Imagine that the longest line at an expo or other event is the one waiting to try your product – and you didn’t even pay to exhibit. Instead you’re provided a bonus experience for attendees. That’s what happened when local motorcycle dealership offered attendees at a local home improvement expo the opportunity to take a [...]

…may earn you new customers and media coverage. “The city is our canvas,” GreenGraffiti owner, Jim Bowes told The New York Times. Bowes said, “We can tell a story over the course of two blocks if we want to, without paper, without ink.” “Using stencils and high-pressure water sprayers, he selectively washes down pavement, leaving [...]

From rock stars to a bordello owner, famous and infamous people have played in Sausalito. Several movies and TV scenes have been shot in our picturesque village. You may not live here or in Seattle, Savannah or New York yet I’ll bet your town is known for some news-making character or event. It is time [...]

Happily selling 800 cupcakes daily from his small San Francisco bakery, Brandon Arnovick suddenly got hit with a tidal wave of 72,000 orders – without advertising. Unfortunately, while he expected an uptick in sales, Arnovick wasn’t prepared for that many would-be customers. Many were miffed when they couldn’t get their minicakes right away. Don’t set [...]

Here’s an all-ages echo of the growing local village movements popping up across the world, including in my small town: From “Eat Local” potlucks to sharing music get ideas about how to build local community and business ties, some via partnerships – all in the aloha spirit, from Hawaii.

Do you enjoy the music of U2, Playing for Change, Dave Matthews Band and John Legend? Like to get their CD, “All You Need Is Love” for free – and help a cause? And wouldn’t it be fun to sing along with these musical rock stars – for the cause and see the crowdsourced result? [...]

Subway and Denny’s and other chain eateries’ free food giveaways and contests are attracting huge crowds, with many signing up for their rewards programs. So why not partner with a food-related business in a way that pulls more customers in the door of your business – and theirs?  For example, what if family-friendly Denny’s partnered [...]

Come up with a unifying theme to tie your product to those sold in neighboring businesses?  To spur sales of You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story, Jonah Zimiles, owner of Words Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey, featured owners and customers in a nearby flower shop and a deli in this video. [...]

Questions: Will the fast-growing phone app start-up, Foursquare, which already has 300,000 users voluntarily “checking in” at physical locations, and broadcasting their whereabouts to their followers, movie beyond the “in” technology for early, younger adopters?  Will it become a top-of-mind tool for smart phone-toting people to use to see what specials are being offered by [...]

Pull more people into your local business by profitably partnering in ways that inspire more buying yet often reduce your promotional overhead.  Sound good? Here are some success stories of how others have done it.  Involve More Partners to Multiply the Potential Customers You Reach The California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns promotes “Small Town [...]