December 2020 Lander Chamber Newsletter

2020

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Photo by Kelsey Ball December 2020 newsletter.indd 1

11/23/2020 11:28:39 AM

POINTS TO PONDER

From the Executive Director

I

t has been said that tourism is the open door or first step to economic development. Although these past several months have brought many economic disappointments, one bright spot here in Lander and Fremont County was a remarkably successful travel and tourism season.

Things certainly didn’t begin well here in Lander. According to the Department of Revenue, our lodging tax receipts in May and June were down 46% and 75% respectively compared to the same months in 2019. Ouch. But two things the Wind River Visitors Council (Fremont County’s lodging tax board, of which the Lander Chamber is a partner) knew were: 1) people would be itching to travel when they could and 2) they’d want to travel to America’s open spaces, as far as possible from other folks. WRVC’s crack marketing team zeroed in on these anticipated trends, and it turned out that, indeed, Wyoming -and Fremont County in particular -- definitely fit the bill!

In July, receipts in Lander inched up, down only 30% from 2019. In August, they were up an astounding 65%! And when you compare all of Fremont County to Wyoming’s other counties, we experienced among the lowest percentage of total decreases in lodging tax receipts in the state over the last four months: -15.51% (the state average being -31%).

On the strength of this late summer rebound, Lander’s Tourism Asset Development (TAD) funds are down only slightly (-6.5%) from previous years. Yet, the times remain unpredictable, so we’ll be carefully managing Lander’s TAD funds to invest prudently in Lander’s already existing tourism assets and supporting the development of new ones.

And speaking of new developments, the WRVC soon will be hiring a full-time Marketing & Visitor Engagement Manager!

Situated right here in the Visitor Center, this position will serve as Wind River Country’s primary frontline ambassador for all visitor-related services, promoting destination highlights and ensuring awareness of events and tourism showcases here in Lander and all across Fremont County.

If, indeed, tourism is the open door to economic development, Fremont County is laying out the welcome mat!

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Michelle Mazur, President Elevate Rehab

Jonathan Tonkowich, Vice Pres.

Wyoming Catholic College

Eric Andrews, Treasurer Fagnant, Lewis & Brinda P.C.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Espinosa Home Source Realty Inc. Inter Mountain Builders

Dave Fehringer WH Smith & Associates, Inc.

Suzanne Norris Wyoming Life Resource Center

Rick Bestul NAPA Auto Parts

James Whiting Whiting Law PC

Joanne Slingerland Central Wyoming College

Chris VonHoltum Central Bank & Trust

John Ferrelli SageWest Healthcare

PROFESSIONAL STAFF Owen Sweeney Executive Director

Carol King Associate Director

Owen Sweeney Executive Director Lander Chamber of Commerce

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Kelsey Ball Events & Programs

11/23/2020 11:28:39 AM

Storytelling is a major buzzword in the marketing industry these days, and it is an aspect of promoting your business that you cannot afford to ignore. Rather than focusing your marketing efforts on promoting your products or services, the new business model requires telling the story of your brand to help your customers feel connected to and engaged with your business. Follow these tips to do it right.

Stay True to Your Core When coming up with your “brand story,” it is important to stay true to the foundation of your business. For example, if your company manufactures reusable water bottles, you wouldn’t want your brand to be associated with anything that is disposable in nature. Instead, you would want to tell a story that coincides with sustainable values. Viewers these days are becoming more and more discerning in terms of the brands they choose to patronize, and they will immediately identify anything disingenuous.

Tug at the Heartstrings Emotions are incredibly powerful when it comes to influencing consumer behavior, and your brand can use this fact to its advantage. People love seeing stories of triumph over adversity, personal growth and achievement, and giving back to the community, so try to incorporate these or similar storylines into your brand storytelling. Of course, any content you produce should still align with your company goals at the same time as telling your story.

Generate Excitement The primary goal of brand storytelling is

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to get prospective customers excited about your brand. Whether you do this through associating with popular local events or by offering frequent promotions and discounts, the goal is to keep your customer base interested in your offerings and excited about buying from your company rather than your competitors. Aim for a high energy level in your marketing materials and branded content online so that your customers are excited to share your content with their friends and followers, helping to expand your reach even further.

