They’re coming….

We knew it was only a matter of time until the Zombies of the universe sought out the richness of Redlands. But we are prepared! To help you steer clear of those frightful creatures the Redlands Fright Night Run has been scheduled for Saturday, October 24^th, at Sylvan Park.  It’s a 5k-ish course that ventures into the Zombie infested streets of Redlands where the living dead, will be waiting for you. Runners will embark onto the ghoulish streets of the course, with life flags hanging from their waste band. Every runner will have just one goal, to reach the end of the course with at least one life flag left.  But danger lurks at every corner, throughout the run, before you dare to expect it; Zombies will be waiting for you and will be hungry to take your life flags from you. Your job is to find your way to safety at the finish line and once there you can party with both the living and dead. After running scared you can share the horrors of your victory  in the beer garden if you’re 21 or older or you can hang in the After Life party zone with friends sampling delectable treats from the “to die for” food trucks.

Not a runner you say? Are you a zombie? You can join the wrangles and their army of zombies that are lying in wait along the course, as humans try desperately to avoid your efforts.

If running is too much like work and you are just too nice to be a Zombie then you can sign up to be a Good Samaritan (Volunteer) prepared to help the humans find safety at the start line, finish line and places in between.

Little ones can join in the fun at the Itty Bitty Zombie Zone, where their very own course will include fun and games, with prizes, and holiday treats.

Do you need more information? Log on to www.redlandsfrightnightrun.com

and register today.

HISTORIAL GLASS MUSEUM
Joann Tortarolo
1157 No. Orange Street
Redlands, CA  92373
Phone:  798-0868

LOWES HOME IMPROVEMENT
Dale Bausch
1725 W. Redlands Blvd
Redlands, CA  92373
Phone:  307-8883

QUEENS FINE JEWELRY
William Kaymaz
405 W. Redlands Blvd
Redlands, CA  92373
Phone:  798-4330

SEO FIRST
Kevin Kantola
Mentone, CA  92359
Phone:  810-1616

Whitefrog a creative agency

You have a story and Whitefrog is here to help you tell it.

The extraordinary team at Whitfrog Creative Agency, believes the best way to do their job and serve you is to be your partner. To be the first and last place you turn with questions, concerns, and ideas about branding, design, marketing and more. To offer the tools necessary for you to become the brand you envision. Their creative and expert skills will help you create and tell your story to your customers new and old.

What makes you the best at what you do? Where in the digital world are you?

You may know the answers to these questions but what about your target audience… your customers? Whitefrog creative geniuses make sure they do. As your partner it’s their job to get to know you, and your goals, and then to always be thinking, of ways to get you there. Others have called this critical dreaming, Whitefrog calls it “to Leap”…. figuring out not only how to jump but where to land.

Whitefrog believes that “good enough… NEVER IS.  They exist to create great things, to reimagine, to reinvent, and rediscover what is possible. They want to be your partner in dreaming, in playing, in creating something beyond what is currently imagined….. to Leap!

Connect with the creative minds at Whitefrog located at 1030 Nevada Street, Suite 100 or log onto www.whitefrog.org and let the dreaming begin.

Time for an update on a few legislative items we are tracking here at the Redlands Chamber of Commerce.  First off is the ongoing saga of ADA related lawsuits.  At the beginning of the year there were two assembly bills, 52 and 54, that were yet another attempt to curb the frivolous lawsuits.  Unfortunately AB 52 was pulled from Committee by its author Assembly Member Gray.  AB 52 proposed to allow time to remove accessibility barriers and reduce the maximum dollar amount awarded a plaintiff.  The second bill, AB 54, allows for a 60 day grace period to make modifications, but only for violations resulting from code changes in the last 3 years.  It also has a tax credit provision for businesses who hire a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) to evaluate their property.  This will be in addition to an existing tax credit for addressing construction related accessibility code violations.  AB 54 has passed through the Committee on Revenue and Taxation and is on its way to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 8 is the bill proposing significant modifications to the state tax system, including a sales tax on professional services.  The bill has passed the Governance and Finance Committee (no surprise since the committee is chaired by the bill’s author) and is now waiting review by the Rules Committee.  We are tracking this one closely, waiting for the best times to voice our opposition to the services tax portion of the bill.

AB 463 is a relatively new one.  The bill will require pharmaceutical companies to file financial reports related to more expensive drugs.  This will apply to drugs costing more than $10,000 annually or per treatment.  After some discussion, the Redlands Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted to support this bill.  Since public money is often used to subsidize expensive medical treatments, it is important that costs associated with developing and producing the drugs are made available to help prevent price gouging.  In many cases a new lifesaving medication is available from only one company.  This bill has been referred to the Health Committee for review.

Congratulations to those of you who managed to stay awake through all this

How to win with social media

By Marcy Weaver, MicroNet, Inc.                

Social media continues to prove itself as a viable and long term tactic for marketing out reach.  Furthermore it’s affordable and easy to manage with just an Internet connection and basic marketing skills.

However, because the game is always changing, businesses must stay current on new social media strategies to keep engaged.

Tips for success:

Don’t spread yourself too thin. Decide which social media platforms are best for your business. Are your customers primarily on Facebook- Twitter-LinkedIn? Those platforms are the most popular in the business community.  But consider, YouTube, Pinterest, or Instagram.  Which best suits your needs and will help you drive customers and growth to your business.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook recently started filtering out unpaid promotional material in users’ news feeds that businesses have posted as status updates. Consider using paid advertising options like Facebook’s “boost this post” to ensure you reach your target audience.

Create relevant and interesting content for your users. Pull them in with information that is engaging and useful to them. Try not to self-promote too frequently. A good rule of thumb is one-to-six: promote your business one time for every six posts you make.

When coming up with items to post, keep in mind that not all content you post has to be original. 48% of marketers curate noteworthy content from reputable, third-party sources, according to Design & Promote an online marketing firm. Find articles on line your customers can use, make sure to source them and then post them.

Seek out and use customer testimonials to give your posts a human connection. If possible use video to tell the stories. A new trend suggests that videos rule over photos. According to new data from social media analytics company Socialbakers, photo posts are half as likely to be seen as videos in Facebook user newsfeeds.

Remember to engage your followers. After all this is “social media” so be social! Monitor your comments, likes, shares, and retweets. Respond when needed, invite people to your website and thank your audience for their comments.

Marcy Weaver is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at MicroNet, Inc. provider of membership managing software and website solutions