LOW-COST PROMOTION & MARKETING IDEAS

Promotion and advertising can be a heavy expense, especially for a new business that wants to make itself known in a community. A home-based business, however, more often than not, has a very limited budget when it comes to advertising. The home business owner needs to make the public aware of his or her product or service at the lowest possible cost.   There are many ways. A pet breeder in a large city was struggling for several years-until he came up with a novel idea. He started giving away customized "birth certificates" for the pets he sold. Almost immediately, his sales rose more than 10 percent.   The owner of a new home cleaning service was trying to attract clients. She couldn't afford much advertising, so she began offering "home cleaning seminars" to civic groups. After two months of seminars, she was swamped with inquiries and clients.   Promotion often makes the crucial difference between business success and failure. Customers or clients must know about a business or product line before they'll buy and they must have a reason to buy.   If you are trying to promote your business now, you can move in one of two directions: 1) You can take the conventional route to promotion and mount an elaborate media campaign, spending a considerable amount of money or 2) You can let your creative juices flow and mount a low-cost promotion effort, using a potpourri of attention-getting gimmicks to bring your message to the buying public.   Now, to be sure, conventional advertising is valuable. If your enterprise is large enough or if you're selling numerous product lines, you may find that a full-fledged media campaign is the most efficient and cost effective way to promote your business.   If money is tight, however, or you're not sure you can amortize the heavy cost of a media campaign over a period of time, the following is a assortment of low-cost techniques you can try. Not all may be appropriate for your particular business, and certainly it would be costly to try them all. But you're sure to find some ideas that will work for you.   GIVEAWAYS. People love to receive "free" items, especially items they can use to gain knowledge or improve their lives. You can base an entire promotional campaign on this desire. If you're running a furniture repair business, for instance, you could give away a furniture repair brochure, free furniture planning guides, or color swatches. Once you begin giving away authoritative information customers will begin to perceive you as an expert in your field.     NEWS CREATION. Want to get names and news from your business in the local newspaper? It may be easier that you think. If you don't have any news to report to the local media, create some. Maybe you've taken on a new associate. Or maybe you're selling an unusual product line. Or maybe you've opened a free advice center for the community. Or maybe you've received an award from a civic or professional group. Local Pennysavers and weekly are often quite interested in business news of this sort and can help you attract the attention of thousands of people.   EVENTS. You may be able to attract the attention of the media or a crowd by staging a special promotional event. If you run a fitness classes, for instance, you could stage a celebrity instructor day. If you're promoting a new real estate business, you can offer tours of a model home in the area. If you're selling children's products and it's springtime, you can offer lunch with the Easter bunny. Get the idea?   CHARITY TIE-INS. Are you launching a new product? Trying to increase visibility among a particular segment of your community? Offer your product to one or more local charities as a raffle prize or for use at a fund raising event. You'll receive lots of exposure among people who buy tickets or attend the event.   CONTESTS. Offer a desirable or unique item-or even several items-as contest prizes. First, find a contest theme that tiers into your business. A caterer might offer a quiche-eating contest. A photographer might offer a young model contest. A mail order craft firm might offer an "Early American" handicrafts contest. Invite contest submissions and offer prizes to the winners. Do contests attract attention? You bet. All it takes is a few signs, a small press announcement or two, and the word will spread throughout the community grapevine.   COMMUNITY SERVICE. Nothing brings you to the attention of the people faster-or more favorably-than community service. Ask yourself how your enterprise can be a "good neighbor" to your community. If you're running a lawn care and gardening service, perhaps you can offer one season's services at no charge to a needy charitable organization or nursing home in your area. Hundreds of people will hear about your work in the process. Volunteer for various community causes. If appropriate, you can step in during community emergency, offering products and services to help an organization or individuals in need.   