Blog - The Generator

5 Ways to Market Your Business on Social Media During a Pandemic

If ever there was a time to start ramping up your use of social media, it’s during a worldwide pandemic. A good chunk of your audience is sitting at home and they’re using social media more than ever to stay connected to the outside world. Your audience is literally looking for communication from you – don’t disappoint them!

Here are five ways you can use social media to market your business:

1. Look for opportunities to hop onto trends

When The Hamilton Spectator published a story on the missing Alfredo sauce from literally every grocery store shelf, that was the cue for every food-related business in town to take advantage of the growing demand. With so many people craving their beloved Alfredo dishes at home, you can bet they would be all over a similar dish delivered to their home by a local restaurant. Look for these opportunities and don’t second guess yourself that another business might have gotten to the idea first. There’s enough business for everyone, you just have to get out there with your new ideas. Was there a huge blizzard and it’s all everyone is talking about on Twitter? Then it’s the perfect time to start pushing the handmade toques and mittens you have in your shop. Hot chocolate bombs were the bomb this past Christmas? Then start working on your plan for Easter and Mother’s Day hot chocolate bombs.

2. If you’re forced to be closed, or have to reduce your offerings because of the pandemic, don’t go silent on social media

You might feel like you have nothing to share as a business, or that you shouldn’t be posting if you’re not able to serve your customers like you normally would, but trust us, we still want to hear from you! Make sure you pin a post that shares what your plans are for reopening. If those plans change, just post again with your new plans. Keep everyone in the loop! Change your Instagram or Twitter bio to keep us updated, even if it’s as simple as “Reopening as soon as provincial Covid protocols allow”. That one little sentence tells us you’re still in business, you’re looking forward to being open again, and we have an idea of when.

3. Make videos!

If you’ve thus far only been posting still photos on your social media channels, it might be time to give video a go. Especially if you post on Facebook often and especially if you pay to boost your Facebook posts. You will get more reach for your money if you are boosting a video vs. a still photo on Facebook. If Instagram is your jam, and you haven’t explored Reels yet, this might be the perfect medium for you. Don’t be afraid to get in front of the camera yourself – your customers choose to support small business because they like the personal connection. If they start seeing the faces of the business they love to support, they will feel even more connected. And you’ll connect with potential new customers. Talk about what you know, what you’re an expert in. It doesn’t always have to be business promotion. Maybe there’s another subject you’re an expert on that will help you connect with your audience. Get your dog or cat to appear in your videos with you, and connect with other animal lovers. Talk about sports. Just get in front of the camera and start recording. Hot tip: it gets easier the more you do it.

4. Explain how your customers can buy from your business

On all your social media accounts, make it 100% absolutely crystal clear how your customers can order, buy from, or schedule time with your business. This is especially important if you’ve pivoted in any way during the pandemic. If the best way to buy from your business is through your website– is your website listed in your bio on ALL your social media platforms? Post instructions like a little repeating mantra at the end of all your posts: “Visit our website at _____ (link in bio) to order for contactless curbside pickup or delivery”, or “Order by calling our shop Monday-Friday 9-5 at 905-555-5555”. If a customer has to scroll back to previous posts to figure out how to buy from you, there’s a good chance you’re about to lose the sale.

5. It’s time to go back to basics with your marketing messages and think about this: what problem are you solving for someone today?

This is Marketing 101, but it’s so easy to get sidetracked from the basics during times of stress and chaos. Your business exists because you solve a problem for people. You may be solving different problems for different people, or maybe there’s a new problem out there that your business can now solve. The more you think from this point of view, the easier it gets to create meaningful social media posts. Think about all the families stuck at home, parents who have taken on the additional role of teacher to their kids, how so many are now working from home. Speak to your audience about the problems they are facing, and how your business can help. When you’re speaking to me about how you can help me in some way, you better believe I’m listening.

