Oak Ridge Revitalization Effort

Volunteering is Fun

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

ORRE NEEDS VOLUNTTERS

Do you have three hours to spare one day per week, or per month? Do you like to meet and greet people from all over the world? Then why not volunteer that time with us at ORRE!
As a volunteer you will be the first friendly face that visitors will see as they arrive at the Pumpkin Fest or Holiday Market

As a volunteer you will welcome visitors to our city and our events. You can help give them a guided tour of the event. Where they can shop, where they can rest, where they can plan..

As a volunteer, your time commitment is not burdensome, days and hours.

Our Events are fun and you will have a great time and meet many new freinds - and in the end you will fee great about yourself.

If a week-end festival is too much - you could volunteer for office time once a week.

Come one - meet new people and VOLUNTEER

Thank you for taking the time to help!

ARE YOU A GOOD COMMUNITY PARTNER?

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

To strengthen ORRE's public image ORRE must be active in our community. We must find an nurture partnership with other organizations like the Chamber and CVB as well as other public and private partners and supporters.

These partners and supporters are an essential step in strengthening the image of ORRE. We must keep our partners engaged and excited aoubt working on the many projects put forth by ORRE.

It is important that we pay attention to the relationships we build rear round and look for simple ways to keep in touch. Nurturing these partnerships with other public and private partners is essential in strengthening our image. To keep our partners engaged and excited about working with us it is important that we pay attention to these relationships throughout the year and find ways to keep them engage in what we are doing..

We need to let them know that we value them by paying attention to their needs as well as ours.

After a partner has supported you by volunteering for an event of helping out with a sponsorhip do you thank the time to say thanks
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

When you read a nice article about a volunteer or support in the local newspaper, do you make a point to acknowledge the good news by calling them, or sending an e‐mail or a quick note:
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

You share positive news about your program results with your partners:
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

When celebrating the ending of a new project do you call those that helped before to say thanks
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

When a partner elects a board member or has a senior leadership change, do you reach out to introduce yourself and offer to invite the new person to learn about your organization
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

When you see your supporter/volunteer out in the community to you stop to speak and thank him/her?
o Always
o Sometimes

o Never

If a partner needs a room for their board to meet or for a program, you do you offer your own conference room?
o Always
o Sometimes
o Never

The Benefits of Volunteering - if it's real

2011-08-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

WHEN I was growing up, I don’t remember hearing much about community service. My parents were certainly civic-minded, but they were a lot more concerned about the work I did around the house. Like cleaning bathrooms and weeding the lawn.

“I remember one kid who was a fullback, who waited until his senior year to volunteer,” he said. “Then he filled the 40-hour requirement by every Saturday taking a blind man to a gym and walking him through his physical activity.” That changed the boy’s outlook on his role in the community and helping others, Professor Youniss said.

What about the many programs that offer young people a way to travel and do good deeds, by building schools in Costa Rica or digging wells in Thailand?

That’s fine if you want to travel and can afford it. But most people I talked to seemed to feel that volunteering in your own community over a sustained period of time offers a more worthwhile experience. And if you’re using travel volunteerism to burnish your college application, beware. It may backfire.

“We’re not idiots,” said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. “We know the price of an air-conditioned hotel and a plane. It’s an act of affluent tourism masquerading as community service.”

A 2008 survey of admissions officers from the top 50 colleges and universities by the organization DoSomething.org, found that admissions officers consistently put a higher value on continuous volunteering over several years at a local place than a short-term stint overseas.

Mark Segal, director of Westcoast Connection/360° Student Travel, said he understood why some people might be cynical about spending a fair amount of money to volunteer abroad. But, he said, the teenagers who went on the type of community service programs that his company offered typically did volunteer work at home as well.

Spending two weeks or a month overseas immersed in a project “is a life-changing experience,” Mr. Segal said. “You’re opening the doors for relationships and learning in a way that’s very different than being a traveler.”

In the survey, the admissions officers said they were confident they could discern when a student was being disingenuous about her commitment to community service. One noted that “insincerity seems likely when there is a laundry list of activities with minimal commitment.”

Those surveyed also said they understood some students had to work and didn’t have time for volunteering. My sons do have the luxury of being able to help in the community, and I’m glad to say they seem to want to. It’s the other service I spoke about — the bed-making and trash-emptying — that they, for some reason, seem far less eager to do.

By ALINA TUGEND

Published: July 30, 2010

The Preservation Green Lab

2011-05-11T08:00:00.006-04:00

About the Preservation Green Lab
Well over 40% of the nation’s carbon emissions come from the construction and operation of buildings, which makes reusing and improving the energy efficiency of older and historic buildings an essential part of a sustainable future. The Preservation Green Lab, located in Seattle, develops strategic policies for integrating the reuse and retrofitting of older and historic buildings into city and state efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Learn More »

Sustainability Research & Analysis

2011-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is compiling and commissioning research to help explain the environmental benefits of preservation. Through this research, the National Trust will quantify the significant adverse impacts that occur when well-built, functional historic buildings are unnecessarily razed or abandoned in favor of new construction.

[Statement] "The Impacts of Climate Change on the Chesapeake Bay," Prepared for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, July 2009
[Report] "Heritage Tax Credits: Maryland’s Own Stimulus to Renovate Buildings for Productive Use and Create Jobs," The Abell Report, March 2009
[Report] "How Changes to LEED Will Benefit Existing and Historic Buildings," Forum News, December 2008
[White Paper] "Green Building Practices and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation," November 2008
[Report] "Building Reuse: Finding a Place on American Climate Policy Agendas," September 2008
[Testimony] "Improving Energy Efficiency, Increasing the Use of Renewable Sources of Energy, and Reducing the Carbon Footprint of the Capitol Complex," Senate Rules Committee, June 2008
[White Paper] "Making the Case: Historic Preservation as Sustainable Development," October 2007
[Bibliography] General Preservation and Sustainability Resources

Source - National Trust for Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation and Sustainability

2011-05-09T08:00:00.016-04:00

Historic preservation can – and should – be an important component of any effort to promote sustainable development. The conservation and improvement of our existing built resources, including re-use of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock, and reinvestment in older and historic communities, is crucial to combating climate change.

Preservation's Essential Role in Addressing Climate Change

The construction, operation and demolition of buildings accounts for 48% the United States' greenhouse gas emissions. But reusing and retrofitting our existing buildings can reduce these emissions dramatically. In fact, our existing buildings are one of our greatest renewable resources.

Through our Sustainability Initiative, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is focusing the nation's attention on the importance of reusing existing buildings and reinvesting in older and historic communities as critical elements in combating climate change. Americans already embrace as common sense the need to recycle aluminum cans, glass and newspapers. We advocate applying that same common sense to our built environment.

