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Cool Side Hustle Opportunity

May 13, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

If you are looking for a cool side hustle opportunity, I have one for you!

Both the house sitting and pet sitting industries are experiencing huge growth right now, and this has opportunities for not only a cool side hustle, but I also see it as a way to expand your business if you’re a real estate agent, travel agent or pet business.

GenZ and Millennials are using house sitting and pet sitting “gigs” as a way to get around the unaffordable housing market right now (since they can work remotely) and as a way to travel the world for free.

So, not only is this a great side hustle – to get paid to live in someone’s house for house sitting and/or pet sitting duties – but I feel that it can also be a new service for you to offer your clients.

If you’re a realtor, you can connect reputable “sitters” with home owners for a commission fee. Same thing for travel agents and anyone who owns a pet business. It’s a great add-on service that will bring in more revenue and expand your customer base with little investment on your part. Hope you are in a position to try this cool side hustle opportunity.

Need more ideas for a great business or side hustle? Set up a phone consultation!

Also read 54 Creative Small Business Ideas.

101 Super Creative Small Business Promotional Ideas

May 11, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Welcome! Time to get inspired!

I love coming up with creative promotional ideas for my clients, so below are 101 of my favorite small business promotional ideas that I’ve come up with in the past for clients, a few of which are included in my top-selling Marketing Plans for Small Businesses.

First, Some FREEBIES!

As a thank you for reading my post, here are a couple of my free downloads:

For super affordable marketing and business downloads, check out my Shopify Store and Etsy Store

