Bethlehem Chamber’s new campaign urges consumers to think local
In tough times, neighbors naturally want to help their neighbors.
And one of the ways to do that very simply is to keep one’s money in the community. The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce is trying to make it easier for residents to do just that with a new program encouraging a buy local mentality.
The Think. Buy. Local campaign is getting kicked off in the Chamber’s new member directory for this year, and will also be publicized at the upcoming opening of the Delmar Farmers Market on June 4.
The Chamber is hoping to remind people that shopping local is not only convenient but supports business owners and employees who live right in the community. Although the campaign is just getting started, it’s hoped it will also benefit members through things like cooperative advertising.
`Sometimes those small organizations don’t have money, per se, for marketing budgets,` said Chamber President Jennifer Kilcoyne.
In addition to being a resource for locating businesses, the Chamber’s membership directory also features 10 reasons to buy local, written by business owners.
Bringing Bethlehem businesses together to work with a community mindset is a big goal of the campaign, said Jonathan Phillips, owner of Phillips Hardware and a Chamber member who has been active in constructing the initiative.
`As a group effort, we can make a bigger difference in making everybody support each other,` he said. `The time couldn’t be better, I think people are ready for those kind of concepts.`
Kilcoyne said Bethlehem shouldn’t just be looking to town residents, though, suggesting the area could be a great destination for day trips. Tapping into the recession’s `staycation` craze could be a winning move.
`I think that there’s an opportunity to draw people here for the day, to shop, to eat, and I think this kind of initiative could move things in that direction,` Kilcoyne said.
The campaign will eventually have an online home at www.thinkandbuybethlehem.com. Phillips said the Chamber wants to hold a `What does community mean to you?` contest in the schools and come up with other creative marketing tools.
`It starts as a slow build, but hopefully we start creating the right buzz off of it,` he said.
The `Think. Buy. Local` campaign is open to Chamber members located in the Town of Bethlehem with 25 or fewer employees, which constitutes the majority of the Chamber’s 600 member businesses.
The Chamber’s business directory will be available at the Delmar Farmers Market, opening June 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bethlehem Central Middle School on Kenwood Avenue, and running every Saturday all summer. More information on the buy local campaign will also be available there.
Additionally, in the future look for a new Town of Bethlehem map created in conjunction with Jimapco will help consumers find businesses in a new way. There is still space on the map for advertisers, and interested businesses can contact Sue O’Donnell at The Spotlight at 439-4949 for more information.“
