16 Best of 2016: A Reflection on this Year’s Content
The final week of 2016 has arrived — and what a year it has been! Here at Main Street Hub, we’ve been working hard to fulfill our mission: to create thriving local communities by relentlessly pursuing improvement at every level of the business.
We can’t wait to see where that takes us in 2017, but before we embark on a new adventure in the new year, let’s reflect on the best and brightest content from Main Street Hub in 2016:
1. 10 Ways Pokemon Go Can Help Your Small Business
In response to Pokemon Go’s unprecedented popularity this year, Main Street Hub’s UX Researcher & Prototyper Lance Cookson and Senior Product Designer David Potsiadlo wrote a resource for small business owners, outlining everything from how to benefit from Poke Stops to using lures to sidewalk marketing ideas. Even if you’ve already caught your Pikachu, you’ll want to catch up on this awesome article, compliments of the Main Street Hub Product Team.
2. Happy 6th Anniversary, Main Street Hub
We are so proud to have celebrated our 6th anniversary in 2016, thankful to our colleagues for their commitment to the values that make this team so strong, and grateful for the faith our customers have placed in us to help them achieve their dreams! Check out what Co-CEOs Matt Stuart and Andrew Allison had to say about our sixth year of storytelling on behalf of local businesses.
3. 5 Steps To Build Your Brand Online, by Duri Green
Guest blogs were a trend for us on the blog in 2016! From SVP Product Mike Georgoff’s Father’s Day reflections to Regional Development Representative Kristin Booth’s Essential Marketing Tips, we showcased the talents, experiences, and expertise of many different members of the Main Street Hub team. Sales Representative Duri Green’s tips for online branding was one of our most popular guest blogs of the year. Check it out, and you’ll see why! His simple, but effective, tips will take your business’ online presence to the next level.
4. How Your Small Business Can Get Pet-Friendly
Going pet-friendly was a major business trend in 2016. From restaurants to bed and breakfasts to retail stores, an increasing number of establishments are allowing four legged visitors to come in this year. We stepped up to help small business owners everywhere un-leash the power of the pups in their community!
5. Cheers for Peers
The Cheers for Peers tradition is one way that we Elevate Others in our offices every day. If you are ready to feel warm and fuzzy, watch the video below to learn more:
6. Tutoring Session: A Guide to Review Responses by Main Street Hub Community Managers
Online review sites are more important to local business than ever before. In fact, 92% of consumers reported reading online reviews in 2016 — up from 88% in 2014. If you are ready to harness the power of your review pages like Yelp, Google+, and TripAdvisor, responding to existing reviews is a great place to start. Here are some helpful hints from our Community Managers, who answer these kinds of reviews every day on behalf of over 7,000 local business customers.
7. Family Spotlights:
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we used November as a chance to celebrate family. We have several pairs of siblings and a dynamic mother-daughter duo on the Sales and Customer Success Teams in Austin. Click the links below to learn more about each pair and how they’re making the Main Street Hub team a family.
Justin and Cody Alexander (Video)
Darrick and Andre Price (Video)
8. Thank you, Local Heroes!
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we put together this video to thank local heroes across the country for all the hard work they do in their communities. Although the holiday has passed, we’re still committed to showing our love and Respect for Local Business every day. Show your appreciation for local by watching the video below:
9. Main Street Hub Awards 2016
At Main Street Hub, our company values are at the foundation of everything we do — as a company and as a team. Every year, we celebrate Hubsters who do an exceptional job of embodying each core value. Join us in congratulating this year’s winners in our HQ, ATX Sales, and NYC Sales offices.
10. Main Street Hub Gets New Digs for Sales Team in Austin
2016 was a year of growth for our company — one example of that is our brand new Sales office we opened in downtown Austin. Click to take a look around! We’re loving the fantastic view and collaborative work spaces here at 111 Congress.
11. Main Street Hub Gives Back
We create thriving local economies by helping local heroes discover community. We also make an effort to be champions in our own community through our charity initiative, Main Street Hub Gives Back. Built in NYC even featured us in an article about companies giving back and making NYC a better place during the holiday season! Learn more about the projects our Hubsters were a part of this year.
12. Austin Inno’s 50 on Fire
Austin Inno’s 50 on Fire celebrates visionary individuals and companies across Austin’s top industries, and we are excited to say that means us! Watch the victory video below (you can find Main Street Hub at 2:01):
13. Main Street Hub is One of Austin’s Coolest Companies
We were on a roll with Austin Inno in 2016. Besides being one of their 50 on Fire in ATX this year, we were also named one of the Coolest Companies in Austin! Want to know just what makes our company such a cool place to work? Hear it straight from Hubsters themselves in this article.
14. Level Up: From Sales Representative to Sales Director with Alexa Berube
Our Sales Team has had a record-breaking year! From achieving our highest performing sales month in history to the introducing new teams and initiatives to opening a brand new office, it was exciting to see our Sales Team soar to new heights. One example of the huge potential for growth in our sales organization is NYC Sales Director Alexa Berube. She began as a Sales Representative, and has consistently leveled up her performance, her goals, and her position. Read her interview to learn more about her journey as a Hubster!
15. Instagram
We had a blast with Instagram this year! From puppies to high fives to throwbacks of some familiar faces, we used photos, GIFs, and Boomerangs to show off our amazing team and culture. Here are some of our favorite posts of the year:
Don’t forget to follow us: @mainstreethub!
16. The Hometown Hero Award: The Importance of Recognizing Hard Work
Our Sales Teams in ATX and NYC started a new tradition for recognizing hard work this year. Each month, the top performer in each city is named the Hometown Hero for helping the most local businesses for that month. The honor comes with a bejeweled heavyweight belt, a confetti celebration, and a huge cheer from the team. Want to hear from some of the former champions? Take a look at this article!
Need Main Street Hub to help you achieve your business goals in the new year? Get started by signing up for a FREE social media assessment!
