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In this 7-minute read:\n21 free listing sites for your retail business\nManage your listings with reputation management software\nOne of the most important things you can do for your retail business is to increase its online visibility. This allows you to get reviews online, helps your business to get found by more customers, and increases cash flow.  \nA great way to help improve that visibility is to claim all of your free online directory listings, commonly referred to as citations. Research shows that when businesses claim multiple free listings, they earn 78% more money than businesses that don’t claim any. \nLet us help you get started with these free listing sites for your retail business. \n1. Google My Business is essential for retailers\nGoogle My Business is always the first place that you want to start. This is how you get into the Google maps and show up on the first online source people use when looking for a new store. \nList your retail business on Google with our guide: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\n2. \nFacebook is a must for your retail shop\nFacebook is another huge one that consumers are using more and more to contact businesses. When someone has a question about your store and they can’t find the answer on your website, they’ll often ask a question through Facebook’s messenger app before coming into the store. \nThis is also one that tends to show up on the first page of Google when someone searches for your business (if you have a business page, of course). \n3. Don’t forget Bing Places \nBing is a popular search engine as the default for Microsoft's web browser. Don’t miss out on valuable opportunities by missing this one. The best part is, if you have your Google listing claimed, you can just sign in to your Google account on \nBing Places\n and import your store’s listing. \n4. Retail on Yelp? Yes!\nMillions of people are on Yelp every day searching for new places to shop and take their business to. As the third most popular review platform, this is definitely a place you want your store to be. \nCheck out our guide: \nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\n5. \nTripAdvisor is good for retail also\nMany people use TripAdvisor when they are traveling, and whether you have a souvenir shop or simply a grocery store that someone will need during their travels, it’s a good idea to list your retail business here. \nCheck out our guide: \nHow to claim your listing on TripAdvisor\n6. \nFoursquare is helpful\nWith 55 million users every month, Foursquare is a pretty popular listing site. On their platform, your store visitors can “check-in” to your store and leave helpful tips for other visitors. Get more feedback for your retail business by listing it on this site. \n7. \nBetter Business Bureau (BBB): a no-brainer\nHaving your store listed on and rated by the Better Business Bureau sends huge trust signals to customers and potential employees. This is important for any business. So get your store listed on BBB.org today with \nthis form\n. \n8. \nYellowbook: specialized local digital marketing \nYellowbook is another “yellow pages” directory site. They are run by a digital marketing company called Hibu. Hibu specializes in local digital marketing and they know what it takes to help retail businesses like yours show up better on Google and other search engines. \nList your store on Yellowbook with its simple-to-use \nform\n. \n9. YP.com (remember the Yellow Pages?)\nThe traditional “Yellow Pages” has digitized its platform to bring us YP.com, a huge online directory service that gets more than 60 million visitors every month. They know the importance of improving your online presence. \nYou can go to \nYP.com\n to claim your free YellowPages business listing. \n10. MerchantCircle for local retailers\nMerchantCircle is all about directing users to the best local merchants—that’s you! They separate merchants by category to help their visitors easily find the service or products that they are looking for. \nGet started in claiming your MerchantCircle listing with \nthis form\n. \n11. People still use \nMapQuest\nAnother popular one for travelers, MapQuest is still a widely used directory site. Their support team is awesome and will help you get your store added to their database