Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce speaker tackles internet media topic

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Chamber speaker tackles internet media topic

By Bill Kirk

The speaker at Thursday’s Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce meeting acknowledged his topic was too all-encompassing to cover in 15 minutes.

Nevertheless, Greg Strauss of Rivertown Newspaper Group packed a lot of information about computer internet media into a relatively short presentation. Strauss encouraged chamber members to be aware of social networking as part of the media mix.

“The internet changes a little more every day,” he said of his experience with it.

Interest in getting business online for free is high, he said, as is how to get found on the internet. He encouraged business people to evaluate their online presence, offering advice on utilizing social media and giving tips for additional exposure.

Goals for being online include being found and providing relevant information, Strauss said. The idea is to touch existing customers and attract new ones.

“You want to increase your sales and grow your business,” he said.

He cited statistics showing 74 percent of the U.S. population uses online, an increase of 130 percent since 2000. Of those users, 48 percent spend over an hour on it daily, even in the age 65-plus bracket.

As an example of the internet’s effectiveness, he said Pizza Hut launched several applications in the past year and sold $1 billion worth of pizza as a result. Meantime, potential customers are doing more compiling of facts and researching them before they shop in person

The buying public uses the internet for searching purposes, he said, indicating an estimated 31 billion searches occur on Google every day. The statistics are telling; the American Red Cross raised approximately $23 million for Haiti earthquake relief online, for instance. Much of this was through a texting campaign.

“But online isn’t just for kids anymore,” he said, referring to texting being most popular with youths.

Read more in the print version of the Herald Feb. 3.

Tags: pierce county, local news, business news, wisconsin, ellsworth