Clebrity Night Shot

For Retailers

Small business owners can easily get so involved in the day-to-day running of their retail stores that they neglect to spend any time brainstorming marketing ideas or promotional events. Some retailers worry that marketing is too expensive, others may find it too time consuming. Only by getting more people to become aware of you and what you sell, will you increase your sales and improve your business.

There are many ways to go about attracting more customers, but here are 50 great marketing ideas that retailers could use.

1. Create a calendar for customers with your shop's name and address on it.

2. Print the products you sell or services offered on the back of your business cards.

3. Always carry business cards with you. Give them freely and ask permission to leave them in places your target market may visit.

4. Join a trade association or organization related to your industry.

5. Have a drawing for a product or a gift certificate. Use the entry forms to collect customers' mailing addresses.

6. Develop a brochure of services your shop offers.

7. Conduct monthly clinics about a product or service you offer or schedule semi-annual seminars on related "how-to" information for your industry.

8. Learn how to market your Products on the Internet.

9. Develop a website to showcase your products, services and location. Use a memorable URL and include it on all marketing materials.

10. Include customer testimonials in your printed literature.

11. Promote yourself as an expert by writing articles or tips on topics related to your industry.

12. Submit to the local newspaper, trade journal or other publications.

13. Host an after-hours gathering for your employees and their friends/relatives.

14. Provide free t-shirts with your logo to your staff to wear.

15. Send newsworthy press releases as often as needed.

16. Create an annual award and publicize it.

17. Develop your own TV show on your specialty and present it to your local cable station or public broadcasting station.

18. Create a press kit and keep its contents current.

19. Use an answering machine or voice mail system to catch after-hours phone calls. Include basic information in your outgoing messages such as business hours, location, website, etc.

20. Join a Chamber of Commerce where you can network with area business owners.

21. Hold an open house. Invite prominent city officials and the press.

22. Get a memorable local or toll-free phone number.

23. Place ads in publications your market reads. Be sure to reach the non-English speaking market as well.

24. Distribute specialty products such as pens, mouse pads, or mugs with your store's logo.

25. Advertise in creative locations such as park benches, buses, and popular Web sites.

26. Improve your building signage.

27. Get a booth at a trade show or expo attended by your target market.

28. Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a high school.

29. Sponsor an Adopt-a-Highway area in your community to keep roads litter-free.

30. Donate your product or service to a charity event or auction.

31. Have a Yellow Pages ad listed under your main industry and in related categories.

32. Volunteer your time to a charity or non-profit organization.

33. Create a loyalty program to reward existing customers.

34. Create an opt-in email or print newsletter for your customers. Fill each edition with specials, tips and other timely information.

35. Send hand-written thank you notes to important customers every chance you get.

36. Use brightly colored envelopes and unique stationary when sending direct mail pieces.

37. Show product demos or related videos on a television on the sales floors during store hours.

38. Book a celebrity guest for an event at your store. Use people in your industry or television news anchors or local authors.

39. Create window displays in locations away from your shop. Airports, hospitals, and large office buildings occasionally have display areas they rent to local businesses.

40. Team up with a non-competing business in your area to offer a package promotion.

41. Pick the slowest day of the week to hold a one-day sale.

42. Create a warm, welcoming waiting area for your customers.

43. Provide extra customer service training for your staff.

44. Sign up for a newsletter or join online discussion groups in your industry.

45. If possible, loan your facilities to other groups for a meeting place.

46. Create a unique lapel pin based on the products you sell to wear at meetings.

47. Choose a regular customer to spotlight as a Customer of the Month. Create a brief write up to submit to the local newspaper about the customer and be sure to give he or she a copy of the article as well as have one framed to hang in the store.

48. Pair up slow moving items with related products and repackage as a special buy.

49. Start a blog. Write about your industry or detail in-store happenings.

50. Offer your customers discounts for each referral they provide.

Marketing is most effective if done in coordination with other exposure, for example, Internet Exposure.

