How to support your local businesses  Local businesses need our LOVE. Why not drop your “2 cents” and let them hear from you?
Making an impact in our Champaign and Logan county communities doesn’t always mean swiping a card or sending a Venmo payment. These ways do make an impact, but sometimes your opinion (and love) can help boost local businesses! Write a Review Leaving a review for a local business is one of the best things you can do as a consumer. Anymore, online reviews are a “go to” when researching where to eat, who to do your taxes, etc. Whether it is positive or negative, your comment can help other customers/consumers make informed decisions about what to expect from the business you review. So, what is a review? When you write a review, you share with others your experience in words; which is why it is important for it to be honest and specific. Don’t underestimate the power of a written review. Yes, a five-star review is great, but your two-cents can be the game changer. For example, if you visited Cafe Paradiso and loved your meal, the atmosphere and the service, take the time to leave a review. However, don’t just say “It was fantastic.” Explain the reason why it was great. Here’s a sample response: “Being a pasta fan has led me to many different restaurants over the years. After visiting Cafe Paradiso, I have to say, it is one of the best. The manager came out and visited with each of the tables and spoke to each of us like family. If the service wasn’t enough, the food was delicious. Definitely a place I will go to again!” While we know not every experience will be great, it’s still essential to leave a review so the business owners know what they can improve on. Think about the things you would like feedback on about your own business. Here’s a sample response of an appropriate review to leave if you’ve had a negative experience: “My intent was to write a great review after all the hype about this restaurant. Unfortunately, my order was brought out incorrectly twice and I had to ask several times to receive my check. It has potential, but this was not the best experience.” Now, what if you are the one receiving the negative review? Even though it might feel like a punch in the gut, it is important not to leave it alone. Honesty and integrity go a long way with consumers. Reflect on what was reviewed, take time to thank the reviewer for their feedback, apologize if appropriate and respond. Mentioning how you will work to improve whatever the negative review was focused on is step one – the big step is taking action and doing it. When it comes time for you to leave a review, there are several platforms you can choose from! Facebook and Google are the most popular options, but you can also leave them on the BBB website or the business’s website (if applicable). Give it a shot and use Berry Digital as your first review here. Follow Their Social Media Channels and Engage With Them With social media taking over communication platforms, it makes sense that we support our local businesses on their social media pages. It is as simple as “liking: and “following” your favorite business pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Once you follow these pages, you’ll be able to see updates whenever the business creates posts. However, don’t just follow the pages! Be sure to engage with the content they’re creating. Whether it’s liking, commenting, sharing or tagging your best friend in the comments, this engagement truly does matter and helps business owners know what content to keep pushing out. Because social media is mostly used as an awareness tool, business owners don’t always see an ROI, so your support by engaging means more than you realize. Before we move on, one last thing you can do is use any relevant hashtags the business uses. Let’s take Champaign Works, for example. One of their main hashtags is #ChampaignWorks. In their posts, you’ll see this hashtag used frequently. If you were to visit Champaign County and post a picture on your social media, we encourage you to use the #ChampaignWorks hashtag in your post. Champaign Works likely follows this hashtag and by using it, they are able to easily find your post. Make sure to only use hashtags that are relevant to the business you’re highlighting! #BerryDigitalSolutions #ChampaignWorks #Facebook/BerryDigital #instagram/BerryDigital Subscribe to Content/Emails Want to stay up to date on everything a local business has to offer? Then you should subscribe to their email content! Most businesses utilize some sort of email strategy and are always looking to add more consumers to their email list. Email content can be valuable to you, as the business is able to reach you directly with important updates. Most times, emails will have a little more content compared to your stereotypically social media post. If you’re really dedicated to a business, subscribing to their emails is one of the best options for you! You also have the opportunity to forward relevant emails to coworkers, family and friends! No matter how you do it, supporting local business betters the community you live in. Take time to support a local business today! You can start by subscribing to our email content, located at the bottom of our home page.  It’s that time of year again when we all stop to reflect on what we are thankful for. The past couple of years have been very hard on small businesses, but there are still plenty of reasons to be thankful this season!
