Member News – August 23, 2023
Fromm Electric to Celebrate 100 years
Join Fromm Electric on September 28th from 11-1 pm at Fromm's Bloomsburg branch for an outdoor BBQ featuring a catered lunch and amazing giveaways from suppliers such as Milwaukee, Signify, and Eaton. The event is "rain or shine,". Find more details.
First Keystone Launching New Digital Platforms
First Keystone Community Bank will have a new & improved digital online banking and mobile platform launching August 28th - 30th. Here are a few of the new features.
CSIU offers a Community Health Worker Training Program
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trained public health professionals who know their community and have the heart for helping others and serving their community. Learn more about the program the CSIU is offering here.
PA CareerLink, Columbia Montour hosting Job Fair Oct. 5th
The 2023 Columbia-Montour Fall Job Fair will be held on Thursday, October 5th at the LCBC Church campus, 2421 Columbia Blvd., Bloomsburg, PA. The event will begin at 11:00 am and close at 2:00pm. Businesses interested in attending can register here. Space is limited.
Berwick Borough Looking to Expand Waitlist for Housing Rehabilitation Grant
Berwick Borough is applying to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $300,000 housing rehabilitation grant and interested residents who live within the borough limits should apply now to get on the waiting list for the no-cost repairs. Learn more.
Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg Annual Breakfast
Join the Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg for a breakfast event as we highlight the connections that drive our philanthropy. RSVP by August 29th.
First Columbia Bank Photography back in 2023
SEDA-COG announces DEP grants
DEP has $1 million in 2023 Small Business Advantage Grant funding available to small businesses and farmers who want to improve their operations through energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and natural resource protection. Learn More.
Community Giving Opens Healthy Workplace Grant
2023 Healthy Workplace grant-round for Community Giving Foundation is now Open! The application opened on August 1, 2023, and the deadline to apply by August 31, 2023. Learn more.
Bloomsburg Community Luau
Bloomsburg Community Luau, Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Bloomsburg Town Park starting at 6PM. Enjoy live music and entertainment, great food, fun tropical activities, enter the Tiki Lounge decorating contest, and see Elvis on the outdoor big screen in the classic film Blue Hawaii. Bring a chair or blanket to relax and enjoy the entertainment at the corner of Market Street and Fort McClure Blvd.
Central Susquehanna Opportunities' Financial Workshops open for September
CSO offers a variety of free workshops to help you develop new skills and achieve your life goals. At our Community Action offices in Shamokin, Sunbury, and Bloomsburg, you can learn about budgeting, getting organized, improving your credit score, and more! See the full schedule here.
BTE To Offer Matinees and Workshops for
Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in September
BTE’s production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ features special school matinees and workshops for middle and high school students in several regional venues. See venues here.
IMC and Drive sponsoring PA Tax Credit Webinar
This informational session will review the various tax credit programs the Commonwealth has available to support businesses across many industries, whether an early-stage company or a long-established business. If you are in the tech field, manufacturing, property development, agriculture, or a community-based non-profit, join DRIVE and IMC to learn about some of the tax credit programs you can be taking advantage of. Register for this free webinar here.
Glen Brook teaming up for Estate Planning Seminar
Glen Brook Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center is hosting a free seminar on estate planning with Eric Young from Steinbacher, Goodall, and Yurchak on September 19th. Learn More.
Press Enterprise Best of the Best Voting is Underway
Many Chamber members are nominated for the Best of the Best of Columbia, Montour and Lower Luzerne Counties. Check out all the nominees and vote today!
Fall 2023 Career Expos
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania is excited to bring the power of all 3 of our universities together to benefit our students and employer partners across the state in a Fall 2023 Accounting and Financial Services Career Expo and Management, Supply Chain, Marketing, Technology and Analytics Expo on campus in Bloomsburg. Reach out to Darwin Kysor at 570-484-2181 to get more details about participation.
Camp Victory Community Open House Happening September 10th
Check out all the things planned for Camp Victory's 30th Anniversary Open house.
NEPIRC Manufacturing Day: October 13
Join NEPIRC on Friday, October 13th to celebrate the many contributions of our region’s manufacturing industry! At Manufacturing Day, you’ll be able to see product demonstrations; learn more about the cool products made right here in our local communities, and more!
Coming in October...Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc.'s Chili Cookoff & Fall Festival!
Stunning fall foliage and cooler temperatures create the perfect atmosphere for this first annual, family-friendly downtown Bloomsburg event. Read more.
