If you read our social media streams or this blog, you’ll find in addition to best practices regarding shop local and local currency programs, we also like to highlight creative ideas we see on the Interwebs. It’s amazing what some chambers and visitors bureaus are doing to drive participation in these programs. Here are a few we’ve seen recently that we really liked along with why they work well.
Appeal to the Parents
At the risk of sounding like a devious marketer this video is really great because it does more than what the chamber set out to do. It’s not an expensive production. It’s something any chamber could do. In this case the local high school multi-media class put it together for the Greater Franklin County Chamber and that’s where the gold is. Because the chamber involved students in the production, there’s a natural tendency for parents to share what their children are doing. This means a post like this receives some wonderful attention. Check it out.
Give a Holiday Incentive
Shopping local year-round is important to the growth of your community. However, some merchants make as much as 30% of their annual revenue during the Christmas season. For that reason a lot of groups push shopping local for the holidays. This program at the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce reimburses a percentage of local spending in chamber bucks, which entices people to spend even more locally. Now that’s a win, win.
Catch Them Shopping
The Sheridan Chamber of Commerce creates Christmas Stroll buttons and encourages people to wear them as they’re doing their local shopping. If they are “caught” shopping with one on they could win up to $250 in chamber bucks. This program excites community members to shop local and proudly display their buttons and at the same time advertises shopping local to others.
Do you have a shop local program or way you’re marketing your chamber bucks that you’d like to share? Leave us a comment below and you might be mentioned in a future post.
Image via Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Facebook page