Bridge Magazine: Is it time to be cautiously optimistic about Michigan's future?; #90SecondsWith: GoldieBlox Founder Debbie Sterling; Chamber Tips: 8 Things to Keep in Mind as You Build Your Social Media Following; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations (Leadership) Brian Tracy

“A rising tide lifts all boats.”  

The line kept running through my head as I mulled over the optimistic chatter at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s policy conference on Mackinac Island last month. I’ve been going to these gatherings for some time now, and this is the first time in years that I’ve heard such optimism expressed about so much by so many. Read more: Detroit Free Press

#90SecondsWith: GoldieBlox Founder Debbie Sterling

Frustrated with the lack of women engineers, Debbie Sterling sought out to disrupt the “pink aisle” in toy stores by founding GoldieBlox. She raised more than $285,000 in 30 days through a Kickstarter campaign to turn her idea into a reality. Read more: Free Enterprise

Chamber Tips: 8 Things to Keep in Mind as You Build Your Social Media Following 

Social media is a great way to build your audience, but what most business owners don't realize is that it's a long, slow process. We see business owners get plugged into social media hoping for the magic bullet to infuse their marketing with instant followers, and they get discouraged when it's not a quick fix to their marketing dreams. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, public speaking or any other platform are all great marketing tools, but they take time and consistent use to really shine. Platform building is a process. Here are some things to keep in mind as you work to build your following:

• Make sure you are focusing on where your audience is.
• Use the scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Facebook scheduling to schedule your posts for a later date/time. This frees you from having to think about social media every day.
• Cross post to several appropriate platforms at once. Instagram is great at this. Hootsuite is an awesome tool for this as well.
• Be consistent. Post several times a week. For example, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
• Create an editorial/marketing calendar so you can be intentional about what you're posting.
• Remember, keep at it. Be consistent.
• Make your content engaging and relevant to your audience.
• Give yourself a time frame of testing, perhaps 3-6 months and see where your best engagement happens.

Source: AHML Business Center

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations (Leadership)


“Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” ~ Brian Tracy 

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