The Brush Chamber of Commerce hosted its quarterly Buzz around Brush! event on Monday, Sept. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Bank of Colorado Community Room in Brush.
The event always serves as an opportunity to network within the community, but this particular meeting also served as a class of sorts: teaching local business owners about how to improve their social media habits and better market their businesses.
City of Brush Building Technician David Basil was asked to speak about his digital marketing and social media experience and provide advice on how businesses could improve their online presence. He stressed the fact that social media is simple, free and constantly working for the business, even when the physical location is closed and the employees are off the clock.
“I just feel like if we can help people get the word out about their small business. Especially in a town like this, it’s really profitable,” said Basil, who was happy to share his knowledge with the community.
Basil, former home inspector and owner of Elevated Home Inspections, taught attendees about the importance of brand awareness, posting on social media, using hashtags and engaging with the people who comment on posts. He also encouraged the group to take full advantage of Google My Business by creating a business profile and asking customers to leave honest reviews in order to build their business’ rating. Basil even created a document with step-by-step instructions on how to create that profile.
Matt Gordon, executive director of the Brush Area Chamber of Commerce, was appreciative of Basil’s informative presentation.
“David Basil was able to do a pretty cool presentation on social media for some businesses,” said Gordon. “A few people there were scrupulously writing down notes about how to take over their Google (My Business) accounts and how to do some other cool social media tricks and tips that David shared.”
One of the tips Basil shared was that not all posts on social media have to be about the business itself because it is always beneficial to interact with customers and potential customers. People notice the social media accounts with a sense of humor, and they like to see businesses celebrate the “random” holidays like National Coffee Day.
Basil used Sher’s Tax & Accounting LLC as an example. Taxes are generally associated with stress, so creating fun posts in addition to posts about taxes will result in people linking positive thoughts to the business.
Sherry Hernandez, the owner of Sher’s Tax & Accounting, said she learned a lot of helpful information from Basil. With his helpful guidance, she has already set up her Google My Business profile and is working on implementing the new social media tips she learned.
“My experience was awesome. It was very informative, and I learned a lot. I’m really enjoying the emails that David sent to me to help me get started with my website and all of my media advertising because it’s almost my busy season right now,” said Hernandez. “I’ve got my Google (My Business) account now, and I’m all ready to go! So hopefully we can start using hashtags and all that good stuff to get everything out there. I’m utilizing what David gave me, and I think it’s a positive prospective (change) that will make my business pop.”
The next Buzz around Brush! event will most likely be scheduled in November or December. However, Gordon is currently seeking feedback from the community regarding the best time to meet. About a dozen people attended the September event, and Gordon would like to see more attendance at future events.
“I think we have some room for improvement, and I’m hoping to work on that going forward. I sure would love some real feedback on when people would want to get together to network and connect with local businesses. And if the current setup that we have right now is what’s working for them or if they have other thoughts,” said Gordon. “I’d love to see how we can better serve our members and the business community as a whole with these types of events.”
To provide feedback, contact Matt Gordon directly by email at [email protected] or by phone through the Brush Area Chamber of Commerce at 970-842-2666.
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