quickly. \nJust \nsubmit a support ticket\n to MapQuest and see your store’s listing in days. \n12. Manta for cross-platform listings\nManta is a little different from these other sites in the extra features that it offers you. When you put your business information into Manta, they will scan other business listing sites to make sure your information is consistent across multiple platforms. \nThis consistency is super important to the search engines in order to provide customers the most accurate information for your store. \nManta makes it simple to sign your store up for a free listing \nhere\n. \n13. Citysearch: essential for local retail\nCitysearch wants to provide users with the best experience in finding great businesses in their neighborhoods. Customers shouldn’t have to travel far to find what they are looking for. \nCitysearch prioritizes fun with cool features like voting for your favorite places, special deals, and award badges. \nAdd your store to Citysearch by adding it to the \nCityGrid\n database. \n14. Hotfrog: the “freshest” local business directory\nHotfrog boasts itself as the freshest local business directory in the United States, and for good reason. Its directory is constantly growing with more businesses each day to help users find the best local places to be. \nGet your store listed\n on Hotfrog for free today. \n15. Local.com\nLocal.com wants to help customers find the hottest local happenings in their cities. Make sure your store is one of them!\nLocal.com will provide driving directions, reviews, and contact information for each listing on its site to help give customers the best information available. List your store on local.com by signing up for an account \nhere\n. \n16. Verify your retail shop with ExpressUpdate\nExpressUpdate is a big one that you want to make sure your store is listed on. They are what’s known as an “aggregator,” meaning once your store’s information is verified on their site, they’ll pass it along to other partner sites. So you just got multiple free listings from one site. Pretty neat, right?\nExpressUpdate does require a little more on the verification side of things than some of these listing sites. Once you’ve added all of your store’s information, they’ll do a phone call verification to confirm that your info is accurate. Then, the listing is all yours and ready to go. \nGet started by \nsearching your business\n on ExpressUpdate. \n17. Solo profile\nWith a free Solo profile, even the smallest local retailer or pop-up can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many small retailers to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at\n \nSolo.co\n.\n18. Brownbook: comprehensive retail listings\nBrownbook.net is a fun one because it allows you to add so much more information than several of these listing sites. You can add tons of images, videos, history, business accommodations, and so much more. \nJust make sure you get your business name spelled correctly the first time, because they don’t allow you to change it (without contacting their support team anyway). \nList your store on Brownbook.net with \nthis form\n. \n19. Instagram is huge for retail\nInstagram is super popular among younger demographics, so if the target audience for your store falls in that category, make sure you are active where they are! \nIf you are going to get into Instagram, just be sure to have lots of awesome photos and “heart-worthy” content that will get you tons of followers. \n20. YouTube? Yes tube!\nYouTube is another great social media channel to take advantage of. Create a channel for your store where you can show off new products, give fun tutorials, and share advice about the different ways your products can be used. \n21. Local chamber of commerce\nYour local chamber of commerce is all about helping its community succeed—and that includes helping small businesses like your store get found. Most chambers have an online directory in their community, as well as free resources to help businesses market themselves better, so take advantage. \nManaging all of these listings sites and then trying to get new reviews to these sites on top of that can seem like a lot of work. But online reviews and engagement is super-important, even for the smallest retail business types, so make sure you develop a plan to stay on top of it.

