One Good Idea Can Increase Revenues and Gain Visibility

By: Kathleen Gage - [business]

One Good Idea Can Increase Revenues and Gain Visibility Business people and directors of non-profits often look for creative ways to gain visibility for their company, increase revenues and keep themselves and their staff motivated. All of these goals can be obtained without spending a great amount of money. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to create a fun and worthy campaign or event. A simple idea and a little hard work is all that is needed.

Recently, I began working on a campaign for an animal rescue organization located in Salt Lake City. Many have heard about the pet store the rescue organization is housed in, The Yuppie Puppie, who provides shelter and care for rescued animals, while offering the conscientious, animal loving public a different "breed" of pet store. Yet many potential customers are still unaware of Wasatch Animal Rescue. Over the last few years, WA Rescue has rescued and adopted over 2,000 animals.

The goal of the campaign for WA Rescue was to increase visibility of the organization and raise funds for administration, housing and feeding costs of the rescued animals. They needed to raise money in a very short period of time and be as cost effective as possible.

In late August a huge event was held in Salt Lake City - The Utah Pet and Companion Expo 2003. Seeing this as a great opportunity to be in front of WA Rescue's target market, we immediately secured two booth spaces at the Expo. We put together a sponsor campaign to offset the cost of the booth. Since one of my dogs comes from WA Rescue, I felt I should put my money where my heart is and my company sponsored one booth. I mentioned the campaign to Robert and Lara of The Singing Cricket Caf and they jumped at the opportunity to be a sponsor. Obviously both Robert and Lara are big animal enthusiasts.

With booth fees taken care of the next task was to think of ways to gain maximum exposure and benefit from the 8,000 - 12,000 people who would be in attendance. A campaign was set up where businesses and individuals could place an ad in a coupon book for a nominal fee. Prior to setting the amount for a coupon ad, I obtained a quote on exactly how much it would cost for printing. The fee was used to offset the cost of printing the book.

Some companies advertised sales while others simply wanted to let people know they love animals and support the mission of WA Rescue. The coupon book would also provide great exposure to anyone who bought an ad by making the booklets available to potential clients and customers for their business.

The initial goal was to secure a minimum of 20 advertisers. In only two days, Shannon Learned, owner and manager, had obtained enough ads to fill 25 pages. There were 1,500 coupon books printed.

The next step was to offer the coupon booklets for a nominal donation at several locations: at the Expo, businesses of advertisers and those that visited the Yuppie Puppie and WA Rescue at their new location on 9th and 9th in Salt Lake City.

The campaign turned out to be very successful on many levels. Visibility was raised, revenues increased, staff and management were extremely motivated and animals were adopted to loving homes.

With a simple idea and the help of focused attention and quick action, WA Rescue was able to raise a substantial amount of money in a short period of time. They can continue their mission of rescuing and adopting animals while maintaining their no kill policy. With a little effort and planning, they were able to get their name and cause out to their target market. All they had to do was recognize an opportunity that was right in front of them.

WA Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and placing homeless and abandoned animals in safe and responsible homes. They are committed to educating the public on the virtues and necessity of spaying and neutering their animal companions. By maintaining their vision they can decrease the number of euthanized animals yearly. WA Rescue is committed to saving lives and remaining loyal to their cause of rescuing animals.

About the Author Kathleen Gage, President of Turning Point, Inc., is a marketing and promotions advisor for small businesses and nonprofits. Kathleen is a sought after inspirational keynote speaker for various size events. E- mail kathleen@t.... Receive a FREE report entitled A Surefire Way to Increase Revenues when you subscribe to the Street Smarts Marketing and PR Newsletter. This FREE monthly online newsletter contains powerful marketing concepts that you can use right now! Informative articles written by a professional marketer and promoter who helps small businesses increase their visibility and profitability. Click http://www.turningpointpresents.com to sign up.

>>Reprint/Distribution Source : ArticleWareHouse.com