Think of Black Friday as an opportunity to bring in new customers by offering a few good Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Not only will this kick off your holiday season on a positive note (and hopefully add to a healthier bottom line) you can take advantage of the fact that people will be shopping online and therefor traffic will be stronger on these two days.

Since Black Friday is all about promoting your business and selling more, here are several ideas  to help you plan a killer selling day (or days).

Be sure to grab your share of sales

The average Black Friday corresponds to around-the-store lines before the sun rises.  Now, of course, we seem to be in a recession, but that may make November 28th an even more profitable time for every business that has something to sell.

Insane deals tend to get people moving on Black Friday, and folks who would prefer to get some sleep may join the mobs due to their financial situation.  Like major retailers, you can try to draw them in by offering big discounts on a few items, and then see what else they spend while they’re in the store.

Read the rest of the Black Friday Boom Forecast here: http://www.smallbusinessnewz.com/topnews/2008/11/17/black-friday-boom-forecast

Small Business Can Make Big Plays on Black Friday

Black Friday is like the Super Bowl. It’s a huge event that draws millions of people. But only the big boys get to play on the field. People like you and me only get to watch.

At first glance, Rafi Mohammed seems to reinforce that with his advice for retailers to woo customers with steep discounts on Black Friday. He encourages retailers to use loss leaders to welcome people back from discounters.

For anyone tempted to compete with the big boys on price, this is a pretty good reason to abandon that strategy. It also looks like a pretty good reason to stay in bed Friday and let the big retailers deal with all those people.

To read more visit http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=16424

Black Friday Bargains for Small Business

Black Friday — and the following Cyber Monday — can also be a great time to go shopping for your small business. Just ask Rhonda Abrams of USA Today. She suggests the following:

Strategies for successful small business Black Friday shopping:

1. Make a list of stuff you really need. Don’t buy just because something’s cheap. It’s tempting, I know.

2. Check to see which version of Windows 7 you need. If you have a server you’ll need at least the Pro or Ultimate edition. Upgrades are very expensive so buy the right one.

Read the rest of the article “Black Friday Bargains for Small Business” at USA Today ~
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2009-11-20-black-friday-bargains-for-small-business_N.htm

Over at online betting zone Bookmaker, they’ve put out their oddsmaking team’s predictions. The majority of the team says between 161 million and 180 million of us will hit the stores and websites on Black Friday, and we’ll spend between $300-$400 per shopper. Second-best odds were for 131 million to 161 million shoppers spending $250-$300 apiece.

To read what else they have to say read Black Friday and Cyber Monday…Will They Rock? on the Entrepreneur.com blog here http://blog.entrepreneur.com/2009/11/black-friday-and-cyber-mondaywill-they-rock.php

And if you happen to be out shopping on Black Friday, here’s a few tips for you:

Make list: In any shopping maneuver, a list can help you plan ahead and shop more efficiently. Look through sales fliers and check out www.black-friday.net for information on which stores are offering what deals. Then you can prioritize the items on your list, and plan out a route according to what is most important to you. Also list any coupons you have that can be used to further reduce the prices of desired items.

Visit the store the day before Thanksgiving: After you know what you are looking for, visit the stores ahead of time. Familiarize yourself where the desired items are located in the store. Make friends with a sales associate to find out if there will be additional discounts, or if you can reserve something ahead of time (for most doorbusters, though, associates aren’t allowed to do this).

Read the rest of Holiday Shopping: Tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday here:  http://www.moolanomy.com/2135/holiday-shopping-tips-for-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-mmarquit01/

While you are at it, read 10 Fascinating Facts about Black Friday http://www.pcworld.com/article/182224/10_fascinating_facts_about_black_friday.html

They all mark special ”celebrations” on the calendar. For instance September 13th is National Grandparent’s Day – acknowledge your favorite grandparents with flowers or volunteer for or create an adopt-a-grandparent association.  Honor those who honor children (of all ages) in a special way.  Have a grandparent’s day sale or special offering.  Visit a nursing home or assisted living facility and read to or just talk to some of the residents.