-Suzanne, The Generator

This blog first appeared at https://investinhamilton.ca/hamilton-business-centre/2021/02/04/market-your-business-during-a-pandemic/

Jan26

Hamilton entrepreneur creates shopping platform for local pottery artists

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

The Northern Kiln is a brand new platform, just launched for local Ontario potters to sell their amazing functional pottery amidst a pandemic that has seen their regular sales avenues cancelled. The company was founded by Rhiane Heslop, a born and bred Hamiltonian (recently moved to Guelph with her boyfriend), a young female entrepreneur who started the initiative while also working full-time. Rhiane was previously part of the Young Entrepreneurs and Professionals group through the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

Photo courtesy of The Northern Kiln

As an avid pottery lover, Rhiane Heslop essentially founded The Northern Kiln so she had somewhere to shop local handmade pottery – lockdown or not. In October of 2020, the Hamilton Potter’s Guild was able to host an outdoor sale (COVID precautions in place) and Rhiane attended, realizing as she stood in a long line in the pouring rain, that other people were just as
excited as she was to shop pottery again. Wondering if winter would bring new lockdown restrictions, she asked herself how she could support the #SHOPLOCAL movement as well as give Canadians better access to amazing, local pottery – no masks required. The Northern Kiln was born.

COVID restrictions have caused local potters’ guilds to cancel their in-person sales, typically held twice a year – but the restrictions haven’t stopped potters from potting! The Northern Kiln is a unique platform that offers 24/7/365 shopping – even during quarantine. The organization currently features all women potters, all local to Ontario.

Photo courtesy of The Northern Kiln

With extensive experience in retail distribution and web design, Rhiane was able to create a platform offering local potters the resources to sell online without requiring any technical knowledge. It provides the opportunity for the artists to focus on creating while The Northern Kiln handles the technical, logistical, social, and promotional aspects of e-commerce. Not to mention, with an online platform comes national reach. Local potters are able to expand their customer base from their local communities to all of Canada and because of the collective catalogue, they are able to provide low shipping rates.

Sandra Zuidema – photos courtesy of The Northern Kiln

The first Hamilton artist to join The Northern Kiln is Sandra Zuidema of aSpire Pottery. Sandra’s work is stunning, with architectural elements– she calls her work “windows into my life”. The work featured on the site is incredible, with gorgeous photos from multiple angels, and the ability to purchase with just a click.

Shop The Northern Kiln at thenorthernkiln.ca

Find them on Facebook and Instagram

-Suzanne, The Generator

Oct12

2020 Women’s History Month Award highlights Canadian Black Women

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

(The following is a repost with permission from the author, Evelyn Myrie)

“In 2015, I created a platform to celebrate Women’s History Month. Women Who Rock Awards came out of the frustration I felt by the absence of community events or programs that recognize the 1992 Canadian declaration of October as Women’s History Month.

Over the past five years, Women Who Rock Awards have highlighted 35 women and girls in the community who have made, and continue to make, a lasting impact in their field of endeavour or the community. We share their stories, to honour their contributions and to inspire others.

This year, we have taken an important decision to use the power of the Women Who Rock platform to focus on raising awareness about the intersections of racism and sexism. We have chosen to amplify the voices of Black women to accelerate conversations about anti-Black racism and long-needed change. The 2020 Women Who Rock Awards will be honouring six Black women who have shown themselves as leaders, changemakers, or behind-the-scenes star. The awards ceremony on October 25th will be held virtually due to the pandemic.

Paulette Senior, CEO and President of the Canadian Women’s Foundation will be be our featured speaker. A trailblazer in her own right, Senior has devoted her life and career to breaking down systemic barriers and building up diverse women and girls. Her personal experience immigrating to Canada from Jamaica as a young girl ignited her interest in social justice, and her career began in social services in some of Toronto’s most underserved neighbourhoods. She is a sought-after thought-leader on numerous issues including gender equity and gender-based violence, women’s poverty and the wage gap, girls’ empowerment, and leadership.

This month represents a unique opportunity for us to acknowledge and celebrate the past and present contributions of women to Canadian society. It also provides an opportunity to highlight how we all benefit today from the achievements of pioneering women in Canada, and in recognition of a year that has shone a light on the inequalities Black people face, Women Who Rock is proud to shine a light on Black women who have made a difference in our community.”

