Who carries cash anymore? Not many of us. Mostly it’s credit and debit cards. 99% of the time this is perfect for any purchase but occasionally, like at farmers markets, we’re left rooting through pockets and purses. Yes, some markets have electronic payments but for most, it’s cash only. Unless… Read more…
People love free and often when we incentivize their “good behavior” they tend to repeat it. Here’s a creative idea your chamber can use for the holidays to get more people to shop local. Catch Them in the Act with Chamber Bucks One of the most effective positive reinforcements occurs Read more…
In addition to marketing, one of the most valuable things your chamber bucks program needs is referrals. If people are talking about your program, more people will want to be a part of it. But how do you make that happen? Get Them Out There Marketing occurs on many levels Read more…
Polls will tell you most people support shop local, in theory, but in reality there are a lot of hurtles to getting people to do shop in your local stores on a regular basis. Many of these hurtles involve preconceptions people have about local stores. Don’t ignore them. Take the Read more…
Fall is a wonderful season. For much of the country fall provides a respite from the scorching heat. Fall also begins the community season with harvest festivals, hayrides, pumpkin patches and more leading into the holidays. It’s a time that brings people out to enjoy the last of the nice weather, Read more…
Box stores are often top of mind for buyers because of their extraordinary advertising budgets. On top of that, in this age where efficiency is valued almost above all else, most customers who are doing their every day shopping see shopping from a targeted approach of “I need this. Where Read more…
Don’t have the right words to market your shop local campaign? That’s okay. Sometimes all it takes is a picture. If you’ve wanted to bring more attention to your local stores and community, one of the best ways to achieve it is through sharing pictures of your town on social Read more…
If you’re trying to encourage people to shop local, you know getting them to adopt the concept is not hard. Getting them to your local stores, however, is more difficult. Common Obstacles to Shopping Local While the idea of shopping local seems like a great idea to most of Read more…
Often the biggest obstacle to people shopping local is top-of-mind recognition. The local store simply doesn’t come to mind first, Target does. This is remedied by marketing, and lots of it, but that’s often not in a small merchant’s budget. If you’re the local chamber of commerce or merchants association Read more…
The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives is hosting its annual convention in Montreal from August 11-14. If you’re a chamber professional you should consider going, if not this year, then next. Here’s why: Reasons Chamber Professionals Should Go to ACCE Networking. For many conferences the “hallway track” is Read more…
