How Shopping Local This Holiday Season Can Benefit the Baxley Community
During the holiday season, many people are looking for ways to support their community while also getting great deals on gifts for their loved ones. A holiday shop local campaign is a great way to do both! After all, a strong local economy is vital to the health of any community, and when people shop at local businesses, they are supporting their neighbors and helping to ensure that there will be a thriving community for years to come. From the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce, here are some ideas on how businesses can launch and promote a successful holiday shop local campaign.
Launching a Holiday Shop Local Campaign
The first step in launching a successful holiday shop local campaign is to get everyone on board. This means businesses need to be willing to promote the campaign and offer incentives for shoppers to buy locally.
Many chambers of commerce or business associations offer shop local campaigns that businesses can join. Joining an existing campaign is a great way to get started because it provides instant credibility and existing marketing infrastructure.
If there isn’t an existing campaign in your community, businesses can still work together to launch their own. Attracting media attention is essential for any new campaign, so reach out to your local newspapers, radio stations, and tv stations early on to let them know about your plans. You can also use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to generate interest and excitement about the campaign.
Businesses Promoting a Holiday Shop Local Campaign
Businesses should start promoting the campaign well in advance of the holiday shopping season. Utilize all marketing channels available, including email newsletters, social media posts, in-store signage, and print ads. Include a contest or giveaway to provide some extra incentive for customers.
You can also partner with other local businesses to cross-promote the campaign through each other’s channels. For example, if you own a bakery, you could partner with a nearby coffee shop and promote each other’s businesses on your websites and social media accounts leading up to the holidays.
Businesses Incentivizing Shopping Local During the Holidays
One of the best ways businesses can encourage customers to shop locally is by offering incentives. This could be in the form of special discounts or coupons available only at locally owned stores, or even just extra loyalty points. You could also host special events with exclusive deals or raffles open only to those who shop locally during the holiday season.
Another great idea is to share a promotional gift guide filled with information on sales, not to mention plenty of high quality product images. In fact, if you want to take it a step further, use this free tool to split it into multiple PDFs and share them with various social media groups depending on interest, from parenting to gardening to gaming. That way, you can expand your customer base and help spread the word. You can even partner with other businesses and include their sales info, as well! Speaking of…
Combine Efforts Through Joint Marketing
Coordinating joint marketing efforts is another great way for businesses to team up and encourage shoppers to buy locally during the holidays—and it’s much more effective than going it alone! Businesses can pool their resources to create joint marketing materials like flyers or posters promoting the benefits of shopping locally. They can also cooperate on co-hosting events like holiday fairs or open house days where shoppers can come browse wares from multiple stores in one convenient location.
Using Shop Local Campaigns to Give Back During The Holidays
What better way to show your customers that you care about your community than by using your holiday shop local campaign as an opportunity to give back? You could partner with a local charity or fundraising organization and donate a portion of the proceeds from sales made during the campaign period. You could also collect donations of goods or money at your store during the holidays and deliver them directly to those in need in your community.
There are many reasons why shopping locally is important—not just during the holidays but all year round. By launching a holiday shop local campaign, businesses can come together to support their community while also attracting new customers and growing their business. And when everyone works together towards a common goal, everybody wins!
Join the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce to network with other local entrepreneurs and access valuable resources for helping your business grow.
