Resources Archives - Hamilton Business Centre

From Start to Success: Must-Have Resources for Your Food Product Business

Have you ever wanted to launch your own food or beverage business but didn’t know how or where to start? Searching for the right information to get started can sometimes be confusing, especially if you are new to the industry. Whether you’re looking for shared kitchen space, need to test your product shelf life, or need some help with labelling this post is jam-packed with all the resources you need to get started.

Know Your Customers: Concession Street BIA Facts (INFOGRAPHIC)

Businesses that understand their customers may be able to improve marketing and make more customer-centric products and services. In part 2 of the Know Your Customers series, the Community Market Profile for the Concession Street Business Improvement Area (BIA) is explored.

Business Startup Guides

A list of business how-to guides that cover starting and operating a business across most major industries as well as checklists specifically for Canadian entrepreneurs.

10 Social Media Best Practices (2020)

Keeping up with the latest social channels, their functionalities, features, stickers, stories, etc. can feel like a full-time job ….. and it is. If you’re like most small business owners, you’re probably juggling many other responsibilities, such as hiring employees, reviewing sales, overseeing daily activities, and more. That’s why we compiled this list of 10 social media best practices just for you. You’ll find tips for every aspect of social media in business, from listening and engagement to publishing and advertising.

Instagram Food Delivery & Gift Card Stickers (How To)

Let’s face it, COVID has been incredibly hard on everyone but especially on our local small businesses. If there was ever a time to get out and show your support, it’s now. Thankfully, Instagram is making the process of connecting with and supporting local small businesses incredibly easy with their food delivery and gift card stickers. Learn how you can start using them today for your business to increase sales and boost engagement.

Facebook Blueprint – Learn New Marketing Skills With Free Online Courses

With more businesses looking to maximize their online opportunities and in some cases completely pivot their business model to online only amid COVID-19, learning how to market and grow your business online has never been more important. Luckily for us, tech giants like Facebook, Google, HubSpot, and others have made the process of learning these new essential skills easier than ever before by producing a wealth of free learning resources.

Instagram: How to Use the Support Small Business Sticker in Stories

Did you know Instagram recently added a Support Small Business sticker to their Stories feature, allowing you to show support and bring attention to your favourite small business? The new sticker allows you to tag a small business in your post, which will cause your post to be added to a shared Story related to the business.

Google My Business – Reviews (Ultimate Beginners Guide)

As business owners, we know that we should be curating customer reviews as much as possible online. One could say mastering the review process alone means more customers (both in and outside of Google My Business). But why do people leave reviews? What are the motivations behind them, and why are they important to our business and our digital presence?

Sell online with Shopify's e-commerce platform

Start Selling Online with Shopify

If there is anything the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us as business owners is that having an online presence for your business is a must. If your a small business struggling to get online so potential customers can find and purchase your products and services, Shopify might just be the answer for you.

Geo Tagging Images for Google My Business Optimization

Google My Business – Photo Optimization with Geo-Tagging

In this blog post, we are going to cover the why and how of optimizing your photos for Google My Business and local search with the help of geo-tagging. Geo-tagging is the process of adding geographical information to various media in the form of metadata. In our case, we will be looking at geo-tagging our GMB profile photos.

Google My Business – Listing Optimization (Checklist)

Claiming and verifying your Google My Business (GMB) Listing is an essential step for any business owner that is looking to increase their chances of showing up in Google’s Local Pack, Local Finder, Google Maps, and organic search rankings. Ready to start supercharging your GMB listing for maximum visibility and customer acquisition? Read on.

Hometownhub.ca – Supporting Local Businesses

Hometown Hub is an all-in-one on-line sales site for Hamilton’s small businesses. It provides a platform for local small businesses to sell gift cards and online merchandise as well as the ability to quickly bring merchants on-line if they do not already have this sales capability. If your looking to boost your online presence, Hometownhub.ca can help!