3 ways to optimize your website for social media marketing “…many small businesses treat their company’s website and social media accounts as two mutually exclusive parts of their digital marketing strategy. In reality, both should be closely intertwined.” >> READ THE ARTICLE What marketers should know about Snapchat’s update Stickers, Video, Audio Calls and Notes Provide More Robust Interaction “…Snapchat, which says it has more than 100 million daily active users and more than 8 billion video views every day, is calling its update Chat 2.0 and gives users a much broader way to communicate with other Snapchat users.” Are you using Snapchat - personally or for your business? Connect with ROOST on the brand account: adirondacks, usa ! >> READ THE ARTICLE

ROOST will have a soft launch of its new booking engine, Inntopia, on April 27 on lakeplacid.com. The new booking engine will replace the current engine on lakeplacid.com and provide a vastly improved visitor experience when booking through the site. Read more about ROOST's switch to Inntopia here. In preparation for the launch, any lodging properties that currently sell inventory through lakeplacid.com will need to configure their new Inntopia accounts if they would like to have a seamless transition from the old system to the new. Inntopia Configuration If properties would like to set up their Inntopia account, or already have an account and would like assistance configuring it, they should contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 as soon as possible. Meeting with Inntopia Representative When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 26 Where: North Elba Room - Conference Center at Lake Placid In conjunction with the launch, Inntopia will have staff on site in Lake Placid on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 26 and 27. Inntopia will hold an open training with a walkthrough of the Inntopia system from 10 to 10:30 a.m. April 26, followed by a Q&A session. The Inntopia representative will also have time available on both afternoons for one-on-one meetings if any properties feel they need additional assistance or have a longer list of specific questions. These trainings are a great opportunity to get more specific questions answered about the Inntopia setup. All properties are invited to attend, but properties that have already begun the Inntopia configuration process may get the most benefit out of the trainings. Please contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 to set up a one-on-one meeting with Inntopia.

TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce they will host their 2016 National Small Business Week Celebration May 1 to 7 with a variety of events, seminars, trainings, and more. This is the second time TACC is participating in this national event. “As part of the TACC Celebrating 90 Years in 2015 we participate in National Small Business Week for the first time. We quickly realized this national initiative was something locally we wanted to participate in each year and expand to include THINK LOCAL events as well as business support, services, and trainings. We hope to see many Ticonderoga Area community members out and about supporting our local community and we look forward to seeing our members, businesses, and organizations taking advantage of all of the programs and events happening all week,” said TACC Executive Director Matthew Courtright. Sunday, May 1st Five Nations Golf Small Business Mini Golf Celebration 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Five Nations Golf - Buy One get One Free Mini Golf. Prizes for the lowest adult and children's score of the day will be provided. Contact Five Nations Golf at 518-585-6838 for more info. Monday, May 2nd TACC Membership Benefits Open House 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., TACC Office - An opportunity for TACC Members to ask questions and learn more about Member Benefits, as well as what your support allows the TACC to provide. It is also a chance for not-yet members to find out more about becoming a member. Door prizes will be given out to those who attend. Create An Effective Power Point Presentation - NCCC Lifelong Learning Workshop 5 to 7 p.m., NCCC Ti Campus - Join NCCC for a two part seminar on How To Create An Effective Power Point Presentation. The workshops will be taught by a NCCC Professor. Contact NCCC for additional information and to register for the workshops. Free for TACC members/$20 for not-yet members *Follow up session to be held May 9 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Registration Required. Call NCCC (Edna) at 518-354-5179. Tuesday, May 3rd Get To Know The ECIDA Open House 2 to 4 p.m., TACC Office - Get to know the Essex County Industrial Development Agency and the services/support they provide to the businesses & communities throughout Essex County. Door prizes will be given out to those who attend. EMV & Credit Card Security Seminar 5:30 to 7 p.m., TACC Office - Heartland is the industry leader in security and have been assisting merchants with EMV for a full year before it was implemented. This seminar will cover the following topics: End-to-end encryption, Tokenization, and Heartland's Breach Warranty. Presented by Heartland Payment Systems. Free for TACC members/$10 for not-yet members Registration Required. Call 518-585-6619. Wednesday, May 4th SCORE Volunteer Recruitment Breakfast 9 to 11 a.m., TACC Office - SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses through education and mentorship. SCORE is able to provide these services to area businesses free of charge thanks to their network of volunteer mentors. Join us for breakfast to learn more about SCORE or how to get involved in becoming a Mentor via the Chamber. Hosted by the North Country Chamber of Commerce. Complimentary breakfast will be served. Health Insurance Services Open House 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., TACC Office - Services provided by the Plattsburgh North Country Service Corp./North Country Chamber of Commerce. Current & prospective members/clients are invited. Complimentary snacks/refreshments will be served. Door prizes will be given out to those who attend. Building Customer Loyalty Business Seminar 5:30 to 7 p.m., TACC Office - Includes the following topics: Customer Engagement, Loyalty Programs and Examples, Competing Beyond Price, Measuring Customer Satisfaction, Preventing Customer Defections, & Building Relationships. Presented by the Adirondack Economic Development Corp. in coordination with the North Country Chamber of Commerce. Free for TACC members/$10 for not-yet members. Registration required. Call 518-585-6619. Thursday, May 5th Lake Champlain Region Marketing Opportunities Open House 1 to 4 p.m., TACC Office - Learn about all of the marketing and promotional opportunities available via www.lakechamplainregion.com and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism including website photo listings, adirondacks, usa virtual tours, promotional emails, brochure displays, online contests, and much more. Stop by to speak with Suzanne Maye. Door prizes will be given out to those who attend. Nancy Frasier Photography Studio Grand Opening Celebration & Ribbon Cutting 4:30 p.m., Nancy Frasier Photography Studio - 174 Lake George Avenue, Suite 7 - Ticonderoga Friday, May 6th Spring Shopping & Dining Night - Growing A Positive Community! Variety of Promotions, Specials, & More! Participating businesses open until 9 p.m., unless noted. Take photos of five of the positive quotes at participating businesses, upload them to the TACC facebook page, and let us know where you found them. You will be entered for a chance to win a number of prizes! Support local! See Spring Shopping & Dining Guide! Trendy Threads Consignment Boutique Grand Re-Opening Celebration & Ribbon Cutting 4:30 p.m., Trendy Threads Consignment Boutique - 81 Montcalm Street -Ticonderoga Saturday, May 7th Mini Ticonderoga Area Farmers’ Market - Preview to Summer 2016 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1114 Wicker Street - Across from Christopher Chevrolet Buick. Fort Ticonderoga Opens For The Season - Fort Ticonderoga Living History Event For more information contact the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce office at 518-585-6619 or via email at chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com. You can also visit www.ticonderogany.com or the TACC facebook page for additional information.

The Malone Golf Club really needs your help cleaning up from this past winter. They have lots of branches down around the course. Can you help out on Saturday? Date: Saturday, April 30 Time: 9 to 11 a.m. Arrive at 8:45 a.m. in the Pro Shop for assignment What do you need: Gloves and appropriate attire for the day. Bring a rake if you want to rake. They need some to bring a garden rake as they have some dirt in areas that needs to be smoothed. Although, most of the clean up this year is picking up branches. No job is too big or too small! Free food at 11 a.m.: Laura will have a nice lunch buffet to reward you for your hard work. Sign-up: Email or call the Pro Shop at 855-749-4246 to sign up so they know how many are coming to prepare the right amount of food. See you then! Thanks in advance for helping out!