COUPONING. Americans are very coupon-conscious. Test the market: at what level will coupons increase the volume of various product or service lines? When you get some tentative answers, start distributing coupons that offer  a discount on your services. Distribute them to area newspapers, on store counters, in door-to-door- mail packets (which can often be quite inexpensive), at the public library, at laundromats, at any location where people congregate.   BADGES AND NOVELTIES. You can easily and inexpensively produce badges, bumper  stickers, book covers, and other novelty items for distribution in your area. You can imprint your business name and the first names of the customers on many of these products at little cost and distribute them for free. Or you can tie your novelty program into a contest: once a month, you can offer a prize to any individual whose car happens to carry one of your bumper stickers or badges with peel-off coupons, redeemable at your place of business.   CELEBRITY VISITS. With a bit of persistence, you may be able to arrange to have a local media celebrity, public official, or entertainment personally-even a fictitious cartoon character or clown-visit your service. The celebrity can sign autographs, read stories to children, perform cooking demonstrations, or perform any one of a hundred other traffic-building activities.   CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS. You'll probably want to celebrate major public holidays with special sales. But celebrate some of the offbeat holidays as well. Almost every business has a few little-known holidays. Ever hear of National Pickle Day, for instance? Or Cat Lovers Month? Once you find the "right" holiday, you can sponsor a special sale or special product arrange special media coverage of a holiday event.   GO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. Can you open sales information booths at community fairs and festivals? This promotional technique can work for gift retailers, craftspeople, and personal service firms. If you have the people and the time, can you handle regional fairs or even trade shows?   MAILING LISTS. Once you begin establishing a committed clientele, gather their names on a mailing list. Save the names from your mail orders and telephone inquiries. Eventually, you'll be able to send product circulars or even catalogs to the folks on your list and you'll be able to promise your products by mail.   SCAVENGER HUNTS. If you want people to buy NOW, offer them an unbeatable deal. If they bring an old product-a small appliance, a book, whatever-to you, you'll give them a worthwhile discount on a comparable new item. Or stage a general purpose scavenger hunt. Customers who bring in three canned goods for your community's food bank will receive a discount on products purchased that day.   PARTIES. Everyone loves a party. Why not celebrate the anniversary of your business or some special holiday by offering baked goods and beverages? If you're running a service business, perhaps you can offer an open house or obtain a small banquet room in your community. Besides refreshments, be sure the place is brightly decorated.   GREETING CARDS. Do you send out greeting cards to major customers or clients? Holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries make nice greeting card occasions. Greeting cards create enormous goodwill and keep your name in front of people.   SEMINARS. In this information hungry age, people love to receive advice, especially about their personal needs and hobbies. If you sell health foods or run fitness classes, perhaps you can offer "wellness"  seminars  during lunchtime to your area's business community. If you're an interior decorator, perhaps you can offer one-hour decorating workshops to any group of ten people who will gather in someone's home. If you're running a printing business, perhaps you can offer tours and layout seminars at your plant.   If you're not pleased with your promotional efforts today or if you simply must increase your exposure among customers and prospects-it's probably time to increase your publicity efforts.   By all means, advertise in the media if you can or must. But don't neglect your greatest promotional asset-your mind. Ponder the products, services, and events you can offer the community and devise a creative promotional strategy around them. You'll have to invest a bit of time and energy in the project, but the payoff will be worth it. You'll save hundreds-or even thousands-of advertising dollars and, better yet, you'll travel a well-worn shortcut to profit.   Advertising on a budget takes imagination and creativity. Let your individual ideas create ways to make your business boom. You can do this if you are committed enough.    Peace and blessings, Christina L Norris