–Evelyn Myrie, EMpower Strategy Group

To check out this year’s Women Who Rock nominees, follow:

Facebook: Womenwhowock

Instagram: @womenwhorock1

Twitter: @womenwhorockham

And grab your tickets for the event, happening Oct.25, at: http://women-who-rock.ca/

Photo credit: Kobby Krab, Women Who Rock 2019.

Aug12

YWCA Hamilton’s biggest annual event needs you more than ever this year

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

It’s no secret that The Generator is a big supporter of womxn. That’s why we participate in our local YWCA’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser. This initiative was created to raise both funds and awareness to end violence against womxn and allow them to escape.

Many of these womxn live in fear, and with Covid-19 forcing them to stay at home with their abusers, this has only increased.

Suzanne at #WAMHamilton in 2019

Why it’s important

As a signature YWCA Hamilton event, this drive helps the YWCA provide a way out for womxn and children experiencing violence.

Funds raised from Walk a Mile in Her Shoes go towards housing, allowing survivors to have a safe place to get back on their feet. Along with housing, womxn are provided with access to counselling, a 12-week program, and other resources to help them become financially independent. Support is tailored to each individual or family to meet them where they’re at and help them recover from the trauma. The objective is to assist the survivors in reaching their goals and rebuilding their lives through skill-building, employment and life skills support, crisis intervention, and more.

The YWCA also provides health and wellness programs, 55+ Active Living Centre, employment and training services, children’s services, and volunteer opportunities.

#WAMHamilton in 2019

Walking a Mile looks a little different this year

With physical distancing measures in place due to Covid-19, the typical downtown rally has transformed into a Walk Week, with virtual rally and awards ceremony. Walk Week will run from August 12-19, with a virtual celebration on August 19th. And because this is online, you don’t have to be in Hamilton to take place – you can participate wherever you are!

Learn more here:

https://www.ywcahamilton.org/walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes/

Donate to our team: https://ywcahamilton.akaraisin.com/ui/4D25103F47B64514B1CF00B30E5CB7AF/team/294645

-Stefani, The Generator

May04

Girl on the Wing uses lockdown as opportunity to create online shop

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

Girl on the Wing has been a staple of Hamilton’s boutique shopping scene for years now. Even if you haven’t been in the store, you may be familiar with owner Whitney McMeekin’s handiwork around the city with community events like Hamilton Flea, the Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Festival, Good Foot Party, and more. Her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit combined to design a unique experience for customers in the shop. For example, products aren’t simply displayed, they are carefully and thoughtfully laid out to create an aesthetic. Among vintage books, art, and even a typewriter, her wares are part of mini art installations around the shop.

Courtesy of Girl on the Wing

Girl on the Wing stocks accessories, decor, new and vintage clothing, gifts, greeting cards, and more. Until recently, Whitney operated predominantly through her brick and mortar location on King Street East, occasionally listing items in high-demand online. Since the closure of the store in March due to Covid-19, Whitney has moved almost all of her product online, allowing her to reach both her regular local clientele and a new customer base outside the city.

We spoke with Whitney to learn more about running her business during a pandemic:

– Was the pivot from brick and mortar to online difficult? Easier than expected? What challenges did it bring?

To be honest, this has been a nice moment in time for me to pivot and expand my online reach! In early March my brain started moving towards ways to increase my online sales because I’m immunocompromised and was starting to have anxiety about being in the shop. I’ve always had lots of customers requesting things to be online but it was just such a challenge for me to put significant time and energy into my webshop, while operating my storefront and managing my customer relationships. So for me, this time to work from home is highly-appreciated and has given me room to develop the webshop. It’s definitely still been challenging though and everything takes a lot of time! I carry so many different types of products- and thinking of new products, improving and expanding are always important to me, so I was sort of kicking myself when it came time to upload everything (haha). But ultimately, it’s taught me patience and everyone has been really understanding of the time it takes me to upload and perfect the site. I’d say the backend work has been the challenge but when it comes to driving sales or marketing the online shop, that has been much easier for me! I have such an amazing and dedicated customer base, who’ve embraced the change and it’s been such a joy to still be able to serve them! I’d say the other challenges have been the ability to restock the products that people want- lots of companies are shut down or operating with minimal staff/ access to materials- so I am always trying my best to get more of what people want, but sometimes I can’t control it. The other challenge I’m facing is overworking myself. There’s no clear start or end to any day and knowing how much people are enjoying the ability to shop online, I always want to do better for them. It can be hard for me to turn my brain off about work- there are some days where I just overfry my brain and the only solution is to zone out to mindless reality television- it honestly seems like the only thing that my brain can handle (haha!). My partner, Nikhil, has really stepped up in assisting me with the online shop and that has been a huge saving grace!

