Small Business Connect Seminar: Marketing & E-Commerce Tools

Temple Chamber of Commerce Staff

Local business owners, pictured above from left to right, Paul Carr (Paul Carr Consulting), H.B. Macey (Perry Office Plus), Gram Short (Bulldog Auto Detailing), and Jacob Rodriguez (Dapper & Dashin’ Salon), led a panel discussion moderated by City of Temple Communications Manager Lindsay Francis for the Chamber’s June 27, 2023, Small Business Connect Seminar.

The discussion was a deeper dive into a session presented at the Governor’s Small Business Summit earlier this year. Each panelist described tactics and tools they use to attract customers and measure the performance of their marketing dollars.

“We began funneling our Facebook ads to our website, which led to more qualified leads and higher conversion rates,” shared Gram Short, owner of Bulldog Auto Detailing.

Consultant Paul Carr suggests taking small but significant steps, such as adding a Facebook pixel to your website for better tracking of prospects and customers who come to your website via the social platform.

“You want to look for opportunities to show the customer experience,” advised Jacob Rodriguez of Dapper & Dashin’ Salon, noting that salons are notorious for

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175 E. Lake, Belton (Behind CVS) 254-613-5638 taking videos and pictures of the back of clients’ heads. “Capture their smiling faces after your services. That’s what really conveys the experience.”

H.B. Macey of Perry Office Plus touts their customer service as a key component of how the business markets itself. Macey acknowledges Perry Office Plus cannot compete with Amazon, although the online behemoth is considered a direct competitor in the sale of office supplies.

“We identified where Amazon has weaknesses and made them our strengths,” he continued. He pointed out that while you can order office furniture on the website, Perry Office delivers and installs your office design. Perry Office also has dedicated account managers that keep a pulse on what their clients purchase to learn more about what they’re not buying from Perry and why.

Small Business Connect is a quarterly breakfast series aimed at business owners seeking to connect with and gain knowledge from proven, successful business leaders. Join us in September for the next one. Check the Chamber calendar for dates.