21 free online listing sites you should add your retail business to

In this article:\nClaim your Google My Business listing\nGet customer reviews and respond to them\nAdd your restaurant to other online directories\nSteps to improve local SEO\nUse Google Ads\nThink about the last time you needed a new service or wanted to try a new restaurant. Where did you go to find it? If you said Google, then you’re right there with about 90% of your customer base. \nConsumers often ask Google first when they are searching for a cool new place to dine out. That’s why it’s so important that you know what you can do to promote your restaurant on Google and improve your search rankings. \nWe have some great tips to help you do just that. \nClaim your restaurant’s Google My Business Listing\nThe first thing you need to do to help your restaurant show up in what we call the local search results (also known as Google’s map pack) is to create and claim your Google My Business listing. \nGoogle My Business is a free platform that allows your business to show up better on Google, get customer reviews, and help guide customers to your restaurant. Most people’s phones are connected to Google Maps to get from place to place, so in order to help them get directions to your restaurant, you need to be on Google My Business. \nHere’s a quick guide to help: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\nOnce you’ve created your restaurant’s Google My Business listing, be sure to include all of the following information on it to best support your customers:\nBusiness name\nBusiness address\nBusiness phone number\nCategory (what type of restaurant?)\nOpen hours (including any special holiday hours)\nWebsite\nRestaurant description\nPrice range\nPhotos of your restaurant, branding, and food\nGet more Google reviews and respond to them\nOnce your Google My Business listing is out there, it’s time to get some customer reviews for your restaurant. \nThe problem with online reviews is that happy customers don’t always think to leave you a review and unhappy customers are all too willing to go online and share their distaste. We have a few solutions to help with this. \n Simply let customers know you appreciate their feedback. Find the opportune moments to ask your customers to leave you a review on Google. \n Post “Rate us on Google” signage strategically throughout your restaurant. This can be in menus, in the lobby, or on the door on the way out. Just give a little reminder that you’d love your customers’ feedback on Google. \n Consider reputation management software. Solutions like this will help you streamline the process of getting your customers directly to your Google listing to leave you a review. \nOnce you have reviews coming in, it’s important to respond to them promptly. It’s also crucial to respond to all reviews–good or bad. Give those good reviews a personalized thank you message. Respond to the negative reviews with a sincere apology and ask the customer to reach out so you can resolve the issue. \nCheck out our guide on \nresponding to Google reviews\n for some deeper insights. \nAdd your restaurant to other online business directories\nGoogle My Business is not the only online directory that you should add your business to. One way to help improve your online visibility and increase your restaurant’s local rankings on Google is, ironically, to add your restaurant to other online directories. \nGoogle uses other references to your restaurant across multiple sites to help verify that your information on their platform is correct. The more reputable online directories that list your restaurant’s information accurately, the better chance you have to rank higher on Google. \nHere are a few directories and guides you can use to get started:\nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\n\nHow to add your restaurant to OpenTable\n\nGet even more listings for your restaurant with this article: \n24 free listing sites every restaurant should be on\nBoost your restaurant’s Google rankings with SEO\nBeyond adding your restaurant to other online directories, there are several things that you can do to boost your Google rankings through search engine optimization. Here are a couple suggestions to get you started. \nProvide well-written and relevant content on your website\nContent is king. In order to rank well organically on Google, your website needs to have good content that is valuable for your users and optimized well for the phrases that you want customers to find you with. \nMake sure your contact information is listed on your website\nProvide valuable information about your menu and prices with lots of photos\nStart a blog that offers free tips for people whether or not they choose to visit your restaurant\nGet other websites to link to yours\nA huge factor in ranking higher on Google is getting other websites to link to your website. When another website links to yours, it sends trust signals to Google that help them to know your website can be trusted by their users. \nTry out some of these ways to get links to your website:\nGet involved in your community. Host local events, sponsor community sports teams, get involved with non-profit organizations. This kind of involvement will likely result in mentions on the websites of these organizations. \nGet into the local news. When local news organizations do a story on your restaurant, be sure to ask them to link to your restaurant in their online article. \nGuest post on other blogs in the food industry. Within the bio for your guest article, link back to your website. \nGo deeper: \n15 free tips for better search rankings\nTry advertising your restaurant on Google\nGoogle has some powerful advertising capabilities that you should definitely take advantage of for your restaurant. \nWhile traditional SEO takes a lot of time and effort to show up at the top of the search results, Google Ads can place your listing near the top—if you pay for it. \nGoogle Ads have great targeting capabilities, so you can select the target audience for your restaurant—location, age, interests, other demographics—to show your ads to the customers who will most likely visit your restaurant. \nGoogle Ads are pay-per-click, which means that you pay a specific cost each time a user clicks on your ad. So it’s important to make sure that the cost you are paying will result in profits. \nLet’s say it costs $1.50 for each click your ad gets and you only get a new customer for every 20 clicks that your ad receives. That’s $30 to convert one customer with your ad campaign. If you have a higher-end restaurant where customers pay this much or more for a meal, it may well be worth it, especially if they turn into a repeat customer. \nJust do the math as you determine the costs and decide if the investment is worth the return. \nUltimately, you’ll get a better return on your investment with organic SEO because the efforts you take with this strategy compound over time and stick with you even if you stop doing SEO. With Google Ads, you might see immediate results, but as soon as you stop paying for those ads, your restaurant will no longer be showing up well in Google search results. \nThis is why Google Ads are a great supplemental strategy to help you show up on Google while you’re starting up your SEO efforts.\nRead more: \nGoogle Maps advertising for local business\n