New Member Highlight – Gannon Associates Insurance
Gannon Associates Insurance offers a host of coverage options from more than 80 insurance companies. The independent insurance agency, founded in 1973, has steadily grown to include 90 employees and 10 office locations in Pennsylvania and New York.
Its wide range of individual and group protections are available in personal lines such as auto, home, and life, or business insurance such as commercial liability and benefits packages. Their mission is to protect their customers by partnering with them and managing the risks they face through customized insurance solutions at a competitive price. They are committed to delivering unparalleled service to their customers and to the communities in which we live and work.
With Gannon Associates Insurance, you have a whole team of dedicated professionals taking care of all your insurance needs. For further information, please visit www.gannonassociates.com or call 844-GANNONS.
Cybersecurity Guidance for Employee Benefit Plans
Source:
Data breaches are becoming more frequent and are affecting businesses worldwide, especially those with valuable data stored online. It is no wonder, then, that employee benefit plans (EBPs) are prime targets for cybercriminals. Not only do EBPs operate in an electronic environment that shares employee information with multiple third parties, but their systems maintain sensitive employee data, including personally identifiable information, electronic protected health information, participant enrollment data, individual account balances, direct deposit information, compensation, and other financial information. This information is extremely vulnerable to cybercriminals who could gain access to employee accounts online in an attempt to request loans and distributions or access participant and/or sponsor contributions.
EBP Cybersecurity Recommendations
To address these risks, the DOL has provided updated guidance for ERISA-regulated plan sponsors and plan fiduciaries, since these parties have an obligation to ensure proper mitigation of cybersecurity risks for their EBPs. The following are the recommended best practices.
DEVELOP A FORMAL, WELL-DOCUMENTED CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM.
A well-designed cybersecurity program will protect the EBP’s infrastructure, information systems, and the information in the systems from unauthorized access, use, or other malicious acts. It will also establish strong security policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards, which should be documented, approved by senior management, reviewed annually, and communicated to participants
ENGAGE AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR TO PERFORM A SECURITY CONTROL ASSESSMENT.
The findings/final report should focus on existing risks, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses. System and Organization Controls (SOC) examinations and penetration testing summaries should also be requested.
CLEARLY DEFINE AND ASSIGN INFORMATION SECURITY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
For a cybersecurity program to be effective, it must be managed and carried out by organizational leaders with sufficient experience and knowledge to establish and maintain the vision, strategy, and operation of the program.
ENSURE ANY ASSETS OR DATA STORED IN A CLOUD OR MANAGED BY A THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER ARE SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATE SECURITY REVIEWS AND INDEPENDENT SECURITY ASSESSMENTS.
Fiduciaries should review security plans and procedures with service providers (hosted in the cloud or with a third party) to ensure appropriate controls are in place for protecting plan data.
DEVELOP A BUSINESS RESILIENCY PROGRAM THAT ADDRESSES BUSINESS CONTINUITY, DISASTER RECOVERY, AND INCIDENT RESPONSE.
The program should be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect the organization’s current operational and technology environment.
CONDUCT ANNUAL CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING.
Since identity theft is a leading cause of fraudulent distributions for EBPs, it should be considered a key topic of training with an emphasis on current trends to exploit unauthorized access to systems. EBP personnel should always beware of individuals falsely posing as authorized plan officials, fiduciaries, participants, or beneficiaries.
ENCRYPT SENSITIVE DATA WHEN STORED AND IN TRANSIT.
Ensure the proper protection of plan data through strong encryption standards. Data encryption can protect nonpublic information to safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of the data at rest or in transit.
PERFORM ANNUAL RISK ASSESSMENTS.
A risk assessment should identify threats, establish and review controls, mitigate remaining risks, and be monitored and updated annually.
ESTABLISH STRONG ACCESS CONTROL PROCEDURES.
Secure access control uses policies that verify users are who they claim to be and ensures appropriate control access levels are granted to users. Most EBPs use an online portal for participants to access their benefits. Without strong access control procedures, EBP participants’ retirement accounts could be misappropriated due to unauthorized access.
IMPLEMENT AND MANAGE A SECURE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE (SDLC) PROGRAM.
Ensure procedures, guidelines, and standards for developing in-house applications are secure. This may include activities such as penetration testing, code review, and architecture analysis.
