Today is Arbor Day!

Arbor Day is generally celebrated on the last Friday in April however the date can change to allow for local climate changes. The very first Arbor Day was established on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska.  Nebraska, being a barren plain at the time was in dire need of trees so local pioneers decided to plant them for firewood, shades and to keep the wind at bay. Towns that planted the most trees on that day were offered prizes and recognition and it is estimated that lead to more than one million trees being planted. Since then, Arbor Day has been adopted around the country and the world with many communities taking part in Arbor Day celebrations, events and of course tree planting.

Want to get involved in Arbor Day in your community? Why not plant a Tree or several. Get your staff or a group of volunteers together and sponsor a tree planting in a community park.  Be sure to send a press release announcing the event and a post press release with photos.  Go before the city council or commission and see if they will do a proclamation for the dedication. Ask Public servants to join in the festivities and end with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  If you have other “celebrities” in your community, get their involvement too.  Get your local high school/colleges to be involved.  Even invite grade school children and their parents to help plant small shrubs, bushes and even seedlings.

Join Arbor Day.org and get 10 FREE trees with your membership.
Buy Give-A-Tree™ Cards. Every card plants a tree.    Bright and beautiful Give-A-Tree Cards from the Arbor Day Foundation help bring America’s National Forests back to life by planting a tree in honor of the recipient.
Sponsor an Arbor Day Essay or Poster Contest in local schools and award your product and service or monetary prizes to the “winners.” Get the local library to display the posters.
Read the history of Arbor Day http://www.arbor-day.net/
Check out these Arbor Day Crafts http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/arborday/
Play the Arbor Day trivia game http://www.arborday.org/kids/treetrivia/ 
More Arbor Day trivia can be found at http://www.idahoforests.org/img/pdf/trivia.pdf 
TreeHugger.com has more interesting reading about Ecology and saving the planet at http://www.treehugger.com/

Today is also:

Hairstylist Appreciation Day

National Hairball Awareness Day

National Honesty Day

Also on this date:

In 1772 John Clais patents the first scale
In 1789 George Washington is inaugurated as the first US president
In 1885 the Boston Pops Orchestra forms
In 1904 the Ice cream cone makes its debut
In 1952  Mr Potato Head becomes the toy advertised on television

Three-Minute Rule Day

If you have not heard of the three minute rule you may be surprised at what it is.

Anthony Tjan, CEO, Managing Partner and Founder of the venture capital firm Cue Ball wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review and here is what he says about the Three Minute Rule:

“You can learn a great deal about customers by studying the broader context in which they use your product or service. To do this, ask what your customer is doing three minutes immediately before and three minutes after he uses your product or service.”

Interesting concept.  If you think about it, when you connect with the client at that level the perception of your product may increase significantly. If you are willing to put yourself out there by making a connection BEFORE she or he uses your product and then AFTER, what does that say about your company products and services?

In addition to gaining valuable feedback, the three minute rule can also help you showcase unique cross-selling opportunities. Here’s another example by Anthon Tjan: “Many years ago, I remember doing some ethnographic research on female drug-store shoppers. One fascinating pattern we saw was that a significant number of women picked up a disposable camera after putting newborn diapers into their shopping carts. Follow-up interviews confirmed that snap-happy moms were often new moms. Placing disposable diapers close to inexpensive disposable cameras furthered this purchase pattern and would not have otherwise been an intuitive merchandising or cross-selling strategy.”

The three-minute rule can give you insights to not only get to know your customers, it can also help you see how user-friendly your product or service is, and what if any improvements could be made to make the experience better for the user.

So how can you apply the three-minute rule to your business or organization?

Read more about the Three-minute rule at Harvard Business Review

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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Today is TOP OF MIND DAY

Last year on one of my social networks one of the members asked the question: Six months ago I spent a considerable investment on advertising my business by “renting” space in a business card rack in a local chamber of commerce office and have had anyone use my service from that advertising medium. So I am looking for other ways to advertise my business that are less expensive and will bring RESULTS! Any suggestions? ~ Maryalla B. Travel Advisor

Dear Maryella,

I did this same sort of advertising years ago and got very little out of it. One of the reasons it may not be working today is that typically Chambers of commerce get little foot traffic. Most people who participate in chamber activities do so at events and seldom see the inside of the chamber office (unless they host regular meetings there). And the fact is, Small Businesses cannot afford to spend tons on advertising in this way, because you may not be reaching your target market, rather the masses – which seldom works. 