From the minute you first discover that you are having a baby, you begin to think of that perfect name. You want a name that your baby will grow into and be proud of when he or she grows into adulthood. Names have a way of affecting the personality, so be careful what you choose.

Write down every name that you think you might like to call the baby, both boys and girls, unless you know the sex of the baby in advance. Sit down with your husband and go over the list, deleting names that neither one of you are crazy about. As your list becomes shorter, your choices become limited, and you can both come to an agreement.

Choose a name that goes well with your last name, and has a good meaning. Don't rhyme the first name with the last. Children have a way of teasing each other, and it will make it hard on your child if anyone makes fun of their name. Check a baby book for the meanings of some of the names you have in mind. Remember, your child has to grow up and live out his or her life with the name you give them, so a well thought out name will save you explaining in the future why you named him or her what you did, especially if they grows up hating it!

Some families have a history of naming babies after an ancestor, and if this idea pleases you, go ahead and name your child after a favorite relative. Grandparents feel especially honored if a baby is named after them. Use their name as your child's middle name if the name isn't one you are particularly fond of.

Try not to name your child after a celebrity, or anyone in the entertainment field. This could get sticky later on in life. Nicknames are fine as long as they aren't something that is going to embarrass your child in later years. For example, Jack for John, Betty or Liz for Elizabeth, Kate for Katherine, are all perfectly acceptable nicknames. You want your child to have a good solid name that he or she will be proud to call their own. If you name your son after his father, try not to call him junior as he grows up. Give him a name he can call his own. Don't name your child something that he or she, or anyone else for that matter, can't pronounce or spell. Even adults have difficulty pronouncing some of the names kids have, and this includes their teachers. Nothing is as embarrassing to a child as having their name mispronounced at role call. This is the kind of thing that other children pick up on, and the teasing can go on forever, and your child will be stuck with the mispronounced name.

Once you have made your choice, don't let others try to influence you to change it. This is a personal matter between your husband and yourself, and whether or not your friends or family like it, in the end the choice is yours.

Do you want to enhance the theme of the party? How can you look different in the party? Then do not hesitate to buy a pair novelty sunglass. With this fashion accessory make your look complete and spice up the festive spirit.

What are novelty sunglasses?

Novelty sunglasses are nothing other than eye wears that come in electrifying shades, shapes and sizes. These are specifically designed for some special occasions like the Halloween and St. Patrick's Day. These can be worn on birthdays and on other special occasions as well. There are innumerable occasions where you can show your fashion quotient with these types of accessories. Furthermore, you can also add zing to your wardrobe with these fashionable eye-wears.

Why use a sunglass?

Sun-specs are basically a type of protective eyewear, which protects your eyes from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. These rays can cause severe eye problems. Some people are not comfortable with the sunlight therefore healthcare professionals started recommending protective eyewear whenever they go outside.

At first the optical accessories were associated mainly with film actors and celebrities. However, with time these became a fashion accessory for every commoner. It is a common fashion accessory on the beach. Besides, it has also made its mark in the festivals, masquerades and theme parties. These eye shades are also used in sports.

When can you use these fashion accessories?

As aforementioned, these cool shades can be worn on birthdays and other festivals. Birthdays are regarded as one of the most special days in one's life. Therefore, on that day everyone wants to look their best. Kids love dressing. These fashion accessories are the best addition to any birthday party. Birthday sunglasses come in shutter shades, heart shaped, fruit shaped, and flower shaped. You can also avail of the glitter eye wears, which are attractive to kids.

Halloween is another such special occasion when you love to dress up and enjoy the festival with your near and dear ones. You might look for the just eyewear to boost your costume then do not hesitate to buy a pair of these fashion accessories to set free your cheerful spirit. Halloween fashion accessories for eyes come in the shape of pumpkins, witches, and ghosts.

