If you have a walk-in business in your home, do you organize a day or afternoon during the holiday season when customers, potential customers, friends and family can stop by for punch and cookies, tea and hors d’oeuvres?
Often it’s good to plan this between the holidays to generate interest in your business, when sales may have slowed down.  It can be a way to have fun during a lull.

Have some “after Christmas” specials. 
 Show a new line you’re planning for the coming year.
Introduce an upcoming book (if you’re an author or publisher)
Reintroduce standby products and services.
Have a door prize
Give a lesson or …read more

The terms you use in your advertising, press releases and other promotional materials have much to do with how they’re received or the attention they get.  I saw the term “Homemade Happenings” in an account of an upcoming arts and crafts fair. 
It caught my attention, perhaps because of the sound of the words, both beginning with the same letter.  They also brought to mind a picture of crafts people gathering with their creations.
If I’d been writing the announcement, I probably would have used “Handmade Happenings,” because I’ve discovered that people often regard something “handmade” more professional than “homemade.”  That’s a …read more

I’ve always enjoyed writing and sending postcards.  Even with the speed and ease of e-mail, instant messaging, and Facebook, I still practice this habit.  I’ve discovered it’s very helpful in keeping in touch with customers and business associates, people I meet in my travels, friends and relatives.
I try to write at least one postcard a day.  Sometimes these are cards my husband and I make that involve our business news.  Others may be cards from my paintings and his photos.  There also are cards that contain illustrations from my books. We may add inspirational and motivational sayings.  Others simply have my …read more

I came across an interesting article with tips for marketing a quilting business, in other words, promoting your quilting work and letting others know what you do.  Even though these suggestions are focused on the quilter or fabric artist, most apply to any business.
In Marketing Tips for Your Quilting Business by Nikki Sabato, we learn about printed materials one can utilize:

Flyers
Hang Tags
Posters

For the details, check out Nikki’s article.
Have you tried any of the tips she suggests?  What marketing/promotional practices do you find most successful for your home business?
I’ve tried some form of the above materials in my business promotions.  I’ve discovered …read more

You may have a home business, but unless you get the word out…continually…about it, you won’t have customers/clients.  Your products will sit there, or your services will go unnoticed while you hope to earn income.
Five PR Tips for starters:

Promote continually.  One ad, one blog post, one letter to a prospect won’t cut it.  You need to get your name out there…again and again.
Check out your venue.  If you’re primarily an online business, then advertising in your local newspaper won’t do much good.  If you’re looking for a local market, check out how to reach them rather than a global market.
Try to …read more

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World Card Making Day!  There seems to be a day for almost everything.  If you can connect with your business, you can develop great promotions, along with having fun.
I just learned that October 4 has been designated World Card Making Day.  So businesses that carry cardmaking and scrapbooking supplies, in all likelihood, are offering specials.  (I actually saw the notice about World Card Making Day in the e-mail I regularly receive from JoAnn.com since I’m a cardmaker, scrapbooker and mixed media enthusiast.)
 Make cards to hand out or send to your customers.   Utilize the idea as a family activity. 
Become creative, think “outside …read more

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In response to my post, Do Promotional Pens Have Value?,  Shannon Cherry, of Startup Spark, responded with an interesting comment and promotional tip that I’d like to share here.  It shows that if you “think outside the box,” you often can have amazing results.
Interesting post, Mary Emma. I actually believe unless pens really link to your business, they aren’t worth much for promo purposes. I advise my clients to find a promotional item that relates to their business, but is also useful.
For example, one interior designer bought tons of pens, which no one thought about after she gave them away. …read more

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To celebrate the U.S. release of  Harry Potter, The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon by Susan Gunelius, we’re conducting a random drawing giveaway of a copy of the book.  (See my interview of Susan at Home Biz Notes for more information about the book and why Susan wrote it.)
Simply leave a comment below telling us why you’d like the book or why you enjoyed the Harry Potter books.  Be sure to include your e-mail in the appropriate space so we’ll know how to contact you if you’re the winner.  (E-mails are not made public.)
The giveaway will end, Wednesday, August 26 …read more

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FRIDAY FEATURE
As I browse the mail coming to my e-mail box, I’ve noticed, over the course of time, that Fridays seems to be a day for special deals…special prices, special combinations of “stuff” (depending on what you sell and offer), exclusive offers, special incentives for doing business with you.  Generally these offers are one day only, or introduced on Friday with a limited number available.
For instance, this morning there were:
 *A notice from JoAnn.com about one-day specials on Friday during the summer. This involves a special price/deal on one item only, while supplies last.  (Although this isn’t a home business, the …read more

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The popularity of virtual blog tours for authors, instead of, or combined with, book store signings, continues to grow.  I began hosting authors 18 months ago when very few authors were taking to blogs to make appearances, answer questions, and/or have their books reviewed.
Now this has become almost expected of authors.  However, I’ve found some authors who have never blog toured and aren’t familiar with it.  I wrote a guest post for my co-author, Yvonne Russell, at her Grow Your Writing Business blog, which still contains pertinent information.
So visit Virtual Blog Tours – The Latest Innovation for Promoting Your Writing …read more