Business Unusual: One Last Look at Social Media

Read the Interview Jill McKenna:Hi, I’m Jill McKenna. I am the Campaign Marketing Manager at Ruby and today I’m so delighted to be speaking with Melissa Barker. Melissa is a Business Coach and Social Media Consultant who has been helping businesses with marketing and sales strategy for over a decade. She’s a trailblazer in the […]

What questions should you be asking your customers right now?

You’re an extraordinary person. I’m not just saying that to make you feel good about yourself. I’m telling you’re extraordinary because, well, you are.  You’ve lived through a pandemic, my friend.  Not only that, but you’re still in business during a pandemic. And now you’re using time in your busy day to read an article […]

Creative Ways to Show Love from a Distance

I have some exciting personal news: I recently earned my communication degree from Portland State University!  But this blog post isn’t really about that. It’s about what happened a few days later, when I woke up, looked out the window, and saw a dozen flamingos standing in my front yard. I’d been flocked. If you’re […]

Business Unusual: Round Table Part 2

In the second video in a two-part interview series, Katie Hurst continues to talk change with a panel of entrepreneurs about the state of business in a post-COVID world. Read the Interview Katie Hurst:Hi, my name is Katie Hurst and I’m the Director of Communications here at Ruby. And I’m so excited to introduce our […]

Business Unusual: More on Social Media

Jill McKenna:Hi, I’m Jill McKenna. I am the campaign marketing manager at Ruby, and today I’m so delighted to be speaking with Melissa Barker. Melissa is a business coach and social media consultant who has been helping businesses with marketing and sales strategy for over a decade. She’s a trailblazer in the field of social […]

Unclog the workflow: the perks of answering services for plumbing businesses.

You run a plumbing business. Ruby runs a plumbing answering service. You should consider using us. But this isn’t about us.  It’s about you. Your plumbing business takes work. Perhaps you have a handful of employees, or maybe you’re the sole member of your organization. Either way, you work too hard, you don’t get paid […]

Is your customer service WOW-worthy?

There is no denying we have transcended into a high-touch, high-tech, digital age. But, even in this era of automation, focusing on the human element of your business can be your most valuable tool in impressing potential and current customers alike. In fact, 66% of customers think that a company’s customer service reputation is a […]

How live chat can improve your search rankings

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can feel like a painfully abstract chore for business owners – a coded game that you pay a tech wizard to win on your behalf – but it’s related more to basic business values than you might think. Over time, search engines have become very good at understanding what people actually […]

Business Unusual: Round Table Discussion

In this edition of Business Unusual, Ruby’s Director of Strategic Communications, Katie Hurst, talks COVID-19 with a group of entrepreneurs including Robin DeTrude of Elaine’s Salon, Greg Seei of Robust Promotions, and Joshua Zissman of Pennsylvania Dental Implant & Oral Surgery Associates. The panel discusses new technologies, strategies, setbacks, and wins. Read the Interview Katie […]

Business Unusual: Social Media During COVID

In the first of a three-part interview, Jill and Melissa Barker discuss what it means to navigate social media in the time of coronavirus. Read on or watch the video for the full scoop! Read the Interview Jill McKenna: Hi, I’m Jill McKenna. I am the Campaign Marketing Manager at Ruby and today I’m so […]

Shifting gears: Stories from small business owners

We asked small business owners, what’s changed? Here are their stories. It’s clear life and business as we know it has fundamentally changed — but what does that look like for the local florist shop, neighborhood dentist, or the two-person design agency working out of their homes? We collected stories from dozens of small business […]