Courtesy of Girl on the Wing

– What are the differences between customers shopping in-store vs online? Are shopping habits different (less impulse purchases, more, etc.)

The biggest difference I’ve noticed between people shopping in-person vs. online is challenges with sizing in clothing and shoes. Obviously customers can’t be at the shop trying things on. So we’ve been trying to figure out ways around this- by offering flexible exchange terms if the size isn’t right. I’d love to better develop a size guide and maybe even one day have “fit models”- people with various body types who could try on the items and take a photo so people could see how things look on a range of sizes. Another thing I notice is lots of gift items being sent to friends and family which I think is just lovely. And I think less impulse purchases are happening- meaning people have time to sit with their decisions. They can really think on the items they want or need- it doesn’t require them making a special trip, they can be at home looking at what they would pair something with from their existing wardrobe, they can really think about their budget. I think that’s a really special thing about online shopping-the intention someone can make a purchase decision with. Not that in-store purchases don’t allow that- we pride ourselves on a relaxed atmosphere where people can take their time to decide on what they buy- but it’s nice to see people really thinking about what they buy. But I will admit- I so miss being there in-person to help people find clothes that make them feel good!

– What are your plans once things calm down? Will you maintain the webstore continually with all your products, or go back to your best-sellers like before?

My plan for the future is to continue operating the webshop with the full product range so people can shop in-store or online. This process has really shown me how many people like the ability to shop from home. It will be really nice to now have the webshop set up so well so it’ll be easier to manage both. Plus it’ll be nice for in-store shoppers to be able to see things online before they come in, once again helping with intentional buying. Sometimes we post new items but people can’t get in right away- this will give them the ability to purchase even if they can’t get to the shop. It’s also been nice to see how many customers we have from other parts of Canada, and even the US, and I’d love to continue to develop these relationships.

Courtesy of Girl on the Wing

– Do you find you’re reaching more out of town customers right now?

I’ve always had customers from other places sending me messages asking for specific items. In the past, I would do the best I could to coordinate with them and get them what they need- but it would take much more time to go back and forth. The webshop allows them to shop when they want to and it’s been busy with customers from outside of Hamilton. It’s shown me that we have a strong customer base in Toronto and other areas. We are trying to minimize how often we go to the post-office, but it’s all worked out safely thus far. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say I have about 80% local customers and 20% non-local.

– Anything unexpected you’ve learned during this time? About the business or otherwise.

I’ve learned that people are amazing and so supportive of this business! It’s been really cool to see. At the beginning, I was afraid to post too much as I didn’t want to force shopping down anyone’s throat at such a hard and sensitive time. Like everyone else, I’ve struggled with thoughts about money, well-being, and existential dread so I didn’t want to inundate anyone with ideas of buying. But then something really beautiful happened- people started messaging me that my posts were bringing them joy, that the idea of getting a little something delivered to their door was a positive thing for them. It sort of made me realize that community is important- even from behind a screen. And that people were scared, yes, but they were still people who wanted interesting things to read or watch, items that could improve their home-life or that they could surprise a friend with. Comfy clothes they could wear around the house, incense that could help them cleanse their air, plants that could be their little quarantine buddy. Honestly, I don’t mean to sound like I take myself too seriously, but this time has really made me feel like I have a purpose. That my mission is to be there for all these customers- to find things that bring joy, to be positive and caring in my messaging, to be a bit of an escape or just create a sense of normalcy. There’s been times (through quarantine and before) where it’s been hard on me to keep up with all the GOTW love out there, or I’ve felt a pressure to perform…but through this experience I’ve realized that I am doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing. It brings me so much joy that I get to live my dream- I know a lot of people have to choose a career with dependability and security. Through this, I’ve felt worried about those people who made a responsible choice in their career but now are facing job insecurity. For me, I’ve become accustomed to the ups-and-downs of small business life and having to be smart with how I operate to ensure my business survives. But the fact that people support my dream through every purchase they make or any interaction we have, I’m just so grateful to them all. And I hope we all make it through this and come out on the other end and get back to the point where we can be side-by-side sharing life experiences together. I can’t wait til the day my shop is reopened!

