Small businesses have a lot of benefits over larger companies. They’re more agile and able to change quickly, more in touch with what their customers want, and offer a more direct line from customer service to management but what they don’t have often is resources. They’re strapped for time because Read more…
Spring has sprung and over the next several weeks your social calendar is probably bursting with Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, graduations, weddings, etc. As the weather warms, the invitations heat up. You want to find the perfect, thoughtful, unique gift for each of these occasions but how do you Read more…
If you’re running a shop local campaign you want to do more than just offer a list of participating shops. You want to capture the uniqueness of each merchant and communicate it to potential buyers. To do this most effectively, you’ll need social media. Get the Social Word Out You don’t Read more…
With Earth Day fast approaching, you’ll hear a lot of talk about recycling being good for our environment and sustainability. Shopping local is a form of recycling our hard earned dollars to benefit the local economic environment. Studies of the “local multiplier effect” or “local premium” shows that for every dollar Read more…
There are some amazing movements going on with shop local. From chambers of commerce to local business associations, people are realizing the value of small entrepreneurs in the community’s economic landscape. You can come up with the most inventive shop local campaign ever but if you’re not maximizing it for Read more…
Most small businesses will tell you it’s not the big box stores they are afraid of. Those big chains are held to the same regulations and costs that they are with local sales tax and while many of them offer online options, shopping in one of them is not the same Read more…
It’s one thing to expound upon the virtues of shopping local. It’s another to have an ongoing campaign enticing shoppers to do so. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s worth it to launch a shop local campaign, the answer is a resounding yes. What Shop Local Campaigns Mean for Small Read more…
Towns that have a local shopping area, such as a Main Street or a niche market like Antique Row, are generally more successful in their shop local campaigns because it gives them a marketing edge. From maps to directions, encouraging strolling to street fairs, a town with an area of Read more…
Hosting a contest is always a great way to get your community excited about shopping local and rewarding them for their efforts. But most of these contests start to look the same after a while: Shop Local Submit your Receipts Be Eligible for a Drawing Shop Local Raleigh created a Read more…
Chambers are well known in their communities, which is a plus for any sort of event or campaign they take on, but your shop local program still needs marketing attention. While you’re out there publicizing it on your website and social media outlets, don’t forget to ask the local media Read more…
