle, while in others it’s voluntary.
*Incorporate the “go green” or “earth friendly” theme into your promotional events if this goes along with your philosophy.
*Sell items that are environmentally safe and “friendly”.
*Use cleaning products that are biodegradable
*Reuse boxes and bags in shipping or wrapping your goods for customers
*Refrain from using products, as much as possible, that aren’t biodegradable or can’t be recycled in your home, business, or your town’s recycling system.
*Create art or products that make use of recycled items.
*Contribute a portion of your proceeds to a cause you believe in that’s environmentally friendly…and mention this in your advertising and promotion.
*Enjoy the environment around you, as I do when I look out the sliding door to our deck and see the greenery of pine, maple, birch, and oak trees in our nook of the woods. We even had a family of nuthatches in the birdhouse in our yard entertain us as they raised their young.
Do you have any “green” ideas or pactices you’re incorporating into your home and home business that you’d like to share?
Tags:biodegradable business+promotion earth+friendly environment go+green home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business nature recycle
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By Mary Emma -- 2 comments
June 28th, 2007
In my previous post, Promote Your Home Business Every Single Day, we mentioned a few strategies for doing something each day to market or promote your business, ways to get your name (business and/or personal) out there where you’ll gain recognition or become a brand (that popular buzz word nowadays).
What are you doing? What can you do? Possibly you have a very limited budget. Also, time is at a premium for you. So how do you find time to squeeze in promotion?
What about making out a check list for yourself? Then do at least one item on it each day, preferably more. Some of these take less than five minutes.
Here are 7 tips or items for starting your checklist:
*You’ve developed a blog. Post something on your blog frequently. It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent. Actually short pieces are read more regularly nowadays. People don’t have a lot of time for reading long, detailed posts and news articles unless they’re looking for specific information, knowledge, or instructions.
*Send out press releases to print and online media. Keep these short, too. When I was a newspaper reporter, we liked the short, to-the-point releases. If we wanted more information, we could contact the person…as long as they included contact information.
*Make a call to one potential customer. It may simply be a friendly, making a connection call until you’ve found how your business will benefit this person.
*Follow up with a customer. See if they have any questions about an item they purchased or a service.
*If you have postal addresses for customers, write a quick post card. I find many people like to receive a post card or note in the mail, even though there’s e-mail for contacting them.
*Check into opportunities for interviews, either in person or by e-mail.
*Develop a jar or container for drawings for prizes at your place of business. Customers can drop in business card or simply fill out a slip of paper with name, address, phone and e-mai.l If online, you draw from customers who register at your site, leaving their e-mail. These usually are potential customers or return customers.
What have you been using for promotion strategies in your business?
Tags:bizspeak branding business+promotion home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business home+business+promotion press+releases
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By Mary Emma -- 0 comments
June 24th, 2007
When you send e-mail, as a business owner, make sure your signature it tells something about yourself that is pertinent to your business. (You can use another signature if you have a separate e-mail for personal use. And that’s probably a good idea.)
Your signature is the information at the end of your message, after your name. You can set it up so the signature and related information automatically comes up whenever you write an e-mail. Also, the information in your signature is another way to promote yourself and what your business is about.
Tris Hussey of Pimp Your Work has some great advice in his post “Six ways to make a good e-mail signature.”
“The e-mail signature is something that can be helpful or royally annoying,” mentions Tris, as he gives you six helpful suggestions.
Tags:business+promotion e mail e mail+signature home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business Pimp+Your+Work Tris+Hussey
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By Mary Emma -- 0 comments
June 23rd, 2007
It was exciting to see Yvonne Russell’s article, The Web - Your Partner in Promotion, at Grow Your Writing Business and discover it included an interview of me, with mention of Home Biz Notes. She also referred to my interview of Dorothy Thompson and her author blog tour business.
Although Yvonne writes for writers, many of the promotion ideas she discusses, while interviewing me and other writer/bloggers, are applicable to other businesses.
