CMYK
A6 Thursday, July 14, 2022
Independent
Retailer Mont
C E L E B R AT E I N D E P E N D E N T R E TA I L
Potential customers need to think of you to spend money with you. Businesses can do several things to make sure they re-
main top of mind to those potential customers. If a business doesn’t pop into a customers mind, they won’t be going there.
Creative ways to become top of mind
BY CHRISTINA METCALF
Via Livingston County Area
Chamber of Commerce
Do you want people to think
about your business before
all others? Of course, you do.
The first step to patronizing
your business is remembering
it exists.
Imagine you have a free
evening, and you want to go
out to eat. It doesn’t matter
how amazing the food is at the
new place down the street; if
it doesn’t pop into your mind,
you won’t be going there.
The same is true of your
potential customers. They need
to think of you to spend money
with you.
So how do you ensure you’re
top of mind and that they will
think about your business over
the competition? You need to
find a way to stand out and be
memorable. A good product or
service is the first step. Good
customer service is a solid
choice. But to truly stand out
you must do something slightly
different.
Here are three ways to ensure
you business is top of mind:
Events
Hosting an event at your
business is a great way to help
people remember you. It pro-
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Y
2022
vides an experience, and many
individuals admit to enjoying
them over physical purchas-
es. When you host an event
encourage people to share the
occasion on social media for
even greater reach.
There are several types of
events that draw crowds:
n Sampling your offerings
or services. You can host an
event that is directly related to
what you do. For instance, a
restaurant may have an invita-
tion-only, special tasting night
to sample its new menu.
n Education event. You
could also offer an evening out
based around something that
you sell. For instance, a yarn
store may hold classes on how
to knit.
n Block party. Celebrate
your customers and potential
customers by throwing a party
outside your store. A patio fur-
niture store had a parking lot
party every weekend with a
band and hot dogs. It drew a
crowd and people lingered. It
was a nice tie-in with the prod-
uct they sold—outdoor furni-
ture. It helped people imagine
hosting their own parties later
with their new furniture.
A Facebook group
Depending on the nature of
your business, and the things
Dan
Mattice,
President
Pellegrino Auto Sales delivers excellence
in customer service, attention to
detail. Pellegrino Auto Sales continues
to advance in many aspects of the
auto industry including personal
achievements, growth in sales, and
accumulation of on-site inventory.
your ideal customer/target audi-
ence may have in common, a
Facebook group can connect
your buyers to you and to one
another. This idea works well
when you can find a connec-
tion or mutual interest among
your customers. For instance, a
bookstore might create a Face-
book group for writers or for
fans of a specific genre.
In a Facebook group you
can share information and flash
sales, stream events, and invite
your audience to talk about
their favorite books. The online
community will keep your
brand center stage while unit-
ing and engaging your audi-
ence.
Savings clubs or
subscriptions
Have you noticed a lot of
companies charge customers a
monthly fee for some sort of
discount or benefit? It began
with Amazon Prime, where
customers paid an annual fee
for free shipping. The program
has expanded beyond that, but
you can certainly start with one
CELEBRATE INDEPENENT
RETAILER MONTH
Metro Creative Connection
benefit like that.
Panera created an unlimited
coffee subscription where cof-
fee lovers are auto-charged a
fee each month and given a free
cup of coffee daily. Both pro-
grams drive sales (and loyalty).
When people pay for some-
thing, they want to get their
money’s worth. Often, that
means buying from one store
over another because they’re
part of a savings club.
However, like gift certifi-
cates, there may be people who
pay every month and don’t use
your services. That’s OK, as
the subscription (even if only a
few dollars) is a source of rev-
enue you did not have before.
If you want strong sales at
your business, you need to
ensure that your target market
thinks about you. You can do
that through email marketing,
social media participation, or
these three ideas. But what-
ever you do, make sure you use
consistent branding and tone.
After all, you want them to
remember you, not question
who you are.
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Ways you can help
independent retailers
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
The importance of shopping
locally has been emphasized
with increasing urgency in
recent years, and is even more
crucial as so many small busi-
nesses try to recover from the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some ways you can
help independent retailers:
n Look for small businesses
for any and all of your shop-
ping needs. Chances are items
sold by big box retailers also
are sold by small businesses.
When the options are the same
or similar, purchase from a
small business instead of its big
box competitor.
n Readily provide recom-
mendations of small business-
es with which you have done
business. Too often people are
quick to complain about places
that have failed them, but those
same people don’t think to say
kind words about companies
that went above and beyond.
Share great experiences on
social media or word of mouth.
n Talk to small business-
es owners first if you have
an issue. It’s tempting to go
directly to social media to
complain about something, but
such complaints can have a
dire impact. Always take issues
to the manager or business
owner first to see if a resolution
can be reached. A manager
may not be aware of an issue
at all. Give small businesses a
chance to make it right before
taking things public.
n If you own a small busi-
ness, rely on other small busi-
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Livingston County News
nesses to fulfill needs. Order
supplies from fellow business
owners, seek the help of local
financial advisors and tax pro-
fessionals and use local suppli-
ers and delivery personnel.
n Offer pro bono profes-
sional expertise. Successful
professionals can help small
business owners by offering
their services free of charge.
Financial planners can pitch
in and help secure small busi-
ness loans, while attorneys can
provide pro bono legal advice.
n Help small businesses
strengthen their digital pres-
ence. Individuals with web
design and e-commerce expe-
rience can help small business-
es revamp their websites and
improve their online shopping
offerings. This can be a vital
way for small business own-
ers to attract new business and
generate new revenue.
n Support legislation that
benefits small businesses.
Many small businesses would
not have survived the pan-
demic without government
assistance programs such as
the Small Business Adminis-
tration’s Paycheck Protection
Program. Voters should care-
fully consider programs and
proposals before voicing any
support, but they should not
hesitate to promote programs
they believe are designed to
help local businesses. Write
to local elected officials to
encourage their support, and
share news about proposals
with fellow voters when given
the chance.
 CMYK

