Duluth Merchants Focus on 2012 Prosperity

Spurred on by the enthusiasm of Jim Johnson of JMS Consulting and incoming 2012 President of Duluth Merchants Association, the DMA members are already hard at work to set the tone for a positive 2012 business growth.

In mid-December, Jim and Sheri & Bill Eppright, owners of Positive Public Image and fellow DMA members, met with Todd Baraff, Patch Senior Ad Manager, to review collective advertising and promotional options for the Duluth merchants.

Exploring additional marketing and advertising channels, Jim, Sheri & Bill met with James Moss of AdNetworks several times in December, to review potential for using mobile marketing and digital monitors in Duluth.

 

As members of the DMA Communications and Public Relations Committee, Sheri, Bill and Albert Marquez of Planet Earth Adventures, met outside Choco Perks that same week to discuss DMA website strategies…Jim dropped by to share a cup of coffee and see what was perking!  And while Albert spends a lot of his time in Alaska, we were all happy that December day to enjoy mild weather in Georgia!

With the holiday season at hand, Sheri and Bill showed up at the Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth last week to meet with Sunny Ramsay, the 2011 DMA President, to share ideas getting ready to take on the role of 2012 Editor of the Gab-rrr DMA Newsletter.   The cheerfully decorated gift shop at the Medical Center was a great background for sharing a holiday moment with smiling faces, with Gwinnett Medical Center Volunteer, Marilyn Bondon, offering up the biggest smile of the day.

Jim has a very active 2012 DMA year planned, in working with the DMA Committees, the City of Duluth, and with plans for a Duluth Trade Show already in the works for May.  Stay tuned, as we all look forward to a prosperous 2012 for the Duluth Community!…..by Positve Public Image, Inc.

Food for Thought: Business Social Media Lunch and Learn

Tuesday morning found us in downtown Duluth with Choco Perks coffee in hand. With social media and sandwiches on the menu, we were hungry and eager to participate in the “Get Social: You’re Online, Now What” Social Media Seminar at the WorkSpot. WorkSpot owner Rayann Larsen, as a member of the Duluth Merchants Association, offered an excellent discount to her fellow DMA members, to encourage participation in what she knew would provide positive information to grow our businesses.

We were a varied group of seminar attendees: photographers, promotional photo journalists (that’s us!), newspaper staff members, graphic designers, and retail store owners—all sharing the common goal of gaining more information around using social media channels to grow our individual businesses.

Our trainer was Michelle D’Attillo, President of Sosh, an “online media and promotions agency specializing in social media strategy, management, promotions and offline events.”  Michelle provided both group and one-on-one training during the 3 hour lunch and learn session. Her presentation included the use of Facebook and Twitter for growing our businesses.

Michelle reviewed the value of establishing a Facebook Business page; increasing our Business Fan base; utilizing Facebook Ads to promote our businesses; the best time of day to post and how often to post, to ensure our business message will be picked up by Facebook algorithms and shared on as many news feeds of our Facebook fans as possible.

Michelle then reviewed the value of using Twitter for business, how often to send tweets, how to find others on Twitter to follow, how to join in conversations and finally how to send out tweets ourselves. While we enjoyed sandwiches and soft drinks, Michelle assisted those attendees who did not already use Twitter in setting up a Twitter account and a Twitter client for managing the process.

Rayann, the good host that she always is, offered her comments and assistance to all the attendees during the course of the seminar. Her role in providing a shared workspace environment to the Duluth community including educational lunch and learn seminars has been well received this past year…the lunch part ain’t bad either!  We look forward to continuing our relationship with Rayann in the future.

As we said goodbye to Michelle, we were happy to discover that she will be returning in February for another seminar at the WorkSpot.  Stay tuned…….by Positive Public Image, Inc.

Tis The Season….Duluth Merchants Connect with City and Community

Despite cold, rainy weather Tuesday evening, the New Dawn Theatre Company in Duluth, GA was filled with warm, holiday cheer as we, and other fellow Duluth Merchants Association members, showed up for our 2011 annual Holiday Party, bringing our positive spirits and bearing gift cards to be donated to a local charity.

Boudreauxs Cajun Market and Café spiced up the night with their tasty shrimp and fish delights.

Sherry Ingbritsen Co-director of the New Dawn Theatre Company introduced us to cast members who entertained us with a wonderful excerpt from their current production, “Dad’s Christmas Miracle” (Cast: George Peters, John Laszlo, David Heath, Audrey Paulsen, Marla Krohn, Chuck Mason, Barbara Allen, Chase McElroy, Jordan Cox, Keira Edgett, Ramona Werner, Megan Heath and Demi Lehman).

The evening was truly a time of giving:

President, Sunny Ramsay, presented Duluth Mayor, Nancy Harris, and City Council Member, Jim Dugan, with a $3,700 check, representing DMA’s contribution to the City of Duluth, to provide permanent lighting for the Living Honorarium at the Duluth Town Green.

President Ramsay presented the 2011 Duluth Merchant of the Year Award to Harold Stamey, CPA.

DMA members presented outgoing President, Sunny Ramsay with an engraved clock, commemorating her year of service as 2011 DMA President.

President Ramsay then presented the incoming 2012 DMA President, Jim Johnson of JMS Consulting, to the DMA members. She handed over the meeting to Jim, who presented his 2012 goals of “serving and engaging every DMA member, and promoting Duluth Prosperity now.”

DMA President Johnson presented Director Mary Roberts, Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op with the 30 plus gift cards of all varieties collected during the party, to assist with community needs during this holiday season. The Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op is “A place where…the resources of the Duluth area churches, community and merchant organizations provide for effective, efficient ministry to our neighbors in need.”

We all left the party, filled with good cheer…finding, as always, that strengthening connections with our City and our community does seem to make the season brighter!   by Positive Public Image, Inc.