Grow Maplewood

Business Resources to Help You Build Your Business in Maplewood


Here is the useful information you will find on this page:

  • Media Contacts

  • Press Releases

  • Connecting to Clients with Social Media

  • Tips on Social Media

  • More on Marketing

  • Writing Tips

  • Business Networking and Business-to-Business Resources

  • Demographics


What is Grow Maplewood?
The brainchild of your fellow Maplewood Business Owner, Norty Cohen of

Moosylvania Marketing

. The idea is business-to-business networking just for Maplewood business owners. Get to know your the business owners in your community and find out what services you can support and who needs your services!


Grow Maplewood is about Maplewood businesses supporting each other and it is about us helping you grow your business!






Media Contacts and Public Relations


Here is a list of media contacts that have published stories and articles on Maplewood in the St. Louis Region.

The City of Maplewood's Community Development Director, Rachelle L'Ecuyer, will assist you with public relations and in determining which media outlet is the best fit for your business and help you find the best contact at that publication.

The Community Development Director sends regular press releases to area press contacts regarding events and happenings and can work with you to get your information to the press. The City of Maplewood also has a two social media pages with a focus on the positive and interesting aspects of the Maplewood business community. Our weekly viewership has reached over 10,000 on Facebook and we have over 2,800 followers on twitter.

Local Publications
Maplewood is covered by these local print and online publications:
Regional Print and Online Publications
Regional print and online publications cover Maplewood for specialty articles including dining, shopping, and entertainment: 


Business Oriented
Business growth and development are covered by:

Television
Television News covers big events that appeal to a regional viewership. It is always worth a try to inform these media outlets about your event or accomplishment:

KSDK
KMOV
FOX2 News

Also, Great Day St. Louis and Show Me St. Louis are daily shows focusing on events and trends in the area.

Brush-up on Writing that Press Release
You may wish to brush-up on your press release writing skills before sending out a press release (see below section on writing a press release courtesy of Diane Blaskiewicz).

Target the Right Outlets
Also, before you start sending out information make sure you are targeting media outlets that are suitable for your business.

Keep it Simple!
One final tip: Keep It Simple! Send information that is about the who, what, when, where and make it easy to "cut and paste".


Press Releases


 How to Write a Press Release



Thanks to Saint Louis Closet Co. for sharing these useful tips with us:

How to Write a Press Release

This should give you the basics you need to put together a press release that will help you promote your business.



Connecting to Clients on Social Media


The City of Maplewood is on twitter. Our account is @EnjoyMaplewood. If you are interested in starting your account, go to www.twitter.com and follow the instructions. If you are a Maplewood businesss and you need help setting up a twitter account, give us at (314) 646-3607 or Contact the Community Development Director.

A Guidebook to Facebook has been published online by Hubspot.com. The guide is very comprehensive, free to download and use: View Hubspot.com Facebook Guidebook

The City of Maplewood also has a fan page on at www.facebook.com/enjoy.maplewood and we invite you to be a fan and tag us when you have important information to share! More importantly, we encourage you to set-up your own fan page and we will link the pages.  
 

Tips on Social Media


Social Media is not just about creating an account and sitting there!

You need to maintain your account and keep it fresh and active.

Before you even open an account take a moment to map out a few things, most importantly develop a criteria. For example, if you own a retail shop the criteria of your social media account could be to introduce new items.

Checkout this recent article by Chris Brogan. Mr. Brogram is the author of "Social Media 101"

More on Marketing

Checkout these resources for marketing tips and ideas:


Writing


So, now you have the job of posting to all of the social media pages. Posting in a public domain means you need to make sure that your posts are not just interesting but written without typos and grammatical errors.

Here is a quick overview of some common errors we all make:
Eleven Writing Errors Even Smart People Make

Also, you may be interested in some grammar usage tips If you don't like this site, google "grammar usage" and you will find there are many useful and reliable sources out there!


Business Networking and Business-to-Business Resources


The City of Maplewood has one of the most vibrant chambers of commerce in the St. Louis Region.

The Mid County Chamber Commerce offers members networking and business-to-business opportunities that will get you connected to an extensive community of business owners and managers. The Chamber sponsors the annual Taste of Maplewood and The Maplewood Christmas Tree Walk.

The Mid County Chamber of Commerce also offers low-interest business loans to qualified businesses through the Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation (MCBF).

Mid County Chamber of Commerce
2915 Sutton Boulevard
781-8588
Contact the Mid County Chamber of Commerce

Demographics


Centro Properties manages the Maplewood Square development in the heart of downtown Maplewood. They maintain demographic and market information on the Maplewood Square page: Demographic and Market Information