If you have a business that caters to people in your area then you have what we call a “local business.” If you cater to the guy (or gal) across the country or across the globe then you don’t. OK, it isn’t quite that simple since many people do both, but you really deserve to decide where you are going to focus and put your marketing efforts there.

If you have a local business then you need local exposure and one place to get that is by participating in local contests. Sometimes they are “the best of” type contests where customers vote for their favorite ice cream parlor and dog groomer and the like.  Other contests may be helping a charity raise money.

You can even make a contest out of a marketing event. I had one client who decided to participate in a coupon deal that the local newspaper provides. She decided she wanted to be the first business to sell out her offering! So she promoted it in that manner–“Help me win!” “I want to the first to…” These are great strategies to get additional attention to your marketing promotion.

Take the same idea and apply it to a local event that is coming up in your area. Bringing more people to an event, providing a fun time and a great service, and getting new customers is a great way to capitalize on local events and is a “win-win-win” scenario. So think about how you can create a contest that will tie your business and that event together and give BOTH additional exposure!