September 13th is also Bald is Beautiful Day – if you are a barber you could host a “bald is beautiful contest” and have prizes for the roundest head, the shiniest head, the most interesting head … – In May 2001 Harrisburg Senators partnered with the American Cancer Society (ACS) for a special fundraiser at Commerce Bank Park.   The Senators raised money for the ACS Hope Lodge in Hershey, a place where cancer patients and their families can stay free of charge while patients are receiving treatment at Hershey Medical Center. Bald is Beautiful Day consisted of players and employees offering to shave their heads if their fundraising goal is met.

September 13th is also Fortune Cookie Day – Give everyone a fortune cookie today – you can buy them at a Chinese restaurant or you can special order them online and include your own messages – go to http://www.fancyfortunecookies.com/ or www.goodfortunes.com to create yours or make your own with this recipe at http://www.redheadmarketingblog.com/fortune-cookie-recipe-for-business-success/. 

September 13th is also International Chocolate Day – another great day to do a chocolate promotion – carry around gold chocolate coins wherever you go and hand them out with your business card (I use those glue dots to attach the chocolate to my business card and use this as another way to spread the word about my company in a delectable way.  A chocolatiere in Florida makes chocolate coins and gives them to prospects wherever he goes, a great way to allow others to offer a sample and promote his business.   

For more Weird Holiday Marketing Ideas check out Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holidays! 

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August 10th  is Lego Day ~ Legos were invented by Godfred Kirk Christiansen (1954) in response to a need for toys that would challenge children to think.  Legos comes from the word “Leg godt” which means “play well.”

Over the next 52+ years dozens of organizations have come up with ideas and events to create a world record for using the most legos, creating the largest construction and even the tallest towers. In fact, in 2006 the  World record-smashing LEGO tower measures over 96 feet tall beat the former record by only 7 inches.  The structure, built by hundreds of children in Vienna, created a whopping  tower of LEGO measuring 96.7 feet. In fact,  The new tower is so tall, the children assembled the structure in pieces before adults lifted each section to the pinnacle by a crane.
 ~ Read the whole story here: http://dvice.com/archives/2008/10/world_recordsma.php.

 What records have you attempted to “break” in your company, your community, your circle to gain attention of the media and promote your business?

Here’s some great Lego training ideas http://www.squarewheels.com/content/legotrdev.html

And be sure to check out LEGO SERIOUS PLAY ~ an innovative, experiential process
designed to enhance innovation and business performance here: http://www.seriousplay.com/

Tomorrow (July 20th) is “Get Out of The Doghouse Day®” – a National holiday which my team and I created in 1999 – and one of the things that has become our CLAIM TO FAME.  Today got me thinking about some of the strategies we have used to get our name out there to become known in our community and to help others get to know about the products and services my company offers. In 2000 we created a survey to see how people got out of the doghouse (and what put them there in the first place) and in 2001 we created a logo and trademarked the holiday National Get Out of The Doghouse Day®®.   We had to create a logo to submit to the United States Patent and Trademark Office – www.uspto.gov.

Speaking of Surveys – did you know that more than 1,000 people actually responded to it? And that was before the advent of online surveys (as we know them today)! In fact, the question I am most often asked is just how we got more than 1,000 people to take the survey.  That was the easy part. Since I am and have always been an avid networker, I simply carried my clipboard with the surveys around every where I went. We also asked people when they stopped in my florist, and I even took the surveys on trips and asked people on plane rides, bus rides, at conferences, in waiting areas and let’s not forget the Ladies Rooms!  It was such fun meeting so many people.  Of course, today would be a lot easier because we could have done this totally online, but the experience would not have been the same for my staff or for me.

