eBlast for the week of  
July 11, 2016
This week at the Chamber:
 

Monday, July 11th - Wednesday, July 13th

Chamber Offices Closed.

Thursday, July 14th 

8 a.m. - Chamber Board of Directors Meeting

9:30 a.m. Chamber Coffee hosted by Post Rock Radio @ Chamber


This week in our area:

Monday, July 11th
2-4 p.m. - Hoisington Food Bank open 

7 p.m. - City Council Meeting

Thursday, July 14th

Saturday, July 16th
7-9 a.m. - Clara Barton Hospital Lab Fair

Monday, July 18th 
7 p.m. - USD 431 Board of Education Meeting



Chamber News
Labor Day News
Unfortunately we did not get enough team registrations to hold the 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament this Labor Day weekend.  Maybe next year!

Now for some Fun Labor Day news!

We will have a live band, Mike Love from Wichita, at the Friday night Beer Garden at 7th and Main! He will start playing as soon as Hoisington wins the home football game.  :)

We still need vintage Hoisington Labor Day photos!  

We will be making these collages the last week in July so start digging!  We will need digital copies, so you can email them to [email protected] or bring them into the office and we can scan them in. We hope to have several collages displayed around town before and during Labor Day. Should be a blast!

Parade, Car Show and Pageant registrations are happening right now! 

See our event specific Labor Day pages at our www.hoisingtonkansas.com website for registrations.  For the car show and parade you don't even need to print anything off, just submit a form online.

Class Reunions

Call or email the Chamber if your class has Labor Day reunion plans.  There is a Reunion page under the Labor Day tab to keep them all in one place as we get them.



Ambassador News





Congratulations to Vincent Martinez of Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant for being the May recipient of the Hoisington Chamber Ambassador's Customer Service Shout-Out award.  

Every month the Ambassadors make nominations for above and beyond customer service in our community, and one is chosen. 
 
Member News
Welcome to Angels Care Home Health who joined our Chamber family this past week!

Angels Care Home Health is a Medicare-certified home health agency that is owned and operated by AngMar Medical Holdings, Inc., a privately held family company based in Mansfield, Texas. AngMar operates a network of agencies with multiple locations in 10 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. As the premier provider of home health care services, Angels Care admits patients and answers calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its patients receive comprehensive follow-up care by way of at-home monitoring that alleviates missed office visits, encourages adherence to discharge instructions and physician orders and addresses social service needs. In addition, Angels Care ensures medication compliance by emphasizing medication reconciliation and management in the home.
 
When Angels Care's patients are first admitted onto service, they receive more visits from nurses and therapists in the first two weeks than is typical of the average home health agency. Education through its disease management and specialty programs also distinguishes Angels Care from other home health agencies. Whether patients are coping with chronic illness, healing from an injury, or relearning lost skills, they have the resources to help them manage their condition and enjoy quality living at home.
 
Angels Care provides skilled nursing care, restorative therapy and medical social services to patients in their homes or wherever they may reside, including assisted living facilities and retirement communities. Under the direction of the physician, Angels Care administers medical services to the patient while strictly adhering to the physician's plan of care. The goal of Angels Care Home Health is to make it possible for seniors to receive quality health care at home so they can remain independent and continue to lead safe, healthy and productive lives.
 
Angels Care's disease management programs include Alzheimer's Disease, Chronic Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes, Falls Prevention, Heart Attack, Hypertension, Light Step, Parkinson's Disease, Pneumonia and Stroke/TBI. Other specialty programs include Care Connections Pre-Palliative Care, Caregiver Support, Medication Management and Community Classroom Education.

 
Wetlands Education Center Summer Programs Continue
Flowers: They're not just for smelling!
     Add a peppery flavor to salads, a festive garnish to cakes or a refreshing flavor to your iced tea, all with flowers. Learn which flowers are edible and various ways you can incorporate their delicate flavors in your cooking, during "flower flavors" at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, at 2 p.m. on July 17.
     Participants will crystallize flowers, an art pastry chefs use to embellish cakes, pies and tarts, in addition to preparing, making and tasting dishes made with flowers. They will also learn how to safely grow and use flowers as food.
     Register for this free adult class by July 14 by calling KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.

Kids' Summer Program: Dog Days of Summer 
(Ages 4-7)   July 14th @ 10:30 a.m. 
(Ages 8-12)  July 14th  @ 2 p.m. 
Kansas Wetlands Education Center, 592 NE K-156 Highway, Great Bend, KS

 
From the rare black-footed ferret to the burrowing owl, many creatures depend upon the prairie dog and the habitat their "towns" create.  Participants will investigate who shares prairie dog digs and make a nesting critter chain.

