Shared Benefits of Community Websites

BENEFITS:

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1) Increases traffic for other websites in the community
The larger the number and types of organizations sharing content, the more informative and potentially interesting a website is to a wider base of users. A portal environment will therefore generate and drive more potential traffic to other sites that are linked to it.

2) Makes it easier to find Pelham on the Web
A community portal, with multiple other community sites connected to it, makes it easier to find Pelham on the Web. Community portal websites score higher in search engine ratings because of it’s broader and inclusive approach to community information.

3) Supports economic development
A portal is more than a directory of local community groups and events; it essentially promotes an image of Pelham as a dynamic and “connected” community. Businesses prefer to establish in communities that are making investments to stay current.

4) Attracts young families and entrepreneurs to our community
Community portals are a valuable asset to attracting new economy workers and young families who prefer Pelham’s small town quality of life. All of these potential residents use the internet as their primary resource when researching places to live and work.

5) Promotes Pelham tourism
The portal not only informs local residents and business owners about current Pelham events, community groups, and business activities it also lets others, from outside the community learn more about our Town. It encourages travelers and visitors to include Pelham attractions, shops and restaurants in their Niagara day trips and vacations.

6) Increases civic participation
Studies completed in other communities with active community portals indicate that when residents have current information in a timely manner, they are more inclined to attend community meetings and to take part in civic activities.

7) Improves efficiency of community resources
As on-line information resources become increasingly centralized and interactive, residents, local businesses, and government will spend less and get more value for the funds that are expended on information technology and advertising.

How to use Social Media to promote your Community Group or Small Business

Adam White of JMR SoftwareSystems and SocialMediaNiagara.com recently sat down with photographer Bryan Caporicci to chat about how he utilizes social media in his business. In this video interview Bryan discusses how open he is to sharing the content he creates, using Twitter as a business to business marketing tool, his Portraits of Pelham project and he also describes the benefits of the collaborative partnering approach of  the www.MyPelham.com community website.

If you are a small business owner or not-for-profit group looking for cost effective and impactful new marketing approaches prepare to be inspired!

Week by Week and Tweet by Tweet – We Promote our Local Community!

Did you Know? Tiger Eye Solutions operates a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter platform that continually promotes the www.MyPelham.com community website? These social media marketing vehicles provide us the opportunity to communicate with internet users and grow our audience locally, regionally and throughout the world.

Our experience with Twitter has been, shall I say, particularly “mind-blowing”. As communications and marketing specialists working in the field of real estate and community development I have orchestrated many, many publicity campaigns during the past twenty five years but never before have we experienced the direct and immediate impact that Twitter delivers.

In Pelham we have so much to “tweet” about. During the past few weeks we have been sending out Twitter messages about a wide range of topics promoting all aspect of Pelham community life. Here is a partial list below: (You can check out all our past tweets at www.twitter.com/mypelham)

 

• Are you going to15th Annual Pelham Home Show April 16th-18th hosted by our local Fonthill Kinsmen? #fb http://bit.ly/b1yYsX

• Pelham is proud of its thriving Agri-business sector! Please make sure your local farm is on our list: http://bit.ly/dnvgUV

• @TourismNiagara Pelham is the highest elevation in Niagara with lots of hills & scenic vistas http://bit.ly/bCovMB

 • Pelham Think Local marketing campaign -look what’s next: http://bit.ly/9XdBTm

We have also been providing additional promotional support to our community sponsor advertisers – here are a few examples:

• Gallaghers Farm Market is now open! Spring must be here! http://mypelham.com/gallaghersfarmmarket

• Check out Cool Jazz Wednesdays at My Place Bar & Grill in the Fonthill Shopping Plaza: http://mypelham.com/events.php?id=4559

• Check out BcapTV -”Weddings Niagara Style” interview live via Pelham http://bit.ly/bcU7bm

• Welcome Home Mark Georgiev! Director LifeMark Health Clinic in Fonthill. http://bit.ly/9Feft1

What is the truly amazing aspect of Twitter is the ease of passing along simple news blasts by building a following and working with other social media marketers to promote each others messages. It is the ultimate “word-of-mouth” advertising tool – MyPelham tweets it to our followers-they in turn may re-tweet to their followers. Kind of like the old adage about rumours- I tell two friends and they tell two friends and before you know it everyone knows!

So far TourismNiagara, NiagaraParks, EatingNiagara and OntarioCulinary have shared some of our relevant tweets to their followers – a combined total of 5,869 viewers!

If you have a Facebook profile we invite you to stop by for a visit: MyPelham Fan Page Many local residents and business owners check in often to promote special contests and offers and to just chat about our vibrant local community.

 

Introducing – MyPelham.com!

Our Pelham community is in the process of becoming a fully connected on-line neighbourhood. What does this mean?

Parents will be able to register their children for sports or art camps or girl guides with a click of a mouse. Local events like bandshell concerts, turkey raffles, trivia nights, dances, golf tournaments will be posted on the all-inclusive, consolidated MyPelham.com community calendar with listings updated on a continual basis. Social agencies will be provided with free mini-websites on which to promote their services, connect with potential volunteers and receive donations on-line.

Whether you are a resident or visitor from out of town myPelham.com will be your one stop for all aspects relating to life, work and entertainment in the Town of Pelham. As more and more organizations and community members begin to share content , the site will continue to grow and attract more reader interest thereby generating an increasingly higher number of visits each and every week. Local business in turn benefit by having the opportunity to cost-effectively advertise their services, sales events and specials, menus, hours of operation and searchable product listings to a loyal target market audience.

MyPelham.com is a joint venture project of two local companies,Tiger Eye Solutions and Ex Nihilo Web Designs. Tiger Eye Solutions is a boutique marketing company that I recently established in order to expand my strategic marketing services beyond real estate industry applications. Ex Nihilo Web Designs is owned and operated by Melissa Wells, an extremely talented web design professional who also happens to be a committeed locavore and passionate community builder.

Our decision to develop MyPelham.com was not based simply on creating a website, our intention is to approach our project as a “labour of love”;a social enterprise to which we contribute our sweat equity to establish a Community Portal that will provide long term economic development and tourism benefit to our Town and eventually generate sufficient advertising revenue to be a self-sustaining business venture.

And so our journey begins. We invite you to stay tuned and come back often to monitor our progress. Send us your ideas and tell us about your events. Let us know if any listings are missing or inaccurate. Come on board as a business advertiser. MyPelham.com is OUR community on-line.

All the best,

Cathy and Melissa

Cathy Berkhout-Bosse
Editor & Marketing Strategist

Melissa Wells
Web Designer

We welcome submissions from any and all community groups via editor@mypelham.com