We’ve previously written about the exposure that is possible using PR, and more specifically, creative PR efforts. Well, recently hair-stylist Patrick Lomantini of Lomantini The Salon took the idea of creative PR to record-breaking heights … literally.

Lomantini decided to create awareness for his salon by embarking upon a quest for a Guinness World Record. The challenge: 72 straight hours of haircutting. Lomantini took the first step by promoting the event on his Facebook page. Then, a chance sighting by Armstrong|Shank Director of Marketing and Public Relations Mark Chamberlin set off a chain of PR fireworks.

“I contacted Patrick and recommended using online PR tactics to promote the event,” explained Chamberlin. “The idea was to target local and fashion news, fashion and style magazines, as well as salon-related publications. Patrick agreed, and we quickly put together a distribution list.

“Within a week, the news release found its way onto hundreds of websites, and even prompted a news inquiry from AOL News.”

One of the big benefits of event-related PR isn’t just the exposure you can receive at the outset. By creating an event that is unique and intriguing, Lomantini The Salon positioned themselves to receive another flurry of exposure after completing their record-setting endeavor.

A big congratulations to Lomantini The Salon. With the right combination of a fun, newsworthy event, and strategic use of social media and PR, they’ve become a front-page story in the world of hairstyling.

Dear businesses of the world: If you can provide a useful service and minimize the hassle, you, too, can earn new friends. Just consider QuikTrip and Little Ceasars Pizza.

Why I like QuikTrip:

Generally speaking, you pay for the convenience of convenience stores. Motor oil, bottled drinks, food … they’re all marked up. For a lot of products, that’s no different at QuikTrip. But there’s one small thing that keeps me coming back: free air.

Have a tire that’s low? Where I live, you pay 50 cents to $1 at most convenience stores to use their air compressor. If you have a tire with a slow leak, that adds up after awhile. At QuikTrip, it’s free. That means I’m saving money … and I don’t have spend that extra minute or two trudging inside, waiting in line and getting change, either. I get to drive in, air up my tire and get moving.

I’ll bet 80 percent of the time I’ve visited QuikTrip to put air in my tires over the years I haven’t bought anything. But every time I visit, the opportunity to earn a few dollars is there … an opportunity other convenience stores don’t have.

Why I like Little Ceasars Pizza:

When it comes to pizza, low cost and convenience rarely go hand-in-hand. With their recent Hot-and-Ready pizza special, Little Ceasars has seemingly achieved the impossible: They took the biggest benefit of ordering pizza (convenience) to the nth degree … and threw in an unbeatable price to boot.

Here’s how it works: From 4-8 p.m., you can walk into a participating Little Ceasars completely unannounced and immediately pick up a large cheese or pepperoni pizza, an order of crazy bread and a two-liter of pop for $10. They literally have them ready and waiting in the oven, ready for you to head out the door.

No need to fumble with the phone book, no need to call ahead, no need to dig out fliers or coupons, no wait for the pizza to be made or delivered, nothing. That means I get to drive in, pick up my pizza, and get moving.

Clearly, not all retail practices are immediately translatable to the world of B2B. But whether it’s the concept of free air, ready-to-go services or the classic fast-food suggestive selling technique, it never hurts to look there for inspiration. You might just give a boost to your customer’s brand loyalty.

When I picture the search for new business, I am immediately drawn to a particular scene from the movie “The Fugitive.” In our scenario, of course, Tommy Lee Jones is no longer Deputy Marshall Samuel Gerard, but a hard-driving sales manager sending his crack sales team out to corral that elusive high-dollar client.

And while new business is regularly found that way, don’t discount the value of simply picking up the phone, dialing a current client, and asking “Hey, what’s up?”

Why do this? Because if you’ve worked with a client before, you may assume that they know everything you offer and will be dying to call you when they have another need. But that’s not always the case — particularly if they originally came to you for a specific type of project (print, outdoor, etc.)

We learned this the hard way. We’ve had several clients that we worked with on multiple print projects that had no idea we did website design and online marketing. That’s a failure on our part.

One simple way to combat this is to employ one of the most clichéd retail tricks out there: “You want fries with that?” In this case, you may be quoting a simple ad or a high-dollar brochure, but if your account executives are trained to drop a throwaway “Oh, by the way, we do XYZ thing, too” line at the end of every meeting, you might be surprised how often existing clients can generate new business.

Sites like Yahoo! Local offer opportunities to reach potential customers in your immediate area.

The Sports Business Journal recently featured a story by David Bourne titled “From media to stadiums, the dollars are flowing to youth sports” about the increase in sponsorship of high school sports. In the article, he explains that small businesses like insurance agents use these sponsorships  to form connections with local consumers. Many are taking their support beyond buying in-stadium banners and program ads to actually volunteering.

This highlights a trend that we are seeing in small business marketing: getting local.

This takes many forms and can be a great way to build relationships and micro-target the low-hanging fruit of potential customers in your immediate area. Examples of getting local include:

1. Local search marketing. On the online marketing side, there has been a surge in local search spending. More and more people are turning to search engines like Google and Yahoo! to find information about local businesses. Resources like Google Places and Yahoo! Local help consumers find businesses and give them valuable information like ratings and reviews. Small businesses have begun capitalizing on this by utilizing paid search, paid directory listings and engaging in more proactive management of their online listing presences.
2. Event sponsorships. Charitable events, golf tournaments and business-related seminars are just a few places where businesses can gain valuable exposure. Strategically, it is best to target events that have a natural tie to your products and services. Leveraging these sponsorships to obtain speaking opportunities can build your perceived expertise. Sponsorships that offer lead-collection opportunities, like providing a product for a prize drawing, can fill your prospecting pipeline with local people who have expressed an interest in your product.
3. Public relations. It has long been a tried and true tactic in public relations to try and find a local angle to your pitch. Local news outlets exist primarily to report the news that most impacts their local audience. As your marketing activities become more local, you will start to think local. Furthermore, social media tools like Twitter are becoming prime tools for local reporters to connect with sources. If you want to build relationships with the local reporter covering your industry, Twitter is a great place to start.

How have you begun to think local with your marketing?