Courtesy of Girl on the Wing

– What have you been up to during isolation? Still just as busy with the store, taking it easy, trying something new, etc.

My quarantine activities (apart from working on the shop) have been: cuddling my two cats, baking a lot, loving my home and making it cozier and more organized, scheduling virtual hangs with my friends, eating delicious food, and dancing up a storm!

-Stefani, The Generator

Shop online at Girl on the Wing: girlonthewing.ca

Instagram: @girlonthewinghamilton

Facebook: Girl on the Wing

Twitter: @gotw_hamilton

Mar24

FLOW by nicole brings unique and trending fashion to Hamilton

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

There’s a boutique in Ancaster with a hot pink carpet runway leading to the entrance, and walking it makes you feel like you’re about to experience something spectacular. As you enter the shop, the soaring ceilings, chandeliers and stunning fashions stop you in your tracks. You’ve arrived at FLOW by nicole, and you’re greeted by Nicole herself, who is as equally stunning as her boutique but immediately draws you in with her friendly, unpretentious manner. I had to find out her business story, and Nicole generously shared her journey and even some advice for other entrepreneurs:

Q: What’s the story behind why you started your business?

A: I was always passionate about fashion. My entire life I strived to find pieces that were unique and different for myself. I didn’t want to dress like everyone else, I wanted to wear clothes that were personally inspiring. I found myself always reading about fashion, watching Paris and Milan runway shows, attending Toronto’s Fashion week each year. I certainly had invested my 10,000 hours.

One day while vacationing I walked into a quaint boutique: a women at the helm, styling a client with the most interesting assortment – and that was my lightbulb moment! My community needs a boutique like this. I knew there were other women out there like me, that sought out fashion that was different, unique and didn’t have to get on plane or drive hours to find it. My community needs a fresh, new thoughtfully curated collection of clothes and accessories and guess what ? I’m going to bring it to them!

Q. What’s the most unique thing about what you do?

A. I believe I provide my own point of view of fashion to the boutique. Through that lens, I curate the FLOW by nicole collection. I believe in quality over quantity especially in this day and age of sustainability. I believe it’s my job to choose the best of the best in each brand’s collection, every season, and bring that to my customer.

I also want to remove the stigma that often times are associated with boutiques. It is very important to me to create a welcoming and relaxed environment for my clients to shop in and follow that up with excellent service.

Q. What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a business?

A. Set your North Star Goal and don’t give up. Don’t give up even if your first path doesn’t lead you there. Be open to changing your strategy and continually tweaking along the way. Giving yourself some flexibility along the way will help you overcome barriers and keep you moving forward.

Q. What business tool could you not live without?

A. This is not a very interesting answer, but its an honest one! My iPhone XS. The larger screen is a must for me when I’m on the go and don’t have access to my laptop.

You can shop FLOW by nicole online and receive free shipping in Canada. Right now, there’s a flash sale on – save 20% sitewide with the code BIGLOVE20.

Shop online at: FLOW by nicole

Instagram: @FLOWbynicole

Facebook: FLOW by nicole

-Suzanne, The Generator

Feb12

Fairly Frosted Vegan Bakery opens Valentine’s Day in Hamilton

Posted by thegenerator in Uncategorized

Lise-Anne Gregoire fulfilled her dream of operating a vegan business back in 2012 with the beginning of Fairly Frosted in the Guelph area. The dream takes a turn into Hamilton this year, with the launch of a brick and mortar bakery opening on Valentine’s Day in the cafe space at the Kitchen Collective at 811 King Street East.

