If you are a chamber of commerce professional or someone who works with a Main Street organization or business association, this year has probably been pretty tough on you. It’s difficult to watch businesspeople struggling and worrying about whether they’ll be in business by the end of the year.
Help for Struggling Businesses
You likely have tried several solutions to bring them the resources they need. If you haven’t looked into it yet, you should consider implementing a community gift card program. It can help your struggling businesses in several ways including:
- Online purchases. People are making a lot of online purchases these days. Implementing a local gift certificate program can help your smaller businesses sell gift cards without the implementation headache.
- Additional marketing. You likely have a larger reach than they do on social media. If they become part of your gift certificate program, they will receive additional free marketing that is seen by a larger group.
- New audience. That additional marketing can get them in front of a new audience or demographic. Think about how brands evolve and change. For growth, businesses often turn to developing connections with a new demographic. This program can help them do that without any expense.
- Community partnership. Becoming a part of the participating merchant’s program can also improve a business’s reputation. By participating in the local currency program, they are seen as a viable, well-established business. That creates consumer confidence in the business.
When it comes down to it, your struggling businesses need more customers. Implementing a local currency program can help them get the marketing exposure they need to survive and thrive. Best of all, participation in the program is free for them so they have nothing to lose.
If they try to implement their own gift card program they’ll have to administer it, pay the cost of printing cards or using software to track it, and spend time marketing it at their expense. It’s doubtful they have the time or resources for that.
You can step in and help them a great deal by implementing a local gift certificate program today.