The BIG 4-0

Yes, that fireball is 40 candles. ~ Brenda Meller

In honor of celebrating my 40th birthday and with hopes that this blog will reach people far and wide and hopefully make a positive impact on organizations on this list, I asked my Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and LinkedIn network to share their suggestions for blog topics on charitable organizations, including a web link and their thoughts on the organization. For many, I'm finding the blog topic is in memory of a loved one or friend.

It's no ice bucket challenge* but I do have hopes that this post and the concept about blogging about charitable organizations will go viral. Also, I hope it is beneficial to the organizations who have been mentioned by giving them a bit more awareness beyond their current supporter base. Being active on social media is an interest of mine, and blogging about these wonderful organizations is a small way of using my talent to help others.

If you know me, you know I'm a big believer in the power of social media. It has truly connected and amplified our impact with others throughout the world. Therefore, the focus of this "BIG 4-0" is a list of charitable organizations to consider, as well as to serve as a platform for information sharing. And if something intrigues you, please follow the link and consider supporting the organization. 

At the very minimum, read the entire blog and click to share -- because you never know who might benefit from one simple click or share. Yes, YOU are that powerful. :)

Thanks to all those who offered suggestions. 

1. American Cancer Society in memory of my mom. They are dedicated to eliminating cancer. Side note: to pay tribute to my mom, I would love to get involved with this organization in some significant other way than giving (yes, I already give). I've participated in their Relay for Life Walk and I'm also signed up for a long term study to support cancer research.  www.cancer.org
   Five Facts about American Cancer Societyhttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2014/09/five-things-you-may-not-know-about.html
2. University of Michigan Depression Center in memory of George Orley. A talented young man in his 20s. http://www.depressioncenter.org/ (Thanks to Denise Kulak for the mention)Five Facts about University of Michigan Depression Center http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-facts-about-university-of-michigan.html
3. First Step. First Step-the western wayne county project on domestic assault www.firststep-mi.org makes it possible for survivors of domestic and sexual assault to change their lives -peaceful families and safe communities! -plus , we are putting in a wonderful playground and healing garden for the 600 or so kids who see us each year and also a pet area so victims won't have to leave their pets behind when entering the shelter! And all of our services are free! http://www.firststep-mi.org/ (Thanks to Theresa Bizoe for the mention)Five Things about First Stephttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2014/11/five-things-you-may-not-know-about.html
4. Mary's Mantle, which helps support homeless, expectant mothers. Always a great cause. http://www.marysmantle.net (Thanks to Caleb Bellow for the mention)Five Facts about Mary's Mantlehttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/07/five-things-about-marys-mantle.html
5. To support adult stem cell research for ALS, other neuromuscular diseases, cancer, and poor diseases (those big pharmaceutical companies do not think they could profit from), you could mention the John Paul II Medical Research Institute... http://jp2mri.org/ (Thanks to John S for the mention).Five Facts about JP2MRIhttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/08/five-facts-about-john-paul-ii-medical.html
6. The Dearborn Animal Shelter. After 20 years of providing shelter to more than 42,600 animals and offering high-quality service to the community, we are embarking on a campaign to build a new Animal Adoption & Education Center. Please join us in our efforts to “Build a Home with Heart.” We’ve always had the heart . . . now we need a new home.  http://www.dearbornanimals.org/ (Thanks to Anne Garbus for the mention)Five Facts about The Dearborn Animal Shelterhttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/08/five-facts-about-dearborn-animal-shelter.html
7. The New Day Foundation for Families. Because, they truly help reduce financial, emotional and physical strain on families affected by cancer.  www.foundationforfamilies.org (Thanks to Josephine Dries for the mention)Five Facts about New Day Foundation for Familieshttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/08/five-facts-about-new-day-foundation-for.html
8. Mcrest Macomb county home shelter. Rotating homeless shelter supported by Macomb county churches...90 day program to help men, women. and families facing homelessness. Www.Mcrest.org  (Thanks to Gary Lusk for the mention)Five Facts about MCREST:http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/08/five-facts-about-mcrest-macomb.html
9. Angels of Hope. Non profit organization which offers financial support for families with children effected by cancer. Www.angelsofhope.org  (Thanks to Gary Lusk for the mention)Five Facts About Angels of Hopehttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-angels-of-hope.html
10. Gilda's Club "an org I help regularly in honor of both of my grandpas that had cancer," says my friend Jessica. http://www.gildasclubdetroit.org/  (Thanks to Jessica Knapik for the mention)
    Five Facts About Gilda's Club of Detroit
    http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-gildas-club.html
11. American Heart Association says my friend Jessica, "because my dad and uncle both had quad bypass surgery." http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ (Thanks to Jessica Knapik for the mention)
    Five Facts About the American Heart Association
    http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-american-heart.html
12. CaringBridge, says Cindy W., "a non-profit website hosting organization for people needing/desiring to keep friends and families in touch during times of medical challenges. In addition, personally, in memory of our sweet, 7-year old friend Morgan." http://www.caringbridge.org/ (Thanks to Cindy Wyckoff for the mention)
    Five Facts About CaringBridge. http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-caring-bridge.html
13. U of M Pancreatic Cancer Research says Carol, "in memory of my uncle Joe that passed this year. My aunt Kelly Butler Saullo and family have a fundraiser in Nov at Black Finn in Royal Oak". http://www.mcancer.org/pancreatic-cancer (thanks to Carol Butler for the mention)
    Five Facts About U of M Pancreatic Cancer Centerhttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-pancreatic-cancer.html
14. Autism Speaks in support of my family member who was diagnosed at age 2. There are too many children impacted by the autism spectrum disorder.   http://www.autismspeaks.org/ (by me)
    Five Facts About Autism Speaks: http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-autism-speaks.html
15. Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County: Local affiliate of international humanitarian organization that places the dream of home ownership within reach of low income households by providing a hand up, not a hand out. Over 120 simple, decent, and affordable houses have been built or refurbished in Oakland County through a sustainable partnership model built upon the foundation of mutual sweat equity contributed by donors and the families that purchase Habitat homes. www.habitatoakland.org (Thanks to Derrik Kingsley for the mention)
    Five Facts About Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County: http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-habitat-for-humanity.html
16. As described on their site, "a group of local women who are interested in supporting our local community in the Detroit MI area by contributing to local charities together as a unit to increase the impact." 100+ women Motown Www.100pluswomenmotown.com (Thanks to Karen Rashid Balow for the mention)
17. Through the American Red Cross, you can give blood to help others. http://www.redcrossblood.org/  Also through the American Red Cross, you can donate blood platelets. It's a longer process but the platelets are precious to recipients. http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/types-donations/platelet-donation
    