The business began by filling the void for vegans around Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo with deliveries of vegan treats to area cafes (including Cafe Oranje). Fairly Frosted gained a following for its creative vegan ice cream flavours, ice cream sandwiches, to-die-for butter tarts, and scrumptious cakes. Not only is everything plant-based, it’s all gluten-free and nut-free too.

Vegan ice cream sammies (photo courtesy of @FairlyFrosted)

“We cover a lot of bases for food allergies,” Lise-Anne says, sitting in the front cafe section of the Kitchen Collective amidst newly painted walls in their signature grape colour. Lise-Anne creates her own flour blends for the perfect texture for the baked goods, and can customize for special orders for anyone who has allergies not covered by their usual vegan, gluten-free, nut-free baking.

Vegan ice cream in a hand-rolled waffle cone (phone courtesy of @FairlyFrosted)

What she’s really excited by is the ability to be more creative in the new shop. “We have over 25 flavours of vegan ice cream already, actually probably a lot more,” she recalls. She’s excited to have the space to have many different flavours on offer at once. Her eyes light up talking about the vegan soft serve to come later in the season, and the dessert tacos that they’ll be able to make with it. As it is, the shop will already offer hand-rolled waffle cones during the opening this weekend, and the first 20 customers will get one for free when they purchase ice cream on Saturday. The first 20 customers on Friday will get a free scoop with purchase, and Sunday’s first 20 will get a free cookie. There will be special Valentine-themed ice cream flavours like Rose Stracciatella, Cinnamon Heart and Lavender Strawberry, all coconut based.

Chad and Lise-Anne, owners of Fairly Frosted Vegan Bakery (photo courtesy of FairlyFrosted.com)

Both longtime vegans, Lise-Anne is the driving force behind the business with assistance from her husband and business partner, Chad, who contributes to the marketing, finance, and overall strategy of the business. Lise-Anne also juggles her time as a new mom to a baby daughter. It was very inspiring to hear everything she has accomplished as an entrepreneur over the past 7 years.

Vegan gluten-free nut-free, perfection (photo courtesy of @FairlyFrosted)

Check out Fairly Frosted during their opening weekend – starting at 4pm on Friday (Valentine’s Day) until 9pm, or Saturday 2-9pm and Sunday 2-8pm. The shop will be open weekends during the winter season before ramping up hours as the weather warms up.

Website: FairlyFrosted.com

Facebook: facebook.com/FairlyFrosted

Twitter: @FairlyFrosted

Instagram: @FairlyFrosted

-Suzanne, The Generator

Dec03

East Hamilton Cheese celebrates two years on Ottawa Street

Posted by thegenerator in WordPress

East Hamilton Cheese Company
The big cheese on Ottawa Street

A few doors down from Cannon Coffee, you’ll spot the yellow sign of East Hamilton Cheese Company.

Step inside and be greeted by the smiling face of Yvette, the owner, and a lit-up display of cheese galore – glowing like a beacon on Ottawa Street North.

One of the only cheese shops in the Crown Point area is the Fempreneur-run East Hamilton Cheese Company. This month, they celebrated their second birthday in the neighbourhood. We dropped into East Hamilton Cheese Company to speak with owner Yvette Cowe and find out more about her and her business!

East Hamilton Cheese Co. differentiates itself from other cheese shops in Hamilton as Yvette prefers to stock her shop with all local cheeses. She likes working directly with the suppliers, who make their products small-batch.

Yvette stocks everything from Water Buffalo Milk Brie to Cheddar, and a variety of vegan options!

In addition to local cheeses, Yvette also has a few local products in the shop such as jams and jellies and handmade cheese boards from Brinnic Woodworks.

Though it’s a difficult choice; right now, Yvette is finding that her favourite cheese is Gunn’s Hill Handeck. She says “It has out there flavours, but goes with everything”.

Yvette believes in businesses supporting businesses, and supporting her community.