We don't discount the value of new, green construction – in fact many green technologies can and should be applied to existing buildings to improve performance. But new construction – no matter how green – still uses energy and other natural resources and generates construction waste that clogs landfills.

Through its research, the National Trust's Sustainability Initiative is demonstrating that conservation and improvement of our existing built resources are environmentally logical and economically viable elements in combating climate change.

Sustainable Stewardship of our Buildings and Communities

Guiding Principles:

Reuse existing buildings: Use what you have. The continued use of our existing buildings reduces the amount of demolition and construction waste deposited in landfills, lessens unnecessary demand for energy and other natural resources and conserves embodied energy (the amount of energy originally expended to create extant structures).
Reinvest in our older and historic communities: Older and historic communities tend to be centrally located, dense, walkable, and are often mass-transit accessible – qualities celebrated and promoted by Smart Growth advocates. Reinvestment in existing communities also preserves the energy embedded in infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewer lines.
Retrofit our existing building stock: Many historic and older buildings are remarkably energy efficient because of their site sensitivity, quality of construction, and use of passive heating and cooling, while other buildings require improvements to reduce their environmental footprint. Historic buildings can go green without compromising historic character.

Our Commitment

Focus on Local, State and Federal Policy: The National Trust for Historic Preservation will work with several cities to develop model policies that encourage preservation as sustainable development. This work will include refining building, energy and zoning codes, as well as developing model language for comprehensive plans and climate change action plans. We will also work to expand the availability of historic tax credits at the state and federal level, encourage other financial incentives for building reuse and community revitalization and support energy policy that improves energy efficiency in older buildings.

Empower Preservation Practitioners: The National Trust will provide our network of practitioners with the tools they need to incorporate green building practices into their preservation work. This will include development and dissemination of best practices and other guidance for greening older and historic buildings.

source: Historic Preservation

About Sustainable Communities

2011-05-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

There are many definitions and there are many different ways for communities to attain a more sustainable future. The sustainability of a community depends on creating and maintaining its economic and environmental health, promoting social equity, and fostering broad-based citizen participation in planning and implementation. Communities that engage citizens and institutions to develop sustainability principles and a collective vision for the future and that apply an integrative approach to environmental, economic, and social goals are generally likely to be more successful.

Job creation, energy use, housing, transportation, education and health are considered complementary parts of the whole. Since all issues are interconnected they must be addressed as a system. The process includes:

broad and diverse involvement of citizens
the creation of a collective vision for the future
the development of principles of sustainability
an inventory of existing assets and resources and additional assets that would benefit the community
clear, measurable goals
the development of community indicators to evaluate progress
open and transparent communication
early, visible results
celebration of success

Sustainability is a process of continuous improvement so communities constantly evolve and make changes to accomplish their goals. The initiatives and resources on this website have been selected to help you learn about ways to make your community healthier, safer, greener, more livable, and more prosperous.

source: Sustainable Communities

Q and A on Engaging the Board in the Development and Sponsorship Process

2011-05-05T10:51:00.000-04:00

Q and A on Engaging the Board in the Development and Sponsorship Process

Designing Our Neighborhoods for Happiness

2011-05-05T08:00:00.004-04:00

The way we design our communities plays an immense part in how we experience our day to day lives. Oak Ridge was originally designed with sidewalks for the purposes of people walking to destinations and experiencing impromptu encounters which instilled the “spirit of community.”

Today, these same sidewalk connections are not very encouraging to the spirit of our community. People walk less because we all have cars therefore we experience fewer encounters spontaneously. It is the primary cause of social isolation, so rampant in our modern world that it contributes to depression and other maladies. You need not be a therapist to realize this creates lasting psychological effects. By thwarting the connections between neighbors that encourage us to cooperate and work for the common good we tend to retreat into a more privatized existence.

Creating Community can begin in a variety of forms. ORRE has chosen to begin by revitalizing the common space in our locally owned commercial centers using the principle of sustainability and green practices. Through the practice of “New Urbanism” we plan to maximize the opportunities for social exchange by the creation of public plazas, corner stores, coffee shops and more. It will be up to the city to help by re-zoning with narrow streets and sidewalks that connect our existing locally owned centers to revitalized neighborhoods.

This line of thinking can transform a community, including our WWII built neighborhoods, which were built with sidewalks and were once inviting to the public places that animate a community.

Unique restaurants, art galleries, farmers’ markets, festivals and events can change a community and make strides in improving the demographics of a neighborhood. By creating sustainable centers that look like grassy patches of paradise, where kids scamper, flowers bloom and strong connections between neighbors can develop fully and organically in a space where everyone shares some common ground.

The benefits of living in these types of pocket neighborhoods can go much further than you might imagine.

"Green" - Friendly Guidelines

2011-05-04T08:00:00.006-04:00

How Preservation Commissions Can Balance Preservation and Sustainability

By Erica Stewart | From Main Street News | April 3, 2011 |

Excerpted from Developing "Green"-Friendly Guidelines: Advice for Preservation Commissions by Noré Winter | From Forum News | December 2010 | Vol. 17, No. 4

Perhaps more now than at any other time since their formation, historic commissions have a vital—even essential—role to play in their communities. Fully 43 percent of carbon emissions in the United States come from the operation of our existing buildings. We simply won’t be able to reach aggressive carbon reduction targets needed to stave off the worst of global warming impacts without addressing the performance of our existing building stock—and older and historic buildings must play their part.

Too often, historic preservation is viewed is an obstacle to achieving energy efficiency or other environmental improvements in older buildings. Sometimes this perception is ill-deserved, but sometimes this negative view of preservation has resulted from inflexibility in the application of preservation standards. There are, of course, ways to meet both preservation and sustainability objectives, but it may require commissions to re-think how preservation interests are balanced with environmental concerns. Often these goals will be mutually supporting, but when they are not, difficult decisions will need to be made.

Re-thinking Design Guidelines

Ideally, sustainability policies for preservation are first set forth in the community’s preservation plan, which is often a component of its comprehensive plan. But where such policies are not in place, it is important to address them in the preservation design guidelines. This should be a top priority for all preservation commissions.

The basic principles of most guidelines certainly call for preserving original materials and other character-defining features, as well as respecting the inherent energy-saving properties of historic resources, but they usually only touch on sustainability indirectly. Commissions should take steps to move beyond that point and provide clearer, positive guidance to users.

Real World Examples

Several cities and states have already adopted regulations and incentive programs that focus on the environmental aspects of sustainability. In Boulder, Colorado, for example, the city council adopted a GreenPoints program in 2009. Boulder's program requires remodeling projects and additions to meet a minimum threshold of energy efficiency as determined through a scoring system.