And the best part of all is that every year at this time I get dozens of calls from Radio stations around the country asking about the holiday which is the “famous” part. Being interviewed by radio personalities all over the US makes me feel sort of like a celebrity, so I guess you could say “I am famous” for creating this holiday. And yes, it’s still one of my greatest “claims to fame.”  In fact, my staff and I have also been quoted in countless newspapers and magazines over the years. So you see, this type of promotion can garner great publicity and you become known for something positive. And the “publicity” could go on for years afterwards.

Webster’s defines famous as: renouned, celebrated, well-known, prominent, legendary.

Each of us fits that definition to some extent. The amount of “fame” each of us achieves however, is only relevant if we use it to our advantage. Here are some ways you fulfill the definition of “famous.”

~ When you write articles and others read them, you are famous.

~ When you have a loyal following of customers, clients and friends, you are famous.

~ When you have written a book, you are famous.

~ When you have volunteered for a fundraiser or some other community service, you are famous.If you’ve ever received an award, you are famous.

~ If you’ve ever done a heroic deed, you are famous.

In what other ways could you be famous?

Actions and deeds that you perform on a personal basis make you famous such as given your heart to a small child or a senior citizen, you are famous. When you’ve mentored someone or helped her or him achieve a goal, you are famous. And countless other ways! And the best part is that you OWN the fame, it is something that can never be taken away from you.

So tell me, what’s your CLAIM TO FAME?

For the REST OF THE STORY, Read the post: MY BEST PROMOTION EVER

Read the article: Women Want Flowers Men Want Sex – Doghouse Survey Says

Have a great story to share? Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey

Check out the Doghouse Survey Press Release and 2009 Contest   

Read Top Ten Ways to Stay out of The Doghouse

Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey: http://tulipstalk.com/DoghouseSurvey.pdf

Read some of the FUN stories submitted by our survey respondents on the Tulips Talk Blog 

And Check out Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holidays!

July 13-17 is World Who’s Who Week – Want to gain local media attention, exposure for your business and to become the Go-to person in networking? Do what the late Pamela M. Hutchinson of Davie Florida,  the creator of Who’s Who in Black South Florida – a directory of black professionals.  On several occasion, the local newspapers featured her directory and when she died wrote a glowing tribute to her and the service to the community her directory provided.

It was the impetus for my team creating the Who’s Who Among Women in Ecommerce Directory to promote women who do business on the web. You can check it out here: http://www.wecai.org/whoswho.htm  What kind of  Who’s Who Directory could you create featuring of a specific group of people or organizations in your community?  (BTW, I created this holiday because I could not find one that focused on this topic).

July 13th  is Embrace Your Geekness Day – “The future of advertising,” says Charlie Jones, chief marketing officer of RedPeg, an Alexandria, Virginia–based agency, “will be about creating unexpected connections to memorable, real-world experiences in ways that bring brands to life.” So how about electrical outlets in airport terminals? Bradley and Montgomery’s new campaign for Chase Commercial Banking includes ads just above 90 outlets around Indianapolis International Airport. When you plug in your laptop, you see the ad.

Source Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Grow Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holidays!

In July 2004 just before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Formula 1 cars parade through central London giving ans and families a chance to see the cars up close and personal as they zoom around Picacilly Circus and Regent Street. This was the “photo seen round the world”

Let the Goodtimes Roll (or Sail)
If you have a “famous name” you could join the Goodtime III for a really good time and rub elbows with other “celebrity namesakes”  Seen aboard this Ohio cruiseship were “Kevin Bacon,” “Julia Roberts, “Samuel Jackson” Anita Baker” and “Terry Bradshaw” to name a few. For the rest of the story, Celebrity namesakes enjoy publicity stunt aboard Goodtime III http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/celebrity_namesakes_enjoy_publ.html

Here’s a few Race-Ready Tips for July 4th Races
In the world of road racing, the Fourth of July is about more than just fireworks, picnics, and backyard barbeques.  Independence Day is also one of the biggest racing days of the year. No matter where you plan to be this holiday, there is a good chance you can find a nearby race.  Visit  Active.com’s listings for Independence Day races at http://www.active.com/running/fourth-of-july/ and see for yourself. And if you’re running in your first race ever this weekend, here are some tips and advice http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/tp/racedaytips.htm so you know what to expect.

