Ever since the pandemic started, the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce has had to cancel all in-person events through the end of 2020. Our mission is all about “Advancing Business. Supporting Community.” and the Chamber has continued to host normal monthly events including our Virtual Happy Hour (Business After Hours), Coffee Cup Connections, Lunch & Learn, and Young Professionals seminars online via Zoom. If you or someone you know isn’t into participating in online meetings, here are some reasons that could change your mind: 1. It’s free!Our normal month-to-month networking evenings including our Virtual Happy Hour (Business After Hours), Coffee Cup Connections, Young Professionals, & Lunch and Learn seminars) typically may have a cost associated with them for in-person events. Now you can access them all for free from the comfort of your home or…
Continue Reading
Whether it be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or another platform, social media marketing can be challenging and finding compelling visuals can be tough. Instead of focusing on business-related images, focus on images that will engage your audience. The reality is that posting about event registrations or making a sales pitch is unlikely to drive meaningful activity. Your audience is human and likely using these platforms on a personal level, so it’s not necessary to engage with them on a solely professional level. To drive interaction, pay attention to how you’re captioning your posts. Captions shouldn’t be an afterthought; they’re a prime opportunity to engage. When deciding if a caption “works,” start by asking yourself: How will my audience react to this content? Will they find it entertaining? How will it make them feel? A well-written caption…
Continue Reading
Businesses can now sell gift cards on Instagram. Below we’ve provided step-by-step instructions* to share with our members. Setting up Instagram Gift Cards for Your Business You can set up gift cards on Instagram to give people a way to support your business. When someone taps the Gift Cards button on your Instagram profile or the Gift Cards sticker on your Instagram story, they’ll be directed to a partner* website to buy gift cards. To enable gift cards, your Instagram account and business must fulfill the following requirements: Have an Instagram business or creator account: Your Instagram account must be converted into a business or creator account. Have a service with an Instagram payment processing partner: Your business will need to set up a gift card account with an Instagram partner using the instructions on the partner’s site. Partner options can be found on Instagram. Adding a Gift Card…
Continue Reading
St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department has the opportunity to apply for some dislocated worker funding as a part of a disaster recovery grant. The funding can be used to hire temporary workers to assist with sanitation and COVID-19 related duties. If your business could use some funding to help with sanitation, meal delivery, or other tasks, please contact St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants department and let them know you are interested by Wednesday, June 3rd at 12:00pm. If you are interested in a project, they will need a work plan submitted as part of the process. Please contact Cindy Layman at clayman@co.st-clair.il.us.
Continue Reading
As we move into Phase 3 and allow businesses to start reopening, here are a few of our members that can help! *If you are a member offering a needed service but are not listed below, please contact the Chamber with what you are offering and contact info at marketing@bellevillechamber.org. Cleaning BELFOR Property Restoration2000 N. Illinois St., Swansea, IL 62226618.235.1931website SERVPRO of Belleville-O’Fallon618-233-1289website Signage Gaslight Vinyl 1123 E B St., Belleville 618-641-9777Facebook Laux Graphics618-337-4558website Signarama Metro East Edwardsville: 618-692-0300 Swansea: 618-234-7446 Email: Info@signarama-edwardsville.com https://www.signarama.com/il-edwardsville
Continue Reading