18. International Asherman's Association is an organization dedicated to awareness of Asherman's Syndrome, which causes infertility and is treatable with proper medical care. http://www.ashermans.org/home
    Five Facts About International Asherman's Association and Asherman's Syndrome.http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-international.html 
19. In memory of a family friend who recently passed away and requested donations, I'm adding Forgotten Harvest to this list. Also suggested by Leslie Herrick. "The mission of Forgotten Harvest is to relieve hunger in the Detroit metropolitan community by rescuing surplus, prepared and perishable food and donating it to emergency food providers." http://www.forgottenharvest.org/
20. In memory of the passing of a close friend's dad, Disabled American Veterans. "DAV is the most long-lasting veterans advocacy and assistance group in this country. We’ve watched this country change and grow, and we’ve grown along with it. However, DAV has never wavered in its core mission to fulfill our country’s promises to the men and women who served." http://www.dav.org/
21. The National Marrow Donor Registry. "For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 25 years Be The Match®, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. We work every day to save lives through transplant." http://bethematch.org/
22. Gift of Life Michigan, whose mission is: "To improve and extend lives through quality programs which maximize organ and tissue donation for transplantation." http://www.giftoflifemichigan.org/
    Five Facts about Gift of Life http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/06/five-facts-about-gift-of-life-michigan.html
    