101 Small Business Marketing Ideas

Google “new businesses” along with the name of your city to find any local newspapers, magazines or blogs that like to feature brand new businesses for free and hit them up for a mention.
Post a compliment on social media for another local business that is non-competitive but has the same target audience, and they will likely repost exposing your business to their followers.
Email your customers the night before daylight savings time as a reminder to turn clocks back or ahead, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.
Make hats or t-shirts with your business name and url on it, and give them to family members to wear everywhere, especially to public events like concerts, racing events, etc.
Hire a student to help you with the small marketing stuff like commenting on blogs, posting to social media, sending out promotional emails. Many teens looking to get into marketing will value the experience, and they likely know social media a lot better than you do.
Comment on at least 25 blogs or social media profiles every day that your customers read making sure that your user name is your business name, for free exposure.
Email your customers the day before Thanksgiving with tips on how long to cook a turkey, again, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.
Whenever possible, use people you know in your company photos as they will likely repost the photo of themselves to their own social media site, putting you in front of all of their followers.
Offer neighborhood or street discounts on your products or services, telling people for every neighbor they get to sign up, you will take another 5% off the price, to a maximum of 40% off.
In early September, run localized ads on LinkedIn targeting either HR Managers or Sales Managers who wish to buy your products or services in bulk as gifts for employees or clients.
Every month, email your customers the events happening in your city this month. Always mention a sale or event that you are having at the very end.
Try a weekly Instagram post called “Follow Friday” where you recommend other Instagram accounts to follow, and they might return the favor, giving you exposure to their followers.
If you own a fitness studio, offer free workout classes on the day after Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (from my Marketing Plan for Personal Trainers).
If you own a beauty salon, offer Shamrock nail art designs /manicures for St. Patrick’s Day.
If you’re a realtor, offer a free seminar on how to “green” your new home in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Realtors).
If you own a barbecue shop, have a free BBQ of bratwurst and sausages for customers during Oktoberfest, or give away a free package of sausages with every purchase.
If you own a photography studio, offer a free newborn portrait to the first baby born in the new year in your city.
If you own a lighting store, use red and pink light bulbs in all of your light fixtures in your store windows on Valentine’s Day.
If you own a dog food company, create Thanksgiving promotional dog treats that taste like pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and so forth.
If you own a garden center, create a large bunny topiary and position it outside your gates the weeks prior to Easter to attract attention and as a great for photo opp for kids.
If you own a makeup company, create an advent calendar with a different mini nail polish for each day (from my Marketing Plan for Beauty Products).
If you own a spa, offer a chocolate facial on National Chocolate Day (July 3rd).
If you own a sports store, either put winter gear on a one-day sale or spring gear on a one-day sale on February 2nd, depending on what the Ground Hog sees.
If you own a greeting card company, make cards for the most obscure holidays like National Cat Day or National Hat Day (from my Marketing Plan for Greeting Cards).
If you own a fashion accessories store, display your scarves in various nautical knots in your store window during Fleet week (early October).
If you own a pets product business, post various reels of happy dogs jumping for joy, wishing everyone a Happy First Day of Spring on March 21st on TikTok and Instagram.
If you own a donut shop, and it’s an Olympic year, create a pack of five donuts iced in the Olympic Ring colors.
If you own a shoe store, displays colorful rain boots filled with tulips in your store window to celebrate spring.
If you own a pet store, offer Santa Claus photos for pets.
If you own a bar, hand out scratch-off cards at lunch hour on St. Patrick’s Day, with the discovery of a four leaf clover meaning a free green beer.
If you own a make up company, post photos to social media of beautiful landscapes accompanied by eye shadow shades that match the colors in the photo.
If you own a watch company, post a graphic to social media with one of your watches showing the clock turning back to remind people when its daylight savings time.
If you own a jewelry store, post a photo to social media spelling out “Happy Mother’s Day“, using letter initial necklaces on your social media pages.
If you own an online store, post an animated gif to social media of a piñata breaking and exposing a Cinco De Mayo sale of 25% off today only.
If you own a vintage store, post regular updates to social media of period TV shows, such as The Crown and Stranger Things (from my Marketing Plan for Vintage shops).
If you sell iPhone cases, post to social media your favorite free iPhone apps and ask followers theirs.
If you own a sandals company, post to social media pictures of cool pedicures or toe nail art.
If you’re an insurance broker, post to social media the craziest but true insurance claim stories.
If you own a green cleaning products company, clean up a run-down local park and post to social media a time-lapsed reel of the cleanup on TikTok for Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Eco-Products).
If you own a local clothing store, offer to take 25% off the price of any item if the customer takes a photo of the item and posts it to Instagram right there in the store (from my Marketing Plan for Retail Stores).
If you own a kid’s clothing company, post to social media a carousel of back-to-school-outfits for Monday through Friday, during the first week of August on your social media pages (from my Marketing Plan for Kids Products).
If you’re a wedding gown designer, post to social media an infographic of the most famous wedding gowns of the 20th century.
If you’re a book author, post to social media book club food suggestions.
If you own a dance school, post to social media your reviews of the previous night’s Dancing with the Stars routines.
If you have an online shop, ask your most loyal customers to pick their 5 favorite items in the shop and post to social media for 25% off their next order.
If you’re an accounting firm, post the most outrageous tax breaks given in other countries. Get more creative social media posting ideas in my best-selling 365 Social Media Post Ideas download.
If you own a lingerie company, re-create one of those pens that when turned upside down the clothes come off the photo of a woman (but instead of being naked she is wearing lingerie) as a fun promo item.