When asked about advice for others opening their own business it would be: know your community. If you don’t live in the area where you plan to open, she suggests taking time to get to know the neighbourhood. Get to know the people that live there, get to know your bylaws and of course – know your product. Research, be patient, and don’t give up.

If you’re looking for a gift for a cheese-lover in your life, East Hamilton Cheese Co. has just the thing! You can purchase one of their pre-set Holiday packages, or, treat your giftee to a cheese of the month club. Find out more by contacting Yvette – she’s always happy to talk cheese!

East Hamilton Cheese Company:
187 Ottawa St N, Hamilton, ON L8H 3Z4
(905) 920-2314
www.facebook.com/easthamiltoncheeseco/
www.instagram.com/easthamiltoncheeseco/

-Heather, The Generator

Oct31

Top 10 ways to build an online brand using social media

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As recently published in the Hamilton Arts Council 2019/2020 Culture Guide:

Top 10 ways to build an online brand using social media

Create a profile on all the major social media platforms even if you’re not going to regularly use them, and direct people in your bio to the best platform to reach you.
Pick the platform you prefer to communicate on and commit to regularly updating it.
Get headshots you can use for your profile: they don’t need to be professional if you can’t afford that– just choose a great setting on a bright day, and find a friend with Portrait Mode on their smartphone.
Post about what you’re working on, tell stories and details– we want to hear details!
Immediately friend people that you meet in real life that could be a good career connection and keep them in your sphere.
Boost your posts on Facebook. Business pages are almost entirely a paid platform now, so unless you have a huge following, very few people will see what you post unless you sponsor them. It’s one of the most cost effective ways to advertise, as you can target very specific groups.
Use your personal profile to share your business posts, to help increase your reach.
If you’re a visual artist, Instagram is an excellent platform to showcase your work. You can even set up a simple online shop using Shopify that allows people to directly click and buy things that you post.
Twitter is a great platform for making new connections in the community. It’s the platform that is designed to have conversations with complete strangers. If you’re interested in making connections with community groups, reaching out to corporations for sponsorships or opportunities, Twitter is the place to be.
Make it easy for people to find you. Choose social media handles that include your name, or business name, so you’re easy to find when people want to tag you to spread the word about how great your work is.

-Suzanne, The Generator

Follow the Hamilton Arts Council for artist opportunities and events at:

hamiltonartscouncil.ca

@hamartscouncil

Sep10

Hamilton Fempreneurs nearing membership of 4000 local women-owned businesses

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It was just over a year that we announced a new partnership between the group we founded, the Hamilton Fempreneurs, with the YWCA Hamilton. We’ve seen huge growth in the group’s membership since then, topping 3,700 members recently.

Fempreneur founders: Suzanne Zandbergen, Erika MacKay, and Alicia Thoms

Hamilton Fempreneurs started four years ago as a way for three business-owning women to network with other local women and share our experiences starting and running businesses. There are so many common elements we all have to go through, so it just made sense to have a forum where we could explain our issues and see if anyone had advice or a referral for someone who could help. The forum took the form of a closed Facebook group, open to local women running businesses, or thinking about starting a business.

There are monthly events which are held at the YWCA (thanks to their generous donation of space), with speakers (always women) who teach the group something to help us run our businesses. We also throw in a social evening every so often to allow for women who can’t make it to the daytime meetups, and to give more time for just getting to know each other and our businesses.

Past meetups have included some legendary women sharing their business journeys, such as Judy Marsales (brokerage founder), Janet Jacks (founder of Goodness Me!), Evelyn Myrie (founder of Empower Strategy Group) and Laura Babcock (founder of PowerGroup).

Evelyn Myrie

Judy Marsales

Laura Babcock

Future meetups include Cynthia Brace, author and health coach, leading a workshop on balancing your health while running a business, on September 30th, and Trish Tonaj, author and coach, leading a workshop on mentorship and sharing your lightbulb moments, on October 28th.

Join the group to RSVP for future events here. Almost all our events are free, and joining the group is free, but the advice and information you’ll get from being a member is invaluable!