Oct 3, 2017
The Evolution of Marketing (EOM) Seminar is an annual event by the Staten Island Small Business Development Center to bring the latest in marketing trends to the small business community. Whether you are just starting out or need help growing your business, this event has something for everyone to learn, network, and grow.

The 2017 EOM Seminar was held on Wednesday, October 25th at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Tottenville of Staten Island. With over 55 attendees, there was a variety of conversations on best marketing practices.
Brian Conaghan and his marketing team from Valpak of Staten Island and Greater Brooklyn kicked off the seminar’s agenda by teaching how to (Re-) Organize Your Marketing House. This segment covered the important basics of marketing strategies – parking your social media accounts, properly branding and building your logo, and having a mobile-friendly website. Brian also stressed the importance of “thinking like a consumer” and building trust among your customers, and how it can strongly impact and grow your business.
Kristen Fusaro-Pizzo was the next speaker, giving an insider’s marketing perspective as a small business owner. Kristen owns Bath Body Candle Moments and is the President of the newly-founded Vine Vendor Network. With a full-time career while managing her entrepreneurial ventures, Kristen has achieved many successes, awards, and features since starting her company in 2015. This segment’s focus was on “Building Your Tribe.” By telling your story and passion, you will start to build your brand and gain trust within your “tribe.” Kristen covered the importance of engaging with your customers with one simple quote – “When you have a blog, you never have an empty search result.” Creating content for your blog can be easier than you may think; Kristen shared several tips on how to “#worksmarternotharder” and build your social media presence.
With common themes of interacting with your customers, gaining their trust, building an online presence and getting social, the last piece of the EOM agenda covered a technical and smart marketing tactic. “You don’t run your business on assumptions, why run your website that way?” After spending so much time, energy, and money into your marketing strategies, it is important to make sure it is working for your business. Brant Levine and Ellen Hebaj of the Staten Island Media Group taught the audience the importance of Google Analytics. This was an excellent overview on the *free* program to help website owners track and analyze their website traffic. Taking a deep dive into the various types of numbers you can track was especially helpful – from content and page types, to engagement rates, pages per visit, and conversions. Utilizing this tool can help you provide better content, make your website more valuable, and overall strengthen your marketing strategy.
The EOM Seminar also features an important discussion for existing businesses – how to prepare for Small Business Saturday. With free promotional giveaways and the “Top 10 Tips,” attendees walked away with fresh ideas on how to promote their business and encourage customers to #ShopSmall on November 25th. Local business owner and “Neighborhood Champion” Cory Schifter, owner of Casale Jewelers, led the conversation along with George Chicolo III, Director of Business Development for the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.
Read more about Small Business Saturday here to get inspired and join the celebration!
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