You're eating out anyway. You may as well get a gift card, too! We write blog posts and post on social media to help support local businesses. We’re looking to crowd-source this information in an effort to find local businesses in Des Moines and the surrounding communities with diverse backgrounds, offerings, and clientele.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

3-5 photos – including of the establishment (inside and/or outside) and food/products. If owners and employees allow, pics of personnel is also nice to have (make sure to get their names and permission if you do that).

3-4 paragraphs (at least 4 sentences in a paragraph). Include information about:

• Background information of the owners, only if you have it
• Atmosphere of the establishment and other observations you have
• Review of the food/products/services (positive reviews, we’re looking to support local and help local businesses increase their foot traffic)
• Best/favorite part of visiting the business

You agree to give rights and ownership of all assets (text and photos) to That Digital Rush to be used for our clients.

WHAT YOU GET:

We’ll send you a $25 gift card to a local business of your choice or we can send you $25 via check or PayPal to be used where you’d like.  

TO GET STARTED:
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First and foremost, we must first agree to work together before you receive payment. Please send your local business recommendation to us (the place you’d like to review for us), along with a sample of a review you’ve written on Google or Facebook in the past (doesn’t need to be for that particular business, and doesn’t have to be long or include pictures – we just want to see your writing style and descriptive words). We’re only choosing 4 a month, so stay patient with us as we filter through requests. 

Sound good? Fill out this form to get started and we'll reach out to you. Thank you so much for your interest! 

Starting a Facebook Group is a GREAT way to connect with your customers and let them start conversations around topics pertinent to your business. If this is something you're thinking about, I say go for it! My biggest word of advice? Make sure you can dedicate the time! You will need to jump in to answer questions, comment on posts, respond to violation flags from members, and accept new members if your group is private. Here are few benefits to starting a Facebook Group ... 

Here are few reasons why you might want to give it a shot. 

• Connect with super-fans
• Build brand advocates
• Establish expertise
• Engage consistently
• Collect ideas for content
• Needs assessment for your business
• Stay connected with clients who aren’t able to convert yet

Put some thought into how you want your group set up. A public group can grow quickly but you will eventually start picking up people who might bring your vibe down by being negative and you'll also get more trolls (ugh). A private group won't grow as fast but you can have FULL control over who joins. You can even ask them pre-qualifying questions ahead of time to make sure they're a good fit.  

Types of Groups: 
Public: anyone can see who’s in the group and what they post.
Private: only members can see who’s in the group and what they post.
 
RECOMMENDED:
For businesses using Facebook groups to interact with customers, private is the best option. This allows your audience to be more open (knowing not just anyone can view what they post) and it prevents spammers and bots from joining and ruining your conversation.  

Ok, so how do you get members to join? Start inviting them!
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INVITE MEMBERS:
With a private group, you’ll want to invite members. You can invite them via email, on your social platforms, when they’re in the office, etc.
 
ASK THEM TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FIRST:
One way to make sure they’re ready to be engaged (and lessen the chances of a bot) is to have them answer pre-admission questions before joining. Questions like:

• Why do you want to join?
• How did you hear about our group?
• What’s your biggest challenge in [what fits your industry]?

 
This allows you to collect a bit of information for your own tracking, but also forces engagement right away.

You must include rules or a code of conduct that members need to accept before joining. This keeps your Group open, welcoming and provides a safe atmosphere.
 
Here are some common rules or policies that groups use ...

• No self-promotion, spam or advertising. (You can add “without running it by the admins or moderators first.” If you’re ok allowing some of this.)
• If this group membership is part of a service, then make it clear that they’re membership will be canceled after the other service is over.
• Respect others, no hate speech or bullying, no abusive language, no politics
• Respect everyone’s privacy. Don’t share any information, including screenshots, from this group as we are providing a safe, confidential environment 

The biggest tasks of group moderators include ...

• Making sure the content posted and the members are not violating the groups rules and policies. You may have to delete spam and other unwanted content.
• Adding/Removing members as needed. This includes approving member requests and removing those who continually break the rules.
• Reviewing content that has been flagged for review by other users.
• Posting conversation starters, polls, questions, etc.
• Replying to comments from other members to keep the conversation going and to let them know their contribution is valued. 

 Continually policing the group will help keep the group positive and open. You may need to ...

• Temporarily block a member who might need to cool off.
• Permanently remove an offending member.
• Turn off commenting on a post if comments are getting heated and controversial.
• Remove member and delete all of their past posts.

Come up with engagement ideas (polls, questions, etc.) so you're ready to start conversations and then get your Group started! Comment below with a link to your group if you'd like to have us join!