A Race by Any Other Name

You can take the name out of the race but you cannot change the spirit of what once was known as the Firecracker 400.

Tomorrow in Daytona Beach Florida, 43 drivers will embark upon a 400 mile race once known as the Firecracker 400. In the early 1990′s my then boyfriend (now husband) invited me to that race.  Two things I remember about that day.  No three.  It was unbearably hot, so noisy even the earplugs needed earplugs and sitting 2 rows in front of us was then president, George Bush!  That was the last race I attended!  Since then, we have had three other presidents, Bill Clinton, George W and President Obama and the race has changed from the Firecracker 400 to the Pepsi 400 and now the Coke Zero 400. But it will always be the Firecracker 400 to me.

 My Independence Day Tweets

This year just for fun (and because I found these interesting articles) I thought I’d list some of the Tweets I have planned in honor of America’s Independence. Enjoy!

American Independence and Beer Go Hand in Hand http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/7/2/american_independence_and_beer_go_hand.htm

Independence Day Comes With a Whimper, Not a Bang, as Cash-Strapped Cities Ax Fireworks Shows  http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/7/1/independence_day_comes_with_a_whimper.htm

July 4 Hot Dog Contest: The Superbowl of Eating http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/7/2/july_4_hot_dog_contest_the.htm

WE The People ~ http://www.connectsimply.com/blog/we-the-people/

Wishing everyone a happy 4th of July! Enjoy your day of celebration, family, food and fun and sometime throughout the day I hope you take time to remember what our forefathers sacrificed to ”win” this freedom we enjoy today.

And Funny Sells! Just ask Sarah Lefton!  Her quirky sense of humor and her Jewish pride were the impetus for a successful home based business. As the marketing director for a Jewish summer camp at Yosemite National Park, Lefton discovered that by changing the emphasis of the word Yosemite she created “Yo Semite”.  She silk screened the term on a few T-shirts for herself and wore the Yo Semite T-shirts around the streets of San Francisco. People started coming up to her and asking her where they could buy one.  Two days later, she had taken orders for 36 shirts and her Internet based business, Jewish Fashion Conspiracy was born. 

 Her Yo Semite shirts took off and Lefton has now added additional designs to her product line. They include Chanukah panties, and a “Jews for Jeter” shirt to honor the New York Yankee’s star Derek Jeter. She created her designs as a way to celebrate being Jewish and have fun at the same time. Her ingenuity and humor has received media attention from a variety of Jewish publications as well as Time Magazine.

Beginning at midnight April 1st, I will be posting April Fools quotes, trivia, humor and history.  If you’d like to join in the fun, follow me at http://twitter.com/heidi

For more great ideas like this, check out my new book Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays.

March 17^th is Saint Patrick’s Day - Time to serve up some Irish Coffee ~ Invented by the a chef at Foynes Airforce Base, Irish Coffee was intended to  warm up passengers during long waits between flights. On one occasion when a flight to America had to suddenly return to the base, the chef brewed a pot of coffee, sweetened it and added some Irish Whiskey. Little did he know it would spread from the Atlantic to America.  Here’s the recipe: In a large mug or goblet, pour in one jigger of Irish whiskey. Add one spoonful (to taste) of sugar and fill the cup with strong black coffee (leave one inch of the brim to add sweetened whip cream). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Drink through the cream. Yummy! 

To market your company, buy some scratch-off lottery tickets (void where prohibited) and include with monthly statement that say’s “In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, try your luck with the enclosed ticket.  May you win big!“ We have done this with our customers and have had great response. We love it when someone calls to tell us she or he is a WINNER!

Want to really stand out from the competition? Send your customers a Saint Patricks Day Card!