CHAMBER newsletter December 2020
Inside: Gearing up your business for the Holidays and the New Year
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
PLATINUM MEMBERS
2021 Executive
2021 Board
Board of Directors
of Directors
Danette Doyle
Connie Koepke
President The Pioneer Group
GOLD MEMBERS
Mecosta County Area
SILVER MEMBERS
Convention & Visitors Josh Eling Treasurer Isabella Bank
Bureau Jim Sandy Mecosta County
Jeff Godfrey Secretary Spectrum Health Heather Bowman
Development Corporation Pat Currie
Downtown Business Association
Stay connected by reading the Chamber’s blog! My Chamber Connect is updated frequently with helpful articles, information about the county, video tutorials and commentary!
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce 127 South State Street, Big Rapids Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-7649 • Fax: (231) 796-1625 mecostacounty.com
SOCIAL NETWORKING facebook.com/mcacc
City of Big Rapids
Member At Large
For information on becoming a member of the Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce, please contact us.
Currie's BP Amoco
Member At Large
Josh Pyles
LEADING BUSINESSES, LEADING COMMUNITIES
twitter.com/mcacc2017
STAFF
Allison Heinrich
Events Coordinator & Administrative Assistant events@mecostacounty.com
instagram.com/mecostacountychamber
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THREE TIPS FOR HOLIDAY MARKETING IN 2020 By Tom Wozniak, Forbes.com As we head into the fall, the traditional holiday season is right around the corner. In fact, if you shop in person at any of the big home improvement stores, you will not only see the expected Halloween decorating options, but plenty of inflatable Santas and other Christmas decorations. It seems like everyone complains about holiday season creep each year, thinking the season starts earlier and earlier. While 2020 may be no different in that respect, it is very different when it comes to overall holiday marketing planning.
also get those holiday promotions out even earlier than in previous years. The extra time will help address any potential delivery issues and help get your products delivered before the holidays. Based on what I’m seeing, many companies are taking this approach, kicking off the holiday season even earlier than in previous years. Make Sure Email Is In Your Plan While I already mentioned that a focus on digital marketing channels is a must for the holiday season, email should play a prominent role in your lineup. We already know that email is a consistent top performer when it comes to driving return on investment (ROI), but the channel also lends itself well to the particular challenges and opportunities presented by the 2020 holiday season.
I think the term “unprecedented” gets tossed around a lot with regard to 2020, but sometimes the word really fits. In the case of holiday marketing in 2020, it seems pretty much spot on. So, how can marketers actually prepare and execute on their holiday marketing strategies this year? Here are just a few tips. Rethink The Traditional Playbook Marketers are creatures of habit. When it comes to holiday marketing, we like to look at what we did last year, evaluate what worked and what didn’t, and use that as a starting point for our planning. However, this assumes the world is mostly the same as the year before, or at least hasn’t changed in any fundamental ways. Here comes 2020 to just completely wreck that standard practice. Last year, most of your customers probably commuted to work, had kids attending school in person, went to stores in person and maybe even traveled regularly. Suddenly, your audience’s behavior has changed in dramatic ways. So, many of those plans you used in past years to connect with your audience may now be obsolete. While you don’t need to start entirely from scratch, you do need to reassess virtually every part of your holiday marketing playbook to make sure it is still relevant in 2020. Are you trying
to drive people to make purchases in stores or take any action in the real world? You may want to reconsider that. The key here is to take a step back from your traditional holiday marketing planning and think about what strategies and tactics make sense in 2020. You may not always have good historical data to back up your decisions, which can be challenging for performance-focused marketers. You may want to think about most, if not all, of your campaigns as tests and be prepared to pivot quickly once you start getting initial performance data. It’s A Digital Holiday In 2020 One aspect of your marketing strategy that has likely already shifted in 2020 is a more serious focus on digital channels. This isn’t going to change during the holiday season.
