Video Beating the Online Competition

Specific tactics that help local businesses

31 minute video to watch on your schedule
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You’re tired of the online competition stealing your customers.

You told us that on our Survey of Rural Challenges: online competition keeps climbing higher every time we run our survey.
Then the pandemic pushed even more people to online shopping.

Sales have shifted even for items people used to buy locally.

Plus, online marketing advice is always changing and hard to keep up with.

The pace of change puts local businesses like yours at a disadvantage.

You’ve heard enough simplistic advice like ‘be sure to fill in your Google My Business profile’ and ‘take lots of pictures and share them online.’ You're already doing these basic things.

You work hard to run a terrific business, and you take great care of your customers. What you need are some realistic ideas that will help you stay competitive.

You’re ready for the more advanced tactics that work to beat your online competition, ones that don't demand a lot of technical skill to pull off.
This video will show you how to compete effectively and bring more business back through your doors.

You don't need technical skills or specialized training.

All these ideas are practical, based on real-world small town businesses who are succeeding today. They build on your abilities as a retailer. You'll make changes to what you're doing in your store and in your existing marketing. When there is a technical side, you'll get lower-tech alternative ways to make it work.

You'll learn these do-able techniques:

Specific ways to tap your natural small town advantages, things the big retailers will struggle to overcome
Inspiration to keep you motivated in the face of competition
New ideas even online-savvy businesses may not have thought of, turning some of the online giants’ best tricks against them
New tricks and innovative approaches we’ve heard about in response to the pandemic, ones that we think will have enduring value

What you get in this video

31 minutes packed with practical steps:

4 innovative ideas that came out of the pandemic
2 tricks you can steal from big online retailers and use against them
7 online tactics you can use to gain an edge
5 special strengths you already have and how to use them effectively

COVID was an attention-getter

The local retailers who used to be reluctant to market online are interested in learning now. This is a great place to start: building on your strengths.

You won't need advanced technical skills to implement the practical advice in this video. You just have to be willing to take small steps.

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You have special advantages as a small town retailer. You can be even more competitive when you tap these special advantages and combine them with some of the best tricks online retailers have been using against you.

SaveYour.Town's Becky McCray and Deb Brown share their real world experience.

As chamber of commerce director, Deb helped market the entire business community, bringing in national resources like Square and Google for specialized trainings. She marketed her own business online, consulted for other businesses, and taught online marketing at community colleges.

Becky has been teaching local businesses how to market online since 1997. She successfully marketed two small town retail stores of her own. She's been sharing what she learned through articles, classes, presentations and interviews on radio, TV and more. In 2018, she wrote the Future of Retail article for National Main Street's annual State of Main.

You can trust Deb Brown and Becky McCray because they've actually owned, managed and promoted rural retail businesses.

What customers say about the practical ideas in this video

This could be a GAME CHANGER

This information will be VERY helpful!
LeeAnn Siler, Kansas

Wow! Just what we needed

A realistic view of the best to come instead of the screaming of ‘no one shops locally anymore.’
Allan T., North Dakota

You'll get a 31 minute video you can watch on your own and share with others in your community.

This video is perfect for:

Individual business people who are actively trying new ideas
Local social media consultants and helpers who work with multiple local businesses
Chambers of Commerce, Downtown, Main Street, merchants and retail organizations
Local first groups, Independent Business Alliances, anyone who runs a Shop Local project
Small business-serving groups like the Small Business Development Centers and Extension
Rural entrepreneurship organizations
News media, papers, radio who support their local businesses

Not another tiresome webinar

Short, to the point video
Watch instantly on your schedule: anytime, on demand, starting now
Recorded so you can pause, stop, rewind or watch again immediately

You won't waste time waiting for everyone to sign in or sitting through long introductions. You don't have to put up with technical glitches or annoying background noise from inconsiderate participants. No one will fumble around with how to control their video or say "Can you see my screen?"

Here's a quick sample - why locals shop online and how you can best respond

Deb Brown shares why beating the online competition is getting harder and what strengths you already have to overcome it.

COVID accelerated online shopping by 5 years.

IBM's U.S. Retail Index

You've seen how much online competition has increased. Big chain stores face it, too, and they're scrambling to adapt.