Some cities are adopting development code amendments that promote green-friendly improvements such as eco-roofs.

Portland, Oregon, has adopted a “green bundle” of development code amendments that promote the installation of solar panels, water cisterns, wind turbines, and eco-roofs. The focus is on removing regulatory “obstacles” to these actions by exempting certain work from review, or providing “by-right” approvals when specific design standards are met. For example, installing solar panels is exempt from the design review process for properties within historic districts when the installation meets certain specified design standards, such as placing the panels flat with the roof, and setting them back a specified distance from the front of the building. (This exemption applies only to “contributors” in historic districts, not to individually designated landmarks.)

The Unified Development Code (UDC) in Dubuque, Iowa, consolidates design guidelines for zoning, subdivision, site development, historic preservation, and signage. Historic District and Downtown design guidelines address architectural design as well as streetscape and landscape design, while form-based Old Town Neighborhood design guidelines promote compatible site development in older areas outside these districts. The UDC design guidelines successfully balance contemporary development trends and historic preservation while recognizing the diverse physical attributes of Dubuque’s resources.

The Nitty Gritty

How should commissions address specific design topics within their guidelines? One approach is to group these topics into three categories:

Energy conservation measures (awnings, canopies, windows, building insulation)
Energy-generating technologies (solar collectors, wind turbines)
Landscape and site design (plant materials, rain barrels, cisterns).

There are, of course, other methods for organizing these topics, and others related to sustainability, but this approach provides an easy way of thinking about different designs based on the underlying objectives they may seek to achieve.

The guidelines might also include some discussion about basic principles of sustainability. This can be helpful in laying the groundwork for an informed evaluation in the design review process, but it should not overload the document or be considered a substitute for clear guidelines.

While it may be tempting to include a lot of facts about the performance of certain systems (such as windows or solar collection systems), this approach should be treated with caution. Technologies continue to evolve, and the data frequently change. Focusing more on broader principles and the intent of the outcomes desired will keep the document sound in its policy.

Looking Forward

Commissions should consider this an opportunity to refresh their thinking about their design guidelines in general. If a major update is in store, then the process of organizing thoughts about sustainability will also trigger refinements to other long-standing policies.

All told, this should be viewed as an exciting opportunity to improve the design review process and help all players, including property owners, staff, and commissions, reach clear, understandable decisions.

Nore Winter explores this topic in depth in a new Preservation Books booklet,Developing Sustainability Guidelines for Historic Districts, which includes an overview of the different approaches that communities can use for writing and organizing local sustainability guidelines. Winter will also be presenting on this topic at the 2011 National Main Streets Conference in Des Moines. His session, “Greening Your Downtown Plans and Guidelines," will address how integrated sustainability policies can contribute to Main Street revitalization objectives as well.

Don’t miss this chance to bring your Main Street district to the forefront of sustainable development!

Noré Winter is president of Winter & Company, a preservation and urban design consulting firm based in Boulder, Colo. Emily Wadhams, vice president for Public Policy at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, also contributed to this article.

Keep it Simple: It IS Easy Being Green

2011-05-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

By Kathryn Bohri | From Main Street News | April 22, 2011 |

Too often, the environmental sustainability movement is confused with an all-or-nothing, vegan-or-bust approach or lost in the jargon of photovoltaic cells and energy credits. By making environmental sustainability (or “greening”) a priority in your local district, you increase investment, marketing potential, and community involvement.

“Going green” means adopting an environmentally friendly approach to life. As complicated as it can get to make the greenest choice, it’s important to remember that every choice made every day is an opportunity to help your community, habitat, and the earth. Experts may argue about whether choosing locally produced food is better than organic food or clash over whether we should market electric cars or overhaul the entire transportation system, but keep the big picture in mind. Cutting waste (reducing), extending the life of objects by using them more than once (reusing), and making sure that items go back into the chain of production, and not a landfill, when you’re done with them (recycling) are among the most basic ways to go green.

Revitalization and Sustainability: Mutually Supporting Goals

Historic Preservation is inherently green. The adaptive reuse of historic buildings is an excellent example of recycling. Credit: Jerry Sowden.

We say around here that the greenest building is one that’s already built. Historic preservation is inherently green – it reuses historic buildings, reinvests in our communities, and retrofits historic buildings. Extending a building’s life and reducing the need for new construction – and the use of new materials – reduces the often-unnecessary energy expenditure of constructing a new building. Whenever a building is destroyed, all of the energy put into that building is wasted. Every brick, board, and window contains “embodied energy” – energy it took to extract, manufacture, transport, and install those materials.

Similarly, a Main Street program is also inherently green. Reinvesting in existing infrastructure, encouraging neighborhood walkability, and shopping locally all do double duty as good for the local economy, environment, and community. One specific example common to many Main Street districts is the installation of street trees. Trees can reduce asthma rates of young children in your neighborhood while slowing traffic and adding a pleasing aesthetic to the streetscape. Trees also sequester carbon dioxide (a major pollutant), catch storm water, and shade buildings (which can decrease air conditioning needs by 30 percent).

Starting a Main Street program is an important first step into the world of “green,” and there’s a lot more that can be done!

“Green” Benefits the Budget

Everyone has heard the mantra “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” but has your program thought about how the mantra can stretch your own budget further? By becoming a careful consumer of goods (reducing your consumption of new products), you’ll see your expenses decrease since, of course, when you use less paper, you buy less paper. Similarly, if you plug electronics into power strips that are turned off at the end of the day (electronics and appliances still consume power when they’re off), you’ll save on your energy bills.

To save money on lighting bills, replace incandescent lights with compact florescent lights or LEDS. Credit: Linda S. Glisson.

As light bulbs burn out, replace them with CFLs or LEDs to scrape a couple dollars from the lighting bill. Both types of bulbs last longer than traditional incandescent lights, and since LEDs are so efficient, they give off less energy as heat. What does this mean? They won’t push your air conditioner into hyper drive this summer. Literally add a little green by bringing a stay-at-home houseplant into the office to do some work! Office plants clean the air and reduce stress. Varieties like Peace Lily and Dracaena don’t even need tons of light to do their duty.

Suggestions for greening your life quickly become overwhelming! Instead of throwing in the towel, choose one or two tips to work on at a time and then move on to others as they’re completed.

Organize, Recognize, and Prioritize

In its Going Green Downtown Guide: A Sustainability Guide for Maryland’s Main Streets, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development offers four easy steps to help your Main Street go green.