In fact, you may want to lean in even more heavily on digital marketing than you have been. Forecasts suggest that this will be a digital-first holiday as even more consumers shift their shopping to online channels. However, shifting more of your marketing campaigns to digital channels isn’t the only thing you’ll need to consider. If your business involves a physical product, you need to take shipping into consideration. As companies continue to drive online purchases heading into the holiday season, it will stretch the shipping and delivery infrastructure even further. If you haven’t experienced any issues or delays with having packages shipped to your home, you’re probably in the minority. Your best strategy is to continue leveraging your digital channels, but
Email campaigns deliver near-instant performance feedback after launch, which allows you to quickly adjust strategy and optimize performance on each subsequent campaign. Email can also be very nimble, allowing you to create and send campaigns quickly so you can adapt and take advantage of opportunities. If you see a product or service driving orders from your audience, you can quickly create and send out dedicated email campaigns to capitalize on the trend and ride the wave of buyer interest. Start by scheduling regular campaigns to drop at key intervals, but also block out tentative times in between the regular campaigns for impromptu initiatives. This will help keep you focused on identifying those real-time opportunities to create custom campaigns that take advantage of the performance trends you begin to identify in your regular campaigns. The 2020 holiday season presents both a real challenge and a tremendous opportunity for marketers. Make sure you are prepared to take the best advantage of what the season sends your way.
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CHAMBER NEWS AND INFO
NOTICE: THE CHAMBER OFFICE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. OUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT IS WORKING REMOTELY, SO PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT VIA EMAIL EVENTS@MECOSTACOUNTY.COM OR BY CALLING THE OFFICE PHONE AT 231-796-7649 AND LEAVING A MESSAGE.
Special Thank You to all of our Ambassador Club Volunteers!
DECEMBER 2020
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GFWC BIG RAPIDS DONATES TO NURSING HOME
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GFWC SHARES LOVE OF BOOKS WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS
A display of the donated items.
GFWC Big Rapids members learned that many residents of a local nursing home cannot or do not have visitors as a result of isolation due to the corona virus. In an effort to bring some smiles to the residents, items for goodie bags were collected from Club members to be distributed to 73 residents at Altercare. Several club members met and put together the gifts including 12 bags with lotions and body wash, 9 Kleenex boxes (with lotion), 7 sun catchers with small Kleenex packets attached, 11 note pads with pen, pencil and sharpener, 24 coloring and/or puzzle books with crayons, pencils and sharpeners, 5 makeup bags with lotion and Kleenex, 2 bags with stuffed animals, 3 lotions and chap stick sets and 1 bag full of extra pens and pencils. They were delivered to the home to be presented by the staff to the residents.
GFWC Member Joyce Iltis and Our Brother’s Keeper Board Chair Leslie Parish
Members of GFWC Big Rapids recognize the importance of reading in the lives of young children. During the fall of 2019, boxes were placed in the Big Rapids elementary schools for students, parents and teachers to donate new or gently used books. These books were gathered and stored at the Big Rapids Community Library where they are sorted and children’s books set aside for care by members of GFWC Big Rapids. During the year, members sorted and cleaned 109 books, a portion of which were shared with Friends of the Library for their book sale. The balance of the supply that were appropriate for ages 4-8 were shared with NEMSCA Head Start, WISE and Our Brother’s Keeper.
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
How to join the Chamber All types of businesses are welcome to join the Chamber and anyone that feels they would benefit from additional marketing, networking and educational opportunities are encouraged to take advantage of all of the benefits that the Chamber has to offer! Joining the Chamber is easy, all you have to do is fill out the application form and submit with your annual dues. Payment options are available. You can receive the application form by going to our website at www.mecostacounty. com, by stopping in our office at 127 South State Street, Big Rapids or by
mecostacounty.com
calling us at 231-796-7649 and requesting a packet be mailed to you. Your benefits start immediately once the application is received. It’s just that easy! Let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to serving you!
