Check in every week with ACPR to get new ideas to help you market your business. This week we’re looking at Advertising. Think about the following sorts of advertising. Which might work well for your business? Mark the ones you need to investigate and build them into your marketing plan:

1. Classified adverts
2. Directory advertising
3. Display adverts – national and local, magazines and newspapers
4. Vehicle advertising
5. Radio advertising
6. TV advertising
7. Internet banner advertising
8. Internet text link advertising
9. Adwords – pay per click
10. Advertising hoardings and posters
11. Cinema advertising
12. Direct mail

For more ideas to help your business grow, buy A Guide to Promoting Your Business: The Ultimate Workbook for Business Owners by Antonia Chitty

That’s just 9 weeks to work out how to promote your business and create a great customer base to ensure success.

If that sounds like a tall order, don’t panic. There are lots of low cost, straightforward ways to promote your business. And I’ve brought them together for you in an easy-to-follow work book.

A Guide to Promoting Your Business is designed for the business owner who wants to reach more and more customers by promoting their business for just a few minutes each day.

It is packed with practical exercises that actually help you promote your business. And everything in the book has been tried and tested in my own business and my client’s businesses.

So, if you’d love more PR coverage in 2010 but are unsure how to get it, A Guide to Promoting Your Business will make it clear.

If you want to raise your business’s online profile in 2010, A Guide to Promoting Your Business demystifies online promotion.

And if you want to get to grips with affordable marketing ideas, A Guide to Promoting Your Business is the book you need.

At just £15 it could be the first step to business success in 2010.

or

Click here to Buy A Guide to Promoting Your Business: The Ultimate Workbook for Business Owners on Amazon UK

This is a simple one. When sending images files to editors by email, sort out what they are called. if you have been asked for a logo, don’t just call the file ‘logo.jpg’, but instead use your business name ‘mycompanylogo.jpg’. Editors get hundreds of files sent through and this will save them precious moments. Similarly, if you need to send a product shot use the file name to tell the editor what the image is and your business name. Making a journalist’s life easier helps when you next want them to cover you.

Get more tips like this in A Guide to Promoting Your Business.

Mumsclub is a great source of business advice for mumpreneurs and women who want to set up a family friendly enterprise. ACPR is joining with Mumsclub in a great competition which rewards you for doing your own PR.

Prizes include:

• Cover feature in the next Business Mums Journal
• One-to-one consultation with Antonia Chitty of ACPR (over phone if distance is a problem) to help you improve your own PR.
• Profile on MumsClub
• Profile on Family Friendly Working
• MumsClub premium membership for 12 months
• MumsClub t-shirt

Check out full details of the competition here.

On Friday 6th February, at 12.30 – 1.30pm BTTradespace is holding a live chat with Tradespace community member Antonia Chitty, from www.ACPR.co.uk

Antonia will be on hand to your answer questions about all things PR related. So, if you have any questions regarding how to do your own PR, promoting your business on a budget, finding your target media or making contacts, please do come along with your questions.

We look forward to seeing you there, and you can also set a reminder here so that you don’t miss the chat.

Over half of new mums would like to run their own business, and the number of mumpreneurs is growing daily. If you want to start your own home business, here are some pointers from Antonia Chitty, author of Family Friendly Working, to get you going:

1. Get a great business idea. If you’re not sure where to start, sign up for the Ideas and Inspirations E-course at Family Friendly Working.
2. List your priorities such as earning money, or finding work that lets you stay home with your children.
3. Write down your skills, and ask others what they think you’re good at.
4. Think about the hours you can devote to working. Be realistic if you plan to work around the kids, as they may not understand “mummy’s working”.
5. Research the market for your business. Will people buy your product or service? Is it unique enough to be appealing?
6. Pop into a local Enterprise Agency for advice. The Inland Revenue can also send an advisor to your house.
7. Go to The Mumpreneur Guide for a free start up e-course to help you get your business going.
8. Prepare a business plan. Set out aims and objectives, and the steps to take to achieve your goals. There is a free business plan guide to download at www.prbasics.co.uk
9. Work out how you will promote and market your business. Visit www.PRBasics.co.uk  for a free promotion plan and lots of PR ideas and resources.

Good luck with your new enterprise.

Whether you want to start a new business or just give your business a boost in 2009, you’ll find this bundle of business books incredibly useful. You can win:

• Anyone Can Do It by Coffee Republic founder Sahar Hashemi,
• Personal Social Responsibility,
• Raise Your Game Now!,
• Spare Room Start Up and
• A Guide to Promoting Your Business

This is the essential set of business books to give you idea and inspiration for 2009.   Read mini-reviews of two of the books below.

To enter, email antonia@acpr.co.uk with the answer to this question: How much is A Guide to Promoting Your Business this month? (Visit www.prbasics.co.uk to find out.) Entries close 1 March 2009.

Personal Social Responsibility Arvind Devalia asks you 52 searching questions to help you evaluate your attitude to social responsibility and business. Ideal for every business owner who wants to take responsibility for their place in the planet. See more at www.personalsocialresponsibility.com.  

Raise Your Game Now! Performance coach Paul Stalker is a great man to help you re-evelaute your attitude to life and deal with any habits that are holding you back. This book doesn’t just look at your behaviour, but also challenges you to take control of your health. With Paul’s GAME mnemonic, Gratitude and Attitude, Make a friend, Enjoy yourself, this book will help you improve your life and business. See www.paulstalkereffect.com to find out all about Paul and what he offers.

Antonia Chitty struggled with post natal depression after the birth of her daughter. She thought returning to work might make her feel back in control, but she found she didn’t see enough of Daisy. After 9 months and a chat with a life coach she took the plunge and set up her own business, ACPR, helping mumpreneurs learn to promote their business. Antonia has now written a book which makes it even easier for every businessmum to get the word out about their enterprise.

A guide to Promoting Your Business is created with busy business parents in mind, and can be worked through in short sections when you have a few minutes – perfect if you are running a business round the kids. Clear explanations, examples and exercises make it easy to pick up the essentials skills to boost your business. (more…)

Visit My Baby Radio to hear me talk about A Guide to Promoting Your Business.

Response Source is an affordable service to distribute your press release to thousands of journalists who have subscribed to receive updates. It can’t replace researching your own contacts, as you don’t know who has subscribed, but it can get your news in front of journalists and editors who you might not have thought of approaching. I’ve certainly had a good response when I have used the service, and as it starts from around £40 plus VAT it is an affordable way to make your news reach further. Here are some tips from the people behind Response Source on making the most out of online press release distribution: (more…)