Livingston County News Thursday, July 14, 2022 A7

Independent JU L
Y
CELEBRATE INDEPENENT
RETAILER MONTH
Retailer Mont
C E L E B R AT E I N D E P E N D E N T R E TA I L
2022 THROUGHOUT JULY

Learn the advantages to shopping locally
METRO CREATIVE
CONNECTION
Residents of a given town
or city are often encouraged
to support local businesses by
looking to these firms to fill
their needs.
Small businesses are not just
integral parts of communities,
employing millions across the
country, they also are opera-
tions that fund the very com-
munities they service.
Efforts to promote shopping
local appear to be working.
According to the Common-
wealth Financial Group, over
the last several years there has
been a shift in consumer pur-
chasing behavior marked by a
preference among consumers
to support locally-owned shops
and stores over big-box retail-
ers and even online shopping.
The following are some key
reasons why shopping locally
not only benefits small busi-
ness owners, but also the com-
munities they call home and the
customers they serve.
n More money stays in the
community: According to the
American Independent Busi-
ness Alliance, for every $100
spent at a local business, $68
remains in the community.
Conversely, only 43 percent
of every $100 spent at a chain
retailer stays in the community.
The U.S. Small Business
Administration says $48 out
Shopping locally not only benefits small business owners, but also the communities they call
home and the customers that they serve.
according to SBA.
n Job creation: The Busi-
ness Alliance for Local Living
Economies says local business-
es create the majority of eco-
nomic growth. They employ
millions of Americans by cre-
ating roughly two-thirds of pri-
vate sector jobs.
Local business owners also
tend to hire people who repre-
sent the demographics of the
their products and services to
meet the needs of the local
communities, whereas chain
stores often stock their shelves
based on national demands.
n Personalized service: A
small business owner may be
more inclined to go to great
lengths to make customers
happy because the long-term
success of the business depends
on customers becoming repeat
Metro Creative Connection
may celebrate when a favor-
ite business succeeds and look
to spread the word about that
business because they feel like
they played a positive role in
its success.
Shopping locally has gained
momentum and is fueled by the
many advantages to supporting
local businesses.
Supporting small business keeps money local
Supporting small busi- remains in the community.
nesses ensures more money Local businesses are more
stays in the communities likely to utilize other local
those businesses serve. businesses, such as banks,
The U.S. Small Business service providers and even
Administration says $48 farms. Small businesses also
out of every $100 spent at pay employees, many of
a small business stays in whom are local and shop
the community. On the flip local, thereby keeping even
side, when a person spends more dollars in their com-
$100 at a big-box store or munities.
a national chain, only $14
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of every $100 spent at a small
business stays in the communi-
ty. On the flip side, when a per-
son spends $100 at a big-box
store or a national chain, only
$14 remains in the community,
communities where the busi-
ness is located, which may
include historically under-
served populations.
n Diversity of products:
Local stores tend to diversify
71
customers.
n Personal connection:
Knowing the people behind a
business facilitates a connec-
tion not easily achieved with
other companies. Customers

