We’ve just completed a round of holidays and most of us have spent a good amount of time with friends, family, and co-workers in the process of celebrating. Though holiday get-togethers can sometimes be stressful, it’s important to recognize how very important they are. “Psychology Today” recently reported that “In surveys to determine the factors that contribute most to human happiness, respondents consistently rate connection to friends and family-love, intimacy, social affiliation-above wealth or fame, even above physical health...Loneliness isn’t about being alone; it’s about not feeling connected.” 
We’ve found that while many are calling this a “challenging economy,” many businesses are making the best of the times. So, if we all can put ourselves in the mindset that challenges are opportunities waiting to be unearthed, then here are three free PR tips for maximizing the times.
1) Clean up and clear out. Clutter is useless and takes up space that could be better used. Having stacks of old things around is also unattractive. Give your customers, your employees, and yourself more room to move around and a nice, organized space in which to work. Be merciless about the clearing. Donate items that you can no longer use to a nonprofit that might be able to use them. Recycle what you can. If there are things you absolutely cannot part with, organize them, label them, and put them in storage. A cleaner, clearer workspace will make everyone feel better – your customers, your employees, and you, and it will symbolically provide the needed open space for useful, and perhaps moneymaking things and ideas. 
Ok, so we've blogged about Twitter and its benefits a few times before. But as we Tweet more and more, it's amazing to see how Twitter has opened up a whole new meaning to communication, connectivity, and customer service.
First of all, Twitter gives you a one-degree separation between you and the people and businesses on Twitter. Move out of the way, Kevin Bacon, Twitter's got you beat! It's so easy to Tweet your favorite celebrity, reporter, business, and so on. Of course you'll need to do a little investigating (quick Google search) to make sure the user you're tweeting is the "real" person or business you're looking for (versus imposters). And, many times, they will reply back to you. We've tweeted to and received replies from Al Roker, KGMB9 News, Starbucks, Zippy's, and Andy Bumatai, to name a few. So cool! We know it's cheesy to be star struck, but we don't care...we LOVE it! As a frequent Starbucks drinker, I was thrilled and very impressed with the prompt response I got when I tweeted @Starbucks a question one day. In terms of brand loyalty, can you imagine how my original warm-and-fuzzy feelings for my favorite coffee stop got even warmer and fuzzier (and led to more visits and purchases)? 
Twitter, the social networking micro-blogging service, is gaining popularity like wildfire. Everyone from celebrities, news entities, politicians, businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals like you and me, are using Twitter to connect with their publics. According to mashable.com, Twitter has an expected 1,192 percent annual growth rate. That's astounding! On Kauai, businesses such as No Ka Oi Landscape Service (@NKOLandscape), The Grand Hyatt Kauai (@GHKPoipu), Deja Vu Surf Hawaii (@dejavusurf), and more are tweeting about the latest news and activities in their companies and industries, and even offering exclusive tips and deals for their tweeting customers (check out Bubba Burger @Bubba_Burger). 
According to a book review by the Gallop Management Journal, "New Book Reveals Why Consumers Bond With Brands," "The pursuit of brand devotion has driven companies to spend many millions of dollars every year on advertising, celebrity endorsements, loyalty programs, and fancy web sites. The result? Most companies still aren't emotionally connecting with their customers...This research demonstrates that customer satisfaction is woefully insufficient when the goal is an ongoing exclusive relationship between a customer and a brand."