Showing posts with label tips for promoting your business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips for promoting your business. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Effective New Year's Resolutions and Goals to Give your Balloon Business a Boost!

Firstly, I would like to wish you a very happy, healthy, and of course a prosperous New Year to you and your families! I would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for reading The Very Best Balloon Blog! Last month, we reached a monumental milestone with 2.5 million page views - without you, this would not be possible! 

With New Year's in mind, how many of us start each new year with a long list of things to do, or changes to make in both our personal and business lives? My list usually consists of getting fitter and healthier, losing a few pounds and doing my tax return before the deadline! 

New Year's resolutions can also stretch to our business lives too and may help to give our business the boost that it needs! 

Running any business over the past two years has certainly been both tricky and demanding for many. We have had to make changes, potentially running and operating our businesses in ways we have never had to before. The Pandemic has also shown us that the public truly loves balloons, and has made balloons and balloon deliveries even more popular, which in turn has seen an increase in the number of new balloon businesses being started, something else that may have affected your business.

So what 'resolutions' can you make that will boost your balloon business for 2022?

Learn New Skills

We are never too old to learn a new skill or two. It could be learning how to use CANVA - a free-to-use online graphical tool that combines design, photo editing, and is perfect for creating social media content. I personally love CANVA and have been known to wile away many hours creating content for my social media posts as well as learning how to use different and more exciting functions that I can share with you in a future post! There is a fantastic video tutorial by Zoe Adam-Jones that is freely available in one of my past blog posts "Good Design Matters for your Business" - Zoe Adams-Jones Shows You How to Create Fabulous Social Media Posts Using CANVA. 


All of the best business owners make it their continual goal to constantly learn new skills.

Promote Regularly & Consistently

When it comes to your business’s success, make sure to promote your products or services regularly and consistently, taking advantage of every platform that is available to you.

Do you check your insights to see how well your posts are performing? By checking these regularly, it will allow you to see what content is working (what your audience likes) and what is not. It will also help you to refine your content strategy to post about topics that your followers care about. 

Be a Better Communicator

Don’t focus on quantity of communication, instead focus on quality. Many  businesses make it a point to send out multiple social media posts a day, but are they good enough to make an impact?

The key is to put quality first, and only do things that will have a positive impact on your business’s success.

Charge a Fair Amount and Check your Pricing

When was the last time that you checked your prices? Do you undercharge for your services? It is important to review your prices, otherwise your business will suffer as a result. If you are undercharging, be brave and put your prices up! If your clients value your services enough, they will continue to use you and your company.

If you would like help with your pricing, check out this comprehensive blog post that is packed with great information and links to free online pricing tools! 




Give Back to the Community

Just because you are a business looking to make £££, it  does not mean you cannot also give back to the communities and the customers that help you grow, or to those causes that resonate with you personally. So seek out opportunities and give back in meaningful ways.

Refresh Your Website

As a small business and website owner, you need to stay on top of the trends. When was the last time you updated or refreshed your website?
Did you know? Design on the web goes through phases and fads, too. You should always keep tabs on what’s in style and what is 'so last year' to keep your site relevant, engaging, and looking fresh with a capital F!
1. Keep Website Content Fresh with a Content Calendar
2. Bring Older Content Up to Date
3. Repurpose Your Older Content
4. Keep an Eye on Keyword Data
5. Update Your Web Design
6. Upgrade Your Website Functionality

Check out this great post on HostGator - 6 Smart Tips to Keep Your Website Fresh 

Treat Your Employees Well

Make sure that you never take your team members for granted.
Employees who feel undervalued won’t work as hard or be as motivated, and they are also much more likely to jump ship. Make a conscious effort to be kind to your team members, and treat them how you would like to be treated.

And finally don’t overwhelm yourself!

If you’re the type who likes to make New Year’s resolutions, it is easy to overburden yourself with the weight of unrealistic goals. Keeping your resolutions manageable will make them easier to live by. Try making one resolution each for your mental, physical and emotional health, or one resolution for your business and one for your personal life.

I hope that 2022 brings you everything that you hope for and much more!

Happy Ballooning

Sue
Follow me @suebowler


Monday, April 9, 2018

Tips for Promoting Your Business, WBC, and the Balloon Industry.

Writing and releasing a press release can help your business gain valuable PR. But before you put pen to paper, ask yourself, "Is this story newsworthy?"

Anyone who has recently returned from the World Balloon Convention 2018 has the perfect newsworthy story and the opportunity to promote your business!

