Northeast Minnesota's Small Business Development Center
MnSBDC Logo
In This Edition
New SBDC Consultant
Young Professionals Luncheon
Hashtags 101
Find us on Facebook

Upcoming Workshops 

 

workshop with curt

  

8/6 (9:00am-12:00pm)

Excel I
8/6 (1:00pm-4:00pm)

Generational Diversity
8/7 (2:00pm-4:00pm)

Word II
8/8 (9:00am-12:00pm)

Word III
8/8 (1:00pm-4:00pm) 
 
8/15 (9:00am-12:00pm)

8/15 (1:00pm-4:00pm) 

 

 View All Upcoming Workshops 

  

CED Training Opportunities Emails

 

Sign up to receive email updates on training opportunities.

 

 

UMD TEEN ENTERPRISE
Teen Enterprise Logo
 
August 6-8, 2013 
Mesabi Range Community and Technical College

UMD Teen Enterprise challenges students to think entrepreneurially while still in high school!

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!  
Visit www.umdced.com/
UMDTEEN Enterprise.htm
for more details and to register. 
UMD SBI PROGRAM
Apply to participate in the Fall 2013 SBI Program
pic

The Student to Business Initiative Program benefits students with real world experience while businesses gain fresh perspective.

 

If your business needs new marketing strategies or an analysis and budget, apply to participate in next semester's marketing or accounting program.    

 

Click Here for more 
information and to apply.
Quick Links

 

 

 

 

SBA 
Join Our Mailing List 
Contact Us
UMD Center for Economic Development

ced doors  
The Small Business Development Center for Northeast Minnesota

(218) 726-7298 - main
(888) 387-4594 - toll free

Regional Center: Duluth

 

Satellite Offices: Hibbing/Chisholm
Quad Cities
International Falls
Grand Rapids
Ely
Grand Marais/Cook County
Two Harbors/Lake County
Carlton County
Hermantown

 

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESSES GROW AND SUCCEED
NEW SBDC CONSULTANT IN GRAND RAPIDS
Itasca Economic Development Corporation Announces New
Director of Business Development
 
Shannon Benolken Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) is pleased to announce the addition of Shannon Benolken to its team. Shannon will fill the role of Director of Business Development beginning 
August 8, 2013.
 
"We are excited to have Shannon join us, "stated IEDC President, Mark Zimmerman. "Shannon, a lifelong resident of Itasca County, has a deep understanding of this region's citizens and its business culture. She has a broad base of contacts that will be a valuable addition to the organization. With IEDC's renewed focus on expansion and retention of existing Itasca County businesses, Shannon's role will be two-fold. She will lead the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) housed at IEDC and serve as Director of Business Development. Her role will encompass all aspects of business, from small startups, to mid stage entrepreneurs, to larger existing businesses."
 
Shannon comes to IEDC after serving as the Executive Director of the Itasca County Habitat for Humanity for the past nine years. During that time, she led the organization to two "Best Practices" awards from Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota and recognition at the Habitat for Humanity International Conference for her work in linking the ReStore to the mission. She was instrumental in raising the budget for Itasca County Habitat for Humanity from $46,000 to $820,000 annually through the creation of longstanding relationships and partnerships with other organizations and individuals.
 
Shannon has an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Public Administration from Ashford University. She is a graduate of the Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Program and attended the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Performance Management Leadership Institute. As an active member of the community, Shannon has participated as a Board Member of many organizations.
 
"I share IEDC's commitment to the local communities and residents in Itasca County" said Benolken. "I am extremely pleased to be a part of such a proactive and vital organization".
CED LUNCHEON FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS 
 
Are you a young professional who is interested in starting your own business?  Do you have a question you've been wanting to ask a professional business consultant? This is your chance! 

 

Join us for our "Young Professionals Luncheon"

August 22, 2013 
12:00 pm -1:00 pm 

UMD Center for Economic Development. 


Bring your lunch, your questions, and sit down for free advice with CED's business consultants as well as an opportunity to network with other young professionals in the area.  
 
Join us on Twitter for the live feed: #CEDbiztalk
HASHTAGS 101 
 
Hashtags are no longer just for Twitter. 
With Facebook's recent announcement that the use of hashtags is now enabled on the site too, small businesses and nonprofits need to make sure they have a good grasp on how and when to use them effectively. While some are still trying to wrap their arms around the benefits of using hashtags, many businesses are already finding success. 
 
A recent study found that 58 percent of people on social media use hashtags on a regular basis, with 43 percent of hashtag users reporting they think they're useful and 34 percent using them to follow categories and brands of personal interest like your business.
 
For those who are not already using hashtags, here is a quick overview of how and when they can and should be used.   
 
What is a hashtag?
A hashtag consists of words or phrases (with no spaces), preceded by a # sign (i.e. #SBW13 or #StanleyCup) that is used to tie various social media posts together and relate them to a topic. Topics are sometimes connected to an event, TV show, sporting event, or any happening or trend of your choosing. Originally, hashtags were created on Twitter, but today they can be used on Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Vine.
 
  
Why do hashtags matter?
By clicking on a hashtag in a social post, that social network will automatically curate and display a feed of other messages also incorporating the same hashtag. Hashtags let you add context to a post and show that it is a part of a larger discussion. They can be good for connecting people to other individuals discussing the same topic and are also great for connecting people at events. 
 
How do you use a hashtag?  
To create a hashtag, simply include a # in front of a word or phrase, without spaces. A hashtag can occur at the beginning or the middle of a post. As a business, you can use a hashtag to make an event even more social, join other conversations, boost the visibility of a promotion or explore new content for content ideas-all of which benefit  your business.  

  

Other tips:
  • Don't abuse the hashtag. Too many hashtags looks spammy, and research has shown that engagement drops when a tweet has two or more hashtags.
  • Keep your hashtag short and sweet, easy to spell, and easy to remember. If you want to incorporate your hashtag across multiple channels, you need to consider the character restrictions of those social networks. If you're creating a hashtag for an event with a long title consider using an abbreviation or acronym (For example, for National Small Business Week events earlier this summer, Constant Contact used the hashtag  #SBW13.)
  • Do a search for the hashtag you intend to use before you use it. You never know what people may be using hashtags to discuss. You wouldn't want to accidentally connect your business to a negative, controversial or embarrassing topic.
Gina Watkins  Gina Watkins is a leading expert on 
e-marketing for small business - and has a real passion for helping businesses succeed. In addition to owning her own business, she is an award-winning direct marketer. In her role as Constant Contact Regional Development Director, she's presented to more than ten thousand seminar attendees about the keys to success with easy, affordable, highly effective technology tools that grow trusted business relationships. 
SBA MnSBDC Logo
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and regional support partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the program sponsors. Programs are open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UMD Center for Economic Development at 218-726-7975 or toll free 1-888-387-4594 to make arrangements.