5 ways to promote your restaurant on Google

In this article:\nWhich types of reviews can be removed from Yelp\nHow to flag Yelp reviews for removal\nWhy you shouldn’t be paralyzed by a bad Yelp review\nHow to improve your online reputation\nA bad Yelp review of your business can leave you feeling powerless—and for good reason. You’ve worked hard to build a good business and serve your customers. But since 9 out of 10 people report that they trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation from family or friends, online reviews can have a real effect on small business revenue. \nWhen business owners receive a bad Yelp review, they often ask: “How do I remove Yelp reviews?” or “Can I turn off Yelp reviews for my business?” Think about it: if someone walked around in front of your business with a huge sign saying “Don’t shop here!” you’d probably try to have them arrested.\nUnfortunately in our new digital marketspace, anyone and everyone can say pretty much whatever they want about your business, with a few exceptions (which we’ll discuss later). \nSo, is it possible to remove Yelp reviews?\nIn some cases, yes, but the issue is a complicated one.\nYelp will remove reviews if you can definitely prove that they violate \nYelp’s review policies\n, and the onus is on you to do so. We’ll elaborate those policies in a moment, but first let’s clarify what types of reviews you \ncan’t\n remove from Yelp.  \nYou can’t ask Yelp to remove reviews simply because you feel they are negative, “mean,” unfair, or even if you feel the customer totally misrepresented their experience.\nIf Yelpers actually patronize your business and simply share their experiences, then it’s a good bet those reviews aren’t going anywhere. In fact, Yelp’s policies specifically state, “We don’t take sides when it comes to factual disputes.”\nIf the majority of your negative reviews would likely be described as “factual,” the most effective approach is to assume the review is legitimate, engage the customer in good faith, and attempt to resolve any issues you can.\nYou might also like: \nHow to respond to negative reviews\n\nWhat types of Yelp reviews can be removed?\nWhile you can’t remove Yelp reviews just because they’re negative, Yelp may remove reviews they determine have violated their content guidelines.\nLet’s take a look at the 7 main types of reviews that Yelp prohibits:\nInappropriate content: Threats, harassment, lewdness, hate speech, and other displays of bigotry.\n\nConflicts of interest: Reviews of your own, your friends’, or your relatives’ business, or reviews of your peers or competitors in your industry, or of businesses in your networking group. \nPromotional content: Yelp generally frowns upon promotional content in reviews.\nIrrelevant content: Rants about a business’s employment practices, political ideologies, or other matters that don’t discuss the consumer experience. \n(Ostensibly, fake Yelp reviews would fall under this category, but we can find nothing in Yelp’s official documentation that says they will remove “fake reviews.” However, there is some reference to reporting “questionable” reviews and they will ostensibly be removed if Yelp deems them fake.)\nViolations of privacy: Other people’s private information, or close-up photos or videos of other patrons posted without their permission are prohibited, as well as posting other people’s full names (unless the business is known by or commonly shares their full name).\nIntellectual property: Content stolen from other sites or users. \nDemands for payment: Yelpers may ask for a refund, but may not not use removing or posting your review as a way to extract payment from a business, regardless of whether they’ve been a customer.\nObviously anything else that is illegal to post online in general should also be flagged if you find it in a Yelp review. \nHow to remove Yelp reviews that violate the content guidelines\nIf you’re sure that a review of your business violates Yelp’s content guidelines, you should definitely report it. You can read our “\nhow to remove Yelp reviews\n” article for details, but the TL;DR version is click the “flag” icon next to a desktop review, or click the three dots to the right of a mobile review and select “report review.”\n\nIt can take several days for Yelp to evaluate the review, so you’ll need to be patient. And you may not receive a response at all. But you will likely eventually receive a response from Yelp about the status of the reported review and a decision about whether or not they will remove it. If you disagree with the decision, you can contact them and resubmit the review for reevaluation.\nWhy a bad Yelp review may actually be a good thing\nStudies have revealed that negative reviews aren’t nearly damaging as business owners might fear.\nIn one study, businesses whose reviews were only 0% to 5% negative actually earn 21% LESS in annual revenue than the average business, while those whose reviews were 10% to 25% negative earned the most revenue.\nThere are several probable reasons for this, but one likely reason is that when people are searching for local businesses online, they may be used to seeing a certain amount of negative reviews in order to feel confident in patronizing a new business. \nBusinesses should use a bad review as an opportunity to not only improve their products and services, but to show potential customers their good character by posting a thoughtful, helpful response to a bad review.\nSurprisingly, data shows that even businesses whose reviews were \nup to 50% negative\n earn nearly the same as the average overall business. Additionally, of all the major review sites in the study, a low rating on Yelp correlated with the smallest drop in average revenue, which suggests that people may be more accustomed to seeing negative reviews and lower ratings on Yelp than on other review sites.\nneon yelp sign for remove reviews\nDon\n’\nt be paralyzed by a bad Yelp review, but take it seriously\nIt’s helpful to know that Yelp does have guidelines in place to help guard your business against the worst types of online behavior. But remember that it’s not likely that you’ll be able to remove Yelp reviews from your listing most of the time.\nNo matter how harsh a review might be, we always recommend that you treat your Yelp reviews like you would an in-person complaint. Take such reviews seriously, take the high road, and follow our guidelines for \nhow to respond to bad reviews\n, and you can often turn the conversation around and come out looking even more credible and reputable than before.