Tie in Your Company’s Offerings At the end of the day, the ultimate purpose of brand storytelling is to attract new customers, and you can’t accomplish this without letting people know what your company has to offer. With any content you create, whether it be blog posts, social media posts, advertisements or videos, there should almost always be an element that speaks specifically to your company’s products or services. Without this critical aspect, your audience won’t know why your brand is sharing its story. You need to help them make the connection between the story and your offerings.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Storytelling in the digital age

Overall, brand storytelling is about more than just selling products; it is about helping your customers to feel more connected to your business, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to buy your products or services in the future. Keep this end goal in mind at all times to help guide you in creating your brand story. With a bit of creativity and effort, you’ll draw in customers and establish dedicated brand loyalty, setting your business up for ongoing success in the future.

11/23/2020 11:28:41 AM

SHOP LOCAL

LANDER BUCKS:

Keeping local money in local businesses since 1995!

Don’t miss out on the thousands of dollars of Lander Bucks circulating around town.

Businesses can accept these checks just like any other form of payment, they are issued by the Lander Chamber of Commerce for exclusive benefit to our local economy!

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1. Welcome your customer to your business 2. Accept Lander Bucks from your customer 3. Amount of the check will go toward the purchase price (Total purchase is $15; Lander Buck is $10; Customer owes $5)

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THIRD THURSDAY Foot Care Clinic, 8-noon, Lander Senior Center EVERY THURSDAY Kids Nature Hike, 5:30 pm, meet at Sinks Canyon Visitor Center parking lot Farmers Market, 4-6 pm, Ramshorn St., Dubois 1 Wyoming SBDC webinar 4:30-5:30, online 5 Christmas Open House 11-2, Dubois Museum

5 Birdsee Ornament Crafts 2-3, Dubois Museum 5 Light Up Lander Christmas Light Parade parade begins at 6 pm, Lander’s Main Street 11 IL Trovatore by Verdi opera 5:30 pm, Lander Library Carnegie Room 12 Christmas Open House and Free Museum Day 10-4, Riverton Museum 12 Home Built Classic Toys 2-4, Riverton Museum

CALENDAR

December Calendar of Events 12 Old-time Christmas Open House 5-7, Pioneer Museum 14 Lander Valley High School Choir Concert 7-8 pm, Lander Valley High School auditorium 15 Lander Valley High School Band Concert 7-8 pm, Lander Valley High School auditorium 17 Guns Boots & Brands Virtual Event drawing live on Facebook

THINK LANDER SHOP LOCAL

MORE MONEY CIRCULATES BACK INTO LOCAL HANDS HEN YOU SHOP CLOSE TO HOME AS OPPOSED TO ONLINE.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOBS

WHERE YOU SPEND MATTERS

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The Perfect

11/23/2020 11:28:45 AM

STAY COMPETITIVE

3 digital marketing mistakes to avoid

by Bruce Morse, SBDC Regional Director

Consumers have been moving more of their purchases online even before the pandemic hit.

However, when COVID-19 did hit the move to online purchasing accelerated at such a clip that it is leaving some brick and mortar businesses wondering how they can compete without a digital storefront and maintain their local customer base.

You Need More than Just an Online Presence Moving the business online and offering delivery are some ways local businesses have adjusted, but small businesses should also look at what kinds of value-added services they can add to their existing business that would give them a competitive advantage over their larger e-commerce competitors. Small businesses should also avoid the pitfalls that come when they ignore the basics of customer service or staying onmessage in their social media posts.

Where brick and mortar businesses have an advantage over online retailers is in the area of product knowledge and customer service that comes from well-trained and experienced staff interacting with customers in-store. This is an advantage you can exploit. Having staff explain options, answer questions, compare products, and explain how a product works are the inreal-life aspects missing from the online retail experience. Adding other value-added services like delivery and installation can really make a difference and garner more local sales.

Don’t Neglect Staff Training Of course, all this rests on having a welltrained staff that understands how to talk to customers and create a great in-store experience. As anyone in retail will tell you, all it takes is one lousy customer interaction to stick with people, and in small communities around Wyoming, word spreads quickly and can have an outsized negative impact on your business.

Be Particular About Your Social Media Posts Sometimes it is not bad in-store service that can lead to businesses failing, but bad behavior on social media. In this day of instant communication, a business needs to be cognizant of the message that they are sending. It can be very easy for an innocent comment or joke — even on a personal page or forum — to be taken out of context and spread like wildfire.

