Time for Small Businesses to Be Heard with National Holiday

National Holiday on March 7 encourages entrepreneurs and business owners to find their voice, tell their story and be heard.

Albany, NY (PRWEB) February 19, 2006 -- So what if you’re competing with multi-million dollar corporations? As long as you receive the right amount of marketing in the right places, your small businesses can flourish and succeed beyond your imagination. National Be Heard Day is coming on March 7th.

“National Be Heard Day calls attention to the 145+ million people who are either employed by a small business or is an independent professional in the United States. They’re the owners of the local grocery store, the employees of the small advertising agency, piano teachers and plumbers, business analysts and bakers, attorneys and artisans,” says Shannon Cherry, APR, creator of the holiday. “The day urges these professionals to find their voice, tell their story and be heard through marketing and publicity.”

Cherry is the owner of Be Heard Solutions (www.beheardsolutions.com), and Cherry Communications (www.cherrycommunications.com). A former TV and newspaper journalist, she helps small business owners and entrepreneurs who are struggling to get more customers by launching successful communications programs. Cherry is accredited in public relations and has worked in the PR, marketing and fundraising field for more than 15 years. She received her bachelor's degree in communications from SUNY Geneseo and a MA in Communications Administration for the University of Memphis. She has written published several articles, writes a food column, Epicurean Humanist, and also writes a biweekly ezine, Be Heard! Cherry is also a professional speaker and co-author of Be Your Own Great and Powerful: A Woman’s Guide to Living Your Real, Big Life.

According to Cherry, marketing is a key element in any small business, but it doesn’t need to break the bank. “Small businesses typically have a limited marketing budget if any at all,” she says. “Does that mean you can’t succeed like the big guys? Absolutely not. It just means you have to think a little more creatively. And that’s what National Be Heard Day celebrates: creative tactics that helps the little guy grow and thrive.”

To help small businesses owners, Cherry offers the following tactics to be heard on National Be Heard Day:

1.    Write articles: Articles don't have to be long; they just need to be informative. Writing articles gives you instant credibility, too. Submitting online, as well as offline, provides another good chance to get your name in print at no cost. Be sure to put your contact information in a contact resource box at the end of the article.

2.    Use your business cards: Think of your business card as a small billboard and start handing them out everywhere. Include them in all your correspondence – even in your bills!

3.    Public speaking: Speaking in front of an audience usually makes you an expert. People like to buy from experts. If they're in your audience, then they'll remember your expertise and come to you when they need your product or service. Speaking is free, and it's just like making a sales call to many people at one time.

4.    Free reports: Offering a free report online is a good way to get an e-mail from prospects so you may market to them later. This is the whole basis of permission-based marketing, or opt-in lists. You can do the same thing offline.

5.    Build strategic alliances: Introduce yourself to other businesspeople who don't compete with you but sell products or services to the same target audience. Offer to promote them if they promote you. Make sure they're people you like and trust.

For more marketing tactics and tips, get the free special report, Be the Big Fish: Three no-cost publicity tactics to help you be heard by going to www.cherrycommunications.com/FreeReport.htm.

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