Mangla Sachdev of the Publicity Workshop explains how giving will help your business receive more than just money in return

Pay a penalty for being Loud about your business

"So many events are organised in the UK every year. It’s a shame that more people don’t know about them. They’re fantastic opportunities for small businesses to get written about in their local newspapers" says Mangla Sachdev, owner of Publicity Workshop, who advises clients on getting their business in the media.

"The latest media tie-in for businesses to take advantage of, is the Loud Tie Campaign taking place between the 26th and 30th January 2004" says Mangla. "The media is always interested in local events in the community, and this will provide businesses with free publicity while giving them the opportunity to participate in a charitable cause."

There are several benefits to working with charities:

1. People will tell you how they would love to do business with someone who has this kind of character and interest in others.

2. They will donate and want to be added to your online list and kept up to date on other such events and fundraising opportunities.

3. Other local companies will see the PR value and offer to donate their time or help to your business to strengthen their name in the community.

4. Local business or consumer websites might want to put your logo and banner on their sites or in their retail establishments to show they’re linked with a local ‘celebrity’

Doing good offers win-win PR for everyone. And to make it more meaningful, in return for a donation, you could offer the choice of an ebook, special report, a CD or any free gift that helps promote your business.

Loud Tie Competition At Your Business

The Loud Tie Competition is a challenge to tie together as many ties as possible, using only Loud Ties and Wild and Wacky Neckwear, and tie up something BIG!!

Tie Up Your Office!
Tie Up Your School!
Tie Up Your Hospital!
Tie Up The Town Hall!
Tie Up A Shopping Centre!
Tie Up Your Sports Club!
Tie Up A Local Landmark!
Tie Up Your Street!
Tie Up Your House!

TIE UP ANYTHING – THE BIGGER THE BETTER!

Step One: Decide What You Will Tie Up!

Choose something….anything…that you would like to attempt to tie up!

Step Two: Fix a Date and Time

Loud Tie week is 26th to 30th January 2004, so choose a day during this week to organise your “Big Tie Up” Challenge.

Step Three: Spread the Word

Remember, the more ties you can tie together, the more likely you are to become the “Big Tie Up” Winner! So spread the word and encourage as many people as you can to take part.

Step Four: Write a Press Release

Write a press release to tell everyone what you’re doing. "This gives you two opportunities to be in the news. One when you’re either inviting members of the public to join your fundraising efforts or informing them of the date and venue where your company will be conducting its “Big Tie Up”. And second, the media would help publicise such an event by sending a photographer along to the actual event and publishing it along with details of the amount your company has raised for this charity" says Mangla.

Step Five: Send out a Reminder

One week before your “Big Tie Up” challenge, send a reminder to all those people you want to take part – from potential participants to the local press. Remember to include details of the time and place and tell everyone to bring their Loudest Ties/Neckwear to use for the “Big Tie Up”.

Step Six: Tie the Knot: The Day of the “Big Tie Up”

• Meeting point. Gather together as many people and supporters as possible at your chosen “Big Tie Up” location. Make some NOISE about your event, and encourage onlookers to join in too!

• Get tying! Knot together as many Loud ties as you can. Wild and wacky scarves can also be used!

• Ask for a donation. The charity suggests that everyone contributes a minimum of £2 to add their tie to the “Big Tie Up”. It’s up to you if you ‘charge’ people more or less!

• Count them up! Choose one member of your team to be responsible for counting up the total number of ties tied together at the end of your “Big Tie Up” Challenge.

• Sending the money. Once you have collected up all the money, send it to the charity, filling in their sponsorship form available from their website www.loudtie.net. Return this to the charity, along with the money you raised, and any photographs of the event!

The overall winner will be the person/team who tie together the GREATEST number of ties. There will be an additional award for the Most Imaginative Tie Up, for the person/team who tie up the most original or amusing thing, in the eyes of the judges. The two winners will be announced on www.beatingbowelcancer.org on 15th April 2004, and will receive the Loud Tie “Big Tie Up” Trophy 2004.

Mangla Sachdev has prepared a 2004 Calendar of Special Events, which calendar includes a month-by-month listing of over 200 UK & international events in 2004. Examples include National Marriage Week, Loud Tie Day, International Forgiveness Day, Take Your Daughter To Work Day, National Bike Week, & more. Each listing is accompanied by a description of the event, including organisers’ web addresses & telephone numbers, and even participation & story ideas!

"I’ve been compiling this calendar for a few months now, to help me organise my own articles and I've decided to make it available to everyone," says Mangla. "Other organisations charge in excess of £300 for a similar calendar." However, the 2004 Events & Story Ideas Calendar is available for £19.99, which also includes continuous updates of new events and special dates as and when they're released by organisations. A proportion of the proceeds from the calendar will be donated to various charities each month. Contact Mangla Sachdev at mangla@publicityworkshop.com for more details.

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