7 types of Yelp reviews that can be removed (and why bad reviews might be a good thing)

In this article:\n9 events in Atlanta, GA in 2022 that your business should know about\nStart your year off right by planning out the events your business will participate in this year. Community involvement and business conferences are a great way to inspire your team and help grow your business. \nCheck out these events in the greater Atlanta area that your business should know about and get ready for. \nPLEASE NOTE: We have made every attempt to be accurate in our information but as you can imagine, due to the continuing effects of the the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is still in flux. Please consult the websites for the individual events and confirm the status of the events you wish to attend.\nGreater Atlanta Biz Expo\nWhen: February 22, 2022\nThis event is coming up quickly, and your business should attend and gain some valuable new connections. Learn about new products and services that can help your business grow.\nThis event is free to the general public. Fees are only associated for exhibitors who would like to put up a booth.\nFor more info or to become an exhibitor, email \nGreaterAtlantaBusinessExpo@gmail.com\n.  \nTo learn more about the event times and activities, visit \neventbrite.com\n. \n\nFuture Festival Atlanta\nFuture Festival Atlanta\nWhen: May 20, 2022\nFuture Festival Atlanta is back for 2022! Visit \nfuturefestival.com\n or email \nconference@trendhunter.com\n.\nThis is the top innovation conference in Atlanta, GA. Leading business professionals such as NY Times Bestselling Author Jeremy Gutsche have been previous presenters to inspire you to have your best year ever. \nAt the event, you can engage in one-on-one sessions with business consultants, attend workshops, learn from top-tier innovators, and attend the “future party” to end the day and have some fun. \nBuy your tickets now at \nfuturefestival.com\n.\nAtlanta Dogwood Festival\nWhen: April 8-10, 2022\nThe Atlanta Dogwood Festival is back for 2022! Watch for more updates at \ndogwood.org\n.\nAtlanta’s Dogwood Festival was established more than 80 years ago as a celebration to welcome the spring and appreciate the beautiful dogwood trees that surrounded the area. \nSince then, more dogwood trees have been planted and the festival has continued strong throughout the years (with the exception of some time when it was discontinued due to World War II). \nNow people come from near and far, and your business should too. Whether you set up a booth at the festival or simply join in on the fun by getting involved with the community and promoting the event, you need to know about this awesome experience that Atlanta has to offer.  \ndogwood tree in blossom for local business events Atlanta\nHaven Conference\nWhen: July 21-23, 2022\nThe 2022 Haven Conference is on! Visit \nHavenConference.com\n for info and tickets. For more updates, follow their \nFacebook page\n.\nThe Haven Conference is an event for entrepreneurs to connect with like-minded people, learn new skills, and grow their brand. You can become an exhibitor at this conference or sponsor the event to help others learn and expand their businesses, or you can attend the event yourself to further develop your own business skills and relationships. \nDragon Con\nWhen: September 1-5, 2022\nFlaunt your inner nerd at this awesome Atlanta, GA event. While this event is geared toward a specific audience (and local comic book stores will definitely benefit), the more than 50,000 fans that gather are going to need businesses to support them.