Second Chance Hiring…Cultivating Loyalty…Social (Media) Studies

Welcome back to Small Business Straight Talk. I am the editor of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and each week I bring you the latest news and resources impacting small businesses.? Here are three things to know this week…

Second Chance Hiring: Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Tory Burch Foundation’s Embrace Ambition Summit where Jacqueline Woodson interviewed

Ian Manuel, a poet and author of “My Time Will Come.” Ian survived 18 years of solitary confinement while serving prison time for a crime he committed when he was 13 years old. Ian’s story was inspiring and the poem he recited was inspirational, but what struck me most was that since being released from prison in 2016,? even now, as an accomplished poet, speaker and author, he still struggles to find work and a means of supporting himself. And he’s not alone.

In spite of the fact that one in three Americans has a criminal record, it is still extremely difficult for the formerly incarcerated to find work. For businesses struggling to find skilled workers during this labor shortage, second chance hiring could be one solution.?

If you think second chance hiring might be right for your small business, I recently interviewed Latricia Boone, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Equality of Opportunity Initiative (EOI) on how and why small businesses can participate and the programs and resources available to make it possible. You can watch our interview and learn more about how to get started here.

Cultivating Loyalty: Customer loyalty has changed during the pandemic and giving customers what they want and need from your business requires a different approach than before. Making an emotional connection is more important than ever. If your business never took customer loyalty seriously before, now is the time to build an approach from scratch. Here’s our best advice on building a B2C loyalty program or a B2B loyalty program to ensure repeat business from your customers.?

Social Studies: Your business is probably already using social media but there’s always room to refine and improve your approach to leveraging this very inexpensive but powerful marketing tool. Here are a few ideas on what to try next: leverage Instagram’s Explore page to market your business, host a giveaway on Instagram or TikTok, or start making the most of user-generated content. If you’re brand new to social media marketing, check out our social media marketing guide on how to get started.?

?And…It’s not too late to enter our annual Dream Big Awards for small business. Applications are now open for the U.S. Chamber’s annual Dream Big Awards, a program that honors the achievements of small businesses and highlights their contributions to America’s economic growth. Your small business could win the grand prize of $25,000. There are multiple categories to enter, including: Emerging Business, Green/Sustainable Business, Minority-Owned Business, Veteran-Owned Business, Woman-Owned Business, Young Entrepreneur Business, LGBTQ-Owned Business, and Community Support and Leadership Award. You can learn more and enter here. Deadline is Friday, July 8.

Jeanette Mulvey is a passionate advocate for small business and the Editor in Chief of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Follow CO— on Instagram!