Rural OmniLocal. It’s the new buzzword. I know because I made it up. It means small town retailers using multiple channels to reach their customers. This article is an excerpt from an interview with Bob Dunn. Hear the whole interview or read the transcript at BobWP.com In the world of big retail companies, “omni…
I recently had the opportunity to hear the keynote speaker, Megan Myrdal, at the ND Grocers Convention talk about connecting with the millennials. While her thoughts focused on food marketing to this group, her message is pertinent to anyone looking to tap this market. Millennials, according to Megan, are the largest cohort and encompasses people…
In a recent conference call by the Orton Family Foundation, one of the listeners asked a great practical question: What are 3 actions most effective at starting a local company? —Jay B., KS My answer was: Try 3 small scale tests. That’s how you’ll build knowledge of what works, build an initial following…
Guest post by Deb Brown How well do you know your clients? Here at the Chamber our clients are our members. This year I’ve made a concentrated effort to spend some time visiting with our members. Not just when I run into them, or when we need something (although we do visit then), but in…
One of your fellow readers wrote in to ask what franchises and chain restaurants know how to survive in small towns. His town with a population under 2,000 had a franchise pizza restaurant. The franchisee lived not only out of town, but actually out of state, really making ties to the community thin. Blaming the poor economy,…
There is overwhelming evidence that the key to getting consumers’ attention today is to change the world and let them know about it. The Lempert Report says, “More and more, individuals are seeing themselves as playing a critical role in driving positive change, consumers truly believe they can change the world, every day, with the…
Disasters happen. If you are a business owner, you can count on having a disaster in your business. It may be a major event such as a flood, thunderstorm or tornado, but more likely, it will be something smaller, such as a water leak over your computers, an electrical outage or even the street being…
Guest post by Deb Brown, Building Possibility You might be thinking “It’s too early to think about Christmas!” You’d be wrong. This is the perfect time to be thinking about Christmas. Let’s apply the Idea Friendly template over the holiday season. Remember the three tenets: Gather Your Crowd Build Connections Take Small Steps Now is…
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