\nFrom food and drinks to lodging and entertainment to professional and local services, Atlanta’s small businesses can really profit during big events like this. \nSo mark your calendar and think up some fun ways that you can incorporate this event into your marketing and promotions this fall. \nLearn more and sign up for the Dragon Con newsletter at \ndragoncon.org\n. \nstormtroopers at dragon con parade for local business events\n\nYellow Daisy Festival\nWhen: September 8-11, 2022 \nIt’s back for 2022! Get info, tickets, and check back for updates at \nstonemountainpark.com\n.\nBecome a vendor for the annual Yellow Daisy Festival to attract new customers and grow your business! This festival is one of the nation’s top arts and crafts shows and has won multiple awards from the Southeast Festival and Events Association. \nSet up shop at the festival for a few days or be prepared for the crowds that this festival will bring. Always think of ways that your business can get involved with events such as these whether that’s volunteering or coming up with some creative deals in the theme of the event. \nLearn more at \nstonemountainpark.com\n. \nNorth Georgia State Fair\nWhen: September 22-October 2, 2022\nThe North Georgia State Fair is the largest fair in the metro Atlanta area with its nearly 300,000 attendants each year. Become a sponsor of the fair or set up a vendor exhibit to attract new customers. \nShow off your stuff and enjoy the fun festivities that this fair has to offer, from the food and games to the other vendor booths. Connect with other businesses and boost company morale with a day at the fair for your team members. \nLearn more about becoming a vendor at \nnorthgeorgiastatefair.com\n. \nSmall Business Expo Atlanta\nWhen: December 1, 2022\nThe Small Business Expo is a free one-day networking event for small business owners across the U.S. The Atlanta event will be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre this year. \nEven if you haven’t started your small business yet, this is a great event to make new connections and get inspired to get going. \nTake part in awesome workshops, listen to inspirational keynote speakers, and become an exhibitor to gain an even large impact. \nRegister for free or learn more about becoming an exhibitor at \nthesmallbusinessexpo.com\n. \nNew Year’s Eve Peach Drop\nWhen: December 31, 2022\nWhile the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, Atlanta hopes to bring back this tradition and make it bigger and better in 2022.\nEvery year for the past 30 years (except the past couple of years), Atlanta holds the Peach Drop to celebrate the new year. Carnival rides, live music, family entertainment, and an arcade are just some of the fun. National acts and celebrities perform at this annual event, drawing in attention from near and far. \nMost of the local restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues stay open until the morning hours of the new year and benefit from the celebration. \nHop on this fun event with your business by joining in. Stay open late with fun activities throughout the night, offer sweet deals and discounts throughout the day, and share all about it on your website and social media channels. \nBe sure to keep your eyes out for announcements of when and where they’re bringing back the Peach Drop!


