Here's a cause for celebration - your business anniversary! Why not throw an anniversary party where you get all the gifts:

New and Repeat Business: Celebrating your anniversary demonstrates to customers and prospects that, while others have come and gone, your company has flourished. You'll win recognition for your accomplishments and spread awareness of your products or services.

Competitive Marketplace Advantage: Celebrating your anniversary trumps your competitors. Some may not realize how long they've been in business; others may not recognize an anniversary's marketing potential. You'll bring attention to your company, stay in the spotlight throughout the year, and gain competitive marketplace advantage -- so critical in tough economic times.

Stronger Relationships: Employees, customers, vendors, suppliers, and the community have made your success possible, and an anniversary is a perfect occasion to acknowledge those contributions. You'll stimulate a sense of pride in your supporters for what they have helped you achieve and reinforce their roles as advocates for your company.

Whether you're celebrating a milestone year (those ending in 0 or 5) or an in-between year, your anniversary is a chance to remind the marketplace of your company's past success. Celebrating your anniversary with a promotional campaign - your anniversary party - becomes a "sell"-abration, contributing directly to your future success.

Here are three business anniversary ideas for celebrating and "sell"-abrating your anniversary:

Create a Themed Anniversary-Year Campaign. Wedding anniversaries are often celebrated according to a traditional list of anniversary symbols. Today, a new twist on that time-honored idea has been created just for businesses: "The Bartel Years(TM)" is a roster of symbols to inspire business anniversary ideas for a century of anniversary promotions. Did you know, for example, that Chocolate represents the 7th business anniversary year, Apples & Oranges represents the 29th anniversary, and Nickel represents the 46th anniversary?

Let the symbol for your anniversary year inspire business anniversary ideas for an array of promotional campaigns directed to customers, prospects, employees, and the community at large. For example:

A company celebrating its 33rd anniversary (Maple) could send maple-flavored candy to customers with a card, announcing the milestone and thanking customers for the company's "sweet success." To thank employees for their loyalty and hard work, a company could hold a pancake breakfast cooked by management and served with commemorative bottles of maple syrup. A company could also plant maple trees in a local park as a community-service project that would thank the community at large for the company's success and longevity.

Harness the Power of Publicity. Editors at newspapers and trade journals hunger for good stories. However, having an editor gobble up your business anniversary story means offering more than just a mere appetizer: the fact that you company' is marking an anniversary. Instead, you must serve a satisfying main course - an interesting story about your company - for which you offer a choice of entrées. You could offer a story showing:

• Your company's achievements or the changes you've seen in your industry during the time.
• Astounding production figures such as the number of widgets your company has produced during its history.
• Developments in your company such as the introduction of a new product or service.
• A special gift to the community or a community-service campaign launched during your business anniversary year.

How do you get the media's attention? Offer your company's anniversary story via a pitch letter or media release directed to print and broadcast outlets. Include a compelling hook or headline that explains the importance of your business anniversary to your industry, your customers, or the community.

Leverage the resulting publicity by highlighting media appearances in your newsletter, by including photocopies of newspaper and magazine articles in prospective client packets, and by posting clips of radio and television interviews on your Web site. 

Offer Special Anniversary Year Pricing and Packages. If your company sells products, consider offering special business anniversary year pricing. A company celebrating a 30th anniversary could discount any item over $30 by 30% for the first 30 days of the company's business anniversary year. If your company sells services, consider offering special business anniversary year packages. A legal firm celebrating a 4th business anniversary could offer a fixed-price package of four services such as initial consultation, will, health care proxy, and power of attorney. Mention your special anniversary year pricing and packages in any promotions you do during the year.

Which anniversary will your company mark this year? Congratulations! Now, with these business anniversary ideas, you'll be ready to celebrate and to "sell"-abrate!