October, 2010 - Vol 1, Issue 2 |
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| Did you know?
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For first time visitors to our monthly luncheon, lunch is on us! Simply contact us in advance. If you would like to donate a prize for the next MCBA event, let us know! You can reach the MCBA at: info@millcreekbiz.com. |
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Board of Directors
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PresidentVice-PresidentTreasurerSecretaryPast PresidentMembers at Large
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| Advertisement |
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Business tip of the month
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Most
of us have plenty of competitors, which is great for consumers as it gives them
plenty of choices, but can be tough when you are going after your share of the
market. The best way to stand out from the crowd is to determine what your
company does best that differentiates you from the competition. It doesn't have
to be anything complicated - it can be simple and basic. Whatever you determine
is you best asset, it should also be something your customers value. At the
Journals we direct mail our product and fill our pages with good news. These
are things we discovered were of value to our advertisers and it is these
selling points that we focus on. They are two assets that our not offered by
our competitors. This is basic branding 101, and once you have a clear vision
of what your message is, marketing can be focused in a way that sets you apart.
Remember that your brand includes your reputation, customer service, your
promise to your customer, price, the emotions your product or service might
invoke, your attitude, your logo and your product line.
~ Theresa Poalucci - MCBA Board Member and Publisher, Journal Newspapers
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| Advertisement (.pdf downloads) |
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Shop Local Campaign Planned for November & December
| Learn how your business can be represented at no cost
The Mill Creek Business Association (MCBA) will be placing targeted advertising in local newspapers throughout the holiday shopping season.
- All materials would show that the message is brought to you by the Mill Creek Business Association, with a prominent logo and the shop local web address, as well as the MCBA web address. The MCBA web site would include a feature article from the Journal that stresses the monetary reasons for shopping local. Examples would be the amount of tax money that stays in the community, savings on fuel, price comparisons, etc. Interviews would be held with some of the local retailers to drive the point home.
- The advertised message would include these points:
- Keep Consumer Holiday Dollars in the Local Economy - Dollars spent locally have three times the impact on our community as dollars spent elsewhere. Spend in Mill Creek and you help create jobs, fund city services through sales tax, and promote community development.
- Support Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurship fuels our economic innovation and prosperity.
- Encourage Competition - A marketplace packed with small businesses is the best way to ensure low prices over the long-term.
- Enjoy Better Selection - A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of choices.
- Keep Environmental Sustainability - Do business in Mill Creek and you help to sustain a vibrant, walkable town. The results are less automobile use, habitat loss, and less air and water pollution.
- Ads or inserts would appear as follows; Journals November 3, Mill Creek Enterprise Nov. 10, Seattle Times Nov. 24, Mill Creek Enterprise Dec. 1, Journals December 8, Mill Creek View Dec. 15, Seattle Times Dec. 22.
- Press releases would be sent out at the beginning of November and again in December.
- The MCBA Facebook page and Twitter feed would feature a couple of the individual member's specials or messages each week.
- Members would be asked to include a temporary link to a new website www.buymillcreek.org, as well as display a poster and (in some cases) provide customers with a flyer about the campaign.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR OPPORTUNITY
TO PARTICIPATE AND FOR ORDER FORMS
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The lighter side of business
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Two shoe salespeople were dispatched to a remote African country.
In just a few days, their employer received telegrams from each.
One read: "Get me out of here--no one wears shoes." The other read: "Send more inventory--no one here owns shoes."
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Java and Talk
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 Join fellow MCBA members for some great coffee and an opportunity to network on Thursday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Spotted Cow. Plan to bring plenty of business cards as networking 101 will tell you to always exchange contact information and be sure to follow-up. And here is a networking tip: Start and maintain a database of the contacts in your network that includes their name, email address, phone number, as well as how, when and where you met. You might also want to make some notes to help jog your memory as well as your contact's memory. The Spotted Cow is located at 15118 Main St., #700. The event is free and so is your first cup of coffee, but we suggest you bring some coffee money as the aroma of brewing coffee at The Spotted Cow will have you craving more than one cup of Joe. The event will feature informal networking from 7:30 - 8 a.m., with more structured networking following until 9 a.m. So be sure to polish your elevator speech.