The morning session, 10:30-11:30 a.m., is designed for children ages four through seven, and the afternoon session, 2-3 p.m., is for children ages 8-12. The one-hour programs are offered at no charge. Programs include lots of hands-on activities, with trips outside if possible. Please dress children in old clothes and shoes and bring sunscreen and insect repellent. Each program will include activities, games and/or craft and sometimes a story. Children age seven and younger must be accompanied by an adult. The registration deadline is July 11. To register for a program, or for more information, call 1-877-243-9268. There is a maximum limit of 20 per class. Although there is no program charge, donations for supplies are appreciated.


Hop in to See (and Hear) New KWEC Frog and Toad Exhibit

Visitors to the KWEC can check out a new permanent exhibit to the Koch Wetlands Exhibit Gallery. After its debut at Barton Community College's Shafer Art Gallery exhibit, Frogs: Sounding the Future through May and June, the exhibit is now in its permanent home at the KWEC.
The exhibit features photos of four frog and toad species that can be seen at Cheyenne Bottoms. Push buttons and speakers allow visitors to hear the calls of these species as well as a full chorus to identify multiple species calling in a marsh setting.
"We are excited to install this new addition to the exhibits at KWEC, featuring an important and imperiled fauna of the wetlands," stated Curtis Wolf, KWEC site manager.
The exhibit was funded by a Chickadee Checkoff grant. Content and exhibit design was by Pam Martin, KWEC/KDWPT Educator. Artwork was designed by David Barnes and Scott Beahm, BCC Shafer Gallery. Photographs were provided by Suzanne Collins and the Center for North American Herpetology. Exhibit construction was by Jerry Clark and the Ellsworth Correctional Facility; technical assistance was supplied by KDWPT and electrical wiring was completed by Cory Noffsinger.
  

               

Library hosts workshop on Windows 10

 
Hoisington Sonic Hiring!

 
Weekly Business Article
HOW TO USE INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

You can lose hours on Instagram looking at all of the gorgeous eye candy, but did you know it's also a very effective marketing tool for business? 

What is Instagram?
Instagram has been around since 2010. Two years after its launch, it was purchased by Facebook. It's important to know that this image sharing platform now boasts 500 million monthly active users. Instagram estimates more than 300 million people use the service at least once a day. This platform allows for hashtags and commentary with its video or image sharing but users cannot post a non-image or video Facebook-style update post.

To get started using it, download the app on your phone. While you can discover people, like, follow, and comment from your computer, uploading must be done on a tablet or a phone. Currently businesses and personal accounts function in the same way. If you're looking to understand the intricacies and how to's of posting, this article covers it all.

Once you know how to post, here are a few ways you can use this social media image platform to increase sales and reach out to customers and potential customers.

Use Hashtags
Some marketers debate the effectiveness of hashtags in getting found on social media platforms but not on Instagram. Hashtags are huge here. On each post you can use up to 30. There's a nice autocomplete feature that makes suggestions for hashtags as you type. Instagram uses hashtags to help categorize content but also as commentary. You'll see hashtags that convey emotion as well as subject such as #doneright and #summerlove.
When the autocomplete feature suggests a hashtag, it also presents the number of instances that hashtag has been used on the site. It's a helpful way of figuring out how popular your hashtag is. You can use popular hashtags, like #TBT (Throwback Thursday for posting older pictures) or #nofilter to gain likes. If you use popular hashtags, a lot of people will see your content. However, they're not all going to be your ideal client/customer. It's better to use more targeted hashtags that appeal to your intended audience since that's whose attention you're trying to get. Search for users that post about what you sell or do. Look at their posts and note what hashtags they use.

A final note about hashtags, you can't use non-numerical symbols (outside of the #) sign. So if your business name contains an &, you're going to have to decide whether you will spell it out as "and" or leave it out. Whatever you choose, be consistent in your usage.

Employ Strategic Follows
Maybe it's because of the visual aspect of the platform, and not getting bogged down in text, but users tend to follow back on Instagram. Take some time and search for users, as mentioned in the previous section, and follow them. Often they'll return the favor. Now they'll see your content in their streams and be more apt to interact with it.

