Lebanon Wilson Chamber of Commerce Blog

Applicants for the Lean in Lebanon program have been selected and will participate in a kick-off at 2p.m. on Sunday April, 14 at Sportsvillage.

The Lean in Lebanon committee selected 97 entrants to participate in the one month fitness program.

“Lean in Lebanon is a great program and I’m pleased to see the Chamber and Sports Village advocating a healthier lifestyle for our community,” Rick Smith, Chamber chairman said.  “I’m excited to see how actively involved the public has become and look forward to the incredible results the program will produce.”

The program will consist of applicants working in teams with a trainer.  Each person will learn how to live a healthier lifestyle.

The program will end with everyone participating in the Go Johnny Go 5k/10K Run/Walk.  The grand prize for the Lean in Lebanon contestant is two roundtrip tickets to Florida complements of Hartmann Plantation Apartment Homes.

For more information on the program contact the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce at 615.444.5503.

This week I presented Google+ to a lunch and learn session for the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce. Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus or G+) is Google’s social media network. I spent quite a bit of time preparing for the presentation as I have only been using Google + for the last 3 months or so and I was curious about what level of interest there was going to be. Based on the lively group with many questions, comments, and feedback from my presentation, it is apparent that people are definitely starting to focus on Google’s social media network.

What is Responsive Website Design?

2013 has been declared the year of Responsive Design in many web circles. If you haven’t heard of  Responsive Design yet, you will soon. The reason it was created (and is snowballing in popularity) is because of the need to optimize websites on different devices -- mobile, tablet,  laptop & desktop -- with the growth of the mobile and tablet markets being the driving force for Responsive Design. 

Many locals and businesses were recognized for their contribution to the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber Membership Appreciation Luncheon held Wednesday at the Lebanon Golf and Country Club.  

Start your 2012 Holiday Season with a drive through the 15^th annual Festival of Lights kicking-off November 23^rd at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center. Fiddlers Grove will become a southern North Pole Village welcoming young and old. 

With the improved usability of websites over the last 24-36 months (Content Management Systems in particular) and the integration of Social Media  with websites, it has become apparent that education is becoming a key to having a successful website.

The 2012 theme for YOUR Chamber is THE WOW FACTOR, and as of July 2012 we have had many WOW'S.

• Beginning in January with 306 new members in 3 days, and the annual Board Retreat. 
• February, an outstanding Annual Banquet with over 300 people in attendance.
• March, over 400 members and their guest attended the annual St. Patrick's Day open house.  Thanks to 34 restaurants and caterers for the wonderful food throughout the day.

I was updating our support ticket system tonight and I noticed we had 4 clients who were migrating from their old e-mail accounts to Google Business Apps. This seems to have become a common occurrence for many of our clients in 2012. We also took the plunge to use Google Business Apps in early 2012 and like many of our clients we are very happy with the move.

Earlier this year, our chamber considered a drive to increase membership.  When the idea was introduced by Sue, there was some enthusiasm and interest and many questions on how the campaign would occur.  We looked around at other chambers throughout the country and based on previous results, we selected a firm who specialized in growing membership. 

Blogging…what is blogging?  Blogging is a powerful tool for marketing and content promotion.  It has become very popular in the business world.  By creating a blog you are creating a “face” and “name” for your products and services.  Blogging can add value to your website; it keeps people interested in what is to come, and it can be a fun way to communicate what your business has to offer.  

I try every week to think of ways I can reach out to our Chamber members to inform them of why being a chamber member has great benefits.  One of the perks we get complimented on the most is our available meeting spaces that we offer to our members free of charge.  As a matter of fact, I know of some members who decided to become part of our chamber because of this wonderful benefit.  With so many of our current members working from home or having various clients throughout the county the available meeting spaces that we offer have become their place to meet potential clients and/or conduct business. 

Being a part of YOUR Chamber

Often when people ask me where I work and what I do, I get the same question, "What does the Chamber actually do?"  The Chamber of Commerce opens up several opportunities for individuals and business owners in the community.  Not only does the Chamber provide you with ways to interact with other business owners throughout your community, we provide you with ways to showcase "YOU"! 

Of all the areas of web design and development that I enjoy the most – our Web Design meetings really rank highly for the part they play in ensuring a great website result for the client.

The key to the success of those meetings starts with analysis & research before the meeting, which can include reviewing the client’s business and marketing models , their current website, and industry leading websites for comparison and samples. Key communication actually starts in the sales cycle and should be in full “voice” – during the design meeting. Clients should be engaged in identifying their needs, aims and outcomes and the whole team (client and designer) should establish a collaborating process to ensure a successful outcome. 

The 12th Annual Dr. Cary Harbrecht Memorial Scramble for the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce will be held Friday, June 1st at Pine Creek Golf Course. Title sponsors are THW Insurance and Wilson Bank and Trust.

Over the last few years I have really become very aware of the important connection between a website owner and their website. The arrival of Content Management Systems has provided website owners with the opportunity to update their websites directly and in my opinion (and most importantly) allows the website owner to be an active participant in the process.

Please join us for the upcoming Go Johnny Go Run coming up on May 12, 2012.

All proceeds will go to Johnny Keel Wellness Foundation! Johnny struggled with cancer for years and through out his life he never gave up! This event is a wonderful awareness to bring our community together and help those struggling all in the name of Johnny Keel. Please come out and support this special event.

Most likely no matter what your interest in Social media you would have heard of the recent purchase of Instagram by Facebook. I suspect the biggest reason we all heard about it was the actual buying price – one billion dollars (Somehow I could imagine Dr. Evil stating that price!).

What is Instagram? – Here is their explanation taken from their home page:

“Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – it's as easy as pie. It's photo sharing, reinvented.”

Recently I had a prospect ask me to focus (almost exclusively) on improving their Google Search Engine positioning based on key words and phrases. The belief of the prospect was that you can manipulate results on Google easily and quickly and that regardless of your website (and its design) this methodology (known as Search Engine Optimization) could be implemented very easily.

We are the communities of Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and Watertown, located a few short miles from Nashville. Ranked eighth in the nation and third in the Southeast for quality of life and scenic beauty with a mix of historic and cosmopolitan allure, it’s easy to see why we are…the place to be!