IMPLEMENT STRONG TECHNICAL CONTROLS IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST SECURITY PRACTICES.
Deploy and secure information systems that interact with plan data, including routine security updates and system hardening standards.
Review ability and effectiveness of responding to a cybersecurity incident or breach. In addition, review contracts to ensure data breach notification responsibilities are defined and processes exist for meeting obligations.
In summary, ERISA-covered EBPs often hold millions of dollars or more in assets and maintain personal data on participants, which can make them tempting targets for cybercriminals. Plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers play a critical function in reviewing cybersecurity roles and ensuring participant data is secure.
Attracting Talent from Generations Y and Z
The series of workforce trends now known as the "Great Resignation" have shone a new light on the role of leadership in business. It is now clear that millions of people across the nation are not happy with how their employers and managers treat them, and they are voting with their feet. We at the Chamber know that this impacts our members, who often have small, tightly-knit teams in their employ.
Lately, your Chamber has been talking about keeping teams together, retaining the skills and knowledge that each individual brings, and making sure our businesses are increasingly attractive to the inbound workforce - comprised of millennials and gen z. In addition to the tips below about developing a culture that fosters integrity, influence and impact, consider this recent presentation by Bloomsburg's own Shawn Kessler, Partner, Recruitment Division of Aloysius, Butler & Clark, one of the east coast's leading full-service marketing and advertising firms.
Shawn specializes in physician recruitment and knows the market - he's won the American Medical College's Award of Distinction, was featured in Health Leaders Media, and speaks about recruitment strategies around the country. Best of all, Shawn is home-grown - he's Columbia County native and a Chamber member with an office in Bloomsburg.
We were thrilled to connect with him at our "Rise & Thrive: Business Wellness" Breakfast, sponsored by Geisinger, and hosted on the lovely patio of the Elmdale Inn B&B. Check out Shawn's recruitment advice for the area's employers (roughly 35 minutes):
Need more than what Shawn shared? Here are even more tips about fostering a culture that's attractive to employees:
What is Inclusive Leadership?
Inclusive leadership is where leaders ensure that all their team members:
- Feel a sense of value and belonging
- Are treated fairly and equitably
- Are provided with the resources they need to thrive and succeed
An inclusive leader will be aware of their biases and will seek out other perspectives different from their own to inform decisions and allow closer collaboration. However, there must be a real commitment to the process, or employees will quickly realize and become disengaged.
Fostering an Inclusive Culture
The first step to fostering an inclusive culture is trust. Managers and business owners need to trust that their team members have the skills to do their jobs and create successful outcomes. Avoiding micromanagement is crucial to this as continually checking up on employees erodes trust quickly.
The next step is empowerment, allowing your employees to work on new projects that build their skillset and enable them to explore their potential. Having a good knowledge of your team's skills will allow you to put people together with complementary skills.
3 Traits of an Inclusive Leader
If you don't have them already, incorporating these three traits into your leadership approach is vital to developing inclusive leadership.
Integrity
To make a difference as an inclusive leader, you need to display absolute integrity and be aligned with your organization's core beliefs and values.
Influence
Managing performance is more than simply checking up on your staff to ensure they're doing their jobs properly. Instead, inclusive leaders use coaching and focused training initiatives to influence their teams and bring out the best in them.
Impact
A vital part of an inclusive leader's task is ensuring that everyone is working toward the organization's overall strategic plan. They accomplish this by ensuring that the entire team is focused and working together to achieve the outcomes outlined in that plan.
Bringing the Generations Together
A significant challenge for the inclusive leader is bringing together the working ethics of the different age groups now within the workplace. For example, those from the baby boomer generation generally have tendencies to prefer working within strictly structured systems. At the same time, those from Generation Z want to find value in their work and prefer more flexible approaches. The best inclusive leaders can listen to both these groups and tie their strengths together.
In conclusion, the greatest strengths of the inclusive leader are listening, strategizing, and organizing. If you can listen to and learn something from each of your employees, you can better strategize and organize to have everyone working together in a harmonious team. With these approaches, productivity and employee retention will naturally improve.
Member News – August 16, 2023
Berwick Borough Looking to Expand Waitlist for Housing Rehabilitation Grant
Berwick Borough is applying to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $300,000 housing rehabilitation grant and interested residents who live within the borough limits should apply now to get on the waiting list for the no-cost repairs. Learn more.
