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MEMBER NEWS
May 18, 2020
COVID-19 Recovery Edition 44
Social Distancing Drive-Thru Zoo
a success Thank you to everyone who came out to the Social Distancing
Drive-Thru Zoo event on Sunday, May 17. Over 1,630 cars, trucks, vans and even buses drove through the event brought to us with the
help of some great volunteers from Safari Junction, the Preble County District Library, and the City of Eaton. Lots of smiling faces and visitors from around Ohio and Indiana said they were glad to have something like this to get out and enjoy with their families!
Member news & other resources A note from Preble Edge Fitness: “Preble Edge will finally be having our grand opening May 26! We will be doing early sign ups all week by appointment only. If you would like to come check out the gym please message us on our Facebook page or call/text us at 937-733-9356. There will be a few changes to follow the best practice guidelines to help keep everyone safe. Right now we are currently running a sale at Bombshell
Tanning that each person who signs up or is a #BeABombshell (autobill package) will receive their first month free at Preble Edge. Each month you stay a #BeABombshell you will receive $10 off your monthly gym membership. To see prices check out our website at PrebleEdgeFitness.com or see our Facebook page. For all local businesses, Preble Edge has a TV in the middle of the gym which will have space to run ads. If you are interested in adding your business to this, email [email protected]. There is space for up to 10 ads. This is a first -come first-serve offer for all chamber members first. Prices range from $30-60/month depending on how many months you would like to sign up for. Email [email protected] for more information.
MEMBERS: Help us, help you! If your business is open and you would like us to help share your information, please reach out to our Chamber office by emailing your information to [email protected].
Other news and information From NFIB: Friday, May 15 was the latest significant day for Ohio’s economy as new sectors including personal care services such as barbershops and salons, restaurants for outside dining only, and those businesses licensed by the State Medical Board of Ohio begin to reopen their doors to the public.
These businesses, as those reopening before them, will be prepared to meet mandatory safety requirements for their customers and employees as set by the Ohio Department of Health. Through surveys conducted by National Federation of Independent Businesses, they have stated their desire to reopen in a safe manner and feel confident they will meet or exceed these requirements.
“As additional sectors reopen in Ohio on May 15, we are rapidly approaching just over 90 percent of all businesses being able to resume operations. As these small business owners welcome customers back in a safe manner, we must remember those still sitting on the sidelines in jeopardy of losing their businesses. We look forward with anticipation when all of Ohio entrepreneurs can again be open to the public,” said Roger Geiger, Executive Director for NFIB in Ohio.
Small business continues to be the economic engine of Ohio’s economy:
• They create nearly two out of every three new jobs
• There are nearly one million small businesses in Ohio accounting for about 99.6 percent of all employers in the state employing almost half of the entire state’s private sector workforce.
• Small business owners know the names of their employees and the members of their employees’ families.
• For every $100 spent by consumers at locally owned businesses, $68 stays in the local economy, compared to only $43 if spent at a national chain.
• Their employees live in the local community, and entrepreneurs give back to those same communities, sponsoring the little league teams, events, and charities.
“Ohioans have yet another opportunity to support their neighborhood enterprises. These small businesses and their employees are counting on the support of longtime customers and also hope to see some new faces as well. They understand the need to put safety first, for both patrons and employees, and look forward to seeing you all soon,” said Geiger. The state of Ohio has created a page so Ohioans can find and support their local businesses https://ohio.org/supportlocalohio/.
HOW TO BUILD A TRIBE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Have you ever noticed that there are influencers on social media who mention an item and no sooner than they do it sells out? The cynical side of me believes there are certain people out there who could talk about how chic dust bunnies are and suddenly there'd be a host of people growing their own dust bunnies like they were chia pets.
But it takes a special personality, doesn't it?
Maybe when all business dealings were in-person. But now that a lot of them are online, it doesn't take an over-the-top personality to cultivate a tribe. In fact, you cannot only do it easily for yourself and your business, but the pandemic is the perfect time to start building your tribe if you don't already have one.
What Is a Tribe? Why Do You Need One?
If you have a lot of time on your hands--and you don't even need that much, it's a quick read--you need to look into the book on the topic by Seth Godin. But assuming you want the abbreviated version…
A tribe is your group of people that you have influence with.
A tribe is not a specific number of followers. A tribe is measured by level of activity. For instance, if you know a preteen on Instagram they may shout excitedly every time someone follows them or likes their picture. In fact, you may be surprised at the amount of emotional energy they can spend caring about an emoji. For most preteens, this is proof that someone likes them and they get validation from that. As a business owner, you should be past that type of ego enforcement. Instead, you want sales.
After all, likes aren't going to pay your rent.
So for you, a tribe is an active group of people who are interested in what you're posting and will act on suggestions you make. Tribes are the basis for influencer marketing. If you want more sales, you need to develop a tribe. When you do, they will help you with word of mouth marketing.
Ways to Build Your Tribe
COVID has prevented us from doing a lot of things recently. But hopefully what it has done has helped you become more engaged with your audience on social media. Ideally, you've used this time to start connecting with customers and potential customers. If not, here are a couple of ideas you could be doing to build your tribe:
Go where your audience is. Figure out where they are on social media. If you don't have accounts on those platforms, create them. If you have accounts that are no longer working for you and helping you connect, spend your conversation time elsewhere.
Start following and commenting. You can post really incredible stuff on social media but you're assuming that the platform is showing your content to the people you most want to see it. Unless you're paying for the views, that's not always happening. However, if you comment on posts, you're guaranteed the owner of the account will see it. Just make sure that when you do you are adding to the conversation and not simply trying to sell.
Be transparent. Don't lie about who you are. Be open and honest.
Be friendly and encouraging. People are drawn to a positive attitude and will avoid those who constantly complain. Be a bright light in the darkness. However,…
Be real. While being positive is a good thing, you don't want to appear fake. Share your struggles. But also share your plan for overcoming them. Show people that you're human and ask them if they've ever had the same struggles. You might be surprised by the kind of way people open up.
Listen and interact. When people do open up, do a little more than just liking their comment. Look to continue the conversation by asking them a question or reflect on their feelings and show them the empathy they are likely hoping for.
Be you for the business. People find it easier to interact and connect with other people. Whenever you're interacting on social media or posting blog posts, do so as an individual, not as a logo. If you want to use your business logo and name that's fine. But make sure when you're doing so that you give them your name too.
If this type of advice sounds familiar it's probably because building a tribe for your business is similar to being a good friend. You want to be yourself and share the challenges and joys you have in life. Share your stories. Ask to hear theirs. These types of actions can have a very solidifying effect on your budding relationship. And a strong relationship will mean more revenue through word of mouth marketing in the future.
Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so.
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