Let’s face it. The world of having your own small business is tough. Expenses are large, and often, revenue and cash flow are not. So the entrepreneur in the small business world always has to find ways to be creative in how he or she markets and advertises, with the goal of finding new local customers and better ways to increase local sales. It is an added bonus for the business owner when publicity comes his way. Hopefully it will be positive in nature, and more than likely, it will be free. The key to making this work for you, the small business owner, is to develop ways to generate positive publicity about your small business, and therefore, increase your cash flow. There are several different ways this can be done, and with a little work and steadfastness on your part, you will find a way to turn local small business publicity into a profitable venture for you and your family.1. Become a Feature StoryOne of the easiest ways to generate a little bit of talk about and interest in your small business is to invite a local newspaper, magazine, or news channel to feature a story about you and your company. This should be of no cost to you other than some persistence in calls to get someone interested in your tale. These types of publications and local news shows are always looking to feature someone from the community who has a success story or some advice to offer to others, and if you can find just the right angle to catch and interest readers and viewers, then they will love to publish your story for free. On-air interviews, via television or radio, also work well as this gives local viewers and listeners the opportunity to see or hear with whom they would be working if they were to patronize your business. This type of publicity is free and advantageous to all parties involved, and can typically help your business locate new customers and hopefully spark new interest in the services that you have to offer.2. Become Active in Your CommunityIf you are not already, look for ways to get your voice heard within your town and neighboring communities. Any time you have a public forum in which to speak, you must do this. This is an absolutely free way to get your name, face, and name of your business out there and to get people talking, and you may even be compensated for your time by whomever it is holding the event. Local Chambers of Commerce are always hosting programs at which they love having small business owners attend and speak, as do Rotary Clubs, schools of many varieties, and possibly even churches and other places of worship. Speaking at these types of events is an easy and often quite profitable way for a small business to get some publicity, and in turn, free advertising.3. It’s the Small Things That CountHow many times have you been driving down the road these days and seen vehicles painted or emblemized with a company logo? We see that every day and often, those things really stick in our heads. What an easy and cheap way to advertise for your small business! This type of publicity draws people in, and is a great way to advertise your company logo, phone number, and even web address. Make everything you do a way to advertise for your small business. Wear company T-shirts, put your logo on your car and your laptop, but get that name out there and exposed to the public.4. Use the InternetThis sounds easy enough, but you would be surprised at the numbers of small businesses that are not taking advantage of the Internet and the multiple small business Internet marketing tools that are available to them. Many on-line forums will allow you to join the group and give you space for free introductions. This is a great chance to work your company name in and have it introduced to a brand new group of people.
You Tube is available for free video for your company, and networking in general is just so important. Once you establish some contacts, offer to have a link established on your website to others if they will return the same favor to you. This is a win-win situation for all who are involved.5. FreebiesBe willing to give a little of your time. Offer free estimates, customer referral plans, and other such incentives that will encourage more and more people to support you and your small business venture. Furthermore, make sure that you get yourself and your company listed in any free local directories that are available.The small business world is tough, but manageable, with the usage of these five simple tools that can help create a buzz about your business and provide publicity and free advertising. Of course, advertising is so important in the business world, and if you utilize these things along with your paid ads, your business is sure to profit and remain a hit for many years to come.

For many reasons, some, economic, while others, related to the pandemic – related, so – called, fatigue, etc, home prices, in most areas, have gone up, at, or, near, record amounts! Because of the prolonged period of artificially – created, low – interest rates, mortgage rates, have been at historic lows! Since, for most home buyers, using financing is essential to affording a purchase, when a low rate, causes cheap money, and, thus, the ability to afford more home – for – the – buck, prices usually rise! It permits qualified buyers to qualify for more money/ loan, because the ratio of monthly mortgage, to overall income, is artificially – reduced! How long will this trend continue, will it become the new – normal, will previous trends/ cycles return, and how will pricing be affected, in the immediate, intermediate, and longer – run, are, all factors, to consider! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, some possibilities, to consider, and understand.

1. Short – term: Since, the Federal Reserve Bank, announced, they planned to raise rates, three times in 2022 (of course, this was before the potential implications, and ramifications, from the Omicron variant), many feel pressure, to act quickly, to take advantage of today’s low rates, before they go up! Three increases will probably translate to, at least, a 0.75% higher rate, which will translate, for most mortgages, to hundreds of extra dollars, per month. Some things to consider, and pay attention to, is, this rate of increased home prices, will, probably, not continue, especially, at such a large degree! How longer one, expects to keep a specific house, is, one issue, to consider, thoroughly, and wisely, before proceeding!

2. Intermediate – term: Although, many believe, to – know, the precise timing of any projected rate – hike, is uncertain! The Fed has changed, and/ or, altered its strategies and approaches, in the past, What the intermediate – term, may bring, including potential inflationary pressures, how long the economic conditions, and unknown factors, related to the pandemic, etc, will determine, largely, what this phase, may bring! In addition, the attitude, and perceptions of buyers, and their confidence, etc, largely impact this real estate market!

3. Longer – term: In the longer – run, will things, restore, to what we have seen, so often, in the past, which is, alternating cycles, between, Sellers, Buyers, and Neutral Markets? The possibilities, include: a continued large escalation; a more – gradual, but persistent – one; some leveling; and/ or, will we see, at least, in certain areas, some sort of falling prices, for a period.