Artsfest 2023 happening this weekend
The fifteenth ArtFest will take place on Saturday, August 19th, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. surrounding the monument on the Square and down Market Street in downtown Bloomsburg, with more than sixty art and craft and fine food vendors and local non-profit partners — more than ever before! — with live music by local performers all day and fun activities for people of all ages.
Service 1st Federal Credit Union Celebrating Submissions
Check out this year's entrants to the Service 1st Calendar contest.
Apollo Point Hosting Back to School Event
Food, games, and face painting happening on August 20th at Apollo Point from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Learn more.
Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg Annual Breakfast
Join the Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg for a breakfast event as we highlight the connections that drive our philanthropy. RSVP by September 6th.
FEMA Offering Free Private Sector Readiness Day
August 23 from 8:00-4:30, federal, state, and private sector partners who are leading the pack when it comes to informed emergency management will talk about innovations in crisis response communications, types of data that is out there, and how to put that information to work for your business. RSVP here.
First Columbia Bank Photography back in 2023
Community Giving Opens Healthy Workplace Grant
2023 Healthy Workplace grant-round for Community Giving Foundation is now Open! The application opened on August 1, 2023, and the deadline to apply by August 31, 2023. Learn more.
Arts in Bloom Announces Season
The Arts In Bloom series is comprised of high-caliber professional touring headliners, as well as performances and exhibits by Bloomsburg University’s resident producers. See full season here.
Bloomsburg Community Luau
Bloomsburg Community Luau, Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Bloomsburg Town Park starting at 6PM. Enjoy live music and entertainment, great food, fun tropical activities, enter the Tiki Lounge decorating contest, and see Elvis on the outdoor big screen in the classic film Blue Hawaii. Bring a chair or blanket to relax and enjoy the entertainment at the corner of Market Street and Fort McClure Blvd.
BTE To Offer Matinees and Workshops for
Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in September
BTE’s production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ features special school matinees and workshops for middle and high school students in several regional venues. See venues here.
IMC and Drive sponsoring PA Tax Credit Webinar
This informational session will review the various tax credit programs the Commonwealth has available to support businesses across many industries, whether an early-stage company or a long-established business. If you are in the tech field, manufacturing, property development, agriculture, or a community-based non-profit, join DRIVE and IMC to learn about some of the tax credit programs you can be taking advantage of. Register for this free webinar here.
Call for Projects for Consulting Course
Projects are sought for a fall semester senior capstone consulting course in Bucknell's Freeman College of Management -Student groups will collaborate with clients on strategy, structure, and/or process issues and will be mentored by Bucknell alumni from Deloitte and Accenture. Contact Professor Neil Boyd by 8/21 at nmb015@bucknell.edu for more information.
Glen Brook teaming up for Estate Planning Seminar
Glen Brook Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center is hosting a free seminar on estate planning with Eric Young from Steinbacher, Goodall, and Yurchak on September 19th. Learn More.
GAF offering New Products
Two new products are being offered by GAF, Ultra HD Composite and RUBEROID® UltraClad SBS Membrane.
Press Enterprise Best of the Best Voting is Underway
Many Chamber members are nominated for the Best of the Best of Columbia, Montour and Lower Luzerne Counties. Check out all the nominees and vote today!
Fall 2023 Career Expos
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania is excited to bring the power of all 3 of our universities together to benefit our students and employer partners across the state in a Fall 2023 Accounting and Financial Services Career Expo and Management, Supply Chain, Marketing, Technology and Analytics Expo on campus in Bloomsburg. Reach out to Darwin Kysor at 570-484-2181 to get more details about participation.
Camp Victory Community Open House Happening September 10th
Check out all the things planned for Camp Victory's 30th Anniversary Open house.
NEPIRC Manufacturing Day: October 13
Join NEPIRC on Friday, October 13th to celebrate the many contributions of our region’s manufacturing industry! At Manufacturing Day, you’ll be able to see product demonstrations; learn more about the cool products made right here in our local communities, and more!
Coming in October...Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc.'s Chili Cookoff & Fall Festival!
Stunning fall foliage and cooler temperatures create the perfect atmosphere for this first annual, family-friendly downtown Bloomsburg event. Read more.
How your business can take advantage of search
Understanding SEO and how it pertains to your business goals will help you take advantage of search and drive more traffic to your website or page. Large and small companies will benefit from optimizing their online presence. By incorporating some of our easy tips, you can increase your company's ranking, resulting in more traffic and online sales.
