GGCC Shows Importance of Story Telling & How to Keep, Attain, Re-Engage & Expand Your Customer Base

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber (GGCC) in partnership with Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union’s Small Business University hosted its 8th Annual “GROWTH: Brand, Sales & Marketing” Seminar on Tuesday, March 24 at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville.

This year’s seminar featured Sonya Burke of Montgomery Community Media who spoke on “Using the Press to Tell Your Story More Effectively & Attract Your Target Audience” & Chad Prinkey of Neuberger & Company, Inc. who presented “Your Best Customer is Someone Else’s Prospect….. What are you Doing to Keep Them?”.

“The seminar was an excellent reminder that we need to take the time to invest in our professional development. Both Chad and Sonya did a terrific job to give us the tools we need to make our businesses stronger,” said Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC Executive Director. The seminar was sponsored by Planet Fitness, The Gazette & Bargain Movers.

Small, medium and large size businesses were able to take advantage of the numerous resources that were presented at the seminar.

After Prinkey’s K.A.R.E. (Keep, Attain, Re-engage and Expand) presentation attendees left with one game changing strategy in each of the following areas:

• Business development: get more opportunities in front of the right prospects
• Winning the business: get the business at your target margin in a highly competitive marketplace
• Account management: protect and grow your best relationships through expansion and referrals

Burke spoke on telling your story effectively by using the press. Attendees left this session with the following information:

• The optimal time to deliver press releases to journalists
• How to craft a story pitch that grabs a journalist’s attention
• What is real news and what is promotional content
• How to deliver to journalists the information they need to tell your story
• Why you should engage journalists regularly and effectively on social media
• And how to work with bloggers to tailor your content to their needs
• Create and use target media lists of relevant journalist and blogger contacts

The GGCC is active in providing business-to-business networking opportunities throughout the year: a collective voice in local, regional, and state legislative affairs, professional development opportunities and other services that enhance the business environment.

The GGCC is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org.

Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaithersburg-Germantown-Chamber-of-Commerce/64339954570. Or on Twitter at: @GGCCNEWS.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

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