Organize. Create a list of the things you’re doing that are already green. Do you use biodegradable plates and cutlery at events instead of purchasing plastic? Add it. Did you help connect a restaurant to a local farmer to source fresh herbs and produce? Great work! Put it in the portfolio.
Recognize. Next, take a look at everything you’ve accomplished and come up with ways to add to it and tell others about it. Look, too, at local businesses to see what they’re doing that’s green. Do they have a recycling bin next to their trash can? Do they sell their leftover fry oil to bio-fuel developers? This will help you find out if there are already great ideas cooking so your program can share them and encourage others to implement them, too.
Prioritize. Once you make a list of what you’ve done and what others have done, take a good look at it. Work out a plan to add a few projects to the portfolio – including “quick wins” that can build momentum for bigger projects.
Network. Stay in touch with other Main Street managers – every person and every program has a different approach to going green. Connecting with colleagues can keep your mental gears greased and serve as an inspiration mill.

Stay Updated

Adding a couple of green websites to your morning reading list can keep you up to date on what’s the greenest way to go as well as give you new ideas from other communities. Check outtreehugger.com, planetgreen.com, and thedailygreen.com for everything from green product reviews, politics, fashion, tips, technology, and transportation. Also, be sure to keep tabs on theNational Trust for Historic Preservation’s sustainability site.

Taking part in the sustainability movement is less about installing a wind turbine and more about installing a mentality of conservation. Throughout all your efforts, remember that every day is an opportunity to help out your habitat and the planet. Through a Main Street program, you can see these efforts – and their benefits – multiplied throughout the community. The Main Street program can facilitate and connect the eco-efforts of the program’s community and strengthen the results across the board.

Why Our Locally Owned Commercial Districts Are Important

2011-05-02T08:00:00.004-04:00

Can malls and discount centers take the place of traditional commercial districts? The answer is a resounding "no." It may no longer be the sole option in the community, but the commercial district is much more than a shopping center. Here are some reasons why traditional, locally owned centers are still important:

Commercial districts are prominent employment centers. Even the smallest commercial district employs hundreds of people, and often the district is collectively the community's largest employer.
The commercial district is a reflection of community image, pride, prosperity, and level of investment — critical factors in business retention and recruitment efforts.
Locally owned centers represents a significant portion of the community's tax base. If the district declines, property values drop, placing more of a tax burden on other parts of town.
The traditional commercial district is an ideal location for independent businesses, which in turn:
- Keep profits in town. Chain businesses send profits out of town
- Support other local businesses and services
- Supports local families with family-owned businesses
- Supports local community projects, like teams and schools
- Provide an extremely stable economic foundation, as opposed to a few large businesses and chains with no ties to stay in the community
Our locally owned centers are the historic core of our community. Its buildings embody the community's past and its visual identity.
A historic commercial district is often a major tourist attraction. When people travel or shop, they want to see unique places — especially ones that offer a unique shopping "experience."
A vital commercial districts' area reduces sprawl by concentrating retail in one area and uses community resources wisely, such as infrastructure, tax dollars, and land.
A healthy commercial districts' core protects property values in surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The commercial district offers convenience. Our locally owned centers are within walking distance of residential areas, providing easy accessibility for the community and reducing the reliance on auto-dependent shopping.
Our locally owned centers provide an important civic forum, where members of the community can congregate. Parades, special events, and celebrations held there reinforce intangible sense of community. Private developments like malls and strip centers can and do restrict free speech and access.
The commercial district represents a huge public and private investment. Imagine how much it would cost to re-create all of the buildings and public infrastructure in our existing locally owned centers.

MAIN STREET-National Trust for Historic Preservation

Improving the economic base in Oak Ridge will take a team effort and everyone needs to be involved

2011-04-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

We need independent business owners, corporate partners, citizens, civic groups and public officials. We need the city, the county, business owners and individuals to work together and focus on what is best for our community.

All agencies from local governments to school boards, the hospital system and civic groups need to work together to develop a better quality of life in our community that will attract new businesses and investment in Oak Ridge. When people come into an area they want to know about the quality of schools, health care facilities and recreational activities. Oak Ridge excels in all of these but we lack in restaurants, night life and retail sales that make people want to live here.

When most people think of economic development they think of industry, but so many of those jobs have declined in the U.S. since the 70’s for a variety of reasons. America lost its manufacturing edge because of high investment and labor costs, advances in technology and government regulations. But “economic restructuring” is more important to a community the size of Oak Ridge. Economic Restructuring strengthens a community’s existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. This will help to sharpen the competiveness of existing business owners while recruiting compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today’s consumer needs.

The Oak Ridge Revitalization Effort encourages outside investment in Oak Ridge besides manufacturing. We need to encourage the people who work here to live here. The only way we can do this is by investing in our community by improving the locally owned shopping areas through the introduction of greenspace, specialty retail, unique restaurants and activities that encourage community gatherings.

We have many visitors who come to Oak Ridge for recreational purposes. We need to get them to spend more money in Oak Ridge while they are here. Shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, visit our museums! We need them to choose Oak Ridge as a place to live!

ORRE is working to improve the community through economic restructuring by working with property owners and merchants in locally owned centers. We also focus on Community Outreach by producing a series of events and activities that promote a collective positive relationship with a diverse group that is both entertaining and educational. ORRE activities include Fresh From The Earth weekly Farmers and Artisans Market in Grove Center; a monthly Art Walk with juried artists, fine art and craft vendors and performance artists; Taste of Anderson County, featuring individually owned restaurants, and Holiday Market where the kids can find Santa, a couple can take horse & carriage ride, you can do your holiday shopping then stop for a glass of wine with friends and eat roasted chestnuts. Each of these events provides an opportunity for citizens to gather in a sense of community while at the same time inviting visitors into our City.

Oak Ridge needs to work as a collective community to create a positive image for our locally owned businesses and commercial centers by promoting these area as exciting places to shop, live and most importantly invest. We need to work to stimulate and restore viability to our locally owned businesses that will improve our overall demographic.

Previous Op Eds published in The Oak Ridger

2011-04-01T18:42:00.001-04:00

Following are a few Op-Eds in The Oak Ridger

Why Hardly Anyone Is Buying

2011-03-25T10:05:00.001-04:00

When you use the same approach everyone else does, your marketing takes on a “me too” look and your prospects have no idea why they should bother doing business with you versus the competition or just not doing anything at all.

Want a better response from your marketing? Want your prospects to actually contact you and buy from you?

“Me too” marketing is marketing/advertising that looks, sounds, and reads nearly identical to your competition’s marketing. And it can kill your prospects’ interest and your business.

Here’s what most small business owners do. They know they need an ad, a marketing message or a website. So what do they do, they copy what their competition is saying nearly word for word.

This is “me too” marketing because your marketing says exactly the same things as your competition, such as, “great service, low prices, friendly and convenient” and a laundry list of other generic benefits your competitors is listing in their marketing. Basically, the only thing that is different in the marketing message/advertisementsis the name of the company – everything else is nearly identical.