If you’re a motorcycle lawyer, create a 12-month pictorial calendar of unique bike detailing or cool tattoos.
If you own a baby skin care company, create a baby shower game printable as a free download on your website.
If you own a pizza delivery or local restaurant, include with each order to local college dorms a door hanger sign-up sheet for the next food order i.e. “Who Wants to Order Pizza Tonight?”
If you’re a wedding gown designer, offer a free fashion sketch of the bride in her dress (from my Marketing Plan for Wedding Shops).
If you run a local art museum, promote your latest exhibit by giving free drink coasters featuring the artist’s works to surrounding bars and restaurants.
If you have a dental office, put your label on dental floss containers and leaving them in a basket in the rest room at a local steak house.
If you own a children’s clothing company, give a free car window baby sun shade to customers, complete with your logo on it (free advertising on every car).
If you’re a wedding invitation designer, offer to design, for free, an email reminder that goes out to brides about their dress fittings for local bridal shops (i.e. this reminder was sponsored by...)
If you own a ceramics company, donate handmade salt and pepper shakers to a local restaurant, embossed with your shop name.
If you’re a food products business, offer free downloadable printables such as, “Spices That Go With Every Type of Food” (based on top Google searches).
If you’re a children’s book author, have coloring pages made of pages from your book and give them to local family restaurants to hand out for kids to color.
If you own a teen clothing or jewelry shop, give a free locker mirror with purchase (your shop url is on it and all her friends see it).
If you own a salon, make your business card a nail file.
If you own a wine company, make your wine label a peel-off, so customers can keep to remember the name of the wine!
If you own a clothing store, offer to do a home showing of prom dresses and accessories for groups of 8 or more (from my Marketing Plan for Fashion Brands).
If you own a makeup company, offer free 5-minute touch-ups to working women at lunch hour from a mobile unit.
If you own a coffee shop, hold a contest for customers to submit their best original coffee cake recipe and then create a recipe ebook as a free giveaway.
If you’re an artist or photographer, give free prints to a local designer to use in their displays at a home show (from my Marketing Plan for Art Shops).
If you own a paint company, go around to local neighborhood homes and hand out free paint swatch color suggestions for the exterior of people’s homes.
If you’re a realtor, hold your open houses at night and using a strobe light to attract attention.
If you own a comic book store, offer a free in-store viewing party for the premiere of a popular fantasy TV series.
If you own a travel agency, features a free, walk-in open-house “destination of the month” party in your offices, complete with music and food from that destination (from my Marketing Plan for Travel Agents).
If you own a pet shampoo company, conduct free dog washes at a local dog park on a muddy day.
If you own a salon, offer a special day where customers can bring their dogs into be groomed while the customer is getting their hair done.
If you’re a fashion designer, hold a contest to make a custom prom dress for one lucky girl.
If you own a yoga clothing store, have a yoga expert in the window of your shop doing and holding a different yoga pose every 2 minutes during noon hour.
If you own a bakery, have a bicycle cart that sells cookies at the local park during the morning kid rush.
If you sell make-up, co-market with a purse vendor by including free samples in each of their bags for a limited time offer (good for both of you).
If you own a bakery or cupcake shop, offer cupcakes in the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as a special one-week homage (from my Marketing Plan for Online Bakeries).
If you own a garden store, offer a free seminar on how to make a terrarium.
If you own a local beer company, hand out free samples at tail gate parties during football season.
If you own a salon, do free manicures for patients at a local hospital once a month.
If you are an artist or photographer, offer a free info session for interior designers on how to hang art.
If you own a karate school, hold a school safety tips session at a local school or day camp.
If you’re a personal trainer, offer easy fitness tips at a local weight watchers meeting.
If you own a veterinarian clinic, offer free nail clippings at a local dog park.
If you own a retail shop, paint a back wall in chalkboard paint to keep kids busy while parents shop.
If you own a toy store, position a bubble blowing machine out front to attract the attention of kids.
If you own a limousine company, offer to decorate the limo with the name of the bride or prom attendee i.e. Sarah’s Ride (use car/window letter clings).
If you own a coffee shop, let small businesses post one of their business cards on your “small business wall” whenever they buy a coffee.
If you have a storefront, keep a large bird cage filled with exotic birds outside your shop doors to attract the attention of passer-bys.
If you own a coffee house, host a book club for seniors in the afternoon.
If you’re a realtor, include the blue print of the home as well as a legend of the distance from the house to schools, community centers, and grocery stores in the online description.
If you have an online store, add an audio voice that says, “Welcome!” that announces the sale of the day when people land on your home page. There are audio apps that do this for Shopify stores.
If you own a car rental business, set aside part of your lot for cars that are ideal for very tall drivers, or new drivers, or large families.
If you’re an artist, donate your artwork to be hung in the hallway of schools and libraries (will be seen by parents).
If you own a furniture store, offer to help realtors stage homes in return for free promotion to new home buyers. Just a sign on the couch saying “you can buy this couch at…” (from my Marketing Plan for Home Goods).
If you own a landscaping company, donate a few uniquely sculpted shrubs (with a sign for their company on the planter pot) to anchor the doors of the most popular local restaurants or retail stores.
If you own a toy store, announce your sales in chalk on the sidewalk outside your store.
If you own a vintage store, sell your books in unique collections i.e. Nobel Prize Winners, World War II Novels, etc.
If you are an optometrist, make your business card an eye chart that actually spells out your name and address.
If you own a food truck, raise a large colorful flag on top of your truck that says “Food Truck” once it parks so it can be seen from far distances.
If you own a jewelry store, re-create the engagement rings of famous people and display them in your store window alongside their photo.
If you own a coffee shop, have a penned in play area for young children in the middle of the shop and tables for parents situated around the pen.

