Independent We Stand

Show Mom Some Local Love this Mother’s Day.

Bill Brunelle — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:53:33 +0000

As the second-largest holiday for gift-giving, Mother’s Day will find the average American shelling out nearly $153* on mommy-dearest this year, selecting gifts at florists, clothing/accessory shops, personal services {such as spas} and of course at restaurants for an estimated total of $18.6 billion*. Imagine what an impact you could make on your local community if you treated Mom to some “local” love?

Please help us spread the word by sharing our Mother’s Day posters. Just click on the posters below to download a high res printable pdf. To share on Facebook, blogs or email blasts, please right click on the poster images below and select “View Image” and then “Save Image As” and save to your hard drive.

*National Retail Federation 2012 Mother’s Day consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight

“Choosing the Best Social Media.” Christine Erickson – American Express OPEN 5.7.2012

Bill Brunelle — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

It seems as if a new social platform pops up every week, and as a small business owner, it can feel overwhelming. So how can you establish yourself on social media when users are bouncing from one network to the other, and the next hot network may have no reliable messaging for your business? Read more…

Introducing Premium Memberships for Merchants on Independent We Stand

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:42:28 +0000

More and more consumers are beginning to understand the importance and strong economic benefits of supporting locally owned businesses. In fact, a recent study showed that a large percentage of consumers would shop at a store that advertises they are locally owned. With your help, we’re going build on this momentum and make buying local a daily habit. And that’s why we are introducing premium memberships for merchants.

For as little as $10 per month you can upgrade your current profile and get in front of consumers hungry to “buy local.” Here are a few of the features of a premium membership on Independent We Stand:

An enhanced listing that will help your business stand out in our search results
The ability to add logos, photographs and descriptions to your profile
Add keywords to make it easier for consumers to find you
A contact form to capture leads and links to help build your Facebook and Twitter fans

Again, premium memberships start for as little as $10 per month and you will be helping raise the funds we need to continue promoting and building the “buy local” movement. Please visit this page and upgrade your profile today!

“Hispanic Grocery Retailer: Bodega vs. Big-Box Store” San Jose Group, April 10, 2012

lindsay — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:22:36 +0000

Big-box chains have been expanding their ethnic offerings to better serve general and multicultural consumers. Supermarkets and superstores have been increasing aisle areas for ethnic products, adding signage and bilingual staff, and even revamping entire stores in areas densely populated by Hispanics.

As big (general market) businesses advance into established ethnic neighborhoods, is there room for traditional bodega-style grocery stores to survive in this context? Read more…

Tina 'Tamale' Ramos, co-owner of La Borinquena Mex-icatessen

Merchant Success Story: Nord Power – When the Big-Boxes Aren’t Home, Who Will You Call?

lindsay — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:18:05 +0000

It was 2004 when Twin City Power Equipment went out of business. During this time, Doug Nord was constantly traveling for work and his children were entering high school. Doug decided to make a change, one that would allow him to stay closer to home – he purchased the assets from Twin City Power and opened Nord Outdoor Power.

Since he opened up shop, things have been going great. He’s been able to spend more time with his family and more time interacting with the people of his community. Today, his wife, Deborah, works as Nord’s controller while his two children, Seth and Erika, work in the store – Seth is full time in service and Erika comes in part–time to help with miscellaneous projects. Doug loves seeing so many people from the local and surrounding communities stop in. Doug knows that he and his staff need to work hard to maintain and grow their customer base,.

“In our business, we have to resign the contract with our customers every time they walk through our door,” said Doug. “This is why we have to continually work harder, increase our knowledge base, find better ways to do things and strive to create an environment that not only brings back our current customers, it encourages them reach out to their friends, family and neighbors to recommend us.”

National chains rely on their vast marketing, long hours and extensive selection of a wide range of products to attract customers. The result? An inferior sales experience. Take Nybakke Vacuum, Doug’s local vacuum retailer, for instance. When you need your vacuum fixed, are you going to go to your big box mega retailer and ask the customer service team to fix it? Probably not! At Nybakke, the third-generation, family owned business cares about not only the vacuums they’re servicing, they care about people they’re repairing them for. The same goes for Doug and all of Nord Power’s equipment.

“My business is a part of me,” said Doug. When someone is not pleased, Doug takes it to heart and makes it his mission and the store’s mission to rectify the situation. He also takes praise personally. He expects every one of his staff members to go the extra mile with customers to make sure they have provided each customer with something the big box stores don’t provide nearly well enough – knowledge, service and a commitment that stands above all others.

