3 Things You Should Know About Small Business: Mar. 15

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- What's happening in small business today?

1. We're gearing up to use St. Patrick's Day to get customers. Using St. Patrick's Day, a holiday marked in the U.S. mainly by green beer, leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, is a great way to lure customers in the door, says Charles Gaudet, founder of PredictableProfits.com.

"The most effective small-business marketing strategies are supported by giving your customers a reason why they need to pay attention to you," Gaudet says in a blog on PRWeb.com, "because having an ordinary sale isn't good enough. St. Patrick's Day offers entrepreneurs a creative reason to reach out and communicate with your customers."

He offers several strategies, such as creating contests that use catchy phrases such as "luck of the Irish" or offering discounts on "green" items in the store.

2. We're getting an improved daily deal site. Constant Contact(CTCT) specializes in helping small businesses create marketing campaigns around customer email lists and manage social marketing campaigns, but the company recently introduced another service: coupon-based deal marketing in which the company stacks up against big competitors such as Groupon(GRPN) and LivingSocial.