If you want to promote your business using your business card, my suggestion would be to create an impressive business card with an offer that people cannot resist such as a free consultation or a % off something you can
afford to give away to get new clients in the door. Make sure it says Receive $____ off your FIRST purchase (this will omit those who have already booked with you). You may also create a travel club and offer an incentive to join and use your business card to promote it. Find out what the competition is doing and do something different to draw clients to your company.

I have a retail florist and my offer is $5.00 off your first purchase – you will be amazed at how many call because they can save $5.00. It’s all relative because I am not necessarily selling a high ticket item like travel. I have also used “stop in for a free rose” which generated additional new traffic to my shop. 63% of those who come by for their rose, end up becoming customers – that’s a much better return on my investment than the $400+ for the ad space in a sea of other business cards.

Your business card could also be used as a tool to increase your customer/prospect database. You do this by creating an offer that would get them into your sales funnel. To do that you would need to create some sort of incentive (such as an information product eg. free report, or a small gift they have to stop by for, etc.) that will encourage others to leave you their contact information, thus adding to your database for a time when they will need your services. That could be in the form of an offer, a free incentive or something that is of value (or perceived value) to the
prospective customer. And please make sure that if the competition is doing something similar you do something different. If you are going to advertise, find a way to STAND OUT from others in your field and from all the others
promoting their products and services. Creating a competitive advantage will help you stay top of mind when the time for your services is needed.

Heidi

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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Today is Scratch Your Niche Day

Finding your niche and sticking to it is the way to success on the net. But not just any niche.  You want one that will make you a profit.  Finding a solution to a specific customer need or want will earn you more money. Think specialist.  Doctors who specialize typically earn more money than those with a general practice.  Why?  They can charge more for their specialized knowledge.  They may have a small but loyal following.  They have a patient base that goes to them because of their expertise – and likely because they were referred by their general doctor.

Think lawyers.  If you were involved in a criminal case, it is highly unlikely that you would go to an attorney that did not have some specific experience with trials.  Niches then translate to expertise.

Think Network Marketing.  In the network marketing industry the successful leaders tell their down-lines to go deep before you go wide.  Why?   When you build a strong down-line, each of those people has the potential to “branch out” and go wide for you.

Take the floral industry.  I have been in business for 29+ years and have 3 distinct niches.  They are educators, fortune 1000 companies and professionals (such as lawyers and accountants). Do I have customers outside those niches?  Yes – but the majority of my customer base falls into one of those 3 categories.  Why?  Because I market to them.  I woo them and earn their business.  And because these are tightly knit communities, they tell their friends, colleagues and circle.  And the customer base expands.

So let’s talk Niche Markets on the Net.  According to Excellence Magazine, the top 10 most profitable Niche Markets are as follows:

Relationships Sell ~ there’s a reason social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter ore even dating sites like eHarmony and Match.com are attracting people in the millions. Relatinships are big business. Everyone wants to have one. Whether it is a friendship, love interest or business relationship, people crave connections. Think about how you can capitalize on either using these sites or creating one of your own to foster relationships among your own followers/customers/clients and friends.

Internet Marketing ~ If you sell on the internet you are an internet marketer.  Think eBay or Amazon.com or Ten Golden Rules or Linkshare – the list is endless.

Parenting ~ products and services to make a parents job easier are a booming market – iVillage and Parenting.com are just two to check out.

Craft/hobby sites sell  ~ two examples: food and scrapbooking – iChef and Scrapbooking.com are two sites doing BIG Business on the Net.

Health ~ people are going in droves to sites that “sell” good health.  eDiets is an industry leader.  Smaller sites that sell information products, nutritional supplements and workout equipment are going strong too like The Complete Running Network.

Sports is BIG Business ~  Think auto gaming or golf.  Everyone wants to improve his or her handicap.

Real Estate is still hot even if certain markets have tapered off or gone flat. Think real estate turnover (often referred to as flipping) buy low, sell high and reinvest wisely. The Naked Investor is one sight worth investigating.

Travel is hot ~ especially if you can provide a client base with a different experience that those of typical travel agents.  Think African Safaris or Space exploration. Pure Galactic (for all your outer space travel needs) and Escape Artist (a portal for anything you are looking for travel related)  are not your typical travel sites, and Women’s Travel Club for Women.

Investments ~ money still sells.  And if you can establish a track record of helping others make money, people will flock to your site by the hundreds (or more).  Charles Schwab and eTrade are two industry leaders.

