Wow! The POWER of "Ideas"
 

Let me preface this with.....only a very small percent of viewers here will be interested in what I'm about to say. It has to do with "Direct Sales" so.....if you have no interest in "Direct" sales.....click on by, HOWEVER.....if you'd like to see how an "Idea-Guy" comes up with a solution to a problem....hang on.

I live in a small town of about 20,000. Here in the last few yrs (as in most small towns in America) the downtown businesses have suffered. So....at the first of January I was aware of a group who had received a "Gummit Grant" of over $100,000 to "Rejuvenate The Downtown".

Because I'm known as one of the "doers" in Town (Pizza Flyers, Map Boards in Hotel Lobbies and TV Channel Guides in Hotel Rooms and other Ad Programs).....I was asked to attend a meeting with the Group looking for ways to "Bring Consumers Downtown".

I remembered a promo program I did for a new radio station when I moved to Aspen CO. I called it "Bumper Bucks". I should have kept the domain up because I just checked and this domain was grabbed by a couple of guys in Vail.

Hey! OK! Us "Entroopeneers" can "work around any setbacks".

So.....here's what I'm going to do....ONE GUY....no committee and no Gummit Grants. I made up a Bumper Sticker that says, "I Shop Downtown!" On the right side is a Logo of a small local newspaper AND.... now watch this; A QR CODE that, when scanned will lead to a "Mobile Directory" for the town.

I've made up a Plastic Display to sit on counters of businesses. These displays announce the "Bumper Sticker" Program and 2 Holders.....1 for the Bumper Stickers and 1 for the Coupon (worth $20 in merchandise)

An Ad in the newspaper also announces the program....which requires locals to place a Bumper Sticker on their Vehicle.....and.....every Weds when the newspaper comes out their will be a list of 10 License Plates that were noticed the past week.

The FIRST PERSON who comes into the newspaper office gets to redeem the Coupons they picked up so that.....if they visited all 20 businesses.....they can go on a "$400 Shopping Spree".....$20 in each business.

Now....I'm planning on doing this for 5 weeks at a cost of $500 per business ($500 x 20 = $10,000)...which should cover my expenses AND a Nice Profit.

Because the newspaper will have their logo on the Bumper Stickers.....they have agreed to NOT CHARGE for the Ad Space.

And.....I'm also placing a QR Code on the stickers so that scanning the Codes brings up a "Town Directory" of businesses. The 20 in the program initially WILL have a space in the Directory and.....after the 5 weeks I will be charging a monthly fee to them and other biz who'd like to be in the Directory.

Now.....this program will bring people downtown to participate in the Sticker Program.....it will provide Exposure to other consumers.....it will allow me to get a Town Directory started AND.....put some CASH in MY jeans.

This may be too much for me to handle BUT.....it's an example of how ONE PERSON can do what Gummit Grants can't.

I'll keep ya posted.

Don Alm

Re: Wow! The POWER of "Ideas"
 

Love it

Good Luck

Shawn

Re: Wow! The POWER of "Ideas"
 

Don, so the coupons in the counter-top displays have no value, except to the person who wins the weekly contest?

I'm confused by this point.

Interesting idea, but maybe a little complicated to explain and get people (both businesses and shoppers) involved? But the weekly newspaper ads may just compensate for that ...

Also, some kind of social media involvement could help with a touch of viral interest, too ...

Great idea.

Ooo ... Ooo!

Another question: What size "town" or "city" are you doing this in. What is the minimum size area where you think something like this might work?

Seems that a large city would be "too big" to impact this way, and that this would be ideal for small towns and suburban areas ...

Re: Wow! The POWER of "Ideas"
 

I run half page ads in local paper;
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"WIN A $400 SHOPPING SPREE!" (Huge Letters)

1) Visit any participating Sponsor (listed below), pick up a Bumper Sticker and place on your rear bumper

2) Pick up a "Bumper Buck" coupon from each Sponsor

3) Watch this column each week to see if your license plate is shown. If it is, go to the newspaper office and hand in the "Bumper Buck" coupons you've collected. If you are the first, you go on a "Shopping Spree" and redeem each "verified" coupon for $20 in goods or services.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

However.....rather than $20.....I'm thinking about asking each sponsor to provide a "Prize" they come up with.... to make the promotion more valuable. But....since I'm asking each sponsor to pay $500ea for the 5 week program....they may be reluctant.

We will see.

Also....this promo was started in Arlington Park, Illinois (pop 20,000 at the time I did it). I then did it in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (pop 7,000 when I did it)

Don Alm