23. Fraser First Booster Club is leading the effort to create a barrier-free playground at McKinley Park in Macomb County (Fraser, Michigan). This playground will be an inclusive and innovative project "where children and adults of all abilities can play and learn together." www.facebook.com/FraserFirstBoosterClubInc
    Five Things About Fraser Barrier Free Parkhttp://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-things-you-should-know-about.html
24. SOS (South Oakland Shelter) is the Oakland County version of MCrest whose goal is to end homelessness. http://www.southoaklandshelter.org/ (thanks to Diane F. for the mention)
25. "In honor of my aunt, the Alzheimer's Association in Southfield, MI." http://www.alz.org/gmc/ (thanks to Diane F. for the mention)
26. "I have a nonprofit that I have worked with called Bridgepointe. We have worked with kids in SW Detroit for sixteen years. Here's a story about a travel club I started five years ago. http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/northville/2015/05/27/girls-travel-club/28022885/. If you would like to learn more about our work in the D check out our site at www.bridgepointenonprofit.org. (thanks to LinkedIn connection Terri for the mention).
27. The Troy Nature Society (thanks to Laura Gabriel for the suggestion). https://troynaturesociety.org/index.php/en/t-n-s
28. The Nature Conservancy Mission: conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in more than 35 countries, all 50 states and your backyard. http://www.nature.org. Suggested by Leslie Herrick.
29. The Pink Fund provides 90 days of non- medical financial assistance to cancer victims and survivors, as suggested by its founder Molly MacDonald.
    Five Facts About The Pink Fund
    http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/2015/09/five-facts-about-pink-fund.html
30. The Greening of Detroit suggested by Leslie Herrick http://greeningofdetroit.com Inspiring sustainable growth of a healthy urban community through trees, green spaces, food, education, training and job opportunities.
    Today, The Greening of Detroit is a well-established, nonprofit resource agency that partners with federal, state and local agencies, corporations and foundations to assist neighborhood groups, churches and schools in their efforts to improve the ecosystem in Detroit through tree planting projects, environmental education, urban agriculture, open space reclamation, vacant land management, and workforce development programs.
    Transforming this city from a post-industrial urban center into a healthier, safer and greener environment will take commitment and a bold new way of thinking. We are ready for that challenge.
31. Team in Training suggested by Jennifer Chinn who is an absolute rockstar. Jennifer Chinn Team in Training through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. #tntmi
32. The American Diabetes Association Chris Meller The American Diabetes Association in honor of my dad.
33. Kim Osborne suggested the Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund. Provides unrestricted scholarships to low income women over age 35 who are pursuing technical degrees or first baccalaureate degrees. I am a former board member.
34. Mary suggested the Michigan Animal Rescue Leaguemichigananimalrescueleague.org This is a wonderful no-kill animal shelter in Pontiac. They work primarily with dogs and cats. I have volunteered there. Great staff. They do a wonderful job socializing animals getting them ready for adoption. There is a wish list posted on their website. They can always use donations of dog & cat food (and puppy, kitten food).
35. Game On Cancer suggested by Lori Jo Vest. 
36. Tiger Lily Rescue suggested by Inge Leinberger Yes it is a nonprofit organization where I adopted both of my cats. I am friends with them on Facebook and their homepage is www.tigerlilyrescue.com
37. TBD
38. TBD
39. TBD
40. TBD

Organizations # 37 through 40 are still open. Reply to this post or message me on social media and I'll add your suggested organization to this list, and will blog about it then tag you in the blog post when I share it on social media.

www.linkedin.com/in/brendameller
www.twitter.com/brendameller

* Speaking of the ice bucket challenge, how cool would it be if the extra visibility and awareness, combined with the donations made are causing so much positive momentum that it might lead to a cure for ALS? And then maybe the next mass viral trend tackles cancer or another disease next.  Plus, consider that there is a parallel to those suffering from ALS. They wish the symptoms of their disease would just stop, too. The public annoyance over this trend is just a drop in the bucket (pun intended) of ALS patients' own form of suffering. It's making us all talk about the disease and that's a good thing. 

Social Media, Awesome Colors, and My Awesome Network

I have to share a recent experience that began a few weeks ago on social media. 

June 24, 2013: my friend Jennifer Marsik Friess shares on her Facebook page: "Look what Patty Buccellato at Refined Images sent me! Since she's set me on my correct path, if the duds doesn't match a color in this wheel, I don't buy it. Thanks for the updates, PB! I'm gonna pop some tags." 

I jump into the discussion, asking about the color wheel she has posted and how one goes about getting one from Patty. I'm one of several women in Jen's friend list who responded to the post. I think we're all intrigued with looking our best. For me, I'll admit I'm frugal and practical when it comes to wardrobe shopping. I've learned to only buy something I love and that includes colors I love. 

