What do Grandparents, Fortune Cookies and Chocolate

Have in common?

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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2 comments September 13th, 2009

Fortune Cookie Recipe for Business Success

Fortune cookies are a great way to promote your business.  And if you have ambition to make them yourself, you can customize the message to suit the occasion or project you are promoting.  Here’s your fortune cookie recipe for business success:

You will need:
• 1 egg white
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write your fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.

2. Mix egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white and vanilla mixture.

3. Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Because the cookies have to be really hot to form them into the crescent shape, do not make too many at one time.  Once they cool it is too late. Start with 3 or 4 to a sheet and see how many the pan (and you) can manage.

4. Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. Get a second batch ready to pop in the oven while the first one is baking.
 
5. Remove cookies from oven and using a wide spatula quickly moving cookie, place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton until firm.

This idea and others can be found in Quirky Marketing – 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays.

1 comment February 4th, 2009