




Our own, Keturah Boyts, has been nominated for the Ambassador of the Year Award with the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce! We'll be sure to keep you posted on whether or not Keturah wins this award. All winners will be announced live at the Business Awards & Recognition Luncheon which will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton - Seattle Airport on February 9, 2018. To see all other awards and nominees, click here.
Next time you're able to make one of these functions, say hi to Keturah! She regularly attends the Morning Buzz and Ambassador's meetings each month, Lunch and Learns, luncheons and mixers. So, just about any event you go to, you'll see her!
We are proud to be members of the SSCC and have gained tremendously from our nearly 19 years of participation. If you own or work for a business located in the Seattle Southside area you should definitely consider the benefits of becoming a member. We're all winners if we're members of the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce!
As 2017 comes to a close and 2018 quickly approaches, it definitely causes us to reflect. How has the last year been? What have we accomplished? And what are we looking forward to in the year to come? We hope that you and your loved ones had a Merry Christmas, a wonderful Thanksgiving and that every other part of 2017 was amazing as well.
For our business, 2017 was a year of change, growth and learning. While it has stretched us beyond our comfort zone and things have seemed difficult at times, we are so grateful for this season. Our business has grown stronger and God continues to place opportunities before us for even more growth on a regular basis.
We look back on 2017 with gratitude and we look forward to 2018 expecting great things for our clients businesses as well as our own. From all of us here at CeSI, we’d like to wish you a Happy New Year!
The Holiday season is upon us. With it being November and the nearest holiday being Thanksgiving, we see it fit to take some time as a business to think about what we’re thankful for.
We’re thankful for our community and the people and businesses that make up that community.
We’re thankful for the opportunity to watch businesses build and grow.
We’re thankful for all of our clients who strive for success alongside us and make our business better as they grow their own.
We’re thankful for the Seattle Southside Chamber that has been an incredible resource for us over the years and has given us the opportunity to partner with other local businesses and organizations around improving education and economic development.
We’re thankful for Peter Busacca with Washington BBI for his business insight and Dan DeVries for his awesome commercial photography as well as many other consultants that we have the privilege of working alongside.
We’re thankful for the work that we get to do and the fact that as we help other businesses become more successful, we become more successful.
Last, but not least, we’re thankful for you reading this right now and we hope that you feel encouraged to remember what you have to be grateful for and to get even more involved in this community that we share! We wish you the very best this holiday season.
I admire small business owners. In fact, I work for one. I’ve heard stories of how Cascade e-Commerce Solutions, Inc. was established, and every day I see the long hours, hard work and smart, quick decisions it takes to thrive in a competitive marketplace.
Small business owners are comprised of a remarkable amalgam of dreams, brains, guts, passion, patience, resilience, sacrifice and flexibility. They contribute to their community by providing employment and internship opportunities, and sacrifice precious time and treasure to local charities. Along the way, positive relationships and reputations are formed that not only serve to strengthen a business’ status in the community but, in turn, aids recruiting top talent and attracting more business – a healthy symbiosis.
Yet, when I consider the years of hard work and sacrifice it takes to build, maintain and grow a business, it alarms me how easily a malicious online review or a few angry sentences placed on social media can initiate a process of unraveling a successful company. It’s called “Virality”, and can damage your company’s reputation before you are even aware the activity has begun.
Virality – The tendency of an image, video, or piece of information to be circulated rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another (The Oxford Dictionary)
Consider a 2009 incident in which a pair of bored Domino’s Pizza employees recorded themselves performing inappropriate acts with sandwich ingredients. The duo posted 5 videos of their activity on YouTube, and sadly before the videos were removed a few days later an estimated one million people had viewed them. Read how Domino’s managed this crisis.
Another crisis occurred in 2015, when musician David Caroll’s guitar was damaged during travel with United Airlines. When the airline refused to compensate him for his loss, Mr. Caroll wrote “United Breaks Guitars”, a song that racked up over 15 million views on YouTube. This cathartic externalization of Mr. Caroll’s discontent with United is widely reported to have caused a 10% drop in the United’s stock (worth around $180 million). Read more about this incident.
The New Rules of Consumer Engagement
These crises illustrate the Age of The Empowered Consumer has arrived, demanding a new respect for customers, as expressed through constant engagement in social media, blogs, forums and website chat applications to understand who they are and what they want from your business. Consumers expect to be heard, and they place high value on what other consumers have to say about your goods and services.
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A study on BrightLocal.com found that 88% of consumers read reviews to determine the quality of a local business, and 72% of consumers will take action after reading a positive review. – Gary Musler, “What Every Small Business Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management”
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Business who interact with their customers socially online, monitor feedback in review sites and develop plans to quickly respond when negative information appears are establishing their credibility, protecting their brand and giving their company a competitive edge in their industry.
Cascade e-Commerce Solutions can help establish and monitor you and your business’s reputation. Call us today at 206-244-9092 or visit us online at https://www.4cesi.com/ .
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Did you know that a good online reputation is only one aspect of a business’s online presence? Master the Digital Domain with a comprehensive marketing strategy comprising SEO, SEM, E-Mail and Reputation Management. Call Cascade e-Commerce Solutions today!