This is a post from Sara Nash; Sara earned her degree in Public Relations from Penn State University. From there, she worked a PR agency in Boston before joining the PR and Social Media team at Vistaprint.
There are a number of ways beyond email and direct mail to market your business. Some of the most effective methods can happen without people even realizing it! Try some of these less-obvious ways to spread the word about your business. Read more…
This post was written by Chris McMahon and Larry Jacobson. Chris has spent the last 15 years in Talent Acquisition and HR leadership roles in high growth Boston area companies such as Endeca and 170 Systems. He is now Director of Talent Acquisition at Vistaprint. A recovering attorney, Larry has been in talent acquisition since 1996. He’s worked with a number of startups and is currently the Director of Technology Talent Acquisition at Vistaprint. In his free time he enjoys hot yoga, BBQ and outdoor activities.
To speak or not to speak?
Public speaking can be a very cost-effective and powerful way to get the word out about you and your small business. Trade shows, networking events, alumni events, community gatherings–they all present opportunities to evangelize your brand. If you’re like most small business owners, you’re passionate about what you do and that will come through to the audience. Your target audience could be any or all of the following: Read more…
This is a post from Sara Nash; Sara earned her degree in Public Relations from Penn State University. From there, she worked a PR agency in Boston before joining the PR and Social Media team at Vistaprint.
Do you ever find yourself walking away from a conversation with a stranger, thinking to yourself how much of a coincidence it was that you ended up having so much in common? If you open yourself up, you are bound to find yourself networking in places you would never expect…which is yet another reason to always carry a business card or 20. Read more…
Editor’s note: This post comes from Maya Tarabishy, an intern who worked at Vistaprint during the summer. We asked her to put together a blog post about her experience, and what she learned while here at Vistaprint — from company culture to time management, her post hits on key points we think you might find useful, should you decide to hire an intern now or in the future!
While walking into Vistaprint for my interview, I couldn’t help but notice the smiling faces and friendliness of the employees that I encountered. Seeing everyone else happy really made me want to work for the company, and I was not let down when I got here. Read more…
This story was originally published on Boston.com’s Small Business Blog.
Everyone has his or her own method for getting things done and for enhancing productivity. Every small business has to decide when it starts out how best to work on the business and, nearly as important, where. This can mean a number of different decisions. Working from home is easy but also distracting, while renting office space is typically much too expensive for the average start-up. Small business owners still need the opportunity to meet people and network but focus on what they want to accomplish in a short period of time. The question is, where can you work outside your home cheaply with the potential to network?
Like anything else, the decision should be based on what works best for you. But the majority of non-employer firms (of which there were 21.7 million in 2007 alone) do work from home. The reason for this is simple: It’s easy, and it’s cheap. Studies have shown that more than 60 percent of micro businesses work from home, while only 18 percent have dedicated office space. Home is convenient, but how effective are you while working from home? Telecommuting has become more and more accepted as technology has improved and people are more “connected,” but even that can be hit or miss in terms of productivity.
When you’re working from home, especially trying to get your small business off the ground, you might not be making the most of your opportunities to meet other small business owners, network and forge relationships that could potentially prove fruitful over the life of your business. Relationships with other business owners can mean a number of things – including referrals, partnership opportunities, and marketing ideas. The reason the small business community is such a tight one is because they all stick together and seek out opportunities to help one another. That’s why local chambers of commerce are still important functions of any local small business community.
Beyond the lack of chances to network, for many working from home means not being as productive as you would be anywhere else. At home, there are typically a number of distractions; from kids to pets, neighbors, and relatives. Things just “come up” when you’re home. And let’s not forget the ultimate distraction: the television set. Typically you are going to be more focused, dedicated and serious about what you’re doing when outside of the house, working solely on what’s important, with fewer distractions.
So when starting a business, here are three areas to consider in addition to (or in lieu of) working from home:
The local Starbucks: Pick any local coffee shop and chances are that people are working in there. In fact, coffee shops want that type of cliental, which is why they go out of their way to cater to them. They have free Wi-Fi so you can always be connected and because they aren’t super quiet, taking phone calls isn’t a problem. Plus if you do have a meeting, a coffee shop is always a great option. It also never hurts to have a steady flow of caffeine or snacks readily accessible.
Your local library: Yes, they still exist and they are a great place to go and not only get some work done, but focus. Calls will be frowned upon because as everyone knows you need to be quiet, but the upside is a wealth of knowledge. If stuck for an answer, chances are there will be a book or article you can find at the library that will help you answer it. The Internet is great for research, but libraries are where knowledge is truly power.
Co-work spaces: Did you know you could rent a desk with your own landline for as little as $275 per month? That’s what shared workspaces are providing for start-ups and entrepreneurs. They are also springing up all over the country. Co-work spaces sometimes offer access to other professional people and services businesses might need, as well as a dedicated workspace with the opportunity to network. For many, it’s the best of all worlds.
Do you find that when you work from home, that’s where you’re most productive? If not, where do you “get away” to work? Where would you go if you had to get some work done?
Image: Rob Grambau
You may or not be familiar with your local Chamber of Commerce, however as a small business owner you should be. Chambers of Commerce are a local association whose mission is to promote and protect the interests of the business community in a particular area.