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The world of marketing has changed forever.
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Our next monthly luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19th from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. with online marketer Glen Froehlich as our featured speaker.  The basic principles of marketing still apply like, clearly defining your market and customer, differentiating yourself in your marketplace, but how you market today can build or bust a business in this new world economy. Come and hear what the Director of Marketing of Local MarketSense, Glenn Froehlich, has to tell us. Odds are you will receive a new perspective on how marketing has changed and how you can use these changes to your advantage. He will give us 5 secrets to supercharge our marketing and address the social media question of "So is it really worth it? ". Online marketing concerns like "How do I Get Found Online?", and how to get your website to the top of the search rankings (what this means and why is it important?) so you can be an online rockstar in your own market niche! You will leave informed with simple, easy steps to get you results today! Some Stats: - 67% of offline purchases start with online product research and comparison shopping
- 90% of purchases are made within 50 miles of a person's home
- 84% of U.S. based internet users performed local searches in the last year looking for a local business
- 68% of fans are "very likely" to recommend a product to family and friends
- 86% of all searches on the Google network included a geographical identifier
About Glen Froehlich
Passionate, energized, informative, those are the words often used to describe Glenn Froehlich when he talks about Online Marketing and Social Media Marketing. Glenn is the Director of Marketing for Local MarketSense, an Inbound Marketing Agency and Content Creation Company. Glenn gets much of his marketing training and techniques from John Jantch, the small business marketing guru and creator of Duct Tape Marketing. Glenn is an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach and is also certified in Inbound Marketing from the Inbound Marketing University. With a background in comedy, he is guaranteed to make you laugh while you learn! |
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| MCBA Board Nominations |  For 2010 the MCBA has made some minor changes in the Association Bylaws to make board nominations and elections simpler, with an emphasis on making sure that all members have an opportunity to vote. This means nominations and the election will take place via email. Further, the board would like to seat eleven on the board so that there is less chance for a tie-vote. Finally the board has opted to change terms, so that any member serving on the board will serve for a two-year term and these terms will stagger, so that at least half of the board members are not new to the board.
The nominating committee for the board would like to present the following nominations. At this time the board is asking the membership if they have any additional nominations they would like to present. Please email nominations to Sue McNeely at info@millcreekbiz.com by October 22nd. If there are no other nominations then this board is automatically elected, and the board will work to fill the remaining seat. If there are more nominations added, then all members will receive an email to vote in November.
Up for reelection to serve one more year:
- Rosemary Bennetts
- Bridgette Barrington
- Bill Raynolds
Up for reelection to serve a two year term:
- Kevin Giboney
- Theresa Poalucci
Newly nominated for two year term:
- Open for nomination
- Thad Hoover
- Chris Lindstrom
- Jim McMillian
Remaining on the board for 2011 are:
- Sue McNeely, Secretary
- Bill Temple, Treasurer
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What's in December that no other month has? (Other than the letter "D")
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 The MCBA Annual Holiday Party MCBA members are invited to enjoy the festive atmosphere at My Garden Nursery on Friday, Dec 3, from 5:30 to 7pm. Mix and mingle and maybe even do a bit of shopping among the fir trees as My Garden Nursery will be offering a special discount to members that evening. Registration is required. Cost to be announced. Watch for more details! |
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Advertisement
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New membership levels and sponsorship opportunities! |
 The MCBA board is introducing a new membership application, effective immediately, that provides more than the basic membership level. Members can now opt to step up as "Lunch or After-Hours Sponsors," or choose one of four Associate Champion Sponsorships designated as "Silver," "Gold," Platinum," or "Festival Title". Each of these levels of support come with a detailed list of the benefits associated with them. As a member/sponsor of the MCBA, you strengthen your company's competitive edge by increasing its visibility and credibility as you support events that interest the community that you do business in. Proven effective, business sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the United States.