(Full disclosure: Patty asked me to blog about my experience, which I'm happy to do!}

Patty and I exchange a few emails, and we set an appointment at her Rochester Hills studio for a color drape. Patty reminds me to allow at least 45 minutes for the appointment, and that dress is not important since my outfit will be covered by the drape. She also suggests I bring makeup with me, since I'll have to remove it as part of the session. 

Eek. Did you read that last part? I have to remove my makeup in front of one of my professional friends? Yes, this gave me some anxiety. 

I arrive at Patty's office and we chat briefly before the draping begins. 

She asks about my experience with color consultations and knowledge of color overall. I mention I had some past knowledge of the "seasons" color approach but haven't really followed it. 

Prep. Patty hands me a few makeup remover tissues and sends me to the ladies room down the hall to remove the makeup. I return sheepishly feeling exposed. 

The next step was Patty draping a cape over me, covering my top. 

Hair. We then talk briefly about hair color. Patty notices my hair color is different and I explain my recent home coloring experience, followed by a salon color correction because I was not happy with the results. Yes, the grays are slowly starting to pop up, too. She shows me a swatch of hair colors and asks me to select what I think is my true, natural hair color. I flip through the ring and find one that is close, and she agrees. She explains that my natural hair tone is more on the ash scale and the color treatment I'm working on correcting had more of a brassy look to it. I agree and make a mental note to talk to my stylist about this at my next color correction appointment. 

The whole time, I'm trying to pretend that having a conversation without makeup on is not bothering me. 

Next, Patty helps me into a hairnet to pull all the hair off my face. Keep in mind I'm already draped, with no makeup, and now my hair is all pulled back. 

You know that feeling you get when you're at the hair salon and they ask you to look in the mirror at yourself? I don't know about you, but this makes me uncomfortable and I'd just as soon not look at myself in a mirror in front of someone. I'll wait until I get out in the car or home to inspect the cut. 

So I'm feeling quite exposed and anxious (Patty does not realize any of this!). But we begin!

The Colors. Patty begins by showing me a drape with a different variety of striped colors on each side. She asks me to select which one I prefer, side one or side two (think of an eye exam). I immediately am drawn to a brighter set of colors. 

She then asks me to not look at the colors, but to focus on my face instead with the colors next to it. My perspective immediately changes. The color stripes with softer colors actually look much better against my skin. 

We go through this process with several drapes. Patty asks me to focus on my eyes, my teeth, and those imperfect areas of my face (blotchy, dark circles, etc.) when evaluating the color options. Through the process, it becomes easier to make the selections. 

Guide. Patty helps to guide me through the process gently by helping me to arrive at the solutions on my own. By the end of the appointment, I'm no longer aware of the fact that I'm exposed and makeup-less, but rather I'm inspired by this new found knowledge about color combinations that work on me.   

My Color Wheel. At the end of the appointment, Patty selects a color wheel based on the color combinations which I indicated a preference for through the appointment. We review the wheel together and I immediately find a few colors I will never wear. Green, for example, is not a color I'm overly fond of nor do I think it looks good on me, despite what the wheel says.  

Educated and knowledgeable. I leave the appointment with my custom color wheel and a spring in my step. I can't wait to raid my closet to remove clothes that aren't in the wheel. In the weeks following this appointment, I've made wardrobe changes and have noticed the impact. I've received compliments on some of the new color combinations and have shared my experience a few times. 

I think the consultation was time well spent toward the a wardrobe that will make me look and feel my best. 

Thanks Patty! And thanks Jen for the inspiration!

stay tuned - I'll add a few pics of my color wheel and a few "corrected" color outfits here soon...

p.s. Check out Refined Images at www.facebook.com/refinedimages. 

Marketing Tip: Facebook Pages

I've been blogging for a while about marketing tips. Usually my inspiration comes from things I see, experience, need, or sometimes from other people. One thing I've noticed is that there's a lot of integration and places to find people and businesses on the web.

Take me for example. You can find me on:

Bloggers should consider setting up a
Facebook page to cross-promote your blog. ~ Brenda Meller

• LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/BrendaMeller
• Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrendaMeller
• Facebook (sorry - I'm not sharing my personal page here. I only accept friend requests from people I know. But now thanks to my FB friends you can follow my Meller Marketing blog by liking the page www.facebook.com/MellerMarketing)
• YouTube at www.youtube.com/TheBrendaMeller
• Pinterest at  http://pinterest.com/summerbren/

Plus on my two blogs. The one you're reading now, http://mellermarketing.blogspot.com/ or my LinkedIn blog, http://15minutesadayonlinkedin.blogspot.com/. 