Leadership Mecosta is a dynamic 9 month program for people who wish to connect with other leaders in the Mecosta County community. Members have the opportunity to learn leadership skills and principles, grow in serving the community, and lead into the future of Mecosta County. For more information on the 2020-2021 class, please visit www.leadershipmecosta.com
DECEMBER 2020
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BEST PRACTICES WHEN FORECASTING CASH FLOW SBAM.org, Courtesy of Yeo & Yeo Cash flow is a top concern for most businesses today. Cash flow forecasts can help you predict potential shortfalls and proactively address working capital gaps. They can also help avoid late payments, identify late-paying customers and find alternative sources of funding when cash is tight. To keep your company’s cash flow positive, consider applying these four best practices. 1. Identify peak needs Many businesses are cyclical, and their cash flow needs may vary by month or season. Trouble can arise when an annual budget doesn’t reflect, for example, three months of peak production in the summer to fill holiday orders followed by a return to normal production in the fall. For seasonal operations — such as homebuilders, farms, landscaping companies, recreational facilities and many nonprofits — using a one-size-fits-all approach can throw budgets off, sometimes dramatically. It’s critical to identify peak sales and production times, forecast your cash flow needs and plan accordingly. 2. Account for everything Effective cash flow management requires anticipating and capturing every expense and incoming payment, as well as — to the greatest extent possible — the exact timing of each payable and receivable. But pinpointing exact costs and expenditures for every day of the week can be challenging. Companies can face an array of additional costs, overruns and payment delays. Although inventorying all possible expenses can be a tedious and timeconsuming exercise, it can help avoid problems down the road.
3. Seek sources of contingency funding As your business expands or contracts, a dedicated line of credit with a bank can help meet your cash flow needs, including any periodic cash shortages. Interest rates on these credit lines can be comparatively high compared to other types of loans. So, lines of credit typically are used to cover only short-term operational costs, such as payroll and supplies. They also may require significant collateral and personal guarantees from the company’s owners.
4. Identify potential obstacles For most companies, the biggest cash flow obstacle is slow collections from customers. Your business should invoice customers in a timely manner and offer easy, convenient ways for customers to pay (such as online bill pay). For new customers, it’s important to perform a thorough credit check to avoid delayed payments and write-offs. Another common obstacle is poor resource management. Redundant machinery, misguided investments and oversize offices
are just a few examples of poorly managed expenses and overhead that can negatively affect cash flow. Adjusting as you grow and adapt Your company’s cash flow needs today likely aren’t what they were three years ago — or even six months ago. And they’ll probably change as you continue to adjust to the new normal. That’s why it’s important to make cash flow forecasting an integral part of your overall business planning.
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Head to www.mecostacounty.com to the events tab for dates & to join the Chamber Connect group!
DECEMBER 2020
DECEMBER 2020
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
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Sources: SCORE/SBA; Fundera
Visit ThePioneerDirectory.com to see what's open and support our community! Know a business that would like a free listing on ThePioneerDirectory.com?
Find out how at BigRapidsNews.com/listOFB
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
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YOUR LAKEFRONT EXPERT!
Michelle D Moen Financial Advisor Michelle D Moen Michelle D Moen Financial Advisor
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101 S Michigan Ave
101 S Michigan Ave
101 Michigan Ave Big Rapids, MI 49307 101SSBig Michigan Ave Rapids, Big Rapids, MI 49307MI 49307 231-796-5446 Big Rapids, MI 49307 231-796-5446 231-796-5446
231-796-5446
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8520 100th Ave. Canadian Lakes, MI 49346
KATHY ADAMS
www.canadianlakeshomes.com
kadamscblakes@gmail.com
231.972.8300
Member Member SIPC SIPC
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DECEMBER 2020
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
Gingerbread House Competition Adult Category 1st Prize $50 Gift Card each, Artworks/ RedFox/Old Pioneer Store 2nd Prize $25 Gift Card each, Artworks/ RedFox/Old Pioneer Store 3rd Prize $10 Gift Card each, Artworks/ RedFox/Old Pioneer Store
Children’s Category 1st Prize 12 cupcakes + 12 cookies, Three Girls Bakery 2nd Prize 12 cupcakes, Three Girls Bakery 3rd Prize 6 cupcakes, Three Girls Bakery
Drop off Dates: Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11 ONLY! Drop off at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave. Downtown Big Rapids. Entry must be tagged with only your name, phone number, and email address. Judging will occur Thursday, December 17 in all three locations. Results will be posted on the Artworks web site and Facebook page.