Yvonne comments: “Bloggers and online writers [also businesses] need to become e-marketers and look for opportunities on the web. Our potential clients are not around the corner anymore. If you’re on the web, you have a global market. You have an international client base.”
How have you found your business promotion changing because you have the whole world wide web to explore?
Tags:bloggers blogging business+promotion Dorothy+Thompson grow+your+writing+business home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business Yvonne+Russell
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By Mary Emma -- 5 comments
May 17th, 2007
Add Speaking to Your Home Business Activities
“You want me to speak to a group?” you exclaim. “No way. I’m terrified to get up in front of people.”
However, you may want to consider this as a way to promote your home business and whatever you sell. Start by sharing with a small group, then work up to larger ones, if the opportunities arise. Sharing this way becomes easier the more you do it. I know, because I was petrified when I first had to do this (even giving a book report) in school and then as a student teacher. Now I enjoy it.
Also, you’ll find hints on speaking and sharing in several books.
In addition to promoting your business, you eventually may even receive payment for sharing your infomation and encouraging your audiences.
Tags:business+promotion home+biz Home+biz+notes Home+business public+speaking
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By Mary Emma -- 1 comment
April 14th, 2007
Are you taking the time to attend to “the little things” when it comes to your customers? This would include keeping a file of your customers, getting to know them personally, sending thank you notes, new product notices, how can I help you inquiries? These could be done by e-mail or hand written notes.
I’ve been attending a business seminar this weekend. At one of the sessions, the workshop instructor talked about marketing, retaining customers, and getting repeat business. She mentioned taking time to take care of the “little things” so your customers/clients know they’re more than a dollar sign to you.
Of course, you hope they will purchase more or think of you when they need your type of product or services. If you develop a friendship, they’ll be more likely to return. However, if yours is a business where repeat sales are only occasional, a thank you note and other communication will help keep you in mind if they have an occasion to refer you to a friend who needs what you offer.
In our busy world, we sometimes don’t take time for those acts of thoughtfulness to make people seem special. For years, my husband and I purchased our cars from one dealership and one salesman because he took time to get to know us, learn what we needed for a vehicle, and what we could pay. He would send thank you notes, how are you doing notes, and haven’t seen you in awhile notes. Joe was a popular salesman at the dealership until his retirement.
The same care with customers/clients can be taken with your home business.
Tags:business+from+home business+promotion home+biz Home+business thank+you+notes
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By Mary Emma -- 1 comment
March 22nd, 2007
David Krug makes a very interesting point a post on his b5media blog, Work Boxers. “Spend 30 minutes each day interacting with people you’d normally not interact with.” He mentions this as a way to expand your influence and to get your name [and your business name] out there.
Yes, this is something to consider. Within your niche, your circle of customers and friends, you may be well known. However, don’t you want to expand your “circle of influence” and become better known…have your products and/or services better known?
So…spend some extra time each day (David suggests 30 minutes) to meet new people. This could be online or in person. When you’re in the grocery, talk to people instead of rushing through. Introduce yourself to the person behind, if you find yourself waiting in line. Chat with someone in the doctor’s or dentist’s office instead of sitting with your face in the magazine. (And I’m guilty of this, too!)
Jot an e-mail to someone whose blog or web site you enjoy. Did you find their book interesting? E-mail the author.
The list goes on…the ways you can expand your world and your home business.
Tags:business+promotion home+based+business Home+business home+business+planning home+business+promotion
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By Mary Emma -- 1 comment
March 3rd, 2007
One reader, reminded me, after reading my post about choosing a name for your home business, that business owners should consider their web site name too and make sure it’s easy to remember. Most home business owners are developing web sites these days.
(Even if you have a physical business location, not simply a web site, you’re often asked, “What’s your web site?” We’re almost expected to have a site where customers can go for information and even ordering.)
So you need to think about what you’ll name the site as you’re developing it. Generally the name will reflect the name of your business. However, if you’re going to operate solely a web based business, you will need to consider attracting traffic and having a name that’s easy to recall.
Tags:business+planning business+promotion home+based+business Home+business home+business+web+site
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By Mary Emma -- 0 comments
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