As a small business there are many advantages and reasons to join your local chapter. As a member of your local Chamber you identify yourself in the community as a business that is involved. Businesses become members because they take great pride in their membership and what it means to their community. Being a member also conveys a message of trustworthiness and shows your business follows best practices.
Possible Benefits to Your Business:
Reputation
Members proudly display (usually through a decal) that they are a part of the Chamber to their customers, showing they are reputable and trustworthy. In addition, being a member can highlight that you, as a business, are connected to the community, listen to your customers, and are a local leader.
Keeping Informed
Membership provides businesses with information about rising government issues that affect them, and adds their voice to the Chambers efforts to address these issues. Another important thing to consider is that as a member, you get a voice at a local level; Chambers are a not-for-profit whose mission is to advocate for businesses.
Networking Opportunities
A Chamber membership also provides excellent networking opportunities. As a member you can interact and work with other local business to generate referrals and share customers. Some Chambers have in excess of 500 members, which mean that networking possibilities are almost endless.
Now that you are informed on the benefits of joining your local Chamber, if you’re interested in joining, small towns and large cities all have Chambers, the best way to learn about opportunities with your nearest chamber is to reach out to Town Hall.
As many of you have read before, we like to talk about the many benefits of getting your micro business involved with a charitable organization to help raise money for a good cause. While an organization benefits from your donation of resources (either volunteering and monetary, or both), your micro business is painted in a positive light as a philanthropist within your local community. Charitable events can also be a great venue to build connections with other small businesses or potential customers (but obviously should not be the focal point of your efforts). 
With that said, we wanted to make you aware of a “growing charity” (pun intended) that started in Australia and is quickly becoming very popular in the United States. Movember is a charitable organization that encourages men to grow a mustache from scratch throughout the entire month of November (hence the name “Movember”). With the help of their mustaches, men raise funds and awareness for men’s health with a focus on prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. Since 2003 the movement has raised over $174 million globally.
But what about the women? Given women will likely not want to grow a mustache during November, or any month for that matter, they are asked to support the men in their lives who are participating in this charitable event by helping get the word out and soliciting donations. These women are affectionately called “Mo-Sistas” and are crucial to the efforts of “Mo-Bros.” Mo-Sistas can also get involved by wearing humerous fake mustaches out in public and taking pictures to post on their Movember donation web pages.
So how do I get my micro business involved? Visit this page to register for Movember and learn more about the cause. Encourage your coworkers, customers, family and friends to get involved and join your team. Perhaps set a realistic goal for the team and if reached, you’ll offer a special prize to all who participated with you. The great thing about this initiative is that it is meant to be fun and to share laughs while raising awareness for an important cause. If you’d rather just make a donation on behalf of your micro business, you can certainly do that as well. You can even take a look at the progress of Whiskaprint, Vistaprint’s own team of Mo-Bros and Mo-Sistas.
Like many folks, you’re probably looking forward to the upcoming Independence Day holiday as a chance to relax with family and friends. For many micro business owners though, this holiday can be a great time to gain some brand recognition through a variety of unique events (parades, public gatherings, etc.) that are going on in the community. Having an entire community in one spot can be a great way to help maximize your efforts, no matter how minimal they may seem.
As with all holidays though, we must remind you that the holidays can be a difficult time to reach consumers as they are focused with other activities. You don’t want to act so aggressive with your marketing efforts that you are turning off potential consumers to your offerings. It’s important you manage your expectations for marketing around Independence Day. 
With that said, here are a couple ways you can help promote your micro business over the Fourth of July holiday:
Take advantage of town events – Chances are there is a parade, festival or other local event happening in your town or a neighboring town to celebrate Independence Day (just check your local paper for upcoming events). While these events can be filled with fun activities for your family to enjoy, they can also provide a great atmosphere for building brand awareness for your business and networking a few potential leads. If there is an option to set-up a booth during an event, this may be a good way to promote your products or service. There may also be sponsorship opportunities associated with a parade or festival that can help build awareness. No matter the case, make sure you are wearing your company T-shirt and hat (if applicable) and keep plenty of business cards on you, as you never know when a potential customer may turn up. In a nutshell, just being present and opportunistic can help you land a customer or two without being seen as aggressive.
Handouts – Building off the town events idea, think about different handout items you can attach your business information to and pass out to crowds as an act of goodwill. Many companies have attached a small sticker with their company name, website and contact information to items such as candy, popsicles and bottled water and hand them out within crowds. You may find the more refreshing options such as popsicles or water more receptive during the hot July days.
Host a party/get together – Leading up to Independence Day, perhaps your micro business can host a party at your building (if you own/rent commercial space) or set-up a party at a public area like a park. A great way to help get the word out is to invite your existing customers to the event as a thank you for their patronage in 2011 thus far. Also encourage them to bring a friend to learn more about your business in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. Also offering an incentive or prize for folks to attend can help attract folks to your party. It’s important you are not too pushy and “over the top” with your sales pitch as you will likely drive folks away. Make sure you have plenty of take away items (brochures, magnets, business cards, etc.) that folks can take to help keep you top of mind.
There are just a few ways you can help grow your business over the summer holiday season. How do you plan on marketing this Independence Day? Please take a minute to share your success (and not so successful) Independence Day marketing stories with us!
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