Go Local
If you're a business where locale is important, use the geotagging/location feature on Instagram. This allows you to mark where you are. You want to do this for two reasons. It shows people where you are (in words) and marks your location on the map. Users can choose to see all the images from a given area. Now if someone selects your city, they'll see your post.

Be Friendly
Yes, you want business through Instagram but you don't get that by merely posting a new image every day. Take the time to follow, connect with, and like other people's images. This is not all about you. You would never walk into a museum and hang your own work of art next to others. Appreciate what they have to offer. If they feel like you're interested in them, they'll be more interested in you as well.

Use Ads
It's important to learn to navigate the app, through posting and connecting with people first. Once you've mastered that, you can start thinking ads. Ads appear in users' feeds. There are several kinds to select from and you can use image ads or video ads. Here's what you need to know about paying for views on Instagram. To run ads you will need to connect your Facebook page to your Business Manager on your Instagram account. Here are a few additional tips on Instagram advertising.

A Final Word About Best Practices with Instagram
Like all social media marketing, you don't want to make this account all about your business and the hard sell. Share new products and services, but also share things you love, places you visit or those that inspire you, fun behind-the-scenes images at your business, and how-to's on using your product or service. Need some ideas for posts? Here are 26.

Have fun. Be fun. Share beautiful things. Feature your employees and your customers. Like their posts. Instagram is a brilliant way to let people see your world. But if it's all marketing propaganda, you won't have very many people who want to visit for long. Instead, use posts that are welcoming, intriguing, and helpful and watch your audience, and business, grow.

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Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives' Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and the Event Manager Blog.
She's a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.

Barton County Young Professionals Corner


Save the Dates - Upcoming Events for Young Professionals Members
 
Family Pool Party Sponsored by Farmers Bank & Trust
Farmers Bank & Trust is sponsoring our annual Family Pool Party on Sunday, July 24th from 5-7 p.m. at Club West in Great Bend, Kansas. Join us for Papa Murphy's pizza, kid-friendly refreshments, and pool fun. This event is FREE for members and their families. RSVP to Special Events Team volunteer Katie Lear, [email protected], no later than Wednesday,July 20th at 9 p.m.! Join the Facebook Event.

JUST LAUNCHED - #BCYPproud Social Media Campaign

In an effort to raise awareness for the Young Professionals group and our mission, the Steering Committee and Public Relations Team for Barton County Young Professionals are excited to announce a NEW Public Relations Campaign that just launched with our hashtag #BCYPproud. The big picture goal is to encourage YP members, supporters, employers, and the public to share stories and photos about the group in a positive way. Members receive these newsletters, and are more aware of what we do to serve the community and develop leaders. But the public at large may not be so aware, and we want to change that. When you volunteer for a BCYP project or attend one of our events, we encourage you to post on social media to raise awareness about our networking group and brag about all the great things BCYP is doing to give back. Don't forget to use the hashtag #BCYPproud!

 
Area News
The Barton County Local Emergency Planning Committee will meet on July 12, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at the Barton County Courthouse. The agenda will include a presentation on the Anderson Creek Wildland Fire in Barber County, a review of Emergency Support Function 10 - Oil and Hazardous Materials from the Barton County Emergency Operations Plan, and reports from members.
 
The main function of the Barton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is to establish and maintain a Hazardous Materials Plan, conduct exercises of the plan and serve as the contact for the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Program, often referred to as SARA Title III.  The Barton County LEPC is comprised of representatives from the following groups: elected official; first responders; hospital; community service/civic group; law enforcement; health/medicine/ transportation; fire fighting; environment; communications media; and facilities/industries regulated by SARA Title III.
 
Individuals may contact Amy Miller, Emergency Management Director, at 620-793-1919 or by email at [email protected] for more information concerning the meeting.

 
Now Hiring
In the interest of keeping the eBlasts and Newsletters manageable in size, the Job Opportunities from our investment members will be listed on our website under the "About Hoisington" link under "Employment".

TO SEE WHAT JOBS ARE AVAILABLE FROM OUR MEMBERS.
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                    Call for Content eBlasts and Newsletters

 

If you have exciting news that you would like to share in our monthly newsletter or weekly eBlasts with nearly 200 individuals in our business community, please send it to the Chamber office at [email protected] three business days prior to the 1st of the month.

 

If you would prefer to get a printed copy of the monthly newsletter, please let the office know.

Hoisington Chamber of Commerce
123 N Main St
Hoisington, Kansas 67544
620-653-4311
[email protected]
Open Monday - Friday  9a.m. -12 p.m. & 1-4 p.m.