If you want to see “me too” marketing in action, pickup your local Yellow Pages phone book and go to the “contractors” section (or any section for that matter). Contractors are some of the worst offenders of me too marketing. Let me guess what you will see as benefits: Free estimates, licensed, insured and bonded, family owned and operated, in business for over 20 years, etc. The ads all say the same boring things. Only the company names are different.

Now put yourself in the shoes of your customer. If all the companies in your buying category are saying the same thing, how do I choose which one to work with? You may just start randomly calling starting with the first company and work your way through. Or, a unique ad and message catches your eye because it stands out and is different. Maybe it uses different colors in the ad, or it uses a big strong benefit-rich headline, or best of all, it focuses on THE CUSTOMER instead of on your business. The key is you want your marketing to look and sound very different than your competition.

Okay great. So how do I make my marketing message different and better? Here’s how:

Make a list of what selling points your competition is using and try NOT to list those same benefits. Focus on telling the customer how your company is different and better and why doing business with your company offers a greater benefit for the customer than working with your competitors. Prove to me why I as a customer should choose you. Make a list of the top 3 major reasons why you should do business with us instead of our competition.

Focus on what your customers care about most-how working with you will benefit them and prove it to them. Include customer testimonials in your marketing. Offer money-back guarantees. Offer free information such as call us today (or go to our website) and we’ll mail you a free report on the 10 most important things to consider when hiring a contractor (choosing an insurance agent, choosing a dentist, choosing an accident attorney, choosing a moving company, choosing a roofer, choosing a well drilling company..you get the idea).

Most important of all, give your marketing/advertising a fun personality. For some unknown reason people seem to think business sales messages have to be cold, stuffy and boring. Guess what? PEOPLE HATE COLD, STUFFY AND BORING!

Give your marketing personality. Have fun. Think of your business as a cartoon character and think of what type of personality that cartoon character would have. Make customers laugh. Write your marketing message as if you were talking to your best friend. Use real everyday language and slang just as you use when talking to friends. Marketing is not the place to be an English professor. Have fun! Stand out. Be outrageous! In fact, the more outrageous the better. Make your customers say, “I need to do business with them-they look fun.”

Author: Peter Geisheker

8 Must-Have Facebook Apps For Small Business Success

2011-03-24T09:58:00.005-04:00

In order to reap the maximum benefits of social media marketing, specifically Facebook, you need to be absolutely certain that your Page stands out.

It should be exciting, engaging, interactive, and filled with different ways for your fans to learn more about you and your services. The best way to do this is by using…applications into your page. They’ll ensure your page looks dynamic and professional, and will keep fans your fans engaged.

Don’t forget- a fan is another name for a lead (and ultimately a paying customer).

- Static FBML is one of the most powerful applications Facebook provides. It will let you customize your tabs, add content to your page, ensure your Page is coherent with your brand look, help you create a landing page, add a shopping area, give special offers, award coupons, post jobs and sign up subscribers.

- Twitter For Pages is one way to share your Twitterstream with your fans at your Facebook Page. This application creates a unique tab for your Twitter stream.

- Fan Appz includes an array of items including promotions, sweepstakes, polls and coupons. It even has a gift store with which you can sell brand merchandise. While you can find all of these sub-applications elsewhere, Fan Appz gives you the convenience of finding them in one place.

- The Welcome Tab For Pages lets you greet people to your fan page in a customized fashion. Boasting an incredibly easy installation, this application allows you to tell fans about yourself, your business, your products or upcoming events. Its best feature is its analytics and metrics which allow you to see who comes to your Welcome tab and whether or not they like it.

- Page Maps allows you to add a personalized map to your Page. You can show the location of your company or share the favorite places in your hometown. You can show a mini-map which links up to directions or a larger map.

- Eventbrite is another great application well-suited for special events. Eventbrite will help you publish an event page directly on Facebook with all the details and a link to buy tickets. Once it is set up, your event will then be promoted through your newsfeed.

-My Top Fans helps you understand who are your top fans on your Facebook Page. The application calculates who shares with you the most. You can keep this information to yourself or you can profile your top fans as a “Fan of the Month”.

- The Welcome Tab For Pages Slide share presentations are a great way to show off your knowledge. This application is integrated with the Linkedin’s Slideshare application. When you upload a presentation to Linkedin, it will show the same presentation on Facebook (and vice versa).

Try using a few of these apps for just one week and see what happens to your engagement. By connecting with your facebook fans and engaging them you’ll be sure to see a few boots in involvement. And in regards to social media, that’s the best possible result you can have.

Author: Susan Rice Lincoln

Online Marketing

2011-03-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

Small businesses can be an effective source of income for most people and are a great way to turn an incredible profit. It is estimated that small businesses represent around 99.7% of all employers and account for 52.6% of all retail sales. These figures show that small businesses play a key role in a country’s economic development. One of the fundamental ways to ensure the success and expansion of a small business is good advertising. There is no better way to expose a small business than by marketing it to the general public. Most established marketing schemes cost a good deal of money, but a more feasible way to promote a small business is with the use of web marketing.

Web marketing offers business owners the ability to market their products and services and amplifies the reach of a business to every corner of the globe. Some of the advantages of web marketing include:

It is a low price mechanism for promoting a small business.
It can attract customers worldwide.
Product marketing is done quickly.
Advertising success is more achievable online.

One of the major attractions of web marketing is that it allows the business activities with no barriers of time, place, or distance. E-commerce is a mechanism of web marketing in which small business transactions are entirely conducted over the internet. These web marketing techniques are especially implemented in web designs using the most up-to-date programming expertise and graphics.Web marketing helps small businesses create a center of attention for potential customers by making online retailing a more exciting experience. Web marketing has proven to be a blessing for small scale businesses because the internet is among the cheapest mechanisms through which a small business can be introduced to the general public.

Web marketing is the fastest growing and most cost effective advertising for any small business. The costs related to producing great interactive web designs are far less then physical marketing. Thus small business owners can create attention-grabbing websites to draw in prospective buyers and increase business.
Some of the fundamentals of web marketing include:

Web designs should be built to exclusively promote the business.
Web marketing should be used to promote the benefits of products offered by the small business.
Web marketing efforts should include potential buyers. The use of online chat rooms and forums to communicate with the customers directly for analysis of their needs is an effective web marketing technique for small businesses.

8 Pointers for Improving Business

2011-03-22T09:36:00.010-04:00

Regardless of the size of your company, to be successful in business you must have a marketing plan that will attract customers. This plan does not have to cost a fortune and you do not have to be a creative mastermind design it. All that is required is the development of a strong marketing strategy that forms the basis of your campaign and promotional efforts.

