Ron Fisher's passion for sign making comes from helping other business owners realize their inspiration. “I get to bring their vision to life and see how happy they are with the finished product,” Fisher says.
Fisher's entrepreneurial journey began nearly 10 years ago when he and a former business partner took over an existing sign business and founded Fisher Signs & Shirts in Southampton, New York. The company produces storefront signs, vehicle lettering and banners, as well as printed flyers, business cards, stationery, custom t-shirts, laser engraved products and corporate uniforms. Today, Fisher Signs & Shirts has grown to two locations and 12 employees, including current co-owner and business partner Jerry Smith.
The skills Fisher learned through Verizon Small Business Digital Ready have been critical to the company's digital marketing success. He first heard about Verizon's program through a partnership with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber sent out an email to business owners who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender saying Verizon is investing in our community and providing this content for free,” Fisher explains.
He says the course content immediately resonated with him. “I knew social media marketing was really important to my business, but I didn't know where to learn about it,” Fisher explains. “When I found Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, I really found the course that was right for me. [with] That's exactly the information I was missing.”
A basic understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) told Fisher that he might need to hire an outside vendor to help him develop an SEO strategy. “When I met with vendors who could potentially provide that service for my business, I knew what to ask for and what to look for,” Fisher says. “And then, [Verizon] I was able to quickly find the course guide and use it as a resource.”
He also redesigned the company's website and learned how to use free analytics tools from search engines and social media platforms “so we could tailor our content according to what's working, what's influential, and what makes people want to contact us,” he says.
The results are clear: “Since we began our SEO and website revamp, we've seen a 25% increase in customers taking action via email and phone. Our web traffic has increased by 57%, surpassing one of our competitors. [search engine results] “Rankings,” Fisher said.
A very tangible reminder of how the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready learnings have impacted the business is the Southampton showroom. Upon entering, customers are greeted with business stories written all over the walls. Fisher was inspired by a Verizon course on how to sell products using storytelling, which he says encouraged business owners to bring their stories to the forefront.
Fisher also harnesses the creativity of his entire team to put into practice the knowledge they've gained from Verizon's courses. For example, the “Creating Valuable Content” course taught his team to create video content and post photos that will speak to their audience. “Our team's creativity is what drives our content creation,” Fisher says. “And we're rewarded by the metrics that people are responding to it and liking it.”
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is part of Verizon's goal to provide one million small businesses with the resources to succeed in the digital economy by 2030. To learn more about the company's responsible business practices, visit CitizenVerizon.com. To sign up for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, visit digitalready.verizonwireless.com. Individual user experiences may vary and results are not guaranteed.
