We’re all going to use the same marketing theme this year. You, me, and every business in your town. We’re all going to use Shift Your Shopping. Here are 5 reasons why. There’s a tendency among small businesses in small towns to use the same marketing theme from year to year, the same ads with…
How do utility lines get underground? Everything from water, sewer, cable, fiber optic, phone lines, natural gas and even electric lines have to be laid under streets, through yards and beneath buildings. Those lines are laid using a trenching machine. That type of equipment, and an entire industry of manufacturing it, was invented in the…
I was excited to see Washingtonian magazine did a August cover story on Great Small Towns. “Two dozen places that will charm you with old-fashioned hospitality and newfangled vigor,” the website summary says. “Visit for a day, a weekend—or for good.” The spread covered 25 different small towns in the greater Washington, D.C., driving area….
One-third of American consumers have used virtual-assistant services on their smartphones recently. That will climb to two-thirds of all consumers in developed markets using them daily, by the end of 2016, Gartner estimates. As search engines and intelligent digital assistants have gotten smarter in the types of questions they can answer, people are getting more comfortable…
Subscription boxes have become firmly-established as a business model over the past five or more years. I think they are a perfect fit for small town retail stores. What are subscription boxes? Subscription box customers sign up for regular deliveries. Some boxes send the same product each month, like shaving supplies. (Dollar Shave Club…
Giant retailers like Amazon serve customers with lots of tricks to keep them locked in. But small town retailers can borrow a few of these, and make them into ethical, helpful ways to keep customers coming back. 1. Give a lot of information about your products. Amazon listings usually have a lot of detail….
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for August 21-23, 2015. Bring your tasty good news to share with everyone. What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great news from this week congratulate a friend applaud for each other confess your undying love for rural places How do…
If you live in the US, I’ll bet you have a Jiffy Mix in your kitchen cabinet right now. I have three. I counted. Even if you don’t, surely you recognize the iconic blue boxes with their simple branding, even though Chelsea Milling Company doesn’t spend a dime to advertise them. Chelsea, Michigan, is…
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