We just received this timely article from Jay Rice at Creative Catalog Concepts showcasing a wonderful grass roots idea to promote independent, locally owned and operated “brick & mortar” retail businesses. Have a read. You might find it to be something of interest that may help your business engage customers in this challenging economic environment. Participation costs nothing but a positive attitude!
The 3/50 Project: Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation Was Built On
By Cinda Baxter, Founder of The 3/50 Project
4/7/2009
No one needs to tell storefront retailers times are tough; truth be told, you were the first ones to see the mysterious tea leaves, being the closest connection to consumers. As early as last June, stores began seeing serious drops in revenue. Last fall’s “fall” was just the next chapter.
As if that wasn’t enough, you now find yourself stretched across two battlefields—the economy…and the mainstream media, who seems to be hell bent on painting as bleak a picture as possible. Not only does it depress you each time the news comes on, but it depresses your customers, and we all know depressed customers don’t spend.
In the words of Erin Burnett, business news anchor for MSNBC (and my new favorite media voice), “I do think a lot of this is psychology,” referring to how determined the media seems to be to make things sound as hopeless as possible. “I’ve been collecting words the media has been using to describe the crisis: carnage, apocalypse, bleeding, hemorrhaging, crash. There is something to be said for a loss of perspective and a sense of hyperbole that’s taken over.”
Hear, hear.
Folks, it’s time the message changed, and if the media’s not going to do it…well…. Tell me again—who is it that’s closest to the consumer? Who’s going to lift them up and empower them? Yup. You.
Enter The 3/50 Project.
In a nutshell, The 3/50 Project is built on a simple concept—consumer loyalty to independent storefront businesses equals stronger local economies.
Yes, that’s the same message you’ve heard from Buy Local organizations for years. But this has a twist—it’s easy, it’s free, it’s something you can put into motion in under five minutes…and customers love it.
Here’s how it works: You visit the350project.net, download a free flyer, print some out on your color desktop printer, then hand them to customers with their purchases while thanking them for shopping with you. That’s right. No sales pitch. No annual dues. No complexity of any kind. It’s simple…which is probably why it’s taken off like a rocket.
The flyer does all the talking, staring with it’s tag line: Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy:
Pick three locally owned stores you’d miss if they disappeared, then return to them. Say hello. Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. Those purchases are what keeps those businesses around.
If just half the employed US population committed to spending $50 in locally owned stores each month, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine what would happen if 3/4 of them did that.
For every $100 spent in locally owned stores, $68 returns to the local economy through payroll taxes, property taxes, sales tax, payroll, and other business related expenditures. When purchasing from a chain or franchise, that amount drops to $43; if it’s spent online, nothing comes home.
The key to making this pop is to hand the flyer directly to the customer, not just stash it in the bottom of the bag. Consumers are desperate for someone to tell them they’re appreciated; when you look them in the eye, smile, and thank them personally, things begin to happen. They become more loyal. They tell their friends what a great store you have. They go home and read the flyer, “get” how much control they have over saving a business and saving a community, then start spreading the word.
This is empowerment and evangelistic marketing at its best. And you reap the benefits.
Since the idea first popped up in a blog post mid-March, The 3/50 Project has taken off like a rocket. Not only do retailers “get it,” but so do their community counterparts. Store owners are forwarding them to other types of locally owned businesses. Property management companies are printing them out for all their tenants. Community groups and business organizations are doing the same. There’s even a movie theater in North Carolina showing this on their screens before films begin. Magazines and blogs—both in and outside the gift industry—have recognized the positive impact, and have sung its praises while also praising small business everywhere.
Participants and other supporters of The 3/50 Project will be listed on a special page (as soon as the full site is built out, currently in production), as well as given a member icon for use on their websites and Facebook pages. Window banners are planned…a copy of the flyer suitable for web use on blogs or sites is already available…and that lovely movie screen version is, of course, yours if you need it.
The more visibility, the more consumers who understand the importance of remaining loyal to locally owned stores, then purchasing there.
After all…isn’t that really the goal to begin with?
To learn more about The 3/50 Project or download the free flyer, visit www.the350project.net.