Here are some tips on promoting balloons in your community and promoting your business through your WBC experience.

1. As soon as possible, write up a press release. Most journalists get hundreds of press releases each week — many of which don’t even get opened. It’s a good idea to label the subject header of your email with the phrase "press release" or "story idea."
Here are some ideas on what could be included in your press release:
  • A catchy, attention-grabbing headline
  • Who attended from your business
  • What WBC is and why you went
  • Where WBC was
  • Specifics about the success of the convention;
    • How many delegates 
    • How many countries were represented at the convention 
    • How many days you attended
    • National media exposure from this newspaper and that TV network
  • Highlights from your WBC experience, including new product finds, new ideas, your competition results, or your volunteer experiences
  • A quote describing your WBC experience, and/or what you plan to do with your newfound knowledge
  • Conclude with a paragraph listing your balloon business specialties, location, and contact information
2. Include a photo taken at the convention and a written caption describing what is happening in the photo. Make sure that you credit the balloon work shown in the photo. If you worked on decor or helped with a sculpture, include that too. Don't send photos as large files; they will ask you for a higher resolution if they need it.

3. Generally, you should send a press release by email. It's wise to make your subject line attention-grabbing. Any press release sent by email should be pasted into the email rather than sent as an attachment — you email may be flagged as spam, otherwise.

Journalists receive a lot of emails, so you may want to follow up with a call to check they've seen it. Make it your mission to find out the name and email address of the person who will be able to make a decision about whether or not to run your story. 

A good press release should take a factual tone and be short and concise, giving the journalist the essence of the story. They will get in touch if they want more information.

Here is a sample press release:

For Immediate Release
April xx, 2018
For more information: Sue Bowler - sue@suebowler.com

BalloonArt by Sue Bowler attends World's largest Balloon Convention

Sue Bowler, CBA, of BalloonArt by Sue Bowler in Henley-on-Thames, UK, attended the World Balloon Convention (WBC) in San Diego, California, last month.
Nearly 900 balloon professionals from 52 countries attended the convention where design, product, and business classes were taught and incredible balloon competitions took place in nine different categories from large sculpture to balloon fashion.

" This was an amazing opportunity to not only learn exciting new techniques and design ideas but to also work alongside some of the best balloon artists in the world. I had the opportunity to work on some of the most stunning and elaborate event parties".

" I can't wait to apply all the new skills that I learned at WBC to my decorating jobs and to my business. I know that my clients will as excited as I am when they see my new design ideas and some fabulous new techniques that I will be introducing over the next few months" Sue said.

BalloonArt by Sue Bowler has been in business since 1990, offering balloons along with other party supplies and gifts, balloon decor, and balloon deliveries. BalloonArt by Sue Bowler is located in Peppard Common, Henley-On-Thames, and can be reached at xxx-xxxx or by visiting www.suebowler.com

Photo Enclosed - 
Sue Bowler of BalloonArt by Sue Bowler in Henley-On-Thames, Oxon, recently attended the World Balloon Convention in San Diego, CA. She is pictured here with a beautiful balloon and flower wedding Arch.



Extra tips for gaining year-round media exposure:

  • Develop a list of media contacts. Ensure that you have the correct contact names and correct spellings, and for newspapers, find out their deadlines.
  • Send press releases regularly on your big events, awards that you've won, workshops you've attended, or unique sculptures that you have been commissioned to create. Always include a good photo to illustrate the power of balloons.
  • Tie-in press releases to holidays or special commemorative days, if possible.
  • Donate impressive work for community events and invite the media! 
Here are some WBC 2018 facts:

  • WBC 2018, held March 14-17 in San Diego, CA, USA.
  • Hosted by Pioneer® Balloon Company, the event showcased balloon artists and balloon creations from all over the world, with delegates representing 52 countries. 
  • In addition to the top-notch educational curriculum—which featured 55 classes taught by 33 of the industry’s most respected professionals—other activities included nine competitions with 157 entries, a Vendor Showcase, two Deco-Twisting Jams, and a CBA® Exam that resulted in 25 proud new Certified Balloon Artists. Finally, WBC 2018 was also host to 100 children from the Greater San Diego Boys and Girls Club for an hour of balloon entertainment and a personalized tour through the sculpture gallery.  
  • World Balloon Convention Media Coverage: Total Impressions: 859,050
    • Fox 5 San Diego
    • KSON 103.7
    • NBC 7 San Diego
    • The CW San Diego
    • CBS 8 San Diego
Wishing you every success with your press releases!

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
www.suebowler.com