Marketing Monday

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Today’s marketing segment is on customer service.

You’re probably thinking  marketing and customer service are two totally different things, but they are not.  Market your product and business with good old-fashioned customer service.  The only difference is that previous customers are working for you and its great, because you’re not even paying them!

When I was younger, I constantly heard my Grandma talk about the art of customer service and how it has got lost along the way.  Saturday was always her day to come into Sioux City and spend the day.  She went to the same two places to get her haircut and eat every week for twenty some years.  All because of a good product and outstanding service.

That stuck with me and when I go to any business it really makes a difference to me how I am treated.  It’s so crucial with so many different places for the consumer to take their almighty dollar.

Use these tips and hopefully you and your business can master this art and get people to work for you without paying them…

1. Give the customer the benefit of the doubt.  Proving who is right and who is wrong is not worth losing a customer.

2. If a customer wants something out of the ordinary, go an extra mile to make it happen for them.  I know it’s hard, but if you can go out of the way for one customer and make them happy it will be worth it.   Imagine all the people they know who are going to hear about your effort.

3. Realize the people that work for you will treat people the way they are treated. Good customer satisfaction comes with good employee satisfaction.

4. Do you know who your customers are? Build relationships with customers and get to know them.  If you have a regular customer, call them by name and they are more likely to come back and spend their money with you again.

5. Are your customers greeted when they walk in the door? Obviously, we don’t want to bombard people, but a simple “Hello, how are you doing today,” will really go a long way.

Hopefully, this has been helpful and will aid you in providing excellent customer satisfaction for your customers.  More importantly, it’s the right thing to do.  Helping people and becoming the best servant-leader you can be is one of the most rewarding things we can do in this life.

Have a great Monday Siouxland!

-Ian

Business Blogs

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Business has evolved.  It’s changed and to be successful staying ahead of thebusiness curve is vital.  Blogging has also evolved.  Blogging used to be a personal diary filled with individual’s opinions; usually rants about their own beliefs. Businesses have started to use blogging and so should you and your business.

Why?

It’s free advertising on the most used outlet available; the internet.  Imagine yourself driving down I-29 towards downtown Sioux City and you see a big billboard advertisement.  Why do they want that spot?  Because it is visible to everyone traveling along that road.  Business blogs are similar and they don’t cost anything as opposed to a big billboard.  Consumers can run into your business on your site, on search engines, and on blog sites.

Not only is it an excellent way to build up a company’s reputation, but also to get name recognition.  These blogs should share what your company does.  The blog also needs to build as much web traffic as possible and then constantly connect with consumers who are involved.

Okay, we have talked about the evolutionary road of blogging and how it got blogintertwined with business, why it’s important, and what it should do.  Now, let’s discuss some ideas on various ways you can use your blog for your business.

  • News– Business can have an updated news section that pertains to your company and important events you have coming up.
  • Coming up- Have a section within your blog that gives the consumer a little taste of what is coming up with your company and with the blog. This builds interest.
  • Photos- Upload photos of the employees, where the business is located, and merchandise.
  • Contests- Hold contests to get the consumer intrigued and build web traffic.
  • Frequently Asked Questions- Have a page where you answer questions that you get a lot and provide the answers.  This is another way to have consumers understand exactly what you do.

I hope this blog provides a little insight on a market that everyone can tap into for their business.  If anyone has any questions about how to start up a blog just post a question or a comment and I will help you out as much as I can. 🙂

-Ian

Chamber Trivia

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Question for the week: What in Sioux City honors the only man to die during the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Trivia Logo Siouxland

Think you know…comment on this post with your answer for your chance at a great prize. Trivia questions will be posted each Friday with answer and winners announced the following Thursday.

And the Winner is…

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Last week the question was asked: Who played the character Jesse Rainfeather Goldman in the 1994 movie Sioux City?

And the answer is…Lou Diamond Phillips

Congratulations to this week’s winner Terry “Woody” Gottburg. Everyone that answered correctly was entered in a drawing for this weeks prize, 4 tickets to Friday’s on the Promenade! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next Chamber Trivia Question.

Would your business like to sponsor a Trivia Question? Contact intern@siouxlandchamber.comDonate a prize and be featured on our blog.

Opportunities Unlimited

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Maximizing Personal Potential Through Dignified and Purposeful Living

It was two years ago now since I worked at Opportunities Unlimited.  To this day, some of the best memories I have were from being there.