Business Success ~  sites that do well are those that provide real proven solutions to business owners such as time management, financial management, and more. Consulting and Coaching are two great examples and in fact in 2010 are in the top 5 fastest growing professions in the United States. If you are a software developer, selling software to help the business owner do their job better, more efficiently, less expensively can bring in big rewards.  Think Microsoft or Intuit. 
 
Why would you want to be all things to all people in business?  Unless you are the only game in town or have a product no one else can offer, finding a niche market is essential to your success.  You will find your business grow quicker and deeper. 

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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Note: The FCC now requires that if a website posts affiliate links we must disclose that if you click on one or more links, Heidi Richards Mooney may make a small commission (provided you make a purchase). While small, these purchases can add up.  Therefore I encourage you to explore the sites mentioned and if it is right for you by all means buy something. I would not post any links on Quirky Marketing Calendar or any of my sites if first I believed in the product and second it did not fulfill a need. Thank you for your support! Remember, nothing happens until somebody buys something!

April 23 thru May 2 is National Dance Week

Feeling ambitious? Why not host a local dance contest? Invite local celebrities to participate and create your own “dancing with the stars” event. Check out http://www.nationaldanceweek.org to learn more about National Dance Week and get some more ideas.

Today is also

Hug an Australian Day? Want to show appreciation for the people from down under? Go out and Hug an Aussie!

National Teach Children To Save Day.

The Auction for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with 5000 items ranging from a presidential rocking chair to a BMW raised 34.5 million at Sothebys Auctioneers over 4 days

Today is also Shuffleboard Day

Also on this date:

1984 President Reagan visits China
1977 New York’s famed disco Studio 54 opens
1514 Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn

Hubba Hubba Hubble Day

Today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit! The use of Hubble technology has resulted in amazing high resolution photos of objects in the universe. Hubble has sent back stunning photographs of deep space, and revolutionized thinking about the universe which has lead to ground-breaking research in astrophysics.

So what can you do on Hubble Day? Blog about it! Share this historic day with your blog fans and readers. Include one of dozens of YouTube videos in your posts, go to one of the photo sharing websites like Flikr and grab a couple of creative commons photos, maybe even host a Hubble Party complete with telescope!  If you are really adventurous and your pocketbook can handle it, buy some mini telescopes to hand out to your best clientelle in honor of Hubble Day.  Just call up your favorite Advertising Specialities company (or use one of my faves: Choice Marketing – tell Sharon Heidi sent you) and order your telescopes or other cool astronomical delights.

 Today is also:

Astronomy Day

National Rebuilding Day

Today is TAKE A CHANCE Day

So many of your prospects are just waiting for the right moment to jump in the water and buy or sell.  Well, Take A Chance Day may be just the ticket they were waiting for!  This is a great day to hold a seminar on home buying or selling.  To get a different spin on your seminar, hold it at a restaurant (like Denny’s or Bob Evans) with a small buffet available for attendees. But be careful with your chances. Make sure what you do is what your buying audience either wants, needs and more importantly will pay for.

If you were around in the mid-eighties you may remember the Marketing Faux Paux made by Coca-Coal:

The Coca-Cola Company announced it has changed its formula for Coke and will now be known as New Coke (After public outcry from Coke drinkers, and a significant drop in sales,  less than 6 months later they returned Coke to the original formula). Looks like they took a chance and it did not pay off!
 
Watch this Pepsi Commercial talking about New Coke:

Source: People History

Also on this date:

World Book & Copyright Day

Global Youth Service Days are celebrated April 23-25

McDonald’s opened its 1st fast-food restaurant in China

President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act which banning advertising of cigarettes on television and radio (the law went into effect on January 2, 1971).

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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Happy Earth Day!

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. ” Unknown

Somenthing we should do EVERY day, not just on Earth Day.  Here is an inspiring video called The Secret – Planet Earth. It is beautiful beyond words!

In celebration of Earth Day 2008, WE magazine hosted a Green Commerce Survey and invited women and men all over the world to participate. For their time, WE gathered more than 100 resources to share with them as a special gift. WE magazine also focused their entire Spring  2008 Issue on Going Green issues. We also comiled a list of Green Resources.
You can also read the results of the survey here:  http://wemagazineforwomen.com/WECAIGreenSurvey.pdf

check out these 10 Articles about Earth Day (some of which I Tweeted today):

Voice of the People letter: This Earth Day, take 11-year-old’s advice

Bike Valet Awaits at Car-Free Earth Day Bash

Earth Day Activities: Earth Day Word Search and Earth Day Coloring Pages for Kids

For Earth Day, Send This eCard To Remind Folks To Contribute!