Changing How You Eat

As you may know, not fueling up with the right nutrients can affect how well your body performs and your overall fitness benefits.  Even though healthy eating is important, there are myths that hinder your performance if you listen to them. Below, you'll find some myth busters on healthy eating. 1.  Working out on an empty stomach. If you hear a rumbling noise in your stomach, the rumbling is trying to tell you something.  Without listening to them, you are forcing your body to run without any fuel.  Before you exercise or do any physical activity, always eat a light snack such as an apple. 2.  Relying on energy bars and drinks. Although they are fine every once in a while, they don't deliver the antioxidants you need to prevent cancer.  Fruits and vegetables are your best bets, as they are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fluid, and fiber. 3.  Skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast is never a good idea, as breakfast starts the day.  Your body needs fuel as soon as possible, and without it, you'll be hungry throughout the day. 4.  Low carb diets. Your body needs carbohydrates for your muscles and the storing of energy.  5.  Eating what you want. Eating healthy and exercising doesn't give you an all access pass to eat anything you want.  Everyone needs the same nutrients whether they exercise or not, as well as fruits and vegetables. 6.  Not enough calories Although losing weight involves calories, losing it too quickly is never safe.  What you should do, is aim for 1 - 2 pounds a week.  Always make sure that you are getting enough calories to keep your body operating smoothly.  If you start dropping weight too fast, eat a bit more food. 7.  Skip soda and alcohol. Water, milk, and juice is the best to drink for active people.  You should drink often, and not require on thirst to be an indicator.  By the time you get thirsty, your body is already running a bit too low. Changing how you eat is always a great step towards healthy eating and it will affect how your body performs.  The healthier you eat, the better you'll feel.  No matter how old you may be, healthy eating is something you should strive for.  Once you give it a chance, you'll see in no time at all just how much it can change your life - for the better both mentally and physically. Also, don't forget a good exercise regimen. Christina L Norris

Maui Beaches

The island of Maui is home to some of the most amazing beaches.  Some beaches offer swimming all year round, while others are best for surfing or snorkeling during certain times of the year.  Depending on where you choose to stay, there are always some famous beaches nearby. West Maui beaches If you drive along the west coast of Maui from Lahaina to Kapalua, you'll see many breathtaking beaches along the coast.    Kaanapali Beach will offer you over three miles of white sand with a variety of watersports, including surfing, sailboating, and even catamaran rides. On the north end of the beach is Black Rock, which is well known for snorkeling. Visitors like the sandy beach at Napili Bay, because there are no high rise buildings around, and the bay is protected well from waves.  The Kapalua Resort in west Maui is home to Kapalua Beach, Oneloa Bay Beach, and the D.T. Fleming Beach. South Maui Beaches The rule with Hawaii and Maui is that the further south you travel, the less crowded the beaches will be.  Kihei offers you a series of beaches along the six mile coastline, some even offering lifeguards, restrooms, and picnic areas.  Polo Beach and Wailea Beach offer both restrooms and equipment rentals.  Or, if you prefer a more secluded beach, you should visit Maluaka Beach at the Maui Prince Hotel - where you may even encounter some green sea turtles. A few miles past the Maui Prince Hotel is the Big Beach of Makena, which is one of the best beaches on Maui.  As the name implies, the beach is quite large, and best of all - empty.  It offers white sand, picnic facilities, and even restrooms. East Maui Beaches The beaches of East Maui are unlike others in Hawaii.  Surround by lush scenery, the beaches are secluded, scenic, and very colorful.  Hamoa Beach is a must visit if you plan to visit East Maui.  As you approach the beach from the main road, you'll walk past colorful plants and palm trees surrounding Hamoa Beach.  Just off Hana Highway is Hana Bay Beach, which offers black volcanic sand. The Red Sand Beach is difficult to get to, you'll need to find a narrow path along the coast.  The beach offers plenty of swimming and snorkeling, and you should be the only one there - which is great for those looking for privacy.  Even though it is hard to get to, Red Sand Beach is truly one of a kind. Maui is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Bright sunshine and beautiful scenery. Pictures cannot do it justice. The amount of peace and sunshine I felt in my soul cannot be expressed in words. You must go there. Christina L Norris

Getting anxious over Anxiety and Depression

A lot of people who are exerting too much of their brain power usually exhaust not only their physical strength when engaging in various multi-tasking activities, they also tend to over extend their brains up to the point when it plainly needs some good old time for relaxation. A lot of busy people who seem to cannot fathom the idea of relaxing and taking time of from work, as well as their worries, tend to actually start having nervous breakdowns, anxiety depression and all sorts of mental illnesses that can cause a person's sanity to go haywire, fortunately, if you're one of those poor unfortunate ones who are unable to distress and is constantly worried and fussing over things, there are actually available cures and various treatments for treating anxiety depression.

Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usually due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression, its just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what'll actually save your mental health from going totally downward spiral.

When it comes to effectively curing one's self from a mental illness, one must keep in mind that you have to be actually honest with yourself and assess what kind of depression or mental illness you actually have, go to reputable psychiatrist to get yourself diagnosed correctly as well as be able to get the right depression treatment for yourself. Here are the various types of depression:

Manic or Bipolar depression - characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one's mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the
next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell.

Postpartum depression - characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this.

Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it's been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately.

Cyclothemia - characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one's moods.

Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people
actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person's mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. 

But the type of depression that has actually been proven to be quite common among people is anxiety depression, which is actually characterized by the state of being overly anxious about things. Anxiety, a supposedly normal behavior that'll actually help a person adjust more to a certain stressful activity like first date jitters or a grueling exam the following day. Anxiety actually helps you get psyched up towards facing certain "difficult situations"; anxiety therefore is actually a good thing. Anxiety depression however, is simply the opposite, not to be easily dismissed as a "case of the nerves"; Anxiety depression is in actuality an illness that can be caused from the biological makeup of an individual, or in other words, a hereditary illness.

Also, there are actually various types of Anxiety depression, each having its own unique characteristics. Take for example Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD, this kind of Anxiety depression is a lot more complicated than the average Anxiety depression, in spite of possibly being a day-to-day habit for those who suffer this kind of Anxiety depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually makes the individual quite more paranoid than usual, anxiety attacks are more frequent, even absurd at times. They can even be anxious even when there's no apparent reason that calls for them to behave in such a way. People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually shows a lot of symptoms, from lack of sleep, to being unable to relax, getting tired easily, cannot concentrate on what they're doing and even suffering from depression.  This kind of Anxiety depression is still curable; just a little work will actually do the trick. Many people suffer from Anxiety, depression, and panic attacks and have troubles functioning in everyday life. From getting out of bed in the morning to finishing a work day can often be a struggle for many.

Consult a reputable cognitive behavior therapist who'll help give the individual the therapy that he or she needs to help him or her loosen up, also prescribed medicines are sort of a must to help these individuals battle anxiety attacks, help them calm down and relax.



