Montrose Area Chamber talks social media; new president at helm

Montrose Area Chamber of Commerce members focused on their social media presence at the organization’s February meeting.

Rachel Barney, Director of Marketing at JHA Companies, offered tips small businesses could use to enhance their social media presence, specifically Facebook.

“Everyone is on it,” she said of the social media giant, adding that many people use the site as a resource to get information about a business.

Barney highlighted the importance of keeping information on their business pages current with up-to-day hours and other information. She said that if she found a business page that had not been updated in three years, that personally she would assume the company was no longer in business.

She noted that the site’s scheduling feature could be used in advance to prepare posts about changes in hours due to holidays, etc. She also advised users to utilize the scheduling tool to add posts to their page at specific dates and times.

As for content, Barney suggested users post “industry specific” information but advised users to keep the posts fun as well as interesting. “People are interested at a very shallow level,” she said of the social media site users.

She also warned about the use of copyrighted materials and advised business owners to use their own photos or stock images.  Barney said posts from like-businesses and organizations could be “shared.”

Research has shown the marketing professional that there are key times to post to garner more views: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from noon-4 p.m. But, she said, “know your audience” and track the progress of posts to see when people are online. She advised page managers to experiment and refine the time schedule in order to see what works for their business.

Barney also cautioned the audience about “oversharing,” which she said prompt users to “mute” ore “hide” the business’ posts.

“Every business is different,” she said. “Figure out what works for you but consistency is important.”

Josh Edwards, PSBank Assistant Vice President and Relationship Officer, took over as the new president of the Montrose Area Chamber of Commerce in January. He replaced Tammy Bonnice, of Williams Companies, who served as the president for seven year.

“She brought the Chamber to where it is today with community and business involvement,” Edwards said, lauding his predecessors accomplishments.

Edwards is looking to build on that. “We want to create value for businesses in everything we do,” he said, citing increasing involvement in the Third Friday in Montrose events, and membership meeting topics beneficial to Chamber members. There are plans to hold business mixers and networking events.

He envisions the Chamber as a catalyst for growth in the community. “When businesses in the area succeed and win, then Montrose succeeds and wins,” he said.

And Edwards sees growth in the local business community. “We can get accustomed to how things are and lose sight of what is happening all around us,” he said.

He pointed to Montrose’s successful Christmas in Montrose and July 4 events. “There’s a lot of potential here,” he said. “Those events don’t happen in a dying town, you see those kinds of events in towns that are full of life.”

Since coming on board, Edwards has been visiting Chamber members and has been struck by the range of businesses in the area. “It’s not a one note song, but a symphony of businesses that are so diverse,” he said.

For more information, including membership details, visit: www.montrosearea.com.