St Patrick's Day is another such special occasion when people love to dress in different shades of green. Wearing a pair of shamrock sunglasses and enjoying a beer at a local pub will be a great idea.

Exercising with a Pilates machine is now the latest craze to hit the fitness industry. Everyone from celebrities like Madonna and Julia Roberts to elite athletes like golfer Tiger Woods and basketball star Jason Kidd are incorporating Pilates in to their training program.

Designed to improve posture, balance and coordination, Pilates focuses on strengthening the body's core abdominal muscles. Joseph Pilates first introduced it in the early 20th Century to help rehabilitate First World War veterans returning from war. He created six principles to condition and rehabilitate the entire body - spinal alignment, body centering, breathing control, concentration, movement control, precision and flowing movement.

Specialized Pilates machines are used to challenge the body's core musculature. There are a few pieces equipment that use specifically designed spring resistance to adjust the difficulty of the exercise. The springs provide a progressive resistance as the springs are stretched.

The Reformer is the most common Pilates equipment used. Other popular pieces of apparatus include the Trapeze Table, the Wunda Chair, and the Ladder Barrel. Lesser used Pilates machines include the Step Barrel, the Guillotine Tower, the Arm Chair, the Pedi-Pole, and the Foot Corrector.

In the last few years, there have been other 'props' used by Pilates studios and gymnasiums that incorporate similar core stability principles. These include the Magic Circle, small weighted balls, foam rollers, Fit balls, rotating disks, and resistance bands.

Every Pilates machine or equipment is used in a series of controlled exercises to build core abdominal strength, develop proper spinal alignment and posture as well as muscle flexibility.

Have you been frustrated at the lack of results from the hundreds of abdominal crunches you have been doing lately? If you feel like there is just NO getting rid of your belly fat, perhaps your workout routine needs a bit of a tweak.

Doing abdominal crunches is definitely important to having your own personal "6-pack", so don't interpret this as a licence to quit your sit-ups. Far from it. But, did you know that even if you did hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups every day, you still would not get those "celebrity abs" you want if you neglect the rest of your body?

What you may need to add to your daily workout are more cardiovascular exercises. You will be amazed at how quickly the pounds drop off of your whole body INCLUDING your stomach area when you add a range of cardio exercises such as biking, jogging, rowing, or aerobics. Burning calories through cardio workouts burns off overall body fat to REVEAL those toned muscles for which you have been working so hard!

Cardio workouts also help boost your metabolism, which is great because a higher metabolism burns fat faster! And that fat that is sitting on your waist is something you really want gone, isn't it?

The best way to both get rid of your belly fat AND tone your muscles is to set up an exercise routine with intervals of cardio exercises and strength training exercises. For example, begin your workout with 5-10 minutes of light jogging, a quick walk, or a short bike ride. Then, focus for 10 minutes on your lower body, doing squats, leg lifts, and the like. Do another 10 minutes of cardio, then focus on strengthening your arms. Cardio again after that, and then focus on your upper body or midsection. Finish off with another 10 minute cardio set and a good stretch.

A work out such as the one described above will help you start seeing the results you want, and help you get rid of your belly fat for good. You may think that focusing on your legs or arms won't be helpful, but remember that all exercises require you to hold your core muscles firm, which is an exercise in itself.Just as your whole body is connected one muscle to the next, so your core will benefit from each part of your workout.

You are sitting at your desk, staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank word document on the computer screen. You actually want to write, but just can't bring yourself to it. You have no clue what to do with your characters next, and they don't seem eager to tell you.

Or perhaps you have a deadline, but you're aimlessly typing random letters on the page, none of which seem to make sense, and you're getting more and more frustrated as every minute passes. That deadline that you have in two weeks seems to be coming round very quickly and, at this rate there is no way you are going to make it!

Whether you are experiencing this for the first time or for the hundredth time and you're at a loss as to what you should do, don't despair. You can consider yourself as having a case of writer's block or being stuck in a rut; it can and does happen even if you haven't been neglecting your work. Other writers experience this too.