I started poking around my marketing blog the other day and discovered I have one blog post that has over 18,000 views. I'm still trying to figure out how/where it might have been picked up. The blog topic was about a great experience I had at a Tim Horton's drive-through, so my guess is they may have shared it somewhere. 

But this got me thinking about how I'm promoting my blog. Right now, I mainly do cross-promotion on LinkedIn, Twitter, and occasionally Facebook. My blog is just a hobby for me. I enjoy marketing and like helping others. I'm not using it for serious business promotion like others are doing. 

This got me thinking -- what if I really wanted to make my blog more widely read? And what about the other people out there who want to gain blog readers, but really aren't sure how to do it? 

Which led me to my next conclusion - Facebook. It's where people hang out. If you're reading this, there's a good likelihood you found this post on Facebook. (tell me if I'm right by posting a comment to this blog)

I'll admit - I log and check into LinkedIn maybe once every day or so, poke around, read some posts, look in the groups, then I'm outta there. Twitter is something I dabble in from time to time and lately I've been using for digital notetaking (that's a blog topic for another day), but I don't spend a great deal of time there. 

But Facebook - what fun! I can have virtual conversations with all of my 498 closest friends. We share stories, highlights of our day, posts from other websites, jokes, pictures of our families, videos, etc. etc.  And I will proudly admit when I have the time, I'll spend (not waste) a good hour on Facebook just hanging out. It's kind of like eating junk food though - I can take it only in small doses at a time, but I'll indulge when I can. 

My guess is you're like me when it comes to Facebook. There are a whole other active/inactive group of people on Facebook whom I'll call "readers" (rather than lurkers). They see the value of Facebook, but either for personal/privacy or professional reasons, are only a spectator and don't participate in conversation, "likes" or any of the other stuff we do while on Facebook. That's totally okay, too. These people are among my FB friends and might be blog readers, too.  

So back to Facebook page for your business. If you aren't a marketing professional, why set up a Facebook page if you're only using Facebook on a personal level? 

Did you know you can set up a FREE Facebook page for your business?

Did you know you can set up a FREE Facebook page for your blog?

Did you know you can set up a FREE Facebook page for your organization?

Did you know you can set up a FREE Facebook page for your cause? 

Do you see a pattern here? You pick what you need to promote. Facebook gives you a place to do it free.

And if you're like me, you may not want to accept friend requests from people you don't know, but you use FB for personal and professional reasons, and you want to provide a way to engage with people you don't know well. 

PLUS: If you struggle with website design because you're too small, don't have a designer, or don't have the desire to spend (not waste) the time and money into creating a website, use a Facebook page instead. 

It's really easy to do. 

1. Start by visiting www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. Click the obnoxious green button that reads "Create a Page."
2. Follow the step by step instructions. Facebook makes this process super easy. And if you make a mistake, you can always go back and edit your information. You'll choose a major and sub category, then select a product or company name, then agree to terms and conditions.You an upload a picture or skip it for now, write a short description in the "about" section, add in additional address, website info (I pointed my page to my blog), or skip this for now. Choose whatever best matches your business / blog / cause. Facebook will not deny you access if you choose the wrong category. :)
3. Save your changes.
4. Gain page followers. After you save your changes, you'll now be able to start inviting friends to your newly created page. You'll want to promote on your personal page and encourage people to give your page a "LIKE." 
5. Give your page a simplified username. Once you get to 25 "likes" on your page, you can personalize the page address to something that is easy to remember. As a page manager, you'll see in your "Insights" section at the top of the page how many people have liked your page. And once you receive 25 likes, you'll see the link to give your page a username. Choose something that is as short and easy to remember as possible, like this: www.facebook.com/MellerMarketing 
6. That's it! If you're a blogger like me, consider reposting a summary of the blog topic and a link to the blog in your Facebook page. 

What's a Username on Facebook?
It's a simplified page address.
~ Brenda Meller

As of right now, I have 39 likes on my page. That's in just about 3 hours. And I promised I'd give a shout out to the 25th person who liked my page. It was pretty close, between my friends James and Christy. Christy works for Gift of Life Michigan, which works with the organ donor registry program. Please consider signing up with them if you can, and give their page a like: https://www.facebook.com/GiftOfLifeMichigan

Now I have 41 likes on my page. This is more exciting than an ebay auction! In comparison, prior to posting this blog, I had 15 followers. I'd say my blog test was a pretty successful project. Hope it provided you with some insights, too.

