Ideally as a merchant you belong to an organization — like a chamber, local merchant’s association or Main Street group — that helps bring customers in by running shop local campaigns throughout the year. Those types of programs help, so do the contests and incentives they usually run in conjunction Read more…
Gift cards are extremely convenient but they’re not all the same. That’s obvious. There are gift cards for specific stores, restaurant gift cards, credit card gift cards that can be used anywhere, and gift cards to specific services that can be used at several locations nationwide. There’s also our personal favorite Read more…
This Sunday kicks off National Small Business Week, an event of the US Small Business Administration. It’s held in order to bring attention and revenue to small businesses that make up the backbone of our communities through job creation and profitability. But it also encourages entrepreneurialism with its hashtag #DreamSmallBiz. If Read more…
If you have a shop local program, or are thinking of starting one, you’ll quickly realize that marketing is one of the most important things you can do to ensure success. It’s also important that you employ all types of marketing including digital marketing, content marketing, event marketing, direct mail, Read more…
We’ve talked about impediments to shop local and Main Street programs before. You can create a fabulous shop local campaign and local currency program, but if your community isn’t positioned for growth, you’ll be swimming upstream against hurricane tides. Does Your Community Have…. Ample parking. Visitors won’t come if Read more…
Dear Small Business Owner: Thank you. Thank you for being part of what gives our town the flavor it has. Thank you for giving people a reason (outside of family) to come visit. Thank you for making sure the kids have a sponsor for their sports teams because it helps Read more…
Online ordering has become a multi-billion dollar industry in the US and is growing at a rate of about 10% each year. About 80% of Internet users have purchased something online. This isn’t a fad. As digital natives age, we’ll see these numbers continue to grow. If you’re a mom Read more…
This is not a dis on Quickbooks. It’s a great program, but if you are coordinating the printing of your local currency checks through it, you’re wasting your time. And who has any of that right now? If you use Quickbooks, the fastest way to create multiple checks is by Read more…
Part of the success in a shop local program is in the marketing. Shop local campaigns that spotlight the unique offerings of their local shops through social media and other avenues are more likely to inspire action than those that merely tell people to “buy local.” The “Why” Is a Read more…
Shop local programs are really hot right now and it’s a great way to bring prosperity to your community. However, even though your intentions are good, there are a lot of stumbling blocks you can face along the way. These obstacles can make your shop local program less successful than Read more…