More Small Business Downloads at my Shopify Store and Etsy Store

Free Publicity Opportunities for Your Business this Summer

May 11, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Want some free publicity opportunities for your business this summer? Here are the best opportunities in June, July and August.

SUMMER PR IDEAS

June is pride month, so writers will be looking for businesses to include in stories such as “LGBTQ-Owned Businesses to Support for Pride Month”.
Juneteenth is on June 19^th and writers will be looking for businesses to include in stories such as “Observe Juneteenth by Checking Out these Black Owned Businesses”. You can try this again for August, which is National Black Business Month.
July is Independent Retailer Month, so local writers will be looking for businesses to include in stories such as “Celebrate Independent Retailer Month by Shopping these Local Businesses ”.
July 1^st is Canada Day, so Canadian writers will be looking for businesses to include in stories such as “Canadian-Made Products to Shop This Canada Day”.
July 4^th is Independence Day, so American writers will be looking for businesses to include in stories such as, “American Small Businesses to Love this Independence Day”.

I offer a Publicity Pitch Writing Service and all of these events are covered in my best-selling 96-Page Marketing Plan Template.

Also read: Easy Free Local Publicity Opportunity

Time Management Tip: Dedicate Certain Days for Certain Tasks

May 5, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Need a time management tip?

When you’re a small business owner, you have a variety of daily tasks from product fulfillment to marketing to accounting to customer services, it goes on and on.

So what does your typical work week look like, and is it possible to tackle it in a different way so that you work more effectively?

For example, instead of trying to do a bit of everything every day, why not establish certain days for certain tasks:

Maybe Monday you focus on marketing, creating all of your social media posts for the week, your blog posts for the week, sending out publicity pitches, etc.
Tuesdays, you focus on development of new products and services.
Wednesdays, you focus on improving your SEO.
Thursdays, you focus on administrative tasks.
Fridays, you focus on finances, cost cutting, revenue building, etc.

Obviously, you have certain tasks that have to be done every day, but maybe some of these other tasks that have to do with growing and maintaining the business, can be divided up by days of the week. This way you can focus more effectively on the one thing you have to do that day.

Also read: Is a Recession Coming? Tips for Your Small Business.

Be Sure to Also Check Out:

Do You Really Need to Offer Free Shipping on Etsy?

May 3, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

free shipping etsy If you sell online, it has been drilled into your head that offering free shipping on Etsy will raise your sales conversion rate. But, this has been a little blown out of portion.

Published research from a variety of sources has continually showed that the number one reason for cart abandonment was HIGH shipping charges, which is not the same as saying shipping charges altogether.

For example, I was buying flowers from an online florist. The florist offered “free shipping” but when I went to checkout, while the shipping was free, there was a $15 transaction free. I went ahead with the purchase anyway, because I have ordered flowers many times and I expect a shipping fee. I did think this was kind of a slimy way of doing it.