Please share your FB page in "comments" and I'll give your page a "LIKE" on Facebook, too. 

Free Marketing Tip for Bakeries (Pi Day)

My day started with a tweetup, or rather, a #pieup at Grand Traverse Pie in Troy, Michigan. 

"Mmmm...pie on Pi day!" ~Brenda Meller

I met a half dozen other people (including  @DaveBenjamin @DaveMurr @kevin_mclogan @Urbane_Media and a few others), for pie and coffee to celebrate the day that is linked with my favorite baked good: pie. 


Today is March 14, or rather, 3.14.


You may remember Pi from high school geometry. The area of a circle is equal to Pi times the radius squared. If you need a refresher, check out the Pi wikipedia page. Or ask any 16-year old.


Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to read the Facebook post from Grand Traverse Pie a day beforehand, promoting their celebration of Pi / Pie day on 3.14 at 3:14 p.m. One of their franchises took this a step further and gave away free slices of pie at 3:14 p.m.! This was not the reason that I visited their location, however, as I've been planning this along with a few connections for weeks. 


Those who know me well know that my baked good of choice is pie. I'm not sure what it is. Probably the combination of crust and filling. I dunno. A crust can make or break the pie, though, that's for sure. And my mom baked some excellent homemade pies when I was growing up.


But anyway, I've been very involved in social media and networking since I began my job at Walsh College, and this is the third year in a row I've tried to participate in the #pieup on March 14. I've been successful two out of three years. 


While at the PieUp, I was discussing with others how March 14 is such an excellent opportunity for every pie bakery to take full advantage of the day as a marketing tactic. They can tap in to their social web followers and find people like me who appreciate the clever connection between "Pie" and "Pi." And they can find super connectors who (like me) will invite others to join them via Twitter (a "tweetup"), via a Facebook event page, or by rewarding their VIPs on Foursquare who check in for Pie on Pi day. (sidebar: I earned 8 points on my Pi day Foursquare checkin!)


I'm hoping that you're the owner or manager of a bakery reading this blog post. If you are, please consider promoting the heck out of Pi day next year. Here are some suggestions how to do this:

1. Make sure you designate March 14 as "Pie / Pi day" months in advance. Communicate this with your employees. 
2. Come up with a promotional offer. Maybe it's buy a whole pie, get a piece free, or buy a piece, get a piece free. The better the offer, the more likely you'll get picked up by your local media. The better the offer, the more likely you'll gain a LOT of new traffic that day, too. 
3. Promote the offer: add a mention in your sales receipt footers. Put a sticker on bakery boxes a month or so beforehand. Or print flyers and leave them on your counter by the registers. 
4. Post this on your social web community pages, including Facebook and Twitter. And LinkedIn and YouTube if you have pages there, but those pages are less important, in my opinion. You don't have a social web pages on those sites? Chances are, all of your employees are active in social media. Pick someone and give them the title of social media manager and ask them to help you with your presence on these sites. Yes, you can trust them. It will be okay...
5. Create an event page on Facebook. Invite your customers who are fans of your page to RSVP to the event. You can make it as specific as asking them to come to your store at 3:14p in the afternoon, or as broad as all day long. Have fun with it, and get those customers involved!
6. If you have regular customers who come in with their laptops and tweet, see if you can figure out if they participate in tweetups. Ask them if anyone is planning a tweetup on Pie / Pi day, or March 14. 
7. Create a YouTube video and tell your story about how your store is celebrating Pie / Pi day. Post it on your Facebook page. Tweet it. Make it amusing - that will help its passalong value. 
8. When people come into your store on March 14, greet them with "Happy Pie Day" and inform them of your special offer that day. Bonus points if your cashiers are super enthusiastic!
9. Take pictures of people who participate in your Pie / Pi day celebration. Post their pictures on your Facebook page. Tweet their photos.

Above all, have fun. People like visiting establishments where they are welcomed and celebrated. Not to mention places that sell delicious baked goods like pie. 

Happy Pi day to everyone! I celebrated with strawberry rhubarb and it was delicious. How about you?