Sponsorship differentiates your company from competitors by highlighting your community partnership. It shows civic pride and responsibility while strengthening relationships with existing and potential customers, showcasing your services and products, and building brand familiarity for your company.
By aligning your company with specific events, such as the annual Mill Creek Festival, you make use of an effective marketing tool that accesses a wide range of audiences, including decision makers in business, government entities and customers.
Sponsorship that involves hospitality is especially effective, given the advantage of exclusive networking opportunities like Chamber networking breakfasts and lunches, as well as after-hours events. The MCBA board hopes you consider these new levels of commitment with your business association for 2011. This is now also the new membership application for the rest of 2010. Download the MCBA Membership Application and Benefits (83K .pdf).
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Events around town
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OCTOBER:
13 - Friends of the Mill Creek Library Meeting. 9:00am at the Mill Creek Library. Everyone welcome! The Friends are the generous folks who help raise funds for library programs for children, teens, and adults. We are looking for new leaders to help move us forward. Enrich your comm...
15-16, 21-23, 27-31 - Haunted Nightmare Haunted House. 7pm-11pm, $10 G.A./$15 R.I.P. Pass, Jump Planet - 22310 20th Ave SE Suite 200 Bothell, WA 98021. Seattle's only indoor 3D blacklight haunted attraction. 3D glasses are provided for this hauntingly fun experience for brave souls of just about all ages (parents are encouraged to accompany children under 10). The event is put on by MCBA member, Jody Bossert, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County. Check out this article from yesterday's Everett Herald.
23 - Thrill The World. 4pm (need to arrive at 2:30pm for check-in and rehearsal) Thrill The World is an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". TTW began in 2006 as a tribute to MJ. The Thriller legacy con- tinues to wow audiences today! Come be apart of this legacy and join us and thousands of other dancers around the world as we make a new world record!
Where: Mill Creek Forum (located near Blazing Onion in the Mill Creek Town Center)
What to Wear: Your best zombie costume. (more details available at www.thrillmillcreek.com)
Details: Participants must be at least 9 years old and attend at least 2 learning sessions at Applause Studio. (Returning Zombies need to attend 1)
Learning Sessions: $5 per session.
October 8th, 15th, 22nd Fridays 6:30-7:30pm
October 2nd, 9th, 16th Saturdays 11am-12pm
Final Rehearsal: October 22nd 6:30pm
31 - Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Haunt. 6:30-8pm, free, Mill Creek City Hall Parking Lot, 15728 Main St, Mill Creek. This event features a parking lot full of decorated cars with trunks filled with candy. Children go from car to car "trunk-or-treating." This event provides a safe environment for children and their families, held in one central location. Bring a non-perishable food item for the Volunteers of America Food Bank.
31 - Treats on Main Street. Mill Creek Town Center, Main St and Bothell-Everett Hwy, Mill Creek. Kids can trick-or-treat at shops in the Mill Creek Town Center.
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| Member News
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- Signs Now Mill Creek recently received an International Sales Growth Award for being in the top five network businesses in increased sales percentage growth for North America for June 2010.
- Elle Marie Hair Studio is in the midst of their annual Pink Hair for Hope campaign. Show your support during October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, with a pink hair extension. Only $10, all to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society. See the video of KING 5's Christie Johnson as she visited the salon on Oct. 11th.
- Journal Newspapers start on 8th poster for Fallen Heroes Project. Several years ago, one of the writers at the Journals wrote an article about a local artist who had decided to draw, free of charge, a portrait of every person who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror. The owners of the newspapers felt so strongly about this project that they offered to volunteer some time to help by producing a poster that could be use to tell the story of the project with one click glance. Now on their eighth such endeavor, these posters have traveled the world. Click here to read the story.
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