But again, it is perspective. The flowers were $75, so if the transaction/shipping fee had been $30, then I would have abandoned the purchase because I am not going to pay another 40% of the price in shipping. In other words, a reasonable shipping fee will not likely stop the purchase.

I recently had a client whereby another “consultant” had told her that she absolutely had to offer free shipping on Etsy, and this was difficult as her product was heavy as it was made of cement. Looking at her stats, I saw that she had a good sales conversion rate of 3.3%, so to me, shipping did not seem to be an issue. As long as she kept it reasonable, she was better off to keep charging it. Otherwise, adding the free shipping into the price was going to substantially increase her product price, making it much higher than her competition, and that’s not a good thing either.

If you would like professional advice, please see my small business consultation as well as my other services.

©2012 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Free Shipping on Etsy

Why You Need an Engaging LinkedIn Profile Summary

April 27, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

There are many reasons why you need an engaging LinkedIn Profile Summary. This is why I started offering a LinkedIn Profile Summary Writing Service.

Whether you’re a small business owner, an entrepreneur or actively looking for employment, your LinkedIn Profile Summary is a valuable marketing tool.

Most social media sites only give you about 150 characters for a bio, but LinkedIN gives you over ten times that, up to 2,000 characters, so there is a real opportunity here to show your personality, tell your story and add a little marketing flair.

Trust me, hiring managers get sick of reading the same old tired summaries. A fresh approach will get their attention and keep them reading.

Plus, if you are looking for employment, you can use the same wording in the profile for your cover letter, exploratory emails to prospective employers as well as on your personal website or blog.

Here’s my own LinkedIn Profile, for example:

I really believe in writing your LinkedIn Profile Summary in the first person. It’s more personal and relatable, and it feels like you are speaking directly to the reader.

I like a statement-making opening line to engage them immediately.

Then, it is up to you whether you want to just talk about your unique abilities and/or your “wins” and/or your experience and/or what you do and why you do it. You can break it up with headings like I did here.

Finally, I close with a call to action about what it is that you hope the person reading will do next.

Now, I’m only using half of the allotted characters, but I just want to quickly get across what it is I do in an interesting way, to attract potential clients and business partners.

If you would like to add a little marketing savvy to your LinkedIN, check out my LinkedIn Profile Summary Writing Service.

Be Sure to Also Check Out:

How to Market Yourself

April 26, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

People ask me all the time to help them market themselves.

This can take on a variety of forms:

New college grads (or their parents) hiring me to write a marketing savvy LinkedIn Profile.
An influencer needing an attention-getting Bio for their Media Kit.
Upstarts asking for a Business Plan Executive Summary that will land them a loan.
Small business owners wanting an engaging Brand Story.

Have you ever thought about the need to market yourself, particularly as a small business owner?

Some Ways to Market Yourself

Apply for a small business award. Check with your local small business bureau to see what opportunities are available.
Have a profile piece written about you in a local trade publication. Simply pitch a compelling story about how or why you started your business to your local small business writer and they might see value in writing a profile on. you.
Apply to speak at a local or industry event. Try an online place like Event Brite to find opportunities near you. Remember, you need to apply for these opportunities at least six months in advance.
Have a professional head shot taken. It is worth it to hire a professional photographer to take several good head shots of yourself. You can use these in your marketing material, as social media avatars, on your About page in your blog, and on your business cards to name a few.
Try to get quoted. Check HARO (Help a Reporter Out) requests daily to see if you can contribute a quote to an article being published. If you do get quoted, promote links to these articles on your website, blog, social media, and so forth.
Have a personalized and stylishly written bio. This should always be ready to go, and always be part of all of your marketing collateral.

I have been doing these types of writing services as custom orders for a while now, so I decided to add them to my Shopify store and Services.

SEO-Friendly Content Ideas for May

April 25, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Need some SEO-friendly content ideas for May?

Every month, the top searches on Google are typically questions. You can take advantage of answering these questions in your blog or social media posts as an easy way to drive traffic to your business.

