Your New Year’s Resolution: Shop Local

Save Local Now is here to help YOU encourage your consumers to shop local in the New Year. Instead of the traditional resolutions, promote shopping local this upcoming year! At the most basic level, buying local ensures that more money is staying in your community. Now more than ever we recognize that when consumers buy local, they’re keeping their communities unique and thriving, and assisting in the creation and retention of local jobs.

As with any New Year’s resolution, there’s no better time to start than now!


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The Importance of Local Business

Keri Senderak, Director of Marketing and Communications at Save Local Now, was interviewed on the importance of supporting local. See her full interview here.

Why is buying local so important to businesses and the economy as a whole?

At the most basic level, buying local ensures that more money stays in the community. In fact, for every $100 spent at a locally-owned store, $45 remains in the local economy. By shopping at the local “mom and pop” style store instead of these “big box” corporations, consumers can rest assured knowing that they’re doing their part at keeping their communities unique and thriving.

How does buying local save money?

Buying local saves people money in several ways. These small businesses are close to home, meaning that many people don’t need to travel far to get to them. Products (like fruit and produce) are made or grown at local locations, so they don’t have to travel far to get where they’re going. This means that, in many cases, there is no middle man. This translates to lower prices for the business owner and, of course, the consumer.

What are the current trends you’re seeing in local communities?

Saving money by buying local. I’ve noticed that many chambers of commerce (more specifically those that have partnered with Save Local Now) are encouraging “buy local” initiatives. Now more than ever chambers and their small businesses recognize that when consumers buy local, they are also assisting in the creation and retention of jobs.

Where do you see local businesses in the next few years? Few decades?
I only see communities and their local businesses growing stronger. Many of us concern ourselves with “what’s trending.” These “buy local” promotions are most definitely trending, but I also believe they’re here to stay. People genuinely care about their communities; they want a booming downtown area, safe streets to walk on, job opportunities and friendly atmospheres. Honestly though, who doesn’t? I don’t see small business going anywhere any time soon.

You partner closely with chambers of commerce. What are some things you do together?

We partner exclusively with chambers of commerce to help their member businesses. We discovered that many of these small business owners didn’t have the tools they need to ensure a successful business. We void that gap by partnering with the chamber. The chamber pays for SLN services, and their members get SLN as an added benefit for being a member of the chamber. Currently, Save Local Now is in 27 states, and more than 80,000 member businesses have received SLN as a NO-COST member benefit. Here at Save Local Now, we are all about the small business owner, and will do whatever we can to guarantee the success of that business, the community they’re in and the chamber of commerce that supports them.

You can follow Keri and Save Local Now on Facebook and Twitter.

First Published at Save Local Now

Launched our Newly Designed website of Save Local Now with Much Better User Interface

We are excited to announce our newly designed website at Savelocalnow.com with better user interface ! Our website's fresh new look, user-friendly navigation, mobile friendly and search functionality are some of the features you will enjoy. One of our main goals was to build a simple to navigate site and allow users to share latest happenings and business profile in their social networks. Now go more local, shop local and keep saving money with us.

The new design allows the users to quickly find the products and services they are looking for in their U.S. cities, thanks to its new feed structure.

We hope that you will enjoy browsing our new site, finding more options and information to share each time. Our aim is to grow LOCAL BUSINESS and help COMMUNITIES thrive.

The Most Popular Hashtags and How to Use Them

We've all heard of hashtags, but do we understand their purpose? Think of hashtags as a tool to make words easily searchable. Hashtags allow users to tap into a social media-wide conversation. Try not to use more than two hashtags per post. #Hashtags are a #useful #tool when used correctly; having too many #hashtags in a single #post can be #annoying and #overwhelming
.
#MotivationMonday
Post motivational and inspiring content; share positive news with your followers - don't forget to share your company values!

#TipTuesday
YOU are the expert. Educate your followers with valuable information they may not know already.

#TransformationTuesday
Use this hashtag to show how your product/service transforms people. Also post before and after pictures of your employees and/or your business to show how much you've grown over the years.

#WednesdayWisdom
Include quotes in your post; this hashtag is also good for promoting your company's values.

#ThrowbackThursday
This is one of the most popular hashtags. Businesses can use this hashtag to give insight on their past and history in the community. Share photos of company events that emphasize your culture.

#FollowFriday
This hashtag allows you to give your followers a shoutout, thanking them for following, while also informing your audience of new people to follow.

#SocialSaturday
This hashtag is commonly used to interact with your audience; ask them how their day is, encourage them to shop local over the weekend.

#SundayFunday
Also one of the most recognized hashtag, use this to promote community happenings and events.

First Published at Save Local Now

Save Local Now Widget

Introducing one of the newest perks to the SLN platform…..(drum roll please)…the Save Local Now Widget! We never stop trying to improve our platform for chambers, businesses and consumers alike; and this is just another great way to keep everything local and promote your members. Not sure what a widget is or how it works? No need to fear, we’ve got you covered!