IImplementing a solid marketing campaign that uses both traditional and non traditional forms of advertising is the key to attracting customers. Whether you choose to use direct mail or internet ads, advertising plays a key role in how well you market your products or services. A business without a marketing plan is like a ship without sails, floating aimlessly and directionless. A marketing plan gives a business a sense of purpose and helps the businessperson focus on the target audience. An ideal marketing plan should contain these eight essential parts to attract customers and develop a strong marketing strategy.

Define your product or service. Defining your product or service defines your marketing strategy. Before you can successfully sell your products or services you must be able to clearly define what you can deliver and how you are going to meet the needs of your customers. Defining your product or service includes how your product or service will be packaged and the need that your product covers. Your products or services should be clearly described in the marketing strategy of your business plan; it is an essential part of good management.
Identify and define your ideal customer. You need to know your target audience so that to will not waste time and money marketing to everyone. By clearly understanding your target audience you will be able to develop a marketing strategy. You can define your customer in terms of income, age, geographical location, revenues, industry, etc.
Separate yourself from your competition. Competition exists in every form of business and small businesses in particular need to differentiate from competition to stand out and be recognized. Your unique selling point plays a key role in your marketing strategy by making your product unique.
Find a niche. Finding a niche allows a business to focus its marketing efforts and attract more customers. Doing so allows you make your product or service indispensable in the market, creating a high demand for your product.
Be aware. In order to sell your product or service you need to be aware of the need for it to exist on the market. Advertising in both traditional and non-traditional forms of media can get your product noticed. Your advertisement should be on display for your clients regularly so that they remember your product or service.
Build credibility and be honest. For a business to succeed in attracting customers it must be credible and honest. Customers need to know that you are a person of your word and trust that you will deliver what you say you will when you say it. By being honest you build your business’ credibility and ensure that you build a strong relationship with your customers.
Be consistent and focused. It is important that the look and message of your business be focused and consistent. This allows you to market your product or service better because you can effectively utilize the resources you have on hand.
Create an emotional connection. Creating an emotional bond and reaching out to your customers allows you to build a relationship that is built on mutual respect and caring.

You must know your products or services inside and out and be able to describe them in terms of how they will benefit it. It is not easy to attract customers, but you can turn your business into a roaring success when armed with a strategic marketing plan.

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

2011-03-21T09:08:00.004-04:00

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer -- that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others -- is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

Here are nine things successful people do differently:

Get Specific

When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight" because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague -- be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10 p.m. on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

Seize The Moment To Act On Your Goals

Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide in advance when and where you will take each action you want to take. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g. "If it's Monday, Wednesday or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work"). Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300 percent.

Know Exactly How Far You Have Left To Go

Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress -- if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently -- weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

Be A Realistic Optimist

When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

Focus On Getting Better Rather Than Being Good

Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality and our physical aptitudes are fixed -- that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong; abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

Have Grit

Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking -- well, there's no way to put this nicely -- you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

Build Your Willpower Muscle

Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body -- when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching or try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up or just not bother, don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur (e.g. "If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

Don't Tempt Fate

No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it, you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time. And don't put yourself in harm's way; many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

Focus On What You Will Do, Not What You Won't Do.

Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g. "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior; by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want change your ways, ask yourself, "What will I do instead?" For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like this: "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember: You don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

(For more on using each of these strategies, check out my new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals.)

This post originally appear in the Harvard Business Review.

MISCOMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE

2011-03-20T10:51:00.004-04:00

So much miscommunication is caused by the fact that people routinely fail to realize how little they are actually communicating. We think we've said a lot more than we actually have. As a result, our colleagues are left guessing as to what we meant, or what we want from them. All too often, they guess wrong.

You know how frustrating it is to be on the receiving end of communication that is confusing or vague. But most of us have no idea that we are guilty of the same crime. It's easy to see why – after all, we know what we mean. Unless we are confronted directly about how poorly we are communicating (something people are generally loathe to do, for a number of reasons), how are we to know if we've said enough?

Here are three strategies you can use to make sure that you are saying everything that needs to be said.

Take a few moments before communicating to identify the key points you need to get across. Write them down if you think you might forget something when you are actually conversing (this is very common). If you think any of your key points "go without saying," you are probably wrong.
Create a process for assessing understanding. Everyone on your team needs to participate – don't single anyone out. When you communicate something to a team member, end the encounter by asking them to summarize in their own words what they heard.

For this to work well without anyone feeling patronized, you need to make it clear that this is not a test – your concern is that you didn't communicate effectively, not that they weren't paying attention. Also, it has to work both ways. When your team member brings something to your attention, you should summarize what you heard as well.
Without direct feedback, there is no way to figure out if the message was fully received. But people are reluctant to provide this feedback if there is no explicit process in place. They worry about looking foolish, or irritating the communicator (particularly when the communicator is the boss.)

Invite questions should they arise. Sometimes, you don't realize that you didn't understand what a colleague asked you to do until you actually try to do it. At this point, it can be embarrassing to go back and admit "I don't get it." Take the embarrassment out of it by reminding your team members that you are always happy to answer any questions that may come up later. When you are asked for clarification, provide it with enthusiasm.

This may seem like a lot of work, and it probably is. But the extra time and effort you put in to improving your team's ability to communicate will be well worth it. You'll spend far less time fixing mistakes and putting out fires. Your team will be more motivated and productive. And you'll have confidence that everyone is finally, and permanently, on the same page.

Localism Index

2011-03-16T10:00:00.016-04:00

By Stacy Mitchell on March 1, 2011

Number of new independent bookstores that have opened since 2005: 437

Increase since 2002 in the number of small specialty food stores: 1,414

Increase since 2002 in the number of small farms: 111,839

Number of farmers markets active in 2010: 6,132

Percentage of active farmers markets started since 2000: 53

Average percentage of shoppers at a large supermarket who have a conversation with another customer: 9

Average percentage of shoppers at a farmers market who have a conversation with another customer: 63

Percentage of bank assets held by small and mid-sized community banks: 22

Percentage of small business loans made by small and mid-sized community banks: 54

Growth in deposits at small banks and credit unions since 2008: $77 billion

Number of chain pharmacy locations that opened in 2009: 177

Number of independent pharmacy locations that opened in 2009: 474

Number of Independent Business Alliances and Local First groups in 2005: 30

Number of Independent Business Alliances and Local First groups in 2010: 143

Percentage change in 2010 sales for independent businesses in cities without a Buy Local First initiative: 2.1

Percentage change in 2010 sales for independent businesses in cities with a Buy Local First initiative: 5.6