For example, based on past Google Search Data, these should be the top questions for May:

What do you write in a teacher appreciation card (May 4^th)
What is Cinco de Mayo celebrated for? (May 5^th)
What horses are in the Kentucky Derby? (May 7^th)
When is Mother’s Day 2022? (May 8^th)
What happens during a lunar eclipse? (May 15th)
What is a flower moon?
How fast do Indy 500 cars go? (May 29^th)
When is Memorial Day 2022? (May 30^th)
What is Memorial Day and how is it observed?
What side does the tassel go on graduation cap?
You might also like, What to Post to Social Media in May

For your social media marketing, you would like my 365 Social Media Post Ideas.

For your blog or content marketing, you would like my 365 Blog Post Title Ideas.

Be Sure to Also Check Out:

About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

Green Business Ideas for the Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur

April 21, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Green Business Ideas

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to write about “green” business ideas, especially since demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products and services has more than DOUBLED in the last five years.

Most in Demand Eco Products

In terms of products, the most demand, according to Google Trends, is for eco-friendly packaging, gifts, cleaning products, personal care products, cars, homes, furniture, clothing and phone cases, along with things like balloons, backpacks, mattresses, and yoga mats.

Make sure that you are clearly stating and showing your eco-friendly products in all of your marketing materials, along with any eco-friendly packaging and manufacturing practices if you wish to use this “green” marketing opportunity.

Most in Demand Eco Services

In terms of services, searches for eco-friendly tourism jumped 5,000% in the last couple of years, along with eco-friendly event planning companies, beauty salons, cleaning services, grocery stores, hotels, transportation companies, landscaping companies and wedding planners.

Again, if customers have a choice between a non eco-friendly service and an eco-friendly service, they will likely go for the latter. It is a competitive advantage.

Eco-Business Idea I Love

One eco-business I love is Inhabitr, where you can rent furniture and home décor items nationwide with the goal of keeping used home items out of landfills. Depending on the piece, customers can either rent it monthly or buy new, used, or later, after their rental period has started. Inhabitr even offers delivery, installation, pickup, cleaning and repair. It’s an ideal option for anyone who needs to furnish temporary housing, student housing, businesses, or rental properties, even house staging.

The Opportunity for You

This is a also great idea you can do locally if looking for a business idea. A few years back when visiting my niece who was graduating from college in Boston, and all of the graduating students just left their unneeded furniture on the sidewalk, presumedly to be picked up by the garage truck. The majority of the furniture was in perfectly good condition, they just didn’t want to haul it back to their home town. We are talking streets full of furniture. I remember thinking, someone could easily resell all of this, if they just had a truck. Maybe that’s you!

You might also like: 4 Eco Products Marketplaces and Free Business Card Templates.

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4 Marketing Ideas for National Small Business Week

April 19, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

marketing ideas national small business week National Small Business Week 2022 is May 1st to May 7th. Here are 4 easy ways to maximize this opportunity:

Immediately send out pitches to your local media (newspaper, blogs, radio, local tv) about being included in any editorial they are doing for the week. You need to pitch one major feature (i.e. female or minority run business) or accomplishment (i.e. six figure sales in first year) about your business.
Every day during small business week, every hour on the hour, if possible, tweet a #shoutout to another local but non-competitive small business. They will likely return the favor or at least share the tweet, giving you exposure to their followers (be sure to thank and share anyone who does the same for you).
Email customers a special offer that if they give you a shoutout on social media anytime during small business week, such as a free gift or 10 entries into a giveaway. Make sure you give them a #hashtag to use so you can track it.
Get together with several other local small businesses and create a flyer with all of your businesses on it, hand it out at your particular places of business, leave in mailboxes, and post other places around town. You could also do this online, adding a “blog roll” of small businesses to your website and social media accounts, and ask the other businesses to do the same, just for the week.
Free Business Card Templates

Attention Getting

Page 9 of 50

Cool Side Hustle Opportunity