Christina L Norris

The Road to Intuition

Have you had that experience when all of a sudden you just had this huge hunch that something is about to happen, and to your surprise, that intuition was eventually translated to reality? When you feel strongly about something without logical basis to it, that's called intuition. It comes in three impressions: clairvoyance or "the third eye", sensing clearly and feeling through listening. Clairvoyance is when your eye goes beyond what it can see. This is when you know what is happening somewhere. Sensing clearly is basically what we refer to as "hunch" or "gut feel." This is the time when you are overwhelmed with a feeling and you can't explain it and all you can say is "I just know." On the other hand, feeling through listening or clairaudience is being able to "listen" between the lines. Intuition also happens at times when a certain sound, whatever it is - be it a car's honk or a bird's twitting - ushers in an intense feeling. They say only a number of people are gifted with intuition. Astrologers even insist that people born under the Scorpio or Pisces signs are naturally intuitive it almost borders on E.S.P. But studies have been sprouting left and right that proclaim that anyone can develop intuition. Why the need to develop intuition, you ask? Why not let your emotional and psychological state as it is? First and foremost, intuition promotes good communication. It makes you more sensitive to the people around you; it often keeps you from hurting those you love because you are intuitive enough to understand them. Intuition also makes you far more creative than ever. Intuition means releasing more creative juices for any means of expression. Lastly, intuition has a healing power. This healing power is not in the physical sense, but in delving deep into your soul to eradicate some negative energy buried in it. With that being said, are you ready to develop your intuition? Here are some ways to unlock this gift: 1. Hypnosis Oh yes, get yourself hypnotized. Hypnosis is not limited to watching a pendulum move back and forth. Perform self-hypnosis or you can avail of hypnotic programs that can strengthen your intuition. 2. Meditation Meditating means finding peace in yourself. If your mind and heart are cluttered with too many baggage and hurt,  you wouldn't be able to quiet down that part of you that could eventually initiate intuition. There are so many ways to meditate: take a yoga class, or just simply practice some breathing that could bring you straight to Zen. 3. Think positive! A worry-free, fear-free state could do so much to improve your intuitive ability. By staying positive, you attract good energy that would be able to easily recognize imminent feelings and events. 4.  Just let go. What does this mean? If you are on the brink of making a huge decision, let go of all the inhibitions and head to a quiet place where you could find out where the letting go has brought you. Sometimes you just have to listen to the voice within you, and that voice wouldn't come out unless you let go. 5. Never expect. After letting go of the inhibitions and all those things that stop you from thinking and feeling clearly, never expect for an answer right away. Never expect that the "hunch" would fall on your lap immediately. Give it a little time then you'd just get surprised that -- wham! -- now you have your answer. 6. Believe in your first impressions. When you see someone for the first time and think that he is a bit too arrogant for your taste, chances are that impression actually holds true. Most of the time, first impressions are brought by intuition. 7. Stay happy! See? All you need to be intuitive is to stay happy! Happiness attracts immense power and such power includes intuition. In tapping your intuition, your motivation must be happiness and contentment. Given that premise, intuition will fall to you easily. Intuition is helpful, because sometimes it leads you to something that cannot be achieved otherwise. A lot of lives have been saved by intuition alone. Decisions are easier done if armed by this gift. Develop intuition now and reap benefits you have never imagined. There have been times when I realized, after the fact, that there was a strong feeling I had during a certain event that I had overlooked and disreguarded and when thinking about this later on I discovered that this was my intuition and I should have listened to it. Now that I am aware of what this is, I have a very strong intuition and now I listen for it. If something doesn't feel quite right, then it isn't. Try tapping into this part of yourself. Happy day ! Christina L Norris

Becoming A Healthy Eater

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating actually is.  Being food smart isn't about learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it about studying labels and counting calories. Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day.  Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group. Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway.  You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep both your mind and body strong and alert. A healthy eater is a good problem solver.  Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions.  Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it will have on their bodies. When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well.  They could end up spending too much, talking too much, even going to bed later and later.  You should always remember that restricting food in any way is always a bad thing.  Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle.  If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start.  You'll make life easier for yourself, those around you, and even your family.  I find that the healthier I eat, the better I feel. With a work out regimen added, the combination of the two make me feel so much better both mentally and physically. I try not to deprive myself of foods I like because more often than not, I will fall off the diet wagon.I am never on a diet, mostly because I don't  need to be. You can choose to eat healthy most of the time and still enjoy some treats now and then. Bon appetite. Christina L Norris

Exercise And Stress

Even though exercise may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, it sure is a word with a lot of benefits.  Participating in daily exercise will not only make you healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on your body as well. Think about all the times you have heard someone say "the doctor says it's stress related".  Normally people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors say that when they don't know the real answers or diagnosis.  The truth of the matter is that too much stress will play a role in many diseases. To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here.  Bending, stretching, reaching and walking.  There's really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can implement more movement into your daily routine and reap the benefits. If you like aerobic exercise, you should grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos.  Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together.  As you may have heard, walking really is the best overall exercise you can do for your health.  As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you'll be fine. As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot.  While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders. If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you should consider buying a jogging board.  These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints.  They are easy to store as well and also very portable. In many people's opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy.  They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes. There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life.  Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking.  Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your health as well as stress. If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym.  Working out then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension.  If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it helps you to relax. I exercise three times a week consistently and have found it to improve my moods. I feel refreshed afterwards and it has really helped me through stressful events and depression. The challenge is the battle of making yourself get out there and do it. I do it even if I don't feel well, I feel guilty when I don't do it. Good luck and stay healthy. Christina L Norris