This commitment is one that Doug and his employees have with all of their customers. The other day, Doug sold a walk-behind lawn mower. The customer asked Doug whether he would mind delivering the lawn mower to his house and picking up a few TV sets from his house and delivering them to a local charity. Nord delivered the TVs with pleasure at no extra charge.

Nord Outdoor Power is closed on Sundays but if there’s a storm, Doug will open his doors to help his community out. When the big-boxes close, do you think they’re going to do the same?

Next time you shop, shop local. Find locally owned businesses in your area by referencing our buy local search engine.

Guest Blog Post: Roanne Miller – “Indie Outdoors Shops are More Down to Earth!”

lindsay — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:06:18 +0000

Long before the “big boxes” began sprouting up across the country, before the ascension of international brands – there were specialty outdoor stores. They built the industry by serving hard-core niches of outdoorsmen and women cross the country. The growth in this industry’s popularity in recent years has been welcome as it has made great strides in environmental protection and advocacy, advances in product quality and innovation and it has improved access to wilderness areas for outdoor lovers everywhere.

Today, these stores serve the same role they always have. These specialty retailers connect local sport and outdoor enthusiasts to the best products and brands relevant to their regional market. What they do best is connect customers to the best local experiences and events and the most beneficial environmental initiatives. These retailers really drive home the “leave nothing but footprints; take nothing but memories” mantra.

Though the practices have remained the same, the markets have become oversaturated by mega-retailers. Consumers are now able to shop globally to get the product at the price they want. What is lost in that movement is the ability for a consumer to help his own local retailer and his own community by shopping locally. That’s where Grassroots Outdoor Alliance comes into play – we are an organization that unites independent outdoor retailers as a strong, unified voice to connect outdoor enthusiasts to the right product, educate them on how to use it, be there for any follow-up service and promote the outdoor experience across the United States.

Local retailers are friends and neighbors – support them and they will support you. Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains. More independents means more choice, more diversity and a truly unique community.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance members are experts, and local experts at that. Not only can they help customers determine the best products and services to help them enjoy their outdoor activities, they can provide consumers with the best “local” knowledge about the nature in their own backyard and across the country.

To learn more about Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, please visit www.grassrootsoutdoors.com

Roanne Miller is the President of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance member, Rock/Creek

Guest Blog Post: Crystal Vilkaitis – 5 Tips Retailers Can Use to Ensure Success on Facebook and Twitter

lindsay — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:50:00 +0000

If you’re new to social sites like Facebook and Twitter and are trying to understand how to market your store effectively, you are not alone. Thousands of retailers across the country are trying to learn how these tools relate to their business and how they can use them to compete with big box stores, increasing foot traffic and sales. Here are 5 tips to help you get started with your social media efforts.

1. Pictures! If you don’t have a phone with a built-in camera, make sure you bring your digital camera into the store, because you’re going to want to make your customers so excited for your new products they can’t stand it! Take pictures of some new items or lines you just bought. Post to your Facebook page and let your networks know that, in a matter of days, they could get their hands on those items. If you’re at a market, posting pictures of the showrooms and people shopping is also a great way to let your customers in on your business, giving them a “behind-the-scenes” look and strengthening your relationship with them.

When posting on Facebook, remember that status updates that include a photo or video have a higher weight according to Facebook’s algorithm, EdgeRank. What this means are posts that include a photo or video will stay in your fans’ Newsfeeds longer, giving them more exposure. Photos are a great way to showcase your store and products, but also a way to gain more attention on Facebook.

2. Follow Vendors and Sales Agencies. The best way to stay up-to-date with your vendors is by monitoring your favorite lines and sales agencies on Twitter and Facebook. You might even find specials or hot items posted on their social media outlets. To find their accounts (if you don’t know them already) visit their websites, go to search.twitter.com and enter the company name or try Googling their name +Twitter.

3. Use Hashtags: You might not know what a hashtag is, so let me first explain. Hashtags were developed as a means to create ”groupings” on Twitter. Through these you can tag a post with a keyword so it can be found or referred to later. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag. Here are a few examples:

Via @IndWeStand: Very cool video about #cashmobs and #shoppinglocal – a few of our favorite things!

Via @AlexasAngles: “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” #quote

Via @snapretail: Help out #smallbiz Vote for Julie Wurr from Heart ‘n Home in NRF’s #ThisisRetail video contest!

4. Talk to the locals, online: If you’re a brick and mortar store then you need to be targeting people who live in your area who can easily come in and shop! If you don’t target your efforts online you could be spending your precious time networking with people who live thousands of miles away and most likely will never buy from you.
One way to find people who live in your area who use Twitter is a site called Twellow.com. From Twellow, click on the Twellowhood tab and you can see how many Twitter users are in your area. If you see less than one hundred or so, Twitter might not be the best place for you to market your store, unless you sell online. If you see more than one hundred (maybe even thousands), start following each user. Not only is this is a great way to build your followers but you’ll also start connecting with locals who can attend your events and buy your products!