Your muse needs to be fed, her energy recharged! So how do you do it? Staring at the screen is not going to help. In fact, it will make your situation far worse because the day will have passed before you know it! Here are some tips:

1. If you're going through a rough period, take a vacation. Taking a few days off from writing is sometimes necessary. At the end of this period, you are most likely to feel much better and more inspired. For many writers, this is the perfect time when a story idea pops into their mind and they begin percolating.

2. If taking a few days off isn't an option for you, take a short break. Get out of the house or your office for a few hours. Take your mind off your work by doing something different - watch a movie, go to a cafe, meet up with a friend...just do anything that will take your mind off your writing for a while. This will give you a new perspective that you can take back to your computer later.

3. Write ten positive things about your writing skills on a piece of paper and put it on the wall above your computer. This will remind you just how good you are at what you do so it will give your confidence a boost.

4. Go on despite your mood. Don't let your feelings get in your way, but use them instead to help you in your work. If you are angry, perhaps it's time to write the fight scene you had in mind. Sad? It's probably a good idea to develop the break-up scene between your two main characters. You may never use this work, but at least you'll be writing.

5. Reread what you have already done. You may be stuck because you have lost your place in your writing so read what you've written and find your place again.

6. Accept the current difficulty as normal and necessary. You may not be able to feed your muse properly simply because you haven't accepted that stress is a normal part of your life, too. As a matter of fact, very often stress catalyzes our energies and pushes us towards the deadline.

7. Trust yourself. For many of us, the greatest enemy is the lack of confidence. You will not keep the momentum going unless you identify the negative source that causes your insecurity. You will feel much more inspired when you write without thinking of your insecurities.

8. Use your fear. Your fear will become your ally if you dare to face it. Endow your main character with the same fear you experience, and then let him or her deal with it. Only you can decide where fear is taking you. Just let go and write!

9. Celebrate yourself. You deserve all the self-respect you can take for your courage to commit to writing. There may be times when you may not feel like this at all, but remember that while you cannot control the respect you receive from others, you can influence the respect you feel for yourself.

Even the most seasoned and famous writers get stuck in a rut or get a bad case of writer's block at some point in their lives. If none of the suggestions work for you, just sleep on it. Getting a good night's sleep can rejuvenate your mind and give you a clean bill of mental productivity in the morning, as well as give you the ability to look for inspiration! That will soon cure your writer's block or get you out of the rut!

Summer is almost here, which means that people all across the country are celebrating! Actually, in many areas of the country, summer has already arrived. In summer we relax more, have vacation time, take it easy, get some well-deserved rest.

We also tend to get really, really hot in summer. During the summer months, you may feel like you are going to melt into a puddle! There is no reason to suffer constant discomfort while trying to have your summer fun. Keep in mind that cooling is good, and you'll feel a lot better.

Snacks are important for grabbing on the go while having your summer fun. Why not grab snacks that do double-duty, getting rid of your hunger while also cooling you off?

Many cooling snacks are seasonal foods, and only available during the summer months. Don't miss out on these delicious treats, try some this season.

Frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt is a big trend this year. It's not surprising that this treat is so popular. It is not only cooling, it is also delicious and lower-calorie than ice cream. That makes it a popular and healthy snack for cooling you off!

Iced coffee. Coffee is a popular drink in winter, when its warmth is wanted. During the summer months, though, it tends to be less popular. How to get the buzz, without the heat?

Coffee lovers, don't despair. Try iced coffee instead! Coffee tastes just as good over ice as it does steaming in a mug. You might also try chai tea when you need caffeine that will be cooling.

Snow cones. Snow cones are great at an outdoor event like a music festival or a fair. You can usually get them inexpensively and they come in lots of different and tasty flavors. You really never see them offered for sale in winter though. If you want a snow cone, grab one while the weather is still hot or you'll have to wait for next year!