by Al Hanzal

This issue is the fifth in my series of five articles that show you the little changes you can make to ensure more customers to your business.

This month’s article deals with how promotions can influence customers to your business. The best business promotions make it easier for your customers to buy from you; to buy more often from you; and to buy more products from you.

By Julie Chance

My mother used to tell me, tongue in cheek, that I never wanted anything in my life- everything I asked for was something I needed!! Think about it. We say, "I need a new car." "I need to go on vacation." "I need someone to clean my house." When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want a new pair of shoes." I bet even Amelda Marcos said, "I need a new pair of shoes."

By Kelly O'Brien

Face it…you know you’ve got to do something to keep a steady stream of clients coming to your professional service firm. But when it comes to the m-word (marketing), you’d rather not. Do any of these statements sound familiar?

by Ray Smith

Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but how good is good? How do we define a good logo? Is it necessary to be colorful or an exquisite piece of art? Can a simple design work as a good logo? We are often in a dilemma.

by Andrea Susan Glass

How to Write a Press Release that Has Your Phone Ringing off the Hook

A press release is a powerful tool just about anyone in business can and should be using. Submitting regular press releases is one secret that can bring your business more new customers for FREE than some of your more costly forms of marketing! Newspapers, magazines and radio and TV stations offer the option of promoting you and your business for free. That’s right—for FREE! They have the space, they need to fill it, you have something important to tell the community. There are also online PR sites that are free and some that charge a reasonable fee. For the ones that are free, you’re not guaranteed placement. So the more you know about how to write a press release, the greater your chance of getting them accepted.

by Jason Howerton

There are many offline marketing ideas that are inexpensive and work. Whether your business is an online only business or a traditional brick and mortar business, these ideas can work for you.

by Susan Valeri

Keep these few crucial details in mind when writing and submitting your press release to increase your chances of news coverage:

1. If you are not the news: become the news. No matter what your release is about, you need to find a way to tie into the news. Make use of current trends and statistics.

I have a feeling that by now you already know abut the USP(not to be confused with UPS). Just in case you missed it, USP stands for a Unique Selling Proposition.

Some people call it a Positioning Statement, some call it a Unique and Irresistible Advantage, or a Unique Buying Proposition...

No man is an island. This adage is especially true in business. Without the community, you would have no business.
Always remember that community members are the customers for life of a home-based business unless these members move out of the area.

What is it about magnets that draw people to leave dozens of them on fridges and file cabinets for years at a time? Many people like to have the contact information handy for common service providers without flipping through a bulky phone book.