9 Atlanta area events that can be great for your small business in 2022

In this article:\n10 events that Washington DC area businesses need to know about this year\nWhich DC events may be cancelled or rescheduled?\nEvents like business conferences, festivals, and local community happenings can help you grow your business. You and your employees (if any) can develop more skills at a business expo and you gain increase brand awareness and grow sales by participating in community events. \nWe’ve found several Washington, DC area events that you should add to your business calendar. Check them out and see which ones make the most sense for you and your small business. \nPLEASE NOTE: We have made every attempt to be accurate in our information but as you can imagine during the lingering impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, everything is still in flux. Please consult the websites for the individual events and confirm the status of the events you wish to attend.\nSAME Small Business Conference\nWhen: February 24, 2022\nThe 14th Annual Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) DC & Northern Virginia Post Small Business Conference brings together state, local and federal agencies and businesses throughout the DC and Northern Virginia area to network, discuss upcoming contracting opportunities, connect with potential teaming partners, and more!\nGet tickets and info at this \nEventbrite page\n.\nNational Business Federal Contracting Summit \nWhen: March 9-10, 2022\nThis summit helps small businesses secure federal contracts through networking with federal agencies and prime contractors. \nAt the summit your team can gain valuable education and insights into current trends and opportunities for small business contractors, including legal education and information about threats to contractors. \nThis event will help you make new connections and set a course for the future. \nLearn more about the event and register at \nasbcc.org\n.\nSmall Business Expo (virtual)\nSmall Business Expo is Washington, D.C.’s BIGGEST virtual business networking and educational event for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Join other passionate DC business owners virtually and learn how to increase revenue and grow your business.\nRegister at \nthesmallbusinessexpo.com\n.\nNational Cherry Blossom Festival\nWhen: March 20-April 17, 2022\nThe National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC starts in March and extends through mid-April. This is a great time for your business to embrace community traditions and get involved. \nTo get involved directly with this festival, your business can become a sponsor, volunteer, enter the \nretail window competition\n, donate something to the silent auction, and much more. \nYour team can also attend the various events together for some fun team bonding exercises. \nDeck out your store in pink and white cherry blossoms during this festival and offer fun deals that are themed around the events. \nLearn more about getting involved at \nnationalcherryblossomfestival.org\n.\ncherry blossom festival DC business events\nWashington International Strategic Leadership Conference\nWhen: June 12-14, 2022\nImprove your leadership skills and help your team grow into better leaders with this conference. Conference highlights include:\nPresentations around strategic decision-making and leadership\nPresentations on business development strategies and research works\nRound table sessions on strategic development\nLearn more and sign up for the event at \n10times.com\n.\nDigiMarCon America 2022\nWhen: July 7-8, 2022\nDigiMarCon was digital-only in 2021 but is back in person for 2022 in Washington DC. DigiMarCon is one of the nation’s largest digital marketing conferences and you won’t want to miss out. This 2-day event is comprised of sessions with the best thought-leaders in digital marketing. \nTopics of the presentations include, but are not limited to:\nDigital strategy\nUser experience\nMobile marketing and retargeting\nCustomer engagement\nEmail marketing\nContent marketing\nSearch engine marketing\nConversion rate optimization\nGeo-targeting\nPaid search marketing\nLearn more at \ndigimarconwashingtondc.com\n.\nArlington County Fair\nWhen: August 17-21, 2022\nThis fair is one of the largest free events on the east coast. Your business can become a vendor or exhibitor at the Arlington County Fair. This is a great opportunity to increase awareness of your business and gain new customers in your community.\nHave team members take turns manning your booth and give them some time to enjoy the fair and have some fun. \nAnother way your business can participate is by becoming a sponsor or volunteering at the fair. Learn more at \narlingtoncountyfair.us\n.\ncounty fair shops and ferris wheel DC area\nThe Atlantic Festival\nWhen: September 2022\nThe Atlantic Festival went virtual for 2020-21 but plans to return live in the Fall of 2022. Check back often for updates at \ntheatlanticfestival.com\n.\nThe Atlantic Festival gathers the biggest names in politics, business, tech, music, books, and more. For three days, this event tackles challenging issues with their celebrity guests and has several opportunities for entertainment as well. \nPast guests include John Legend, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Joe Biden, and Paul Ryan. \nGet involved by staying up to date on the event and keeping your customers aware of it on your social channels leading up to the festival, showing how engaged your business is with important topics and community events. \nDC Mac + Cheese Festival\nWhen: Fall 2022*\n*no exact date has been specified as of the time of this publishing\nDon’t miss out on the Mac + Cheese Festival. Some of the top chefs from around the nation come to share their expertise with local chefs. Local restaurants submit their own macaroni and cheese recipes to share with attendees and spread awareness of their delicious food.\nOther businesses that are not restaurants can become vendors or sponsors of this fun event. \nOn the day of the event, show your support and involvement by offering mac and cheese themed deals and discounts. Share that on your social channels and have fun with it.\nLearn more about becoming a vendor or sponsor  and check for schedule updates at \nwww.drinkeatmac.com\n.\nMac and cheese festival chefs for DC business events\n