Note: We will not be responsible for breakage. Your house will be on display in a store window where it will remain until you pick it up on December 21 or 22.
For more information, contact denise@artworksinbigrapids.org or visit artworksinbigrapids.org.
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
GFWC BIG RAPIDS “FESTIVE OF MITTEN TREES” READY FOR DONATIONS
GFWC Members Sue Bean, President Ann Stellard, Vicki Vogel, Melanie Henry and Mary Bechaz
GFWC Big Rapids annually sponsors a Mitten Tree for the collection of warm items for children in need in the community. This year they decided to expand their display to a “Festival of Mitten Trees” to collect mittens, gloves, hats, scarves – any item that would help keep a child warm during the winter months. Located in the lobby of Artworks in downtown Big Rapids, the Mitten Trees along with collection boxes will be available from November 16 through December 7. Donations from the community are welcome. All items collected will be distributed to WISE, Project Starburst, and Our Brothers Keeper for children in need.
DECEMBER 2020
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
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WELCOME LUKAS SCHROEDER AS ARTWORKS' NEW FUND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Lukas will be working with our circle of generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers to guide their support and steward their gifts. He brings with him experience in event coordination and donor relations, most recently with ArtPrize.
humanities. If you have any questions about donations or sponsorships (or want to know how to give and why it matters!), you can reach Lukas at lukas@ artworksinbigrapids.org or 231-796-2420, ext.14.
“After seven years spent around Michigan, my fiancée (Amy Walling) and I didn't hesitate when presented an opportunity to return home. We are excited to rediscover what made this community such a vibrant place to grow up — especially the high value placed on the arts and
STAYING CREATIVE DURING THE HOLIDAYS
tĞůĐŽŵĞ >ƵŬĂƐ ^ĐŚƌŽĞĚĞƌ ĂƐ ƌƚǁŽƌŬƐΖ ŶĞǁ &ƵŶĚ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ D
>ƵŬĂƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƵƌ ĐŝƌĐůĞ ŽĨ ŐĞŶĞƌŽƵƐ ĚŽŶŽƌƐ͕ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ǀŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ƐƚĞǁĂƌĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŐŝĨƚƐ͘ ,Ğ ďƌŝŶŐƐ ǁŝƚŚ Śŝŵ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ĞǀĞŶƚ ĐŽŽƌĚŝŶ ĚŽŶŽƌ ƌĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐ͕ ŵŽƐƚ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ǁŝƚŚ ƌƚWƌŝnjĞ͘ “After seven years spent around MichigĂŶ͕ ŵLJ ĨŝĂŶĐĠĞ ; ŵLJ tĂůůŝŶŐͿ ĂŶĚ / ĚŝĚŶΖƚ ŚĞƐ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĞĚ ĂŶ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ƚŽ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŚŽŵĞ͘ tĞ ĂƌĞ ĞdžĐŝƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƌĞĚŝƐĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŚĂƚ ŵĂĚĞ ƚ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ƐƵĐŚ Ă ǀŝďƌĂŶƚ ƉůĂĐĞ ƚŽ ŐƌŽǁ ƵƉ — ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƉůĂĐĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŚƵŵĂŶŝƚŝĞƐ͘ /Ĩ LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ĂŶLJ ƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ĚŽŶĂƚŝŽŶƐ Žƌ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐŚŝƉƐ ;Žƌ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁ ŚŽǁ ƚŽ ǁŚLJ ŝƚ ŵĂƚƚĞƌƐ͊Ϳ͕ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƌĞĂĐŚ >ƵŬĂƐ Ăƚ ůƵŬĂƐΛĂƌƚǁŽƌŬƐŝŶďŝŐƌĂƉŝĚƐ͘ŽƌŐ Žƌ ϮϯϭͲϳϵϲͲϮ ϭϰ͘