Increase since 2002 in the number of Starbucks company stores: 3,297

Increase since 2002 in the number of independent coffee shops: 4,923

Average portion of $100 spent at a Target store that stays in the local economy: $16

Average portion of $100 spent at independent retailers that stays in the local economy: $32

Average amount of local wages paid for every $100 spent at a full-service chain restaurant: $18.68

Average amount of local wages paid for every $100 spent at a full-service locally owned restaurant: $28.46

Minimum amount having a grocery store, bookstore, coffee shop and restaurant within half a mile of a house increases its value: $21,000

* Sources: American Booksellers Association; U.S. Economic Census; United States Department of Agriculture, National Directory of Farmers Markets; Robert Sommer, John Herrick, and Ted R. Sommer, "The Behavioural Ecology of Supermarkets and Farmers' Markets," Journal of Environmental Psychology, 1981; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; National Credit Union Administration; National Association of Chain Drugstores, 2010-11 Chain Pharmacy Industry Profile; American Independent Business Alliance; Business Alliance for Local Living Economies; Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2011 Independent Business Survey; Starbucks annual reports; U.S. Economic Census; Civic Economics, Thinking Outside the Box, September 2009; Civic Economics, Local Works! Examining the Impact of Local Business on the West Michigan Economy, Sept. 2008; CEOs for Cities, Walking the Walk, August 2009.

Stacy Mitchell is a senior researcher with the New Rules Project, where she directs initiatives on community banking and independent retail. She is the author of Big-Box Swindle and produces a popular monthly bulletin called the Hometown Advantage.

Survey Finds "Buy Local" Message Benefitting Independent Businesses

2011-03-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Jan. 26, 2011) – For the fourth year in a row, a national survey of independent businesses has found that those in communities with an active "buy local" campaign have experienced markedly stronger revenue growth compared to those located in areas without such a campaign. (Download the report.)

The survey, which was conducted over an 8-day period in January, gathered data from 2,768 independent businesses, including retailers, service providers, restaurants and others. It found that those in places with a "buy local" initiative reported revenue growth of 5.6% on average in 2010, compared to 2.1% for those elsewhere.

Among independent retailers, which accounted for nearly half the respondents, there was a similar gap in holiday sales performance, with those in "buy local" communities seeing a 5.2% increase in holiday sales, while those elsewhere reported an average gain of 0.8%.

"Buy local" campaigns run by Independent Business Alliances and Local First groups are now underway in about 140 cities nationwide.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said that public awareness of the benefits of supporting locally owned businesses had increased in the last year, while 24% said it had stayed the same and only 3% said it had decreased.

Business owners in cities with active "buy local" campaigns reported a wide range of positive impacts on their business. Almost half reported that the campaign had brought new customers to their business and 55% said it had made existing customers more loyal. More than two-thirds said local media coverage of independent businesses had increased and 51% said that local government officials were now more aware and supportive of the needs of independent businesses.

Comments from survey participants highlighted key challenges facing independent businesses, including the weak economy and government policies that often favor their large competitors. Yet businesses active in "buy local" initiatives repeatedly cited these efforts as making a difference in their survival and success. "It is abundantly clear to me that a greater percentage of the public is attuned to the value of supporting local independents compared to just a couple years ago," noted one Arizona business owner.

The survey was conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit research and educational organization, in partnership with dozens of national and local business organizations, including the American Booksellers Association, Alliance of Independent Media Stores, American Independent Business Alliance, American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, National Bicycle Dealers Association, and TriMega Purchasing Association.

Complete results may be downloaded here.

Similar surveys over the last three years likewise found that independent businesses in cities with active "buy local" campaigns reported stronger sales gains than those in communities without such initiatives.

"This survey adds to the growing body of evidence that people are increasingly seeking out independent businesses and that shift is having a tangible impact on the bottom line," said Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

"For the fourth year in a row, independent retailers in communities with active 'shop local' campaigns have shown stronger sales than retailers in communities without such campaigns," said American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher. "More and more shoppers are voting in favor of independent retailers with their spending, proving that they recognize that bigger is not always better — and making clear that they value a strong, unique, and vibrant community. The potential for locally owned businesses committed to working together could not be greater.”

"This survey offers further proof that, with sustained efforts, communities can indeed raise local consciousness and build a culture of support for local entrepreneurs," said Jennifer Rockne, executive director of the American Independent Business Alliance. "Remarkably, most of the campaigns operated by Independent Business Alliances are funded by businesses paying $20 or less per month in dues. They're getting quite a return on their investment."

“We are encouraged by the positive impact, as well as the positive change in consumer behavior our members are seeing as a result of ‘Buy Local’ campaigns,” said Michael Morris, vice president of marketing for TriMega Purchasing Association, a national buying consortium of independent office supply dealerships. “Our dealers have reported improved customer loyalty, increased awareness of their brand, and more doors being opened to them thanks to 'think local' oriented initiatives."

"Independent Business Alliances and 'buy local' campaigns are becoming a basic tool for independent businesses to help differentiate themselves from their big-box and internet competition by highlighting their meaningful connection to the community," said Kathleen McHugh, president of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. "Once consumers understand why supporting local business is important to their community, they connect it to why they live where they do."

"Small, local businesses generate the majority of new jobs in the US," said Michelle Long, Executive Director of theBusiness Alliance for Local Living Economies. "Buy Local First campaigns help bring these businesses and residents together to build community health and wealth -- from the bottom up."

Small Business Blog Marketing – 5 Essential Tips For Small Business Owners

2011-03-15T10:00:00.003-04:00

If you own a small business, chances are that you are probably quite familiar with the “feast or famine” cycle of small business, where there’s either too much work going on for you to handle it successfully, or not enough business coming in through the door.

If your business seems to be affected by the “feast or famine” cycle, then I want to show you a smart, simple, easy, quick and inexpensive way to start alleviating this condition.

It’s called small business blog marketing.

Basically, you start a business blog, then write about your business and publish the information online through your blog.

Let me explain why this is a very smart thing to do, and how it can help you ride the ups and downs of small business life.

First of all, starting a business blog is simpler, quicker, cheaper and easier to do than setting up a small business web site. In a moment, I’ll share with you some valuable blog marketing tips you will want to know about when starting a business blog.

Secondly, by adding regular content to your blog that educates people about the benefits of your business, products and services, you will not only create more trust and authority with potential customers online when they visit your blog, but you will also increase visibility and exposure for your business in your particular niche market.

So … how will this help you successfully manage the “feast or famine” cycles that most small business owners experience?

Well, in times of “feast”, you can simply refer people to relevant articles you have made on your blog that provide them with the information they are looking for. Every business owner is familiar with the often frustrating experience of having their valuable time taken up with the same explanations of how, why, what, when and where certain aspects of their business are done.

