Mark Fletcher’s management tip: leveraging being local

You know the pitch: Local businesses create jobs. They provide opportunities for school leavers and university graduates.

Local businesses share the local narrative. Through what we all do and how we do it, we share the fabric of our communities.

Local businesses contribute to the local (and UK) economy. We pay local government and national taxes. These taxes pay for schools, health services roads and more.

Online businesses and many overseas businesses don’t serve and support your local community the way you do and my businesses do.

You are sure to want people to do business with you not out of pity but because of what you do and how you do it. Here are practical ways to promote local connections in a valuable way:

1. Share local product information on your shopper receipts.

If there is a care or use element that can have a local connection or focus for a product, include this information in an auto-generated way on your receipts.

2. Have information pop up

When you sell a locally made item, have that information pop-up so your team member can thank a customer for buying a local product.

3. Highlight country of origin

Include country of origin on product data for products you sell.

4. Make the most of every touch point

At every opportunity – on receipts, product labels, at the counter and elsewhere – seize opportunities to add value, local value, value from you in the form of information, advice and comments that your competitors, especially online competitors cannot offer when they sell similar items.

Include being local in your tagline on receipts and with your logo: Local and proud of it! Or something along these lines.