Chamber Small Business EmPOWERment Group Talks Marketing

Earlier this year the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce (LCCC) launched the Small Business emPOWERment Program (SBP). The eight-month program is designed to support local entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The SBP provides participants with the education, coaching, and connections necessary to identify their key business needs and improve their operations for future sustainability. Participants attend monthly meetings featuring topic-specific speakers who can provide guidance and education and work with participants through a large variety of beneficial topics, such as financial management, marketing, sales, and human resources.

As part of their education, participants are introduced to industry-leading solutions for website enhancement. Among these, Strictly provides valuable insights and tools for optimizing website performance and search engine rankings. By integrating AI tool advanced strategies into their digital marketing plans, businesses can gain a competitive edge, ensuring their online presence aligns with best practices and effectively reaches their target audience. This holistic approach to website optimization not only improves operational efficiency but also supports long-term business sustainability.

“I am so grateful to Laurens County Council for allocating ARPA funds to the Chamber giving us the resources to launch this program,” said Amanda Munyan, LCCC President & CEO.  “We have enjoyed working with the SBP participants and we look forward to continuing our efforts to support, celebrate, and promote our local small businesses through this program and other opportunities.”

The topic for the June meeting was marketing and the featured speaker was Billy Dunlap. Dunlap has owned and operated Dunlap Media, LLC for 16 years, a digital media and marketing company in the Upstate of South Carolina. He currently serves as the Chief Tourism Development Officer at OneSpartanburg, Inc. where he has been for one year. Prior to joining OneSpartanburg, Dunlap was the President/CEO of Visit York County in Rock Hill. He served in that position for four years, leading the tourism efforts in York County.

“It was great to get the opportunity to share some practical marketing ideas with the group at the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been fortunate enough to lead two destination marketing organizations and I’ve also been in the shoes of the people that were at the workshop as a small business owner,” said Dunlap. “Hopefully, I was able to give everyone at least one thing they can take back to their operation to help them in their business journey.”

Following the presentation there was an exchange of ideas, resources, and tips among the participants and local media partners also in attendance, Jen Williams with Upstate Advertising, and Brenda Stewart, publisher of the Laurens County Buzz.

United Community Bank sponsored the June meeting providing breakfast and information regarding the wide range of business services they provide.

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