If you have a local currency program, you need to market your merchants. Who is involved is part of what will make your program successful. No merchants, no local currency purchases.
So how do you do that?
Here are 8 ways to bring more exposure to your local currency merchants and program.
Easy Ways to Showcase Your Local Currency Program Merchants
Your local currency program merchants are the backbone of your currency program. Most people will look at the list of participating merchants before buying. If they don’t recognize the names on the list, it will be a harder sell for you. Conversely, if they see a lot of their favorite merchants they’ll likely decide to take buy.
These ideas can help ensure they know the names on that list.
- Share your merchants’ posts on social media with a few words about how they participate in your local currency program.
- create graphic lists of your merchants and share them on social media. If you have many participants in a particular industry, show them together. For instance, create a food image graphic that contains a list of participating restaurants.
- Share pictures of what your merchants sell or do.
- Keep brochures of theirs (or business cards) in your office for walk-ins.
- Bring your participating merchants treats on occasion and live stream or take pictures of their reactions. Not only will the merchants appreciate it and feel special to be part of the program, but others will see your efforts and want to join as well. This action creates the appearance of exclusivity, which drives people to want to be a part of the program.
- Find other public-facing ways to make participation in your local currency program feel like an exclusive club, like thanking participants at an event. Again, that exclusivity will make people want to get involved.
- Blog about participating businesses, especially around the holidays, where their goods or services may be needed. Don’t limit yourself to sharing info just about places to buy gifts for Christmas. Remember other businesses like a rug cleaning company, for instance, will help people get ready for out-of-town guests. In addition, a service business like pet sitting can help make holiday travel possible. People have a lot of needs around the holidays and it’s not all gift-giving. Draw those correlations for your audience and your merchants will get more business from your efforts.
- Interview your merchants on their experience with the program. Focus on how quickly they are paid and how easy the process or setup is. You want to focus on these things because they will be major concerns for merchants who are considering joining.
Remember, showcasing your merchants not only means more sales for your currency program but it can increase the number of participating merchants as well. When non-participating businesses see you giving free marketing to participating businesses they’ll want to know more about your program and how they qualify for the same type of attention.
