#14: Make a Difference

Personally, I'm a Pepsi person. But I still have to give serious props to Coca Cola for all the amazing PR events they do. Yeah, people can argue that they're just doing this to look good- which they are- but the actual impact Coke has on the people they help is worth a product placement here and there.

Take a look at their "Where will happiness strike next?" campaign. In this video, Coke sponsored a trip for three people (who've left their homes and families in the Phillipines to come work in the US) to visit their loved ones for Christmas. I'm gonna be honest - I teared up.

Obviously - being a small business- you probably won't be able to send people across the globe. But there are still other ways you can make an impact, even if it's just in your community. The Washington Post recently ran an article in the Metro section (for DC 'burbs) about a small convenience store owner who gave out free turkeys on Thanksgiving. His store is located in an economically poor area, so even something small as a turkey really made a positive impact. You can read the article here.

#13: Projection Mapping

I can't really explain it; it's something you HAVE to see for yourself! Think taking the side of a building and using it as an interactive projection screen.

Here are two great examples:

#12 : Business Cards

Business cards are sort of like a lasting impression. I mean, think about it: once you're done networking, how do you show them you want to keep in contact with them? You give them a business card!

The trick however is to have a really unique business card. I know I've personally lost a few here and there because they were kind of boring and I didn't pay much attention to them. But if the business card was some sort of novelty, then I might have more of a reason to keep it safe. They're also great personal marketing because then people would want to show them off to to others.

Here are some pictures from an article I found online at CreativeGuerillaMarketing:

#11: Improv Event

Think of an improv event as  "flash mob promotion" (without the dancing. unless you coreograph one). The whole point of it is to cause as scene [the good kind!] and get some buzz going around your community. It might take more effort to put together than say a flyer, but if you do it right, then it's a great way to get publicilty in your neighborhood. And for small businesses, that's good marketing.

Some points to remember are:
1. make sure it's legal (like trespassing and all that)
2. look for a busy area
3. timing is key
4. have it relate to your business!

I'm sure there's more depending on your business, but thats a very basic list.

Here's a few examples from Improv Everywhere (a NYC based group). There' not a marketing agency or anything, but they do a great job at improv events! You can use them for inspiration.
These are some of my favorites:

You can apply this to a biz sponsored movement

                                                 I love this one for the Salvation Army!

                                                      Great idea! And easy to put together, too!

       The basic idea is great if you own a formal wear store! Or any clothing, just make people wear it in ironic situations

#10: Give a Shout Out



Merci!


When it comes to business, and even life, there's alot of people who've helped you along the way. Sometimes you might not realize it, but when it hits, always remember to give them a shout out, or even just say "Thank you".

Today I'd like to thank Vacancy.com for choosing my entry as the winner for their scholarship (You can see it in older posts)! It was a great opportunity and definitely the most fun I've ever had writing anything! Much less a scholarship 'essay' - which here it was a blog post.

If you, your kids, your neighbor, or you neighbor's kids are going to college or just going away and need residence, definitely check out Vacancy.com! They have the cleanest and easiest user interface - so it's easy to find a place to live based on city, university, etc. To be honest, I just went to their site for the scholarship and that was suppose to be it. But their site as well as their Facebook page have great resources on college living, residency, tips, etc that any college bound kid would need to know.

And as Thanskiving rolls around, use this holiday as an opportunity to thank your loyal customers. If you're successful, alot of it is because of their word of mouth (and the great promos on this blog. Eh?EH?) - and that's PR you can't buy! Here are some great ways to appreciate them:

• Hold a meal (A small breakfast, lunch, or even brunch) that you can let your customers know about and they can come in throughout the day and grab a meal


• Host a small event (a more fancy version of the meal) 

• handwritten thank you cards with a purchase (dep. on the size of your biz)


• have a small pre-thanksgiving sales


• put up a large banner! It can say things like thank you, messages from employees, names of loyal customers


• "Good Neighbor" program - like a double coupon for customers and a friend!


• send them holiday cards (stick to Happy Holidays unless you run a religion based store)


• Donate on their behalf (there are some silly ones like buying a sheep for a poor farmer or you can let them choose!"