How to advertise your store for free

ways," she adds. "New people will be attracted. Your current customers who see you in the news will start talking about you to friends. News coverage will add immediate credibility to your business."

How does a small, independent store owner get into the press? How can he make his store newsworthy? The same way Home Depot does, by contacting the local media when his store has news or by volunteering to act as an expert information source for a story. Everyday happenings at a store can be news, but an owner or manager can also create events with news value, be helpful to someone writing a story on home improvement or assist a program chairman looking for a speaker.

A look at some Home Depot

Story at a Glance

Ways to build store rccognition... how to rcach custorners without spending money on ad vertising. rnedia events, ptess releases, free publicity suggestions.

newspaper clippings provides suggestions for any store. They include an announcement of a how-to clinic with dates, time and store address; quotes from store managers in d-i-y stories ranging from building a deck to matching paint and winterizing a house; a news story on a store's employee drug testing program, and coverage with photos of a donation