23 Jul Partnerships with local businesses provide meaningful experiences for Travel Writers
Visit Mankato working with influencers to promote Greater Mankato as a travel destination
It’s no secret that “word of mouth” has always had a strong effect on consumer behavior. If John Doe is patronizing a business and just scarfed up the #WorldsBestPizza, social media is going to know about it. On the contrary, the door of publicity can swing both ways especially if Mr. Doe had to wait a few extra minutes in line to receive his car rental and then plasters his negative review all over the Internet. So in reality, influencers are everywhere sharing their #BestTimeEver and #NeverDoingThatAgain experiences. Anyone can be a critic, but who’s to say they are a credible source? Some have even gone so far as to “arrange” negative reviews on their competitors (UFF DA!).
Influencer marketing has been a strong initiative of Visit Mankato and developing effective strategies through research of our local markets. We have built relationships with notable influencers from around the country that align with our destination’s assets. From there, we work with local businesses to build an itinerary and create an experience for these influencers to promote Greater Mankato by sharing their story through various mediums to followers from all around who share similar interests.
You've probably heard the adage, "You have to spend money to make money." So how does that apply to marketing your business? It's a common saying that means it's hard to make money in a business without investing in supplies, products, marketing and advertising, or other business expenses. The breakdown of how much to spend in each area will most likely depend on your business, industry and if you're a B2B or a B2C organization. The key is to focus on marketing as an investment, not an expense. 
The following guest blog post is courtesy of Abdo, Eick and Meyers Workforce Solutions.
In case you missed it, on May 30, 2019, Minnesota passed the Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus Bill. Along with many other budget and legislative items, that bill included several new regulations imposing new responsibilities and recordkeeping requirements for Minnesota employers effective July 1, 2019.
These regulations, referred to as “Wage Theft” rules, are intended to ensure that all employees are provided with transparent access to important employment and payroll information and was passed in response to the large volume of wage theft complaints submitted to the Minnesota Department of Labor (DOL) each year.
CHANGES & NEW REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY
While it’s easy to get behind the overall intent and goals of the new Wage Theft regulations, employers need to understand how these requirements will affect the timing and documentation related to many of their most common HR and payroll processes. Here, we will review several key processes impacted by the new regulations: the employee written notice, commissions payment timing, payroll and earnings statement information, and employee handbook policies and recordkeeping requirements. 