Community Support Throughout the year we have been so thankful for our community and the support they provide not only us, but each other. We are so thankful to be part of a community that jumps in to help when help is needed. Without each other, there are many small businesses that would not have survived the past two years. Support from Our Families A HUGE thank you must go out to all the family members of our Berry Digital Solutions team members. Running a small business is not an easy task. There are countless hours that must go towards keeping everything running smoothly. The support we get from our spouses, siblings, parents, children, and everyone else we consider family, is what makes it possible for us to do our jobs. Suppliers and Vendors It’s no surprise that supply and distribution chains have been hit hard this year. The supply shortage has affected so many different industries and many local businesses. We are so thankful for all our vendors and suppliers that have had to adjust on the fly to make sure every business has what they need to operate. The Team at Berry Digital Solutions This list would not be complete if we didn’t take a minute to recognize the team here at Berry Digital Solutions. They have been up against every battle you can think of this year and have always come out on top. We would not be where we are today without the hard work and support of our team. We hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be sure to take time to tell those you love how much they mean to you and how thankful you are for them.  Small Business Saturday is right around the corner, so now is the time to make sure your business is ready! Here are a few ideas on how to prepare for the big day:
Prepare Your Staff Start off by making sure you have enough staff for the holiday season and consider bringing on a few seasonal employees if necessary. Once you have your staff in place, it is time to prepare them for the day. Make sure they are all up to date on training and know what specials or deals you are offering for the day. Your employees will have to go through a lot during the holiday season, so make sure they know how thankful you are to have them on the team and consider providing lunch to those who work special days like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Prepare your Store Small Business Saturday can bring a lot of foot traffic through your store. Be sure you look at your layout and ease of access to all items and rearrange areas if necessary. The easier your customers can get to specific retail items, the easier it will be for them purchase those items. Plan a Promotion Get creative when thinking about what kind of promotion you want to offer. Set a goal (i.e. more sales, return customers, more website traffic) and make the offer work toward that goal. If you want customers to return after their initial visit, offer a coupon with purchase that is good for a later date. Partner with Other Local Businesses Many other local businesses will also be working hard to make Small Business Saturday successful. Why not partner together and make it great for both of you? It could be a neighboring business or even someone from another town, just find a good fit for you. You could also partner with a local charity and use the day to give back to the community. Check All Online Accounts Prepare for the day by checking all of your online accounts to make sure your information is accurate. Your store hours, location, phone number, and website are all important information that customers will be looking for. Leverage Local Events If there are local events happening that weekend make sure you are playing off them to drive traffic into your store. You can use sidewalk signs to let people know your hours and the deals you are running that day. Consider offering something like hot chocolate or popcorn and use the scent as another way to attract foot traffic. By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design  We are approaching the end of summer, but there is still plenty of time to check off some of your summer bucket list items! Here are a few ideas on what you can do locally to end your summer with a bang. Gather with friends or family and explore all that Champaign and Logan Counties have to offer. You won’t be disappointed!
Enjoy Live Music Go to a show for a local band and show your support for the arts! There are many local restaurants that offer live music while you dine and some upcoming community events that will be hiring local artists to perform. Paddle Board Yoga Check out Homegrown Yoga and their paddle board yoga lessons being held on Indian Lake. You can check out their upcoming class schedule here to sign up and save a spot! Make a S’more Make one at home or visit the Champaign County Community Calendar to learn more about the West Liberty S’mores Shop Hop upcoming event. Ride a Ferris Wheel Head to the Champaign County Fair and take a ride on the Ferris Wheel. Don’t forget to get your favorite fair food while you are there! Have a Picnic Head to your local grocery store and plan a picnic in the park. Gather up the whole family and enjoy a day eating, playing, and relaxing at the park! Go Wine Tasting We are lucky to have multiple local wineries where you can plan a date night and go wine tasting. Who knows, you might find your new favorite wine? Have a Water Balloon Fight This classic summertime activity is one that the whole family can enjoy. The next few weeks are sure to be some of the hottest of the year, so cool off with some summer fun! Show a Random Act of Kindness Although you can do this year-round, don’t forget that random acts of kindness are even sweeter in the summer! Buy someone an ice cream cone or help a neighbor with yard work to show that you care. Go to a Farmer’s Market Head to the Champaign County Community Calendar to find out when the next Farmer’s Market is! Try to build a whole meal out of food from the market and share your results on Facebook. Make a Sandcastle Heading to the beach? Don’t forget to take supplies to build an epic sandcastle. Have a competition to see who can build the tallest one before it falls over! Go for a Hike There are many great places to hike in Champaign and surrounding counties. Make a day out of it and visit a couple shorter trails to enjoy the beautiful scenery Ohio provides in the summertime. Volunteer If you are out of school for the summer or are just looking for a way to give back, you can volunteer. Many local organizations look for volunteers year-round but always appreciate the summer help! You can find a full list of local events on the Champaign County Community Calendar page. Have a great rest of your summer and enjoy supporting local! By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design  We want to take time at the end of the year to reflect on 2020 and how much your support has meant to us. To every single customer that supported us this year, we want to say, “Thank You!” We are so passionate about supporting small, local businesses, and we are glad you are too. We know this year has been a rollercoaster for everyone, but we have all worked together to come up with unique solutions to not just survive but thrive through these tough times.