The chain stores have learned some big lessons from the pandemic, ones that hint at your natural small town advantages.

Here's what AlixPartners said in December 2020:

Stores remain the epicenter of where customers buy.
Big stores, especially department stores, have been hit worse than small ones.
To adapt, big retailers are now investing more in smaller locations away from malls.

Who already has a smaller store away from malls? You do.
This shift isn't a surprise. We've been watching and writing about these exact trends since 2014.

Did you know that consumer spending at small retailers is growing faster than spending at big retailers? Becky McCray spotted that trend and first shared it with her readers in 2014.

She named this trend Retail's Big Split.

Boring retail purchases will go to online retailers. That leaves opportunities in small, sustainable, curated, handcrafted and local merchandise. Customers will shop small retailers for things they care about, are interested in, and want to enjoy shopping for. Becky shared that in 2017.

What that means for small town stores:

You can beat the online competition.
We know because we've been focused on this for years.
We share how to do it in this video.

Beating the Online Competition video with Deb Brown and Becky McCray

31 minute video
Available immediately - no waiting

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Is this video recorded so I can watch later?

Yes, the video is recorded, and you'll be able to watch it immediately as soon as you complete your purchase. You are welcome to watch the video more than once, start and stop, or go back and watch again. You're not limited to watching from a single computer or with just one group.

What are your videos like? Can I get a copy of the slides?

This video is not like the usual webinar! You get a short, straight to the point video you can watch anytime on demand. You see our faces, and we connect with you personally. There are no boring or hard to read slides. We focus on real-world practical advice, not theoretical research.

What if I have questions?

You can ask questions two ways: in the comment box or via email. We always answer you personally. You can also share stories or examples you've seen. That helps everyone!

Will the video play on my computer? Or on my phone?

Either one! If you can watch a YouTube video, you can watch this video. That means you can use any device, any screen that can load a web page for you to login. Any PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet, smart TV or TV with a streaming box or stick should work.
You don't need blazing fast internet.

How long is the video?

The video runs 31 minutes. For a virtual watch party, schedule 40-50 minutes. You'll want that extra time to discuss what you watched and to network and talk with each other.

Can I share the video with other people?

Yes! Once you’re registered, you can schedule more than one viewing so you reach as many people as possible. We encourage you to watch on your own or set up a virtual watch party.

Who should I invite?

Your friends who love to do things with you
Visionaries like yourself
Downtown associations, Main Streets, chambers
Positive thinkers and doers
Leaders and regular people
Community foundations
Elected officials from your local municipalities, counties or tribes
People who care about your town

What people say about SaveYour.Town videos

This video stimulated lots of note-taking and conversation between the business owners gathered at my house. Deb and Becky gave us some new ideas and several excellent examples of known models. I think some of us are thinking of pivoting our summer’s plans after participating in Wednesday’s event. Thanks for a well-thought out presentation!

Jonya Pacey, Minnesota

What a TERRIFIC marketing Video. I had 20 businesses show up to watch and they all left with new ideas and an excitement to get back and start implementing! I’ve already had 5 businesses reach out in less than 2 hours after it ended, that are already putting your ideas into action.

Mandy Walsh, City of Lampasas, Texas

There are always great take-aways from the videos that can be put into place immediately. One of my favorites is changing your store's evening vibe (different music, lighting, etc.) because evening shoppers are not the same as day time shoppers.

Diane Moore, Wheaton, Illinois

If you take even 1 idea from this video and put it into action, you'll be better positioned to stay competitive in this changing retail world.

Helping local retailers helps strengthen your community.

Becky McCray shares the community-building benefits of locally owned retail businesses.

Strong local businesses mean a strong local community.

Commerce builds communities.
Local retailers are good local citizens, donate to local causes, help lead local projects. Local retailers hire local employees, and support local services.

Local businesses help build empathy.
Retail stores build connections between different groups in your community, for customers and for owners and staff. You have to think from other people's perspective to be a good retailer.

Downtown is a community commons area
Retail districts are places where different kinds of people from all across your community can come together and interact.

These are just a few of the ways local retailers help your community build bridging social capital.
We created this video to help you bring together your community and strengthen your resilience. It's part of our year-long commitment to you and your community.

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