Artworks has many opportunities to
experiences, feel free to bring wine and
While After School Art does not meet over Tuesday or by appointment. We have grown school break, this year we will be having our pre-fired bisque collection for those just season. Whether you are looking for some Open Studio for Youth on Tuesday December looking for that special piece to glaze and Stained glass ornament workshops, which art therapy or to create a gift for someone 22 and 29 from 1-3pm. We will have a variety give as a gift. are also a part of our social art experiences, ƌƚǁŽƌŬƐ ŚĂƐ ŵĂŶLJ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ LJŽƵ ĐƌĞĂƚŝŶŐ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŚŽůŝĚĂLJ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ͘ tŚĞƚŚĞƌ LJŽƵ special, we have you covered! of projects available such as acrylic painting, are always popular in December. This year, For all class and workshop time, and to collage, watercolor, and pottery glazing. All Join pottery artist, Margo Berke, for we will be having two ornament workshops. register, please visit our website or stop in to ĂƌĞ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƐŽŵĞ Ăƌƚ ƚŚĞƌĂƉLJ Žƌ ƚŽ ĐƌĞĂƚĞ Ă ŐŝĨƚ ĨŽƌ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů͕ ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ LJŽƵ ĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ͊ students grade K-12 are welcome. a Holiday Mug Glazing Workshop on The first on December 3rd and the 2nd on The Painted Turtle Gift Shop. keep you creating during the holiday snacks and make a night ^ƚĂLJŝŶŐ ƌĞĂƚŝǀĞ ƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ,ŽůŝĚĂLJƐ out of it!
November 12 to glaze a mug for yourself December 10th. If you are looking for a unique gift, we or to give as a gift. As part of our social art do have Open Pottery Studio every other :ŽŝŶ ƉŽƚƚĞƌLJ ĂƌƚŝƐƚ͕ DĂƌŐŽ ĞƌŬĞ͕ ĨŽƌ Ă ,ŽůŝĚĂLJ DƵŐ 'ůĂnjŝŶŐ tŽƌŬƐŚŽƉ ŽŶ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ ϭϮ ƚŽ ŐůĂnjĞ Ă ŵƵŐ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌƐĞůĨ Žƌ ƚŽ ŐŝǀĞ ĂƐ Ă ŐŝĨƚ͘ Ɛ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƐŽĐŝĂů Ăƌƚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞƐ͕ ĨĞĞů ĨƌĞĞ ƚŽ ďƌŝŶŐ ǁŝŶĞ ĂŶĚ ƐŶĂĐŬƐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŬĞ Ă ŶŝŐŚƚ ŽƵƚ ŽĨ ŝƚ͊
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DECEMBER 2020
Members Bulletin Board
This section is dedicated to Chamber members who are utilizing their marketing opportunities as one of the many values of belonging to the Chamber:
Artworks. Creative Night Out: Stained Glass Ornaments
Big Rapids Community Library bigrapids.lib.mi.us
Activities & Events have been suspended until further notice. For more information and updates visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Thursday, Dec. 3 & 10, 6-8 PM Holiday Open Studio
Tuesday, December 22 & 29, 1-3 PM After School Art
Tuesdays, Dec. 1-Feb. 25, 3:45-5:15PM (No class over break) Open Pottery Studio
Dec. 8 & 22, Jan. 7 & 21, Feb. 4 & 18 5-8 PM Basket Weaving: Holiday Door Knob Basket
Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 AM - 3 PM Holiday Market
RECYCLE! Of Mecosta County MONDAY 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. SATURDAY 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 424 N. 4th Street Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-9872
Please call ahead or check out an organization's website for up-to-date schedules & information!
