The Ponoka and District Chamber of Commerce (PDCC) swore in its new executive at its regular lunch meeting on Jan. 21, at the Ponoka Golf Club, with Mayor Rick Bonnett taking their oaths.
PDCC president Barry Grant and vice president Inger Laing both read the oath while raising their right hand.
Chamber news
The PDCC has already sold half of the available booths for the 2020 trade show, which will be held April 17 and 18.
Strand Media presentation
Bruce Clarke from Strand Media, with the help of Chris Yaremchuk who ran the slide show, gave a presentation to the chamber members present about how to make the best use of social media for promoting their businesses.
The first step is determining how much of your budget you should spend on promoting yourself. Clarke says new businesses should spend 12 to 20 per cent, and established businesses can spend less, from six to 12 per cent.
“You’ve got to manage your business for what you want for returns,” aid Clarke.
Of all the people on the planet, 3.4 billion use social media.
Social media has grown in recent years and changes rapidly, but “Facebook by far remains the king.”
His tips for successful social media marketing include being authentic, be active, create realistic, trackable goals with real numbers, identify how your business meets your customers’ needs, and which social media channels make the most sense for your business.
He recommends garnering customer reviews, planning and scheduling posts in advance, and sometimes enlisting the help of an influencer to promote your product or services.
Mattie Dewald from Sommer Home Hardware pointed out that numbers of followers don’t necessarily equal influence, as it is possible to purchase followers. To know if someone is an influencer, look at the engagement on their posts.
Next meeting
The next PDCC meeting will be on Feb. 18, with Ponoka County CAO Charlie Cutforth presenting.