A good rule of thumb is to stay away from commenting on controversial topics like politics, race, and religion to name a few. While it may very well be your right to say whatever you want, that doesn’t mean that you should! Resist the urge to react to something you read or hear and fire off a quick one-liner. Fact check information before you instantly pass it on as true. Instead take a break, maybe even sleep on it, and think about the possible ramifications to your business. Most businesses need every customer they can get, so alienating a group of folks that used to patronize your establishment can be extremely costly.

Don’t Forget the Basics We live in an interesting time, but some timetested principles still apply. Treat customers well, provide them additional benefits and service enhancements, and keep your marketing message professional and focused. This will go a long way toward building a successful business. If you provide over-the-top service, you do not have to be the lowest cost provider as people will pay a little extra for that exceptional care!

Help is Available If you have more questions about how to stay competitive in the age of COVID-19, or would like to discuss the strategies mentioned above, contact your local Wyoming SBDC Network advisor today for no-cost, confidential assistance.

About the Wyoming SBDC Network: The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2018 alone, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 111 new businesses, create or save 1,402 jobs and bring a capital impact of more than $10 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council. Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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11/23/2020 11:28:46 AM

CARSON’S BAR & GRILL Carson’s Bar & Grill’s (formerly Summit Restaurant) new owner, Vicki Long, welcomes everyone to the newly remodeled facilities, located at 260 GrandView in Lander. The bar and grill is open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stop in and enjoy our dining, coffee bar, pool table, darts, or play shake-a-day at Carson’s Bar & Grill.

Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LanderSummit and check out our full menu, daily specials and events. There’s always fun things planned at Carson’s!

FREMONT COUNTY ROLLER DERBY

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to our new members!

Founded in 2016, Fremont County Roller Derby is a competitive skate league comprised of diverse, unified and competitive individuals. Our goal is to encourage and nurture our members so they can be the best representation of competitive Roller Derby, both on and off track.

We believe that a strong team is built on trust and fierce friendships, and we make sure that this sentiment is echoed throughout the league. Have a look at our Facebook and Instagram page (search ‘Fremont County Roller Derby’) to see what we’ve been up to lately. If you wish to join us, feel free to get in contact using any of our social media channels, or just fill in the form on our ‘Contact Us’ page on our website.

RAILROAD ESPRESSO Stop by our family owned drive-thru coffee shop where we serve yummy espresso. We use Coffeebean Direct as our expresso bean and veteran-owned Black Rifle Coffee for our house coffee. We also offer a 10% discount on all drinks for all emergency personnel.

We are open 6 am-2 pm Monday-Friday, and Saturday 7am-2pm.

For your convenience, we deliver! Call 307-438-8499 We are located at 8117 Highway 789 (adjacent to the former Western Printing building).

Co-owners, Barbara Gitchel and Megan Snyder, welcome you!

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Brace, Marty 28 Pinto Lane, Lander

Fremont County Pioneer Museum Scott Goetz, Central Museum Director 1443 Main St., Lander

Cornerstone Group Realty Judy Bauman, Niki Morrison Holy Rosary Catholic 215 E. Broadway Ave., Church Riverton 163 Leedy Dr., Lander Country Charm Tammy Logue 173 Main, Lander

Thanks to our annual newsletter sponsors!

Special thanks to Western Printing for printing the monthly newsletter.

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Kellogg, Dave & Carol 10 Red Rim Road, Lander Reed’s Moghaun Office Supplies Don, Sonia & Birdie Reed 155 S. 5th St., Lander Rodney’s Collision & Custom Center Rodney & Leona Rohn 330 Mortimore Lane, Lander Tweed Lane Storage Kim & Beth Johnson 100 Tweed Lane, Lander

RENEWING MEMBERS

Artery Construction Joe Artery 57 Tweed Lane, Lander

Farm Bureau Financial Services Cori Slingerland, Jake Huhnke 1630 Main St., Lander

RENEWING MEMBERS

AAA Stowaway Storage Kim & Beth Johnson 120 & 125 Poppy St., Lander

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid LANDER, WY PERMIT NO. 78

11/23/2020 11:28:47 AM