We hope that you and your family have a safe and healthy holiday season. Some of you may not be having a normal Christmas this year, but we hope you're inspired to create new traditions. As we welcome the New Year, we hope that 2021 brings everyone the health and happiness they deserve. We can’t wait to work with you in 2021 and continue supporting your businesses. From all of us here at Berry Digital Solutions, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
"You have thousands of people at your fingertips. And business networking within your community or your brand is a way to reach so many more you may not have reached before."
Here are a few benefits of business networking on social media:
When was the last time you checked out your own website? Often, this is something even WE overlook. We understand. In this day and age, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work. Like us, that work probably has you on dozens of other sites all day long and before you realize it, a lot of time has flown by since your last check-in on your own site. It may feel it may feel like you just launched that "new" website last month, but maybe a couple years have gone by, and in the digital world, a couple of years can be a lifetime. Best practices, new trends, search optimization, and algorithms are ever-evolving and constantly changing, but try not to get too overwhelmed with it all. Here are a few simple signs it may be time for a little website work:
We always recommend checking out a couple of competitors' sites, especially competitors that may be surging ahead of you lately. See what's working for them and put it to work for you!
Check out all the absolute best places we choose to make our small business dreams come true: Krugh Insurance & Sellman Insurance Group for insurance Elle • A • Design for business cards and graphic design Boldman Printing and Main Graphics for printing Streamline Design & Print for signage All About Stitches & More for shirts and embroidery Ascend Consulting for accounting Oak & Ivy for social media marketing and curation Your Hometown Techs for computer repair, videography and cybersecurity Elisabeth Ashliegh Photography for photography Spotted Cow Coffee House for meetings, conference rooms (and caffeine!) Massage on Monument Square for stress relief! Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, Logan County Chamber of Commerce, Champaign Economic Partnership, and the West Liberty Business Association for support, promotion, networking and so MUCH more! We know that personally knowing the people behind the businesses we are buying our products and services from creates a connection that no big business can compare to, and we love to relationships that we have created over the years with these awesome business owners, and many more we rely on for other day-to-day items (that we'll have to highlight later! ;) Feel free to ask us more about any of these amazing local business and organizations or leave your favorites in the comments! "Buying local has benefits beyond mere convenience. When you support local business owners, you get a better level of service, as well as helping make your community a better place to live." It is no secret that we are avid #ShopLocal supporters. So we thought, what better way to showcase our love for our fellow entrepreneurs than to share our absolute favorite hometown spots to shop steps away from our location #OnTheSquare and beyond! Find unique holiday gifts or add some local flavor to your gift certificate game this Christmas season. Here is our EXCLUSIVE "Ryan & Chris Approved" family favorites:
According to experts, fake websites, fake products, fake apps and fake e-mails are ready and waiting for shoppers this holiday season.
One reason scams are so abundant is because these scammers are really good at churning out fake websites with authentic-looking emails to direct you right in to their pockets. Here are a few tips to help you avoid email and shopping scams this year:
Shoppers can avoid being scammed by being diligent and thorough before making any purchases and by ensuring your operating software is updated and security software is installed this holiday season. To ensure your device is up-to-date with the proper anti-virus, malware and spyware software or if you may have fallen victim to a cyber crime, you can contact Your Hometown Techs to clean out your PC, recover any lost data, reset your machine and ensure your operating system is up to date. |
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