Earth Day: How will you be marking it?

Earth Day News from Planet Green

Earth Day activities for 2010

Celebrate Earth Day with these green housecleaning tips

Earth Day Activities and Take Your Child To Work Day 2010

To learn more about EARTH DAY initiatives check out the EARTH DAY Network

April 22nd is also National Jelly Bean Day – On October 15, 1999, the world’s largest jar of jelly beans was unveiled. It weighed 6,050 pounds.  Did you know that  each year, U.S. manufacturers produce more than 16 billion jelly beans for Easter — that’s enough to completely fill a plastic Easter egg 89 feet high and 60 feet wide (about the height of a nine-story office building.  Time for another “world’s largest jar of jelly beans?

Today is also Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day!   Read all about it here: http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=936

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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April 21st is Administrative Professionals Day

April 21st  is Administrative Professional (AKA Secretary’s) Day is celebrated today.

Adminstrative professionals are often the backbone of an office environment. They are the gatekeepers, the recordkeepers, the appointment schedulers and much more. According to the International Association of Administrative Professionals: “Since 1952, the International Association of Administrative Professionals has honored office workers by sponsoring Administrative Professionals Week. Today, it is one of the largest workplace observances outside of employee birthdays and major holidays.

In the year 2000, IAAP announced a name change for Professional Secretaries Week and Professional Secretaries Day. The names were changed to Administrative Professionals Week and Administrative Professionals Day to keep pace with changing job titles and expanding responsibilities of today’s administrative workforce.”

 A couple of years ago on Administrative Professionals Day a new customer called to order flowers for his two assistants.  He called my shop because I had sent him a small flower arrangment and a note welcoming him to the local chamber of commerce. To show his gratitude and give business to a local company (instead of one of those large “order gathers” that simply take the order and then send to a local shop anyway.  

When he was through placing his order, we were chatting a bit and he mentioned he was involved in a lot of organizations and did we work with events. I said yes and also mentioned that we have several attorneys we worked with and oftentimes they will call to order flowers to thank clients who refer their services to new clients. He said, what a great idea “I have this one condominium company who has referred several new clients and I have not yet properly thanked them.”  He immediately gave me another order and said he would be calling back with others later this week. Had I not mentioned some of the areas we serve, we would not have received another order, nor a new steady customer.

So, be sure and let your clients and customers know the array of products and services you offer. Talk to customers and clients to find out what their other needs are that you might be able to serve.”

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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Think PINK or RED or BLUE

Did you know that yesterday (April 1th) was Pink Think Day?  It was named for Jayne Mansfield in honor of her birthday – she was known as the Patron Saint of Pink Think, think pink! According to author Lynn Peril, “pink think is a set of ideas and attitudes about what constitutes proper female behavior.”

In honor of Pink Think, Think Pink day… here is an excerpt from my article: Think  Pink, or Red or Blue!  The Art of Using Color to Attract Attention

“Using the right colors in the right ways can encourage a relationship or discourage a potential sale.”

Whether you are looking for a mate or planning a marketing campaign, it’s all the same. Color affects our moods. It affects how we react to people, places and products. And using the right colors in the right ways can encourage a relationship or discourage a potential sale. Color surrounds us in all aspects of our lives, it’s everywhere! Think of clothing, cars, decorations, logos, websites and even food.

You may remember the M&M campaign to choose the next new permanent color of the candy shell. The company wanted to create excitement on a global scale and kicked off the campaign with three colors asking consumers to choose their favorite among the 3 choices. The purpose of the worldwide public relations campaign – which ran from early March to mid-June 2002 – was to raise awareness of the product as well as to drive traffic to the M&M’s website to vote for their favorite. By voting, people had a chance to win cash prizes. With nearly a million votes cast from 200 countries, purple won. The winning color was announced on June 19 to coincide with the new candy choice being available in stores that very same day.

Color is a universal language (for the most part) and has a lot to do with how people perceive one another, how we attach ourselves to sporting teams and yes, even how we feel about countries (based upon the colors and symbols of their flags, no less).
 
Color can influence our decisions and buying choices.

Color can encourage loyalty, convey authority or create a sense of playfulness in people.

Color is a powerful vehicle of symbolism and connection, creating a sense of togetherness, color can instantaneously communicate your personality or your brand.

To read what the colors mean, visit: http://bit.ly/ba3ahD

Be sure to check out   Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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