There are steps local businesses can take to increase foot traffic, including many inexpensive options. Our guest panelists covered a variety of ideas during our recent Business Builder Workshop in Dunkirk

Bob Lingle, the newest addition to our CHQ Chamber staff as Director of Membership Development, also knows a few things about building a customer base for his own small business. Celebrating seven years of ownership of Good Neighbor Bookstore in Lakewood, Bob has become the true face of the business – a role he is now sharing with his wife as she has taken on the day-to-day operations at the store. Bob reviewed his use of three basic social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Stressing that you don’t need to use all platforms, with a focus on those that are comfortable for your use and what you can manage on a regular basis, Bob noted it’s important to create content (images or video) that showcases your products and will engage your audience, keep your messages frequent and consistent, and include a call to action. He also reminded participants to check their online engagement measurements against sales data, to see what may be working and when.

Dawn Murphy, the owner of Whizz-n-Smash, has been producing specialty small batch nut butters from her licensed home kitchen and sells them throughout Chautauqua County at dozens of small locally owned businesses. She also does pop-up and vendor shows to build collaborations with other vendors and build momentum, and provides exclusive flavors as partners with brick-and-mortar merchants to create exclusive sales opportunities. Dawn’s keys for social media content are piquing interest, developing calls to action, and sharing even simple actions like restocking to create FOMO (fear of missing out) that engages her buyers. She also noted that you don’t need an expensive website to take orders and demonstrated how she uses Facebook and Instagram as a sales platform by embedding links through the use of LinkTree to highlight product listings, locations, and more.

Sheila Webster reviewed one of the main ways the CHQ Chamber drives foot traffic through sales and promotion of the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card. With over $63,000 in gift card sales last year alone, the card is accepted at over 165 participating merchants countywide including grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, specialty retail outlets, wineries, hardware stores, and entertainment venues. The CHQ Chamber advertises the gift card to drive sales to local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals, and also provides opportunities to help showcase the merchants that accept the card including a useful window cling and social media graphics that can be customized by local businesses. Participation in the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program is open only to Chamber members since there are costs incurred by the Chamber to manage the program. There is no additional cost to merchants above the cost of their membership.

Brandy Hastings from Bandwango reviewed the CHQ Chamber’s use of the subscription platform for building gamified passes that help to drive traffic to local businesses and provide data around those initiatives. The Chamber is currently working on some longer-form or ‘evergreen’ pass ideas that could focus around some locally owned business groups such as coffee shops or pizzerias and is also considering how the platform can be used to augment existing programs and encourage additional foot traffic. We are open to ideas from our members on these fronts.

For anyone who wasn’t able to attend the workshop, the complete video is available on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@CHQChamber.

We also invite you to save the date or register now for our next Business Builder Workshop, which will highlight Corporate Citizenship and Engagement featuring ways to get your business noticed through things like donations, volunteerism, sponsorship, and more. This event will be held from 1-3pm on Monday, March 24 at the Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union Community Training Center, Mall Boulevard in Lakewood. All Business Builder Workshops are free to all local businesspeople. Advanced registration is required through our web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

Women in Networking: Child Care Impact on Workforce

The Small Business Development Center, Community Bank, and the CHQ Chamber are proudly partnering on the next Women in Networking Event with the focus on Child Care Impact on the Workforce. This event will be held Thursday, March 13 and is open to everyone.

You are encouraged to attend to learn more about childcare trends and strategies currently affecting the workforce. Many Chautauqua County employers have Many Chautauqua County employers have indicated childcare is a main barrier for potential hires impacting their employee recruitment, retention, and productivity. Now there are some new strategies and initiatives to help.

The presenters will be Beth Starks and Susan Marker. Beth is the founding consultant with Flourish Leadership Consulting and Executive Director of the Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center. As a consultant and leader in the non-profit and early childhood education sector she has provided inspiration and educational opportunities for thousands. She has also operated her childcare business for almost 20 years. Susan is the Child Care Council Director for Chautauqua County. She has a wealth of experience in both nonprofit and for-profit management. She began her career at Chautauqua Opportunities.

This event will be held at the Small Business Development Center at JCC, 241 James Avenue (Carnahan Center). The luncheon will begin at 11:30 at a cost of $19. The presentation is from noon-1pm. Please bring business cards for networking. Preregistration is required. For detail email sbdc@mail.sunyjcc.edu.

Hanover Committee to Hold Sip & Celebrate

The CHQ Chamber’s Hanover Committee invites local businesspeople to a special evening of networking and camaraderie at Merritt Estate Winery in Forestville, Thursday, March 13. Sip & Celebrate is a fun way to close the winter season and mingle with other regional businesspeople. There will be complimentary snacks from Merritt Estate Winery along with pizza from Villaggio Italiano, and a cash bar from the winery. There will be a 50/50 drawing and some prize raffles. There is no charge for Chamber members. For non-members the cost is $10. Advance registration is appreciated for planning purposes. You can register online through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.