Nov. 16 - Dec. 24, in the Painted Turtle Gift Shop For class descriptions, fees, and registration visit artworksinbigrapids.org/classes or scan QR code
DECEMBER 2020
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
We're looking to add new members to the Board of Directors & the Chamber Ambassador Club! Interested? Email us! events@mecostacounty.com
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DECEMBER 2020
6 DECEMBER TASKS TO GET YOUR BUSINESS HUMMING IN JANUARY The holidays: time for great food, cozy fireplace memories, and nerve-wracking last-minute existential business crises. By Jonathan Herrick, Hatchbuck.com Year-end planning is essential for small businesses, but as soon as the responsibilities of service delivery, administrative tasks, and marketing start to fall on you, December suddenly feels like it’s only a week long. How can you determine what’s essential to do now, and what needs to wait until later? Every business is a little different, but here are the six tasks we believe you should prioritize now so that your business runs smoothly after the champagne runs out and the new calendar goes up. #1: Get out of the office and give. Charitable contributions of time or money are not just a good idea for the tax benefits, they also boost the wellbeing of your business and your team. Giving requires you to slow down and shake off the frenzy of busy SMB life. It’s good for your employees and your bottom line, too. Doing work in your community and donating your time and money gives your organization publicity, which can lead to new opportunities in surprising places. Plus, getting away from the daily grind and into unfamiliar environments actually improves your brain functioning – so if your team needs a creative jolt, spend a workday volunteering. #2: Set your high-level goals for next year. It’s great if you want to grow business (most businesses do). But what does that mean, exactly? If you don’t have capacity for many more clients, it may be time to raise your rates or explore new product or service offerings. If you can handle many more customers, how will you determine how many more you need? Set a realistic revenue goal for 2019 and work backward from it. What will you need to do in three months, one month, one week, and right now to achieve it?
Lay out a step-by-step growth plan so you can chip away at your goal a little bit every day. Remember: when goals go unmet, the cause isn’t usually lack of motivation but lack of a plan. #3: Put customer service at the heart of business. Marketing pro Seth Godin urges businesses to ask themselves one honest question: “would my customers miss me if I were gone?” Unfortunately, many businesses are replaceable in the minds of those they serve. Don’t let your business be one of those. Brainstorm ways for every department to put customer service at the heart of what they do. Although some tend to think of customer service as the process of managing customers’ problems when things go wrong, this is only one facet. Customer service is sending helpful resources to your new clients because you want them to succeed. It’s the follow-up email after a software download to check that things are going well. It’s finding inventive new ways to add value where none was expected. #4: Pick your marketing focus. Digital marketing has opened incredible doors for business in the last decade. It’s also created a lot of false expectations. Though big corporations have the budget to dominate every possible marketing channel, this isn’t a luxury SMBs can afford. If you try every possible marketing tactic, you’ll likely see fewer results than if you focus intently on one or two areas. Where should you focus your marketing? The answer is surprisingly simple: where your customers are. If you’re a B2B company whose customers spend most of their day in front of a computer, email marketing and content marketing may be your best bet. If you sell to teenagers and young millennials, Instagram ads may be your next focus. Take the time to research where your ideal customers spend their time, and allocate
your marketing resources to connect with them there. #5: Don’t forget about taxes. December is an excellent time to have a sit-down with your accountant or financial advisor about your tax responsibilities. If you’re behind on estimated payments or you’ve overpaid, it’s better to get an idea now than to get smacked with a bill next year. Get a clear idea of what to expect in terms of tax deductions, local tax laws, and (if you’re a solo professional or a freelancer) whether you’ll be better off filing jointly or separately from your spouse. If you’ve seen a lot of revenue growth this year, you may be in a new tax bracket, which could result in some stressful surprises if you don’t catch them early. #6: Improve automation.