What is the Save Local Now Widget?
 
The Save Local Now Widget allows chambers of commerce to take the content they and their members post on Save Local Now and embed it directly within a website. It’s a great way to add quality substance and drive more traffic to a chamber and its member businesses.

Need a visual? Check out one of our partner chambers, Boost Fayetteville, for an example! http://www.boostfayetteville.com/promote/

How does the widget work?
 
There are three separate Save Local Now widgets: Local Businesses, Local Deals and Local Events. You can use all three widgets or any combination of the three, depending on your need. We provide chambers with a customized code for each one, which just needs to be copied and pasted into the website framework. It’s that easy!

Anything else I should know about the widget?
 
The widget team at Save Local Now has worked with a variety of websites and chambers, providing suggestions for each one to make sure everything functions perfectly. Bonus: once the widget is installed, our team can color match it to fit the look of any chamber’s website.

How do I get started?
 
Interested in learning more about the Save Local Now widget for your chamber’s website? Visit http://savelocalnow.com/widget to set up a brief call today! We’ll go over all the details and answer any questions you have. *You must be a signed chamber partner with Save Local Now to use the widgets.*

This is a win-win for chambers and businesses alike. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

First Published at Save Local Now

About Tracey Willmott
 

Digital Marketing Consultant tracey@savelocalnow.com From a small town in Western New York, Tracey knows how to keep things local. If she's not eating, she's usually doing something outdoorsy or teaching spin class....or binging Netflix. Most importantly, she loves being a member of the engagement team, helping $LN businesses and chambers thrive! #shoplocal

5 Ways to Promote Your Business This Summer

Summertime is finally here! Now that everyone is out and about in town, it's time to put your small business outside, as well. Here are 5 great ways to market your business this summer:

1. Get OUTSIDE

   The weather is nice and you're sitting inside; air conditioning is a luxury, but that's no reason to be stuck indoors. Grab a golf umbrella and set up shop outside your store. At the very least, get out some sidewalk chalk. If you're place is on a strip or a street with other businesses, collaborate with them and start a sidewalk sale! Events like this will support the community and draw in more visitors. Your can create your event on Save Local Now to help spread the word.
   

2. Parade in Style

   Does your community have a parade in the summer? Get involved! There are great marketing opportunities in local parades. You can give out special trinkets that relate to your business or brand, or just keep it simple with candy. Either way, you're guaranteed to get your name out there.
   

3. Go to Festivals

   If it's something you might enjoy, look into becoming a vendor. Sell products that people can use like water bottles, tote bags or towels with your name on it. It's a great way to get new customers and hey, you might enjoy some live music yourself!
   

4. Get Patriotic

   Start a 4th of July promotion through Save Local Now. Even if it's not a huge sale, getting festive is fun! Hand out small flags with purchase. Show your customer appreciation and your patriotism!
   

5. Support Local Sports

   
   Check your community calendar or show up in the recreational areas or on the 5k run sidelines. Show support for your local teams. Pair up with the local ice cream store and give discounts to the little league teams after a hot summer game. People will really appreciate and recognize your efforts.
   
   The goal here is to help out your community. The more your strive to achieve this, the more people will view your business as a significant part of the community. Set the bar high – it all starts with you! Now get out there and enjoy the summer!
   

First Published at Save Local Now

10 Reasons to Shop Local

1. Shopping local creates jobs.
Most local stores hire within the community. Making them successful allows them to hire more people, which creates more jobs which means even more money spent locally!

2. Shopping local saves you money.
It might appear cheaper in big box stores or online but every little bit counts…including gas and shipping. When you shop at the store that you can walk to you won’t have to pay for any of that! Who doesn’t want to save on gas?!

3. shops do more to give back to the community.
Most local businesses do a lot to support our communities through local charities, school and community events. Doing good feels great!

4. Better customer service.
Studies have shown us time and time again that people receive better customer service when they shop locally.

5. Avoiding Walmart.
Do we have to say more?

6. Shopping local keeps services in business.
Local shops go hand in hand with the local services such as the tailor, hairdresser and banker. If there are no shops then there are no services…which means you’d have to cut your own hair.

7. Keep dollars Local
Fact: Locally owned businesses put a greater revenue share back into the local economy compared to chain stores.

8. Support entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is what fuels America’s economy. Be patriotic! Support innovation and prosperity!

9. Help the environment.
Not only are you helping your wallet by not spending money on transportation but your also helping the environment. Shopping local means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.

10. Local shops offer more unique products
Shopping locally provides you with the opportunity to discover something different. You’re not likely to find the same thing at a local store as you would at the mall. Find something unique like a vintage prom dress or maybe even a unicorn!

Don’t forget: Small business Saturday is November 30th. Get out and buy local! Use the Save Local Now app to find all the great deals and holiday events your local stores have to offer!

View original article here.

About Grace

Grace is our Production Manager. She received her degree in video production and communications from Ohio University. She is part of the production team which helps to make $LN "fun and cool". grace.roulston@savelocalnow.com