Bonneville County home sales numbers remarkably consistent

I did one of my semi-regular examinations of Bonneville County home sales statistics today, looking at the first five months for the last five years, and the one thing that jumped out at me is how remarkably consistent the numbers have been for the most part.

The Snake River Regional Multiple Listing Service puts these numbers out every month using four criteria: Units (homes) sold, average days on market, median price and new listings. Considering where our economy has been since 2008, what surprises me is how these numbers stayed pretty steady except for the two numbers I've change to red: the number of new listings in the first five months of 2010 (really up) and the median price in 2012 (down somewhat).

I'm not sure what it means, but here's something to think about. Early 2010 was when the stimulus bill was probably having its greatest effect on local economies. Although a lot of people have dismissed it as ineffective, in Bonneville County it was anything but. Why? Because there was a lot of shovel-ready work on the desert with the Idaho Cleanup Project, and the sudden infusion of federal dollars was all it took to get things rolling.

If you'd care to offer any observations of your own, feel free.

Teton Volkswagen holds ribbon cutting

Ein ... zwei ... drei ... and the ribbon is cut at Teton Volkswagen on Sunnyside Road. The new dealership has 15,000 square feet, including a service department with at laser-guided alignment rack. It has been more than a year since Teton VW went into business, first on Outlet Boulevard, then on Anderson Street. In that time, they have sold 360 new Volkswagens and more than 600 used cars. At the new permanent, high-visibility location they are hoping to do even better.

Social media marketing expert speaks at chamber luncheon

Tim Hong

This might be disappointing, but even if that "Like Us On Facebook" sign you hung on your store got you 500 likes in two days, it doesn't mean all 500 people who liked you are going to see your posts.

When it comes to marketing and social media, change is not only constant but accelerating, said Tim Hong, strategic alliances senior manager for Adobe.

A 1989 Blackfoot High School graduate, Hong was in Idaho Falls Tuesday to speak at the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce's 2020 Vision for Business Luncheon.

Advertising spending on social media platforms -- Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. -- has grown exponentially in the last five years, first for desktop computers and now for mobile devices. Done right, online analytics (Hong's expertise) allow advertisers to measure the success of a campaign in far more detail than it was possible with old media advertising (TV, print, radio).

Nevertheless, a lot of business people, especially small business people, might be wondering the same old question: "How do I know what works?"

A lot of people feel the marketing landscape has changed more in the past two years than it did in the previous 50. Two years ago, the focus was on "vanity metrics," e.g. how many "likes" a business could rustle up on Facebook.

But Facebook has been changing its algorithms, to the point now where 2 percent of the people who've liked your page actually see your posts. Of course you can pay to get better exposure, which is what Facebook wants.

Mobile devices have doubled the amount of time people spend online, and advertising budgets for mobile are growing seven times faster than desktop. "The pace of change, is accelerating, not slowing down," Hong said.

He spoke at length about Foursquare, a web and mobile application that allows registered users to post their location at a venue ("check-in") and connect with friends. Check-in requires active user selection and points are awarded at check-in. To date, there have been more than 5 billion check-ins with Foursquare.

For any business that wants to get a return on investment, understanding the audience is still essential. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, it's best to target your message.

"Be an independent voice, relevant to the people who care about you," Hong said. "Don't try to be popular to everybody on social media."

Idaho Falls Sleep Inn wins TripAdvisor award

A screen shot of the hotel's TripAdvisor page

The Idaho Falls Sleep Inn has received a 2014 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Exceptional Service Award. Now in its twelfth year, the program names winners based on the quality of reviews and ratings posted online by TripAdvisor travelers.

"We are extremely proud of the Sleep Inn Idaho Falls team for earning this well-deserved recognition," said Anne Smith, vice president of brand strategy for Choice Hotels International, which owns the hotel chain.

Here's one of the reviews, from VickiR53 of Lakeville, Minn.: "We pulled off the highway around 8 pm and didn't see any place to eat but since we were tired we decided to stay. We were so surprised to find they had complementary soup and salad until 9. Very good soup, great salad, garlic bread along with fresh cookies. There were 3 in our group and only one cookies so I inquired at the desk and they said the would bring more in 5 minutes and even asked what kind we wanted! Breakfast was just as good with plenty of seating. And the room was wonderful! We even took pictures to show our friends. We have added Sleep Inn to our list of best places to stay!"

Looking at the Website, it appears that the hotels sales and marketing manager, Matt McGrath, is very good at keeping up with the reviews and replying to them. His answer to VickiR53: "We are always very excited when our hotel is the subject of the first TripAdvisor review someone ever writes. We're glad we made an impression that inspired you to share your experience with others. You mentioned that you had taken some pictures. Would you be willing to post them here?"

This is how it's done in our Web-based world.

Opened in 2010, the Idaho Falls Sleep in is on the west side of Interstate 15 Exit 116. It is owned by the Montana-based Town Pump Group, which recently received the Choice Hotels International Premier Hotelier award at the 60th annual Choice Hotels International Convention in Las Vegas.

As part of the chain-wide Designed to Dream program, Sleep Inn Idaho Falls has already rolled out new bedding and pillows, new guest room lighting, lobby furniture and window treatments toward the design concept's upgrades to guest rooms and public spaces throughout hotel.

Habitat offering competent person safety training class

Habitat for Humanity is offering a Competent Person Safety Training class June 30-July1 for people operating construction sites or associated with construction activities.

It is an OSHA requirement that there be a trained, competent person on a job site. The consequences of not complying could be more than you think.

The training sessions, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will cover four major safety concerns:

• Fall protection
• Scaffolding
• General job site electrical safety
• Stairways and ladders

The class, which will be held at at Habitat's office, 1954 North Yellowstone Highway, is available to Habitat and non-Habitat members. Attendance is limited to 30 people. Cost is $100, so pre-registration is recommended. The deadline is June 24. Contact Kim Short at 528-0298.