On Facebook, you can find out how many people are in your area who use Facebook by going to their ads platform. From here, you can set up demographics and psychographics like age, location and interests. On the right hand side of the screen, Facebook will display the number of people who fall within the parameters you set. If your budget allows, you can advertise to those people with a Facebook ad that clicks through to your Facebook Business Page or your website (if you sell online).

5. Attend a social media webinar. I’m sure you often ask yourself: How will I market the products in my store? What should I say? How often? What sites are right for me? It’s important to create a marketing plan and make sure social media is included. To better understand these tools so you don’t waste too much time doing the wrong thing, or upset your networks by spamming them too much, attend a free social media webinar. SnapRetail hosts monthly topics that are geared specifically toward independent retailers. You can also check out Social Media Examiner for a selection of online summits and events.
If you can embrace social media, you will find how beneficial it is for your store. Just make sure you know what you’re doing, how to use the sites and create a plan of action first that way you can track your efforts.

Crystal Vilkaitis is the Director of Social Media for SnapRetail, helping independent retailers market their stores using email, Facebook, Twitter, daily offers and other social media tools to bring traffic into their stores and strengthen the relationship with their customers. Crystal was featured in Fast Company’s Most Influential Person Online campaign, ranking in the top 2%. She manages the SnapRetail Facebook page, which was named in the top three small business pages by Social Media Examiner out of over 1,400 nominations. Crystal speaks at all the major markets and has conducted over 200 seminars and webinars speaking to thousands of retailers about how to effectively use social media.

“Family Businesses Learn to Adapt to Keep Thriving” by Adriana Gardella – NY Times 4.4.12

lindsay — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:35:06 +0000

For family-owned businesses, the statistics are daunting. According to the Family Business Institute, only about 30 percent survive beyond the founder’s generation, and just 12 percent make it to a third.

For this small-business guide, we talked to the owners of several businesses that have beaten the odds. From those conversations, we identified a few traits that the survivors seem to share: a willingness to reinvent, a belief that family members are not entitled to employment, a focus on succession and an openness to seeking outside help. Read more…

Burke Brothers Hardware has been beating the odds for more than 75 years!

Independent We Stand Launches Premium, Ambassador and Co-Op Partner Membership Options

lindsay — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:23:46 +0000

Consumers and business owners are beginning to understand the importance and strong economic benefits of supporting locally owned businesses like yours. With your help, we want to build on the early momentum we’ve established so they understand what is truly “local” and help them make buying local a year round habit.

In an effort to better serve our member businesses, we recently launched Premium, Ambassador and Co-Op Partner listings. The proceeds we raise will go to spreading the buy local word and expanding the movement.

As a true buy local business directory, we weed out any national chains by personally approving each listing. This directory maximizes your exposure to consumers who are eager to support locally-owned businesses like yours. As a premium member or higher, you can enhance your listing with “sticker” content including among other things logos/photos, links to your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts and a description of your business. In addition, your listing will receive priority in the search results and be graphically enhanced to stand out from basic member listings.

As an Ambassador or Co-Op Partner, we will add your business to major online and in-car navigation directories including Google and Bing. As a Co-Op partner, you’ll have access to buy local training resources and local geo-targeted Facebook Sponsored Story campaigns dependent on the number of participants in the market.

To further explore the amenities and pricing of each membership option, click here.

Carla Peay Hasseltine, Premium Member and Owner of Just Cupcakes in Virginia Beach, Va.

Hop to Shop Local this Easter

lindsay — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:58:34 +0000

Estimates from the National Retail Federation indicate the Easter Bunny will spend more than $16.8 billion* filling baskets this year. Independent We Stand is encouraging the bunny to shop in locally-owned candy shops, bakeries and toy stores this year to have a more profound impact on local communities. If that spending were all directed to independent shops and businesses, it is estimated that nearly $11.4 billion** of those dollars would return right back into local economies, building better schools, infrastructure and community.

Please help us spread the word by sharing our Easter posters. Just click on the poster below to download a high res printable pdf. To share on Facebook, blogs or email blasts, right click on the poster images below and select “View Image” and then “Save Image As” and save to your hard drive.

*According to 2012 consumer spending predictions from the National Retail Federation.

**Based upon Andersonville Study of Retail Economics that says when you spend $100 at an independent business, $68 returns to the local community. Spend that same amount at a national chain and it drops to $43.