The City of Pleasanton Economic Development office hosted a one‑hour “Marketing 101: Practical Strategies to Market Your Business” webinar featuring presenters from TaylorMade Creative Consulting and the Pleasanton Downtown Association. City staff highlighted municipal promotional programs and local partners and presenters offered low‑cost social media and event tactics intended for small businesses.

Lisa Adamos, Economic Development Manager for the City of Pleasanton, opened the session by listing city business supports available to licensed Pleasanton firms, including the Gift Pleasanton community e‑gift card program (accepted at more than 45 local businesses) and the Support Local guide mailed to more than 32,000 households. Adamos said post‑webinar materials and links would be emailed to attendees and invited follow‑up questions to econdev@cityofpleasantonca.gov.

“The good news is you don't have to do everything, just a few things well,” said Tiffany Thurber, founder of TaylorMade Creative Consulting, as she outlined the webinar’s central advice: prioritize strategy and consistency and focus resources on the platforms that best fit a business. Thurber walked attendees through auditing online presences, claiming listings such as Google and Yelp, and keeping hours, contact details and photos accurate.

Gabrielle (Gabby) Welk, Executive Director of the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA), recommended businesses define a visual style and tone of voice, choose two to three platforms (Instagram and Facebook for most small firms), and use pinned posts and a clear bio link to drive action. Welk said the PDA’s combined Facebook and Instagram audience totals more than 41,000 followers and encouraged businesses to tag PDA accounts to increase reach.

Welk and Mindy Louie, PDA events and marketing manager, stressed content variety: create posts that engage (polls, questions), educate (how‑tos and behind‑the‑scenes), entertain (short reels and local trends) and empower (feature other local businesses). Louie advised practical visual tips — use natural lighting, capture real moments, experiment with reels (short videos tend to earn higher reach), and use carousel posts to increase time on post.

Louie recommended low‑cost boosted posts to extend reach beyond regular followers, noting small spends (examples given in the presentation: about $50–$100) can target nearby cities and interest groups. She also described PDA programs that help side‑street or second‑floor businesses gain visibility: free vendor booths at downtown events, scavenger hunts, curated roundups of lesser‑known shops, and short “how to find us” reels.

In a question‑and‑answer session, Thurber suggested franchise locations limited by corporate branding explore local referral incentives and a location‑specific social profile to drive word‑of‑mouth. On tagging and amplification, the presenters said businesses must be licensed in Pleasanton for some city promotions and asked attendees to email econdev@cityofpleasantonca.gov with requests or issues.

Panelists advised small businesses seeking influencer support to identify active local commenters and micro‑creators, send direct messages with a clear offer (sample, preview, or partnership), and consider paid influencer programs only when budget permits. For service providers with confidentiality constraints (for example, therapists), Thurber suggested publishing educational wellness tips and partnering in themed “wellness crawl” events rather than posting client images.

Before adjourning, presenters reiterated practical next steps: audit and claim online listings, pick two to three platforms and post consistently (the PDA suggested a posting cadence of about four to five times per week), respond to comments and direct messages promptly (within 24 hours), measure performance monthly (top posts, follower growth, website clicks, foot traffic), and use free tools such as Canva for event graphics. Adamos closed by reminding attendees slides and resource links would be emailed as a follow‑up.

Contact: econdev@cityofpleasantonca.gov for follow‑up materials and questions; Pleasanton Downtown Association social accounts for tagging and local promotion.