Recent research, by Google, indicates the localism trend is accelerating. People are paying more attention to where the products and services they choose are sourced from. Localism came into focus as product and service options were, and in some places still are, limited because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Having a product or service produced on-shore (it doesn’t have to be from your town or province) became an advantage. Additionally, we all saw the negative impact COVID-19 had on businesses around us. People have risen to the occasion and actively sought to support those around them and their families. Now, educated on the impact sourcing can have on the cost of a product or service, and the impact a product’s carbon footprint has on the environment, people are continuing to choose local. They have also been introduced to local products and services they may otherwise not have experienced.
Whilst some of you may think there is little to leverage in this trend for your business, it is important to remember skills are part of your offering. You may sourcing products off-shore, but you employ a local team to make critical decisions and put into action your remarkable service. For example,
- if you import products for resale, you could highlight the team behind your sourcing decisions. They are taking into account local trends to ensure the products introduced are relevant. If they are locals, you could share a little about each of them and what they love about the country. We recommend that you look around your business, what or who can you highlight that is local and how is it benefitting your business and those who purchase from you?
- if you offer a service, consider what expertise you have around you that you can highlight. Perhaps it’s your caring nurses or your amazing event planning staff or even your strategic thinkers who help keep your business relevant. Service businesses are all about the experience and so we’d recommend asking what makes their job so special to them and, with their permission, you can then share these stories. This is the sort of content that helps your target market connect emotionally with your business.
Be sure to share your localism in your marketing, be it online on social media or in-store.
Another great way to leverage localism is to share the details of and perhaps even recommend other local businesses you have had a good experience with. Social media makes this easy! Find the local business, and hit share on one of their posts. It’s free for you but has a huge impact on introducing others to the businesses you love to others. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to build each other up!
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more on trends that are here to stay after COVID-19 so keep an eye out for the next in this series.