STILL ROOM AT SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING SEMINAR

More than 75 persons have signed up for a "Small Budget Marketing for Big Budget Impact" seminar, to be held at Drury Lodge this week.

National known marketing consultant Lisa Dixon will address small business owners and managers during a two-hour session Thursday morning.

Dixon, an advertising and marketing expert who owns AdWorks, a Dallas, Tex. company, will address a number of topics:

* Creating a big buzz on a small budget.

* Getting a prospect's attention.

* Marketing trends and their impact on various businesses.

* Essentials of good advertising and creative adds that sell.

* Making your business more competitive.

There's still room for participants at the seminar, said Pat Zellmer, director of advertising at the Southeast Missourian newspaper, one of the sponsors of the free workshop.

A number of area chambers of commerce have joined in the sponsoring the workshop, including Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Marble Hill, Scott City and Chaffee. Additional information and registration forms are available at the newspaper and/or chambers of commerce offices.

Participants can get an early start at the event, at 7:15 a.m. for coffee and Danish, with the seminar to be held from 8-10 a.m.

Dixon's presentation is full of practical ideas for marketing a business, said Zellmer. She has more than 20 years experience in advertising and marketing, and has been guest speaker at s number of small business owners, as a part-time faculty member of the College of DuPage in conjunction with their Small Business Development Center.

She has worked with many businesses with on advertising and marketing projects.

Dixon has received numerous awards for her work in print, radio, TV, outdoor and direct mail.

Those in attendance will hear how other small businesses are marketing themselves and learn what they're doing to get closer to their customers.

Locally, there are potentially lucrative opportunities when you tap into and cultivate a current national trend such as small business growth.

Nationally, small businesses and enterprises with 20 or fewer employees have generated more than 9 million jobs from 1994 through 1998. Small businesses, with 100 or fewer workers, spend $2.2 trillion annually.

It's imperative to be aware of and understand local economic trends and growth patters, say Dixon, in literature she will have a available at the seminar.

The newspaper should be a valuable business partner and resource in you community, she adds.

Also available is information, at no cost, from various statewide and regional governmental resources -- the local office of Economic Development, regional Zoning and Housing Authority, Small Business Administration or Small Business Development Center.