We applaud the efforts of small business owners and their employees who work hard every day to make our community a fun, vibrant, and unique place to live. Independent retailers help build our economy and create more sustainable cities, towns, and communities.
There are several ways that local businesses can celebrate Independent Retailer Month. Here are 10 great ideas we found, courtesy of indieretailermonth.com:
1) Bonus Bucks
Offer customers a $1 coupon for every $10 they spend in your store in July. Make the coupon redeemable in August, so customers have to return at a later date.
2) Goodie Bags
Reward new customers and other qualified purchasers with free goodies. Bags could be filled with sweet treats or small items from your inventory.
3) Hold a Contest
Offer one lucky winner and their guest the luxury of a private shopping party. This could also be a special door prize during an in-store event.
4) Shopping Crawl
Partner with neighboring independent retailers to promote a shopping crawl. Provide a map and prizes for participants.
5) Drop and Shop
Invite customers to donate lightly worn clothing and shoes to a local nonprofit organization. In exchange for their donation, customers receive an exclusive in-store deal that day.
6) Charity Giving
Donate 10% of the purchase price of all sales to a community charity. Promote this in advance to your customers for optimal response.
7) Check-In Deals
Offer every shopper who “checks in” or tags your store on social media an exclusive, in-store promotion.
8) Online Coupons
Offer exclusive promotions on your website that are redeemable in-store only.
9) Badges
Create campaign-style buttons for your staff to wear with the message: “Proud to Be Independent.”
10) Digital Ad
Promote your business with a paid ad on a social networking site, such as Facebook, where you can specifically target your local community, as well as current and past customers.
If you’ve never advertised online before and don’t know where to start, HighClick Media can help! Give us a call today at 252.814.2150 to learn more!