I worked in the Waiver area, so my days consisted of working with kids that had some kind of disability.  The disabilities some times frustrated them as we all get frustrated with tasks.  Everyday they came to O.U. to learn things that may seem small, but were a big accomplishment if you knew what it took for them to get there.  It never fails, they are faced with a new challenge everyday and the workers at O.U. make sure they are placed with the right tools and in the right environment to conquer those challenges.

Sports was my background and often in sports you hear eloquent words about the will of the great fighter or the determination of the athlete to be the best, and all the things it takes along the way.

I remember watching a basketball game when I was 19 and it was within the first six months when I started working at O.U.  I heard Billy Packer from CBS Sports talk about tenacity and how fearless the point guard was from North Carolina.  It hit me right there, these are the words I now associate with individuals who have a mental disability.

I saw these kids and adults at Opportunities Unlimited demonstrate determination, desire, and dedication every day.Opportunities Unlimited

It meant a lot to me and it still does.  I still see some of the clients I worked with at the mall, the park, or around the community and I just get the biggest smile.  Not only was I inspired by them, but it was some of the most fun I had ever had in or outside of work.

I would encourage anyone to go down to O.U. and get an application and you won’t regret it. They are now looking for Residential Leaders and Residential Counselors. Residential Leaders & Counselors aid adults in O.U.’s residential rehabilitation program.

-Ian

O.U. Contact Information:

http://www.opportunitiesunlimited.com/jobs.html

3439 Glen Oaks Blvd.

Sioux City IA 51104

Phone: 712.277.8295

Positively Siouxland

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This week in positive Siouxland news Chris McGowan remembers Dwight Hauff of Hauff Sporting Goods, and congratulations North High Baseball on their recent victory at state.

Remembering Dwight Hauff

North High School Baseball

Economic Development: Young Professionals

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT4LoTd_ys4]

In the last post of our series on economic development, Virginia Anderson, Sioux City Growth Organization, talks about her role as a young professional in helping to grow Siouxland.

Marketing Monday

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Today’s Marketing Monday tip is from Starr Hall. She gives 5 tips for overcoming your social media fears.

  1. Stuck in Traditional Networking Mode.Try to incorporate at least one new technique or online marketing outreach into your marketing plan monthly. Give it some time to see if this works before deleting the profile or conversation.
  2. Too Many Choices/Too Overwhelming.Do an online search for the top social networking sites specific to your market, region or industry and only focus on those sites. Ignore the others, they don’t matter unless they can directly connect you with new contacts in your target market.
  3. Concerned Social Networking Is Not Effective. Your main focus should be reaching new contacts and connecting with them; This is how you’re going to build your brand recognition and exposure. One of the best ways to do this is to blog; just be sure to provide valuable content to your potential customer or client. Make sure to respond to emails and comments when they land on your blog or site.
  4. Fear of Doing Something Wrong Online.If you’re worried about making a mistake online, post your concern. Let the group or site know that you’re new and ask for support or feedback. For the most part, you’ll learn that people online want to help you with your social networking experience.
  5. Lack of Privacy Online. Read the privacy settings thoroughly on social networking sites that you use.  This is when you follow your intuition: You can usually tell whether a person is sincere, professional and worth connecting with simply by checking his or her profile.   Again, it’s just like meeting someone new in person. As soon as an individual enters your space, if you are turned off by his or her energy, walk away.

Hall’s full article can be found at http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/branding/webbrandingcolumniststarrhall/article202688.html

Economic Development: Growing the Workforce

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8t0Aj91cnU]

In part five of our series on economic development, Lance Hedquist, City of South Sioux City city administrator, speaks about the importance of growing the workforce.

We Still Want to be Friends

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n20531316728_2397Today’s the big day…at 9:45 a.m. we deleted our Facebook Profile and we will now be using our Facebook Fan Page only. (hence why we no longer show up as a friend) Visit www.facebook.com/siouxlandchamberofcommerce and become a Fan of the Siouxland Chamber.

Why the switch? In the social media world it’s a bit of an unspoken rule that profiles are for people and pages are for business. Don’t worry though, here at the Chamber we have people behind our page, the interns of course. You can expect all of the same stories, videos, and photos just now in a new location.

Not sure about a Fan Page? Want to create one for your business? Contact intern@siouxlandchamber.com for more information.