Rather than spend 30-45 minutes or more repeating the same thing over and over again to luke-warm prospects, why not write an article about it and publish it on your blog? Then, the next time someone calls you and asks you to explain this very same thing, rather than waste an hour of your or your staff’s time, just ask them for their email address and send them a link to your blog page where you have posted this information. Your prospect can then research the subject in their own time and come back to you when they are ready to move to the next step.

Now … if, in your blog you have set up a way for people to opt-in to a database (such as a newsletter subscription form, or downloadable report), then you have already taken a significant step towards ensuring that your business can survive in times of famine. When work slows down, you can contact your list subscribers with special offers, or information about products or services they may want to consider buying from you.

By integrating small business blog marketing into your regular business activities, you will be providing genuine service to those you cannot service immediately, as well as creating a prospecting pipeline for leaner times.

5 Essential Small Business Blog Marketing Tips

Small Business Blog Marketing Tip #1 – Host Your Business Blog On Your Own Domain

Although many small businesses set up their business blog on blogging platforms that offer free hosting, this can be a costly mistake in the long run. It also indicates that the business owner is not aware of what a valuable business asset a blog can be. By setting up a blog on your own domain, you are ensuring that all traffic, content and links pointing back to your blog pages are growing the value of your web property and not someone else’s, and also that they won’t suddenly disappear if, for, example, you decide to take your business to the next level and change blogging platforms or change hosting providers.

Small Business Blog Marketing Tip #2 – Set Up Your Business Blog Using A WordPress Blog

WordPress provides an ideal business blogging platform (hosted on your own domain, of course). WordPress is free, and supports an active community of plugin developers and professional designers who have created thousands of plugins that can add incredible functionality and powerful flexibility to your blog, as well as thousands of professional themes you can use to completely change the look and feel of your blog. Best of all, most WordPress themes and plugins can be downloaded free of charge, and customized for your own business use in many instances.

Small Business Blog Marketing Tip #3 – Automate Your Business Blog Marketing SEO And Search Engine Indexing Functions

Although a WordPress blog is quite easy to install and set up, the default installation is quite basic and lacks most of the functionality you need to ensure that your content is automatically optimized for ranking better than your competition in the search engines, as well as getting quickly indexed and added to the search results of all the major search engines and blog directories. This is by no means a “negative”, as WordPress allows you to quickly add all of this functionality by simply installing and activating certain plugins. All you need to do is spend a little time learning which plugins work best together to help automate your blog.

Small Business Blog Marketing Tip #4 – Add New Content Regularly To Your Business Blog

Every small business owner I have ever met carries a jaw-dropping amount of information in their head about their business, their industry, expert tips on buying, installing and using their products and services, benefits and features, comparison data on competitor products and services, etc … In fact, there is no shortage of information to provide potential new customers with. Many small business owners, however, don’t fully understand how much leverage they can create for their business by turning this information into short informative articles, announcements, interesting posts, news releases, answers to frequently asked questions, etc … that can attract the attention of people searching online for solutions you can help deliver, educate and engage prospective customers, and funnel visitors into a process that delivers not only great value and service every step of the way, but that can ultimately lead to new customers and new sales of your products and services.

Having a simple plan to add 1-2 articles per week to your business blog can lead to amazing results. As I have just stated, there is no shortage of information when it comes to thinking of ideas to write about your business. If you commit to investing as little as 20 – 30 minutes a day to business blogging activities, you can transform your business quite rapidly.

Divide your business blogging time as follows:

Spend 40% of your time researching topics to write about. Start an ideas file and add to it every day – even just the title of a blog post will do.

Spend 40% of your time writing your article. Open up a simple notepad text file and just write on a topic the same way as you would if you were explaining something to a prospect one-on-one. Keep the style conversational, use your own voice and don’t worry about editing anything until you finish writing at least 500 – 700 words (4-5 short paragraphs)

Spend 20% of your time editing and proofing what you have written, then publish it. You can always easily edit your post later if you need to add, modify or delete sections of your post.

Using the above activity schedule, if you invest just twenty minutes a day, five days a week into publishing a business blog, you will spend a total of 40 minutes researching (e.g. reading other blogs for topics and ideas), 40 minutes writing your post(s), and 20 minutes editing and proofing your article. This is enough time to add one or three new posts every week or so, and start growing your business online. Keep this commitment for one whole month to get the blogging habit and do this for 3 months before evaluating your performance and your results. I guarantee you will be more than pleasantly surprised!

Small Business Blog Marketing Tip #5 – Use Your Business Blog Performance Data To Improve Your Business Results

As a small business blog marketer, your goal is to deliver content that will attract new visitors to your site, engage and build trust with your readers, and then direct them to areas of your site where they can either get more information about the benefits of using your products and services, contact you for the next step, or place an order once they have made a decision to buy.

Setting up a simple information system that tracks where visitors to your blog are coming from, what keywords and phrases they are typing into search engines and other sites to find you, how long they stay on your blog when they visit and which pages they visit the most when they are browsing through your blog can all provide valuable information that you can then use to improve your business, deliver better customer service … even uncover a demand for new products and services.

I hope you have found this information useful and I wish you great business blogging success.

For more information on how to start your own business blog, including step-by-step video tutorials on installing and using WordPress, automating your business blog marketing, setting up an information system to monitor your business blog performance and growing your business online faster with a blog, watch the video below or go here: Business Blog Tutorials

Why Shop Independently Owned Businesses

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Be a Part of the Change

When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:
The Economy

Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment

Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll 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.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents

source: indiebound.org

Support ORRE and our local, independently owned businesses

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The Oak Ridge Revitalization Effort works everyday toward improving the historic core of Oak Ridge through activities & events that build community and helps to attract visitors to Oak Ridge. These activities are designed to bring people into our centers who may have never been here before but will be inclined to return to shop with our locally owned businesses.

ORRE works with independently owned businesses, both in the historic core and throughout Oak Ridge, to help them find ways that encourage our citizens to shop our many locally owned businesses. These independently owned businesses support the economy in Oak Ridge. Independently owned businesses are the backbone of our community and need your support.

Every time you make a purchase or attend an ORRE sponsored event you are exercising power of choice. You have the power to strengthen & enrich Oak Ridge.

By choosing to shop independently owned businesses and support local events, you help to maintain the distinctive flavor of Oak Ridge.
Independently owned businesses and locally sponsored events build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, and contributing to local causes.
Local ownership means that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who feel the impacts of those decisions.
Your dollars spent in independently owned businesses have three times the impact on your community as dollars spent at a local chain. When you shop independently owned businesses, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development.
Independently owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do.
Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.
Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.
Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
A marketplace of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.
A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products or services based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.