We’re all using the same marketing theme this year: Shift Your Shopping. When we work together to spread the word, we’ll multiply how many customers we reach. Let’s get started using the Shift Your Shopping logo on your social media accounts, especially Facebook. First we’ll need a Shift Your Shopping logo. Here’s my favorite version,…
A downtown retail store owner told me she closes at 5 pm because she hates to stay later. She gets to work at 8 am most days, and so at 5 pm she’s ready to go home. She doesn’t like to delegate at all, she told me, and she wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything…
You don’t have to settle for a normal business. Rural businesses are exploring new shapes, new locations and new ways of doing business. Here are six innovative ways people are building businesses in small towns today. 1. Pop-ups These are temporary business that may last from just one day to several months. You’ve seen short-term…
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…
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….
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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