Pacific Mountain Logistics attributes $7 million in sales to a workshop on social media organized by the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board.
The CEO of the Ontario-based company, BJ Patterson, says his marketing strategy changed after attending the free seminar.
“Before attending the workshop, the only social networking tool I used was LinkedIn. I didn’t have a clue about how to use social media for promoting business,” Patterson said.
“Now, I can honestly say that at least $7 million of our sales have directly come from social media in the last three years. All it takes is an investment of my time,” he added.
BJ Patterson launched Pacific Mountain Logistics in 2009 and said building a brand from scratch seemed like a daunting task.
“We have taken our brand from nothing to being in the top three third party logistics companies in the Inland Empire,” he said. “This achievement comes as a result of our visibility in the market. Our company profile visibility has increased due to the publicity from social media. I’ve had so many new orders from people saying they’d reached out after reading one of our online posts.”
Pacific Mountain Logistics’ annual sales now reach $10 million and they employ 120 people.
The Social Media Marketing Workshop for Business that Patterson attended is just one of many monthly seminars organized by the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board (WIB). The free workshops aim to help local companies grow, or address employment issues such as changes in the law or policies for staff development.
“We receive tremendous feedback from business owners on the support provided by the free seminars, which help meet our Countywide Vision of fostering entrepreneurship and encouraging business development,” said James Ramos, Chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
At the WIB social media workshop Patterson was shown how to set up his profile, and learned how all his social media accounts could be tied together, providing a wider reach. Most importantly, he says, he learned how to use Google alerts to create valuable and interesting industry content in his blogs.
Other recent workshops held by the Workforce Investment Board include the 2015 Labor Law Update, Top Ten Ways to Stay out of Court, Employee Handbooks, How to Conduct a Workplace Investigation, Don’t Fire Them, Inspire Them, and Managing Stress and Burnout in the Workplace.
“The workshops provide an ideal opportunity for local business owners to learn strategies for success and stay up-to-date on new laws coming into effect,” said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board.
To learn more about free workshops or other business services please call (800) 451- JOBS; for a list of events, visit www.sbcountyadvantage.com.