Page 171 - 101 Ways to Market Your Business

101 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

74 Scan the newspaper for goodwill opportunities

Every day we read hard luck stories in the newspaper or
hear them on the radio or evening news about people who
are sick, a family in crisis, a business crisis, a house burnt
down, victims of crime and so on.

These stories are often very sad and touch most. An
effective way to do some good and to receive some free
publicity is to offer to help people in unfortunate situations
in any way that your business can.

Recently there was a shocking story about a dog on
the front page of the paper. This dog had been abandoned
and left tied to a shed for weeks. It was literally nothing
but skin and bone. I couldn’t look at the picture without
feeling ill.

The RSPCA felt the dog would need to be put down
fairly quickly as it was very ill. The next day the local vet
rang the RSPCA and adopted the dog. They were going to
do everything in their power to help this animal survive
and they did.

Every week the newspaper ran an article to show the
progress of the dog, which was nothing short of a miracle.
The vet clinic was inundated with money, cards, faxes,
phone calls and letters of encouragement for their deed.
Instead of accepting gifts they asked people to send a
donation to the RSPCA.

The dog has recovered and, once again, everyone wins.
I think this vet deserves to have a very successful practice
and I am sure he does.

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