Every time I see a gift shop or retail cart written up in the paper, I go check the retailer's website to see if they've acknowledged it (a blog mention, a note on their homepage or even a Twitter tweet). If they haven't, I'm always a little disappointed. While the publicity might help you find new customers, it's a missed opportunity to not let your regular customers know about it.

Promoting your publicity (either online or in your store) gives you credibility, plus it's a great reminder of why your customers love shopping with you and it'll inspire customers to return to the store for another visit—oh, and it's FREE advertising.

Here are four creative things you can do to let your customers know about your publicity:

• Blog about it—write a blog post outlining the experience of being interviewed and what topics the reporter asked you about—and be sure to include a link the article.

• Frame the article and put it up in your store—your customers will enjoy seeing the article and it's a great conversation piece (for the first month, be sure to set it close to the register on an easel).

• Write about it in your store print or email newsletter—your store newsletter is a perfect place to write up your experience of being interviewed (if it's online, make sure you include a link).

• Post on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook—the goal is to get as many people as possible to read the article, and those platforms are free and pervasive.

And now to toot my own horn… be sure to check out the article our local paper just published about Pinnacle Publishing Group.