10 2022 Washington DC area events that can be great for your small business

In this article:\n8 Chicago events to add to your 2022 business calendar\nWherever your business is located, you can and should take advantage of local events. Whether that is a 2-day business conference to help your team members grow and develop in their roles or a fun family fair in the next town over, these are opportunities to grow your business. \nWe’ve highlighted several Chicago area events that you should consider adding to your calendar. Check them out and see which ones you can actively participate in. Even large, regional events can benefit smaller local businesses if you know how to benefit from the hype and the extra visitors. \nPLEASE NOTE: We have made every attempt to be accurate in our information but unforeseen circumstances may arise. Please consult the websites for the individual events and confirm the status of the events you wish to attend.\nChicago Auto Show\nWhen: February 11-20 2022\nCheck back at \nchicagoautoshow.com\n for more specific times and dates as we get closer to the event.\nThe Chicago Auto Show is the nation’s largest auto show, featuring vehicles all across the board to show consumers the newest and greatest automobiles to date as well as the classics that will never go out of style. \nWhether your business is in the auto industry or not, this is a valuable opportunity to gain some traction with your customers. If you are in the auto industry, see what it takes to participate in the show and bring in more customers that way. \nAnd if you’re not, then take advantage of this national event by creating fun discounts and deals related to the show. Share that on your social media channels, website, and storefront to bring in more customers throughout the week of the show. \nMaxwell Street Market\nWhen: Sundays, March-December\nThe Maxwell Street Market starts March 1 and generally goes through the Sunday before Christmas. Every Sunday, Maxwell Street is open to vendors across multiple industries to sell their goods. Become a vendor at the Maxwell Street Market this year or during the market, offer some fun deals at your business to bring in more customers while they are out browsing through the market. \nLearn more about becoming a vendor at \nchicago.gov\n.\nDigiMarCon\nWhen: May 9-10, 2022\nDigiMarCon is one of the largest digital marketing conferences in the world. At this conference you will learn the best ways to keep up with your competition through digital marketing strategies and which methods will be most valuable for your business. \nYou’ll have the opportunity to learn from the industry’s best, including speakers from Microsoft, Adobe, SEMRush, NBC Sports, Amazon, Paypal, Hubspot, Pizza Hut, and many, many more. \nSign your marketing team up for this conference now at \ndigimarconmidwest.com\n.\nChicago Small Business Expo\nWhen: May 19, 2022\nDon’t miss out on the Small Business Expo. This national expo is perfect for entrepreneurs in every industry. Hear from speakers on ways to enhance your business strategies, participate in workshops, and network with other local businesses. \nThe best part is your team can attend the event for free! Sign up now at \nthesmallbusinessexpo.com\n.\nIllinois State Fair\nWhen: August 11-21, 2022\nLocated in Springfield, just three hours south of Chicago is the Illinois State Fair. Businesses can gain new customers by setting up a booth at the fair. People from all over the state gather at the fair to have fun, and as they escape the heat to check out the exhibits, they may just find what they have been looking for at your booth. \nWhether you are a service or product-based business, you can benefit from having a booth at the fair. Learn more about becoming a vendor at \nillinois.gov\n.\nChicago Blues Festival\nWhen: June 9-12 2022\nChicago is a hub for culture. With a diverse lineup celebrating the blues’ past, present and future, the Chicago Blues Festival shares the great Chicago-born music tradition while shining a spotlight on the genre’s contributions to soul, R&B, gospel, rock, hip hop and more. Get more info at \nChicago.gov\n.\nAnnual Jazz Festival\nBring your team to the event to improve morale and have some fun, but also get your customers excited about the fun through sweet deals and themed discounts at your business. Be sure to check out the other annual music festivals that are taking place at the Chicago Cultural Center to see if these events can provide even more opportunities for your business to gain awareness. Info \nhere\n. \noutdoor chicago jazz festival for small business events\nWinter WonderFest at Navy Pier\nWhen: (may resume in December 2022)\nWinter Wonderfest has become a huge annual festivity at Navy Pier during the holidays. Fifth Third Bank hosts this year-end event by setting up the city’s largest indoor winter playground. With carnival rides, an ice-skating rink, holiday-themed activities, a giant slide, vendors, and much more, families gather from all over the state to join in on the fun.\nParticipate in the fun by taking your team to enjoy the festivities and offering themed discounts and offerings throughout the festival. Stay up to date on this year’s activities by checking back on the event at \nnavypier.org\n.

121 articles found in “Customer relations”

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9 Atlanta area events that can be great for your small business in 2022

10 2022 Washington DC area events that can be great for your small business

Small business events in Chicago: 8 ways to grow and market your business in 2022

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