Create a buzz all over town long before your store opens. These days, in a sour economy, businesses opening just about anywhere are major news. So don’t shy away from publicity. Here six ways to promote your retail business before you open. Display a large banner or sign outside your building letting people know you’ll… Read More
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Do you buy ads? Offer a testimonial for free publicity
I’m all about generating free publicity, so you don’t have to pay for ads. But if you buy ads, here’s a little trick that may very well give you more space—this time for free—in newspapers and magazines, and even online. Offer a testimonial on the power of the ad—how it generated more customers, phone calls,… Read More
EveryBlock: Another uber-local site for community news
Here’s another hyperlocal website to add to your publicity toolbox: EveryBlock, perfect for publicizing local news in bigger cities, and also for finding other local blogs and media outlets you might not know about. MSNBC.com bought it in 2009 and unveiled the new version yesterday. It operates in 16 cities mostly on the east and west… Read More
50+ (almost all free) websites to promote events
When it’s time to promote a live or special event, do you rely on the same old websites to spread the word? Posting on Craigslist, Facebook and LinkedIn is a no-brainer. But if you aren’t doing much more than that, you could be missing the smaller niche websites where you can target your ideal attendees… Read More
21 ways to promote your webinars and teleseminars
If you’re new to hosting webinars, the team at SocialBrite.org has a very helpful summary of 10 steps for planning a successful webinar. It includes nine ways to promote your webinar. I took their list and added to it. Most of these ideas will also work when promoting teleseminars. Here’s their list of suggestions on… Read More
13 fun, easy ways to find content for your blog
The next time you’re looking for a topic for your blog, ask yourself these three questions, suggested by small business marketing coach Sydni Craig-Hart in 5 Simple Steps to Generate Relevant Content for Your Blog: 1. What’s keeping your clients up at night? 2. What’s the biggest challenge or problem they’re facing right now? 3. What… Read More
Giving free speeches? More places where you can speak
If you’re giving free speeches in your community as a way to practice before you start charging a fee, or simply to market your business, here are more places where you can speak. Add them to the list I offfered a few weeks ago when I first saw this query in the SpeakerNetNews ezine. When you… Read More
Speakers, publicize your speaking engagements these 9 ways
If you do free or paid speaking engagements, there are opportunities galore to get in front of audiences that need to hear whay you have to say. But some Publicity Hounds don’t quite know where to begin. In Friday’s issue of the SpeakerNet News ezine, Michael Schatzki said he wants to give a new hour-long speech he has created… Read More
Roommate-meeting events need to target 25-to-35 age group
Dave Kadavy of Chicago, Ill. writes: “I run a roommate-meeting event called Flatmate Meetup. It’s kind of like speed-dating, but for roommates. I started it in San Francisco and expanded it to Chicago. We now have almost 1,400 members between the two cities. “We currently promote the event by posting on Craigslist where people look… Read More
Twitter and text-speak are poisoning the English language
Maybe it’s just me, a grumpy former newspaper writing coach. But I fear our love affair with Twitter, text messaging and even those ubiquitous emoticons is poisoning the English language. Mari Smith’s Twitter Lingo Demysified includes a list of the most popular terms that many active Twitterers use in everyday tweets, to help them keep their posts within the 140-character limit. Even if you don’t… Read More