What is SEO? The acronym stands for search engine optimization and refers to writing content and developing websites with keywords, tags, and unique content that can increase the rank of an article, page, or the overall website.
Although Google is probably the best-known search engine, Bing and other search engines are also performers and will help drive traffic to your site. Both Google and Bing offer basic tools for business webmasters and will alert you if problems arise.
Tips for How Your Business Can Take Advantage of Search
Identify the keywords or phrases that people would use to search for your business. These have changed slightly as mobile device usage increases, and people speak into their phones rather than typing them on a computer. If you sell shoes, then some of the keywords would include well-known brand names you sell, men's shoes, women's shoes, shoes for children, shoes in your specific location.
Use geo identifiers in your website. Google maps is ideal for this. You simply embed a map onto your website which includes the physical location. Digital photos taken at your place of business often include a geocache and can be placed on the website or page you want to rank for that area.
Don't forget to claim your business on social media. Some of these sites have pre-made pages that include a business name and location. You will need to go in and claim these, which may include returning a post card or phone call.
Set up social media accounts including Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
Don't overlook the benefit of hashtags when posting links on these sites.
Find natural sites to place links to your site, through message boards and question/answer websites. You will gain more credibility if you actually go in and participate on these boards.
Carefully consider the overall layout and design of your website. Photographs draw the eye, but for a site to rank, it does need solid content.
Content should be written with both the reader and bots in mind. Engaging content that delivers true value to the reader is imperative. When writing content, most people will naturally use secondary keywords related to the main article keywords. Overall, the main keyword density should be 3-4%. The keyword should be used in both the first and last paragraphs.
"H" tags play an important role in how search engine bots read content. A title is typically written in an h1 format, while the remaining content will be posted in descending order from h2 on down. The "h" tags essentially provide a value to each of the phrases, with h1 being the most important.
Add content on a regular basis. You can add more pages to a website using a blog, or by adding more services or items. Whether you add it daily or weekly, be sure to add it on a regular schedule.
One of the most important, and often overlooked items is to make certain that your website has a sitemap and that it has been submitted to the search engines. Contact the Chamber for more tips and ideas to help your business grow.
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The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike.
New Member Highlight – Catering For You
Catering for You was started in 2020 and provides catering of any size to any location. Everything is made from scratch.
With over 30 combined years of catering experience, the Catering for You team is dedicated to ensuring your event is filled with delicious food and exemplary service.
Menus are outlines that can be modified to fit your needs and they will take care of the cooking, serving, and clean up so you can enjoy the entirety of your event.
Reach Chamber Members
Reach over 400 business decision-makers in the September ChamberPack mailing the week of September 5th.
This is an easy, low-cost, bi-monthly, direct-mail advertising solution. You print the flyer, we mail it out. It's that simple.
Here’s how to participate :
Sign and return the reservation form with payment to the Chamber Space is limited. Get the form here.
Submit proof to the Chamber for approval prior to duplication by August 21st.
Provide 440 printed fliers* (Do not fold) by August 28th.
We’ll insert, label, post, and mail your information with other fliers all for just $115 for one page and $10 for each additional page...it’s that simple!
Reserve 3 or more ChamberPacks in advance and save $10 per mailing.
*Fliers must be printed on 8.5 x 11 in. 20lb. paper. If your materials are heavier or larger than this standard size, additional charges will be applied.
Flyers must comply with Chamber Advertising Policy.
How Small Businesses Can Use Technology to Thrive During Economic Uncertainty
SUMMARY
- Globalization and online platforms revolutionize small businesses, enabling local reach and global growth through smart marketing.
- Small businesses can overcome obstacles by leveraging platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy to increase exposure and consumer trust.
- Online reviews drive improved marketing strategies and customer satisfaction, saving businesses time and money.
799 words ~ 4 minute read
There’s good reason for small businesses to feel hopeful in 2023. Consumer spending is fueling a solid recovery, with post-pandemic travel and entertainment leading the way. Job growth is happening too, with 187,000 jobs added in July. Still, many small business owners continue to work hard to bounce back from the economic slowdown, with many citing hiring and supply chain issues as their top concerns. Despite the anxiety that comes with economic uncertainty, existing technologies and online platforms provide small businesses with solutions that did not exist 15 years ago during the Great Recession. Small business owners who leverage these advantages can thrive despite economic uncertainty and even get ahead of their competition. Here are four small business strategies to help fortify your business in both good and challenging economic times.