Ways local businesses can work together

METRO CREATIVE
CONNECTION
The effects of a thriving
small business sector are
undeniable.
Though the COVID-19 pan-
demic challenged the small
business sector in various
ways, one study from the U.S.
Small Business Administra-
tion conducted prior to the
pandemic found that small
businesses account for 44
percent of economic activity
in the United States. A post-
pandemic return to normal
could help small businesses
regain that influence, especial-
ly if such establishments work
together.
A recent study from Red
Egg Marketing found that 82
percent of consumers indicate
they would spend more to
support small businesses after
the pandemic. That support
should go a long way toward
aiding the recovery of small,
locally-owned businesses. But
such establishments can do
themselves a favor by finding
ways to work together.
Collaborations can be a
great way for local companies
to connect with new custom-
ers while also supporting fel-
low small businesses. The fol-
lowing are a handful of ways
local businesses can work
together as they recover from
the economic effects of the
pandemic.
n Consider cross-promo-
tional events. Cross-promo-
tion is a marketing endeavor
in which two or more busi-
nesses work together to pro-
mote a service or product. For
example, a local brewery may
partner with a local restau-
rant to showcase a new beer
release and a special menu
item that pairs well with that
particular beer. These types
of promotions shed light on
what each business can offer,
and many consumers would
be happy to learn they’re sup-
porting at least two local busi-
nesses at the same time.
n Change suppliers. Many
partnership opportunities can
be effective even if they’re
less public in nature. Global
supply chains were in flux
during the pandemic and have
yet to return to normal. That
makes now a great time for
local businesses to reconsider
their suppliers. When doing
so, look into local suppliers
and let it be known that your
products are locally sourced.
For example, local restaurant
owners can highlight the fact
that their foods are sourced
from local farms and manu-
facturers. That may impress
foodies with a fondness for
freshness, and also should
reassure customers who want
to keep as many of their dol-
lars in the local community as
possible.
n Form a local business
network. When one business
on Main Street is thriving, oth-
ers tend to follow suit. That’s
especially true when business-
es network in the hopes of cre-
ating a bustling local shopping
district. Local business own-
ers can organize a network A heartfelt thank you to our amazing
via social media or in-person
communication. Encourage
customers for 71 great years!
business owners to share what We sincerely appreciate
worked, and didn’t work, as
they built their businesses. your loyalty!
Local networks also can be
a great forum to plan and pitch
community-based events such
as festivals, holiday bazaars
and other functions designed
to bring more consumers to
Main Street.
Rebuilding after the pan-
demic poses some unique
challenges to small business
owners. Working together can
be an effective way to over-
come those challenges.

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