Jul 16, 2020
Michelle chats with Kara Laws, co-owner and CEO of Small Town Hub, a company that helps small, rural cities and their businesses strengthen and support their local economies. Small Town Hubs works with rural businesses directly with online and other marketing; consulting with the cities themselves about not relying only on tourism, for example; and with local chambers of commerce. The Internet changed marketing for rural businesses to emphasize into more consumer-driven enterprises and also figuring out how to deliver merchandise ordered online. Laws talks about how a local business pivoted during the pandemic by making masks and selling them only online through their website and a local restaurant in Utah that added delivery to their services and have “barely taken a hit” during the pandemic. Service-based businesses can creates online courses to help build their business, she notes. Laws advises businesses to create as few barriers as possible in developing their websites and online platforms, and that they have a marketing plan in place with solid images in place. Laws recommends Shopify as an excellent platform for many of her clients. There’s a quiz on the company’s website that can help businesses decide which website provider might be best for them. For more information, visit https://www.smalltownhub.com/about-us