CIMARRON, MONTEZUMA, & SUBLETTE CHAMBER COLLABORATION

MONTEZUMA, KS, OCTOBER 18 – On Monday, October 18, the Cimarron, Montezuma, and Sublette Chambers of Commerce met at Hy-Plains Feedyard Research & Education Center in Montezuma for an evening of professional learning and networking. Jordan Walker, founder of Bondfire Strategy (www.bondfirestrategy.com) from Wichita, KS, presented Small Business Marketing Strategies.

Last quarter, many Montezuma Chamber of Commerce members had mentioned that as business owners, they had to wear many hats, and it was difficult to prioritize marketing. Megan Elsey, PR Director at MJE, worked with Jordan on MJE’s website redesign and reached out about booking Jordan as a guest speaker. Montezuma decided to extend invitations to the Sublette and Cimarron Chambers of Commerce to keep costs down and provide a networking opportunity. Sixteen people from the Chambers were able to attend. Cheri Martin of Cherry Insurance in Montezuma provided delicious refreshments, and at promptly 7 pm, Jordan got down to business.  Ms. Walker’s presentation led the audience through the basic steps needed for effective marketing. 

“It is crucial that you know and understand your ideal customer. You must understand not just their general demographics, but their underlying behaviors and motivations for effective marketing.”

JORDAN WALKER, FOUNDER -BONDFIRE STRATEGY

After learning more about resources available to small businesses for client research, she shared strategies for developing effective messaging. Once the audience understood who they were marketing to and how to adjust messaging to fit their clients, she shared ideas to optimize their efforts across multiple platforms, including social media. There was also time for a Q and A session to ask specific questions relevant to their business needs. 

Here are just a few comments from attendees of the presentation –

Jarrod Weeks, Weeks Family Funeral Home, Sublette – “Jordan was very professional and provided a lot of current information that we can apply in our businesses.” 

Amber Harmon, Davis Electric, Cimarron – “This event had a lot of helpful takeaways. Jordan Walker presented solid action items to benefit and simplify any marketing plan. There’s always room for growth when it comes to marketing education, and it was good to partner with the Montezuma and Sublette Chambers to bring this knowledge to our communities.”

Jami Helm, Montezuma Drug, Montezuma – “Jordan was extremely knowledgeable. She really hit on the nuts and bolts to effective marketing for small businesses. It goes so much more beyond a simple post to Facebook to reach your audiences.”

Jaclyn Vath, Western Plains Primary Care Clinic, Cimarron – “Jordan did a great job talking about different types of social media, which types would be better to utilize depending on your type of business, how to use them more efficiently, and how to better target your intended customer base. It was all great information for small businesses.”

Attendees from all three Chambers walked away with tactics for engaging their target audiences as well as forming new relationships with other Southwest Kansas business owners.

If you are interested in joining any of these Chambers of Commerce you can reach out on Facebook to learn more about upcoming opportunities to get involved!

Cimarron – Facebook.com/cimarronchamber

Montezuma – Facebook.com/MontezumaChamber

Sublette – Facebook.com/Sublette-Chamber-of-Commerce