If you own a local business, or you advise local businesses, you may wonder what the average customer wants and how to make the business more profitable. After all, there’s a lot of competition locally from the big box stores as well as online. How Your Business Can Attract More Read more…
In Hollywood, a movie franchise that realizes it needs a stronger foundation to the story can create a prequel. Being able to go back and forward in time gives them more story-telling flexibility and money-making potential. A local gift certificate program does not have that flexibility. You have to build a strong Read more…
With Independents Week (honoring indy businesses) coming up in the first week of July, changing up your marketing implementation to reflect the more carefree days of summer is a good idea. While your overall marketing strategy shouldn’t change, how you get the job done should. The goal remains to reach and Read more…
While it doesn’t have to be an either/or argument between adopting a local currency program and using Groupon, or other savings site, there are a number of reasons why a currency or gift certificate program brings in more of the business merchants want. More Money for Merchants One of the complaints Read more…
No, the title to this blog post isn’t a typo. It’s a new way of viewing your local shops. Often we talk about “shopping local” or buying from “small business” but your town’s merchants aren’t all small and some franchise owners are every bit a part of the local scene Read more…
Dads may not always be big shoppers but most of them probably appreciate working hard and showing pride in their hometown. It’s expected that 16.9% of spending this Father’s Day will be in local small businesses. What do you say we try to get that number up? Ideas for a Read more…
Austin and Portland lay claim to the slogan of keeping it weird. Every town, no matter what the size has a personality and a claim to fame. You might be the Garlic Capital of the World or the “City of Paved Streets” but one of the things that makes your Read more…
Shop local programs sometimes draw fire. Franchise owners and box stores feel left out when a chamber or downtown association launches an aggressive shop local campaign. But they don’t have to be. You can include them in your shop local efforts through instituting a local currency or gift certificate program. Read more…
If you’re considering a gift certificate or currency program for your town you’ll probably be focused on how it’s a great source of non-dues revenue for your chamber or shop local association. But a local currency program also brings some great benefits to your merchants. Here’s what businesses love about Read more…
Farmer’s markets are the original shop local movement. Many farmer’s markets now offer everything from crafts and artwork to artisan cheese. The stalls are a colorful explosion of nature’s goodness alongside neighbors’ home goods. These markets are the ideal way to support your community. In addition to keeping more of your Read more…
