Year: 2010

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Alleghany Historical Society Newsletter

We are getting ready to go to press with the latest (March 2010) Alleghany Historical – Genealogical Society, Inc. newsletter. A large section of the newsletter focuses on the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Alleghany County is proud to celebrate this anniversary because of our close relationship with it. A few notable ties are:

  1. Work was begun on the Parkway at Cumberland Knob, Alleghany County, N.C. September 11, 1935.
  2. Midpoint of the Parkway is in Alleghany County near Mahogany Rock Overlook, elevation 3436′, mile marker 235 of 469 total miles. (Mahogany Rock is also a popular hawk watching site.)
  3. First section of Parkway to be completed and open was 7.641 mile stretch from U.S. Highway 21 to Air Bellows Gap in Alleghany County, N.C.

    Sculpture of Robert Doughton on the Alleghany County Courthouse lawn.
    Sculpture of Robert Doughton on the Alleghany County Courthouse lawn.
  4. Alleghany native, U.S. Representative Bob Doughton sponsored original bill.
  5. Doughton Park in Alleghany & Wilkes Counties is the largest recreational area in the entire park.
  6. The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited U.S. National Park.

We’ve also added an article on the 50th anniversary of the monster March 1960 snows and efforts to develop a county historical museum.

Imaging Specialists regularly generates and prints the Newsletter for the Historical Society and several other groups in the area. Contact Claire today for pricing. Call 336-272-3002 or email claire@imagingspecialists.net.

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10 Hot Marketing Tips For Your Business

Wondering how you can improve your marketing? Here are some tips.

  1. Update your website regularly. Keep current information online. Your visitors will keep coming back if your homepage is always fresh and new. (If your site is hosted by Imaging Specialists, image and text updates up to an hour per month are included in our standard hosting plan.)
  2. Take advantage of all marketing options available such as your web site, email, mailings, newspaper and magazine advertisements, brochures, and flyers.
  3. Advertise in the newspaper, radio, and on your local television station. Broadcasters can help generate your ad or you might consider calling ISI for help. Just supply your information and we’ll put it together in the correct file configuration each outlet requires. Great, professional advertising- just the way you want to be represented.
  4. Keep the same message, logo, and look in all your marketing materials and paperwork, from advertising and brochures, to invoices and receipts. Changing your look in different places could possibly confuse your customers.
  5. Invest in indoor and outdoor signage. It’s seen every time a potential customer passes by or comes into your business. Make sure it fits your location and your company’s image.
  6. Develop flyers and brochures. They can be used to promote “sales” or other promotional events your business or organization is hosting. They can be an inexpensive way to quickly get your message “out there.” Contact the Chamber of Commerce to learn where brochure racks are around town and the region.
  7. Join community organizations, such as the Lions, Rotary or the Chamber of Commerce. Club meetings, service projects and the Chamber’s “Business After Hours” are good opportunities for networking and the local Chamber is often the first place new residents look for local services.
  8. List your web site and contact information on all materials you hand out. Help your customers get in touch with you. Additionally, consider making your policies and forms available online as downloadable pdfs. You’ll be able to update them in one place and everyone will be able to access the latest versions. It will also cut down on your printing costs – they download and print the forms, themselves. (Don’t forget to add your contact info on each pdf, also.)
  9. Follow trends that affect your market. You love the field you’re in- that’s why you do it! You already know more about your products and services than anyone else. Take time to become the most knowledgeable in your field and people will rely on getting their information from you.
  10. Sponsor local television and radio events. Your name and message will reach potential clients in the region and WCOK Radio and Alleghany Community Television offer reasonable rates and the advertising revenue stays in our area.
  11. BONUS TIP
    Contact other websites and ask them to link to yours. Are you in an industry organization? Find out if they have a directory that you can list with. Links increase your visibility to search engines and, of course, to your potential customers.

Contact Imaging Specialists for help with these (and your own) ideas to promote your business.