productivity
with
Not everything can, or should, be automated. But if you haven’t explored the capabilities of automation (especially when it comes to transactional emails, evergreen marketing campaigns, and administrative tasks), now’s the time. Think of it: instead of sending the same sales email or invoice template to each customer manually, you can take your time back with automation. Instead of scouring through lists of potential clients, you can use automation to score the interest level of your leads based on their behavior on your website – and prioritize those most interested in you. You can automatically send valuable resources to different customers segments based on their unique interests without having to lift a finger, meaning you get all of that time back to do what you do.
Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
DECEMBER 2020
presents
November 16-December 24 Check out our 13 new Michigan artists joining us for the holiday season. Their work will only be avail able for six weeks, so come early. Not sure what to buy? Gift certificates to The Painted Turtle are a great gift option that lets your loved one choose a unique piece that they love! And, remember, we always offer free gift wrapping! Small Business Saturday Home for Holidays Shopping Night Saturday, November 28 Thursday, December 17, 5-8 p.m. Gingerbread House Competition Entries due Friday, December 11 106 N Michigan Avenue Big Rapids, MI 49307 231.796.2420 artworksinbigrapids.org
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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com
*All events are subject to change or cancellation.
MECOSTA COUNTY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
DECEMBER 2020
20
Dec 6
AMVETS Auxiliary Monthly Breakfast
@ Post 1941 from 9-11:30 AM
Dec 7
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Dec 10
First evening of Hanukkah
Dec 13
Mecosta VFW Pancake Breakfast
8:00-11:30AM
Dec 17
DECEMBER 2020
SPECIAL DAYS GFWC MONTHLY MEETINGS 2ND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, SEPTEMBER THROUGH MAY AT THE BIG RAPIDS PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT. CALL 231-349-7743 FOR MORE INFORMATION.
ARTWORKS
OPEN POTTERY STUDIO: DEC. 8 & 22, JAN. 7 & 21, FEB. 4 & 18, 5-8 PM OPEN HOLIDAY STUDIO: TUESDAY, DEC. 22 & 29, 1-3 PM CREATIVE NIGHT OUT: STAINED GLASS ORNAMENTS: THURS, DEC. 3 & 10, 6-8 PM AFTER SCHOOL ART: TUESDAYS,DEC. 1-FEB. 25, 3:45-5:15 PM BASKET WEAVING: HOLIDAY DOOR KNOB BASKET SATURDAY, DEC. 12, 9 AM- 3 PM
QI GONG RED FOX MARKET
TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS BEGINNER: 10-10:30 AM ADVANCED: 10:30-11 AM
Foot Care Clinic
BIG RAPIDS COMMUNITY LIBRARY @ the Mecosta County Senior Center
STORY TIME - MONS & WEDS 10:30-11:30A
COMMUNITY PLAYGROUP - TUES 9:30-11:30A KNIT NIGHT - 1ST & 3RD THURS 6:30-8:30P
from 10AM-2PM
TINY TOTS TINKER LAB - FRIDAYS 10:30-11:30A
Dec 18
Last day of Hanukkah
BIG RAPIDS ROTARY CLUB MEETS EVERY TUESDAY AT NOON AT FALCON HEAD
Dec 21
Winter Solstice
Dec 24
Last day of Artworks' Holiday Market
Dec 24
Christmas Eve
Dec 25
Christmas Day
Dec 31
New Year's Eve
BIG RAPIDS LIONS CLUB MEETS EVERY SECOND AND FOURTH MONDAYS OF THE MONTH, 6:30 P.M. AT #52 SPORTS BAR AND KITCHEN.
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, CHAPTER 18
A SERVICE OFFICER IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST VETERANS IN RECEIVING BENEFITS. THURSDAYS 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AT THE DAV IN BIG RAPIDS. ALL VETERANS WELCOME