Strategy #1: Stay Local, Go Global
In 2008, businesses who relied on in-store customers did not have much room to pivot. Likewise, geography played a huge role in which businesses survived and which businesses died during the pandemic. Many small businesses simply were not set up for online sales, much less to appeal to markets beyond their region.
Today, globalization has helped even the playing field for small businesses. Businesses focused on growing their customer base by expanding into online channels are able to maintain their local presence while building a national, even global, reputation. Offering your products and services online is an important first step, but it’s essential to capitalize on your increased exposure through proven marketing strategies that let you communicate with potential customers directly.
Using a lead magnet to collect email addresses is a simple and effective strategy for increasing your online sales. Rather than relying on organic traffic, social media algorithms, or ad spend, email marketing allows your business to build trust with potential customers before they buy. It’s also a fast track to sharing sales, promotions, and new offers with a warm audience.
Strategy #2: Join Forces
It can be challenging for small businesses to sell directly to consumers, when they’re first starting out. That’s why many market experts encourage small businesses to uplevel onto platforms that provide greater exposure. From Ebay to Amazon, or even Etsy for some microenterprises, global platforms also come with increased consumer confidence.
While it takes time to get started on some online platforms, the effort spent is well worth it. Budget some additional time to learn how to optimize your products for specific platforms, including how to write SEO descriptions that match what your ideal customer is plugging into google. In “4 Ways to Use Amazon Marketplace to Fuel Business Growth,” Mark Wieczorek, entrepreneur and Amazon business owner, recommends planning for additional inventory, tailoring your product descriptions to support Amazon’s algorithm, studying your reviews, and thinking through your full marketing funnel.
A final benefit of selling your products online is that it allows you to experiment with price points. As consumers penny pinch, even luxury brands are finding new ways to keep loyal customers by offering less expensive products that carry the high-end brand name.
Strategy #3: Tune In
When small businesses prioritize online customer reviews, they receive many advantages. Understanding your customer’s motivations is one of the most valuable. For the savvy small business owner, these discoveries can translate into better marketing campaigns and ad spend.
Michel Falcon, hospitality entrepreneur and Entrepreneur magazine contributor, says that businesses can collect customer data without violating privacy. He prefers the term ‘customer intelligence’ to customer data because this information helps companies provide a better customer experience. He not only recommends implementing online reviews but also harnessing the power of following your customer’s online channels or themes in their social media posts. While researching your customer’s habits may seem like borderline ‘stalking,’ the information is public and can be utilized to provide a personal touch that increases consumer loyalty. Bottom line: listening to your customers will save you time and money and increase customer satisfaction.
Strategy #4: Add a Human Touch
Expanding into online channels, emailing your subscribers, and mining your customer reviews, are great strategies to reach new and existing customers, even in tough economic times. But if you actually want more positive reviews and returning customers, you have to do one more thing: obsess about your customer’s online experience.
When customers come into your store, you have multiple ways to customize their experience. But in an online setting, the customer experience encompasses everything from product descriptions to the checkout and thank you pages. Small businesses familiar with providing a personal touch can really stand out by considering each stage of the customer journey. To set your business up for success, make sure to think through how you want your customers to feel from beginning to end, then design your technology to provide a unique and human experience.
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The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. This vision for our communications is rooted in our mission statement, that the Chamber "represents employers in supporting vibrant, sustainable communities in Columbia and Montour Counties."
Expanding Mental Health Benefits
Source: My Benefit Advisor
In the past couple years, many employers have expanded their company’s
mental health benefits as a show of support for potential jobseekers, employees and their families. The intention is to help promote employee wellbeing through better access and improved benefit levels for those feeling stressed about personal or work-life matters.
Workers seem to appreciate the efforts and are taking advantage of the services. Some of the changes business owners are making include:
• Increasing access to mental health services through methods like telehealth
• An expansion of access to in-network mental health providers
• Reduced cost sharing for mental healthcare visits
• The addition or expansion of employee assistance programs for mental health services
• Access to yoga, meditation and mindfulness sessions at the workplace or home
• Providing apps that support wellness, focusing on fitness, sleep and relaxation
By addressing issues like stress and anxiety in a more proactive fashion, employers can reduce or even eliminate costly treatment for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac problems. The small financial investment the employer makes now can often save substantial costs in the future.
The Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Stephen Lylo at (800) 377-3539.