A checklist of things to include on your business’ gift certificate design:

• Make it simple and professional, if you are printing it out and designing it.
• Make sure the design has the essentials. TO, FROM, AMOUNT, and AUTHORIZED BY. Always include all of your business information and website as with any marketing piece! The recipient might not know where your store is!
• Print it on heavy weight matte or paper so your customer can easily write on it. The weight of paper is for durability and professionalism. The recipient might not redeem the certificate for months so you want it to last.
• You can easily fit 3 certificates per page. A good idea is to make it the size of a dollar bill so it can easily fit in a wallet.
• Security might not be an issue, if you plan on selling 10 to 20 certificates. If you plan on selling hundreds, you might want to put a type of watermark so it is difficult to photocopy (see example below).

Love of Fitness Gift Certificate Design

Love of Fitness has had good success with their personal training gift certificates seen above. If you are interested in a personal training certificate, visit her website and contact her for more information. If you are interested in gift certificate design or need help designing your certificates, contact Calvin at pgraphics.biz.

Happy Holidays!

What is the fee for joining the chamber of commerce?
Usually a range of $150-over $1000 for different benefits.

What are the benefits of joining a chamber?

• Advertising opportunities-if you are a business to business company, you have a list of potential customers at your fingertips in the members directory. Some chambers have banner advertising on their website and send out monthly newsletters with ad spots.
• Targeted Networking-There are weekly or monthly events for members only to get out and network with other business owners. Where else are you going to find potential customers gathering in one area?
• Member to member discounts-Because you are part of the chamber, you will have access to some very attractive discounts in many different industries.
• Discounts on major expenses-As a member, your chamber might have discounts on phone/internet service, office supplies, and insurance to name a few.
• Website traffic increase and search engine boost-Because the chamber will link to your website, you will receive traffic! The Chamber websites have all sorts of relevant content relating to business, so you should receive a modest boost in search results.
• Get active in the community-You can help your community grow which will trickle down to help your business grow. Customers like businesses who are involved in their community. Plus, if you are a home business, community activities get you out of the house and allows you to talk to people which is one of the best ways to gain business.

If you haven’t saved enough from those benefits, here’s the estimated ROI breakdown:

Average profit per customer: $150
Average cost of Chamber Membership: $350
Amount of customers to payoff membership: 3

For best results from your membership, become involved in the chamber and attend as many events as you can.

Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce

I recently joined my local chamber, Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce. My membership will be paid off just by the membership coupon book! I also get a free banner ad for the year. Visit Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce Website to check out the benefits. Here’s a sample listing.