Today comanies such as Vistaprint use Twitter to post top deals and special offers. Companies will tend to either post deals directly on Twitter or often send link to their top deals page where customers can choose which offer they like, sometimes it’s a combination of both. As Twitter continues to grow and evolve it will be interesting to see how Twitter and other social media sites affect businesses.

Design custom promotional items that include your business logo and contact information.  Hand them out with every purchase or to first time customers.  These custom products are a fun surprise, but are also useful to existing or potential customers.  Creating promotional items is quick and easy.  Simply upload your design or search through online galleries.  

Host a fun event.  Fill a basket with promotional items and a gift certificate to your business.  Sell raffle tickets and donate the profits to a local charity.  Your efforts will attract new customers as well as gain respect in the community.

Keep your family in mind when planning your small business.  Talk openly about the changes that will take place.  Also, do your best to coordinate schedules, as to avoid conflicts.  Ask your family to share in this new experience.  Ask for help and have everyone perform a few simple tasks.  This way, everyone will feel like part of a team, and family time won’t be so difficult to squeeze in.  However, it is important that there is a quiet workspace available, somewhere that you can concentrate and be productive.

Having a real person answer the phone instead of a recording is a simple way to directly reach more customers.  If customers can reach an actual person, they are more likely to call again.

Simply place the sign out by the road, where passersby are sure to see it.  Design something fun and playful for your early childcare business or something more traditional for your accounting firm.   Custom lawn signs can be designed in minutes.  Just upload your own design, or search through online galleries.

Don’t have a lawn?  These signs are perfect for urban dwellers and look great in any window, too!

You are much better off pursuing other potential clients or taking a closer look at your marketing strategy.

1)      Limit text- The goal of a PowerPoint presentation is to summarize a particular chunk of information.  Use bulleted lists instead of long paragraphs of text.  Elaborate on each point as you speak.  Bullets and lists are easier to read and more likely to hold people’s attention.

2)      Limit animations- Keep it simple.  A few carefully selected animations are okay, but you don’t want a lot of distracting graphics or slide transitions.

3)      Visual aids- Visual aids are great.  If you have a lot of numerical information, make a chart.  Use programs like Excel to create charts quickly and easily.  These charts will help the visual learners in the audience to understand.

4)      Create a template- Make your life easier; create a template for all of your PowerPoint presentations.  This template should be clean and simple, and complement your business.  Create a template that matches your business cards or letterhead for an ultra-professional look.   Be sure to include your logo somewhere in the presentation.

5)      Make it available- After the presentation, make sure everyone in the audience knows where they can find the presentation for future reference.  It is also a good idea to print out a copy for everyone in attendance.

Eye-catching banners printed on high-quality vinyl are great for any occasion.  Create a festive summer banner to promote a big sale at your sporting goods store, or a something trendy, announcing that the outdoor dining area at your café is ready for business.

Designing custom banners is easy.  Just upload your own design or customize and online template to suit your needs.  Try designing a vertical banner or create different colored banners for different seasons!

After you have taken note on what sites might be of use to you, do another search for company coupons.  For some reason, many people don’t think to do this.  You would be surprised at how many online retailers (i.e. Vistaprint Deals) have special deals or limited time offers.  Also, follow the company on Twitter.  Twitter is a great way for retailers to get in touch with consumers quickly and easily.  Great deals are often posted on Twitter.  Now determine which site will ultimately give you the best deal.

After you have gone through the online shopping process, take a look at the company’s privacy and security policy.  Find out how the site processes your information.  Also, don’t forget about the shipping and handling fees.  Often times, the default option is not the least expensive.  If you don’t need your products immediately, choose the least expensive shipping option.  This will save you money, and chances are, your purchase will arrive earlier than you estimated anyway.