Savings Connection for Small Business - Greater Omaha Chamber€¦ · Put Savings Connection to...

Savings Connection for Small BusinessA GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED

From the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce

A Savings Connection Success Story

“I was excited to see the Chamber roll out Savings Connection, and I

immediately took advantage of the opportunity,” said Jeff Tippett, director

of Calvert Creative. “Through this service, Calvert Creative has already

signed three contracts with a new client and believe we have entered a

long-term business relationship. Savings Connection is another reason my

Chamber membership is well worth the investment.”

2 A Guide for Small Business

Put Savings Connection to workfor your small business

You joined this organization to be part of a community and grow your

business. It’s part of what drives your economic engine. Savings Connec-

tion not only connects your business with other members, but also allows

anyone in the community – an individual or non-member business – to

take advantage of the products, services and experiences your business

has to offer.

This guide is intended to help business owners understand how to use

Savings Connection better. Savings Connection can help your business

connect with customers, support your brand and have a positive effect on

your bottom line.

We’ll show you how in these three chapters:

1. HOW SELLING WORKS

Customers already know and trust your organization. Learn how to use

Savings Connection to write and post effective offers and respond to user

requests.

2. HOW BUYING WORKS

Anyone – other member businesses, individuals and non-member busi-

nesses – can buy almost anything via Savings Connection. They can

easily browse for the products, services and experiences you are selling.

Or, if they don’t see what they want, they can make a more specific

request and Savings Connection does the work of finding the business that

best meets their particular need.

3. BRING YOUR ACCOUNT TO LIFE

Being a part of this business community already gives you an advantage

over the competition. Now turn that advantage into new business by

connecting with other members of the organization and with the

entire community by actively participating in Savings Connection.


DashboardYour dashboard is an overview of your activity on Savings Connection.


1 2 3 4 5

1. COMPANY NAME AND LOGO

Edit these under the “Account” menu.

2. TOTAL SAVINGS

The total amount of your lifetime savings.

3. POINTS

You earn points by using the system.

4. FOLLOWERS

The number of other businesses that are

following you and that you are following.

5. ACCOUNT

Edit all of your business & contact info here.

6. SELL SOMETHING

Click here to start selling your products & services.

7. BUY SOMETHING

Ask for anything and we’ll find you a supplier.

8. SEARCH FOR THINGS

Search for the businesses, products, services and

experiences you are looking for by name or keyword.

6 7 8

How Selling WorksThere are two ways to sell on Savings Connection. You can post as many

exclusive offers as you like and you can respond to requests from users.

ANATOMY OF AN OFFER

OFFER TEMPLATES

RESPONDING TO REQUESTS

REQUEST NOTIFICATIONS


1

Anatomy of an offerOffers are your discounted products, services and experiences that you

make available for anyone in the community to take advantage of.


1. PRICE

Drive new traffic to your business with an

aggressive price. Remember that Savings

Connection does not take any portion of your

offer – you keep all of the proceeds.

2. DESCRIPTION

Whether you start with one of our Offer templates

or write your own, be sure to read and then

re-read your offer to ensure that it sounds good.

You are allowed 70 characters, so be concise.

3. DISCOUNT

We calculate this for you when you enter in

your pricing information. Be competitive when

deciding how much to discount your product,

service or experience.

4. HOW TO REDEEM

We give a few basic instructions that apply to all

offers, so be sure to include any special instruc-

tions that you might have for your customers.

5. FINE PRINT

You may have some other details about the offer

that you want to include. Include details such as

terms and conditions, “limit one per person per

visit”, and “new customers only.” There are no

character limitations in this field.

6. LIMIT HOW MANY ARE AVAILABLE

Limit the number of times this offer can be

redeemed. Remember that sometimes it’s better to

offer fewer redemptions at an increased discount.

1 2 3

5 64

Offer templatesSometimes you need a little help getting started, so Savings Connection

has built templates that can be easily customized to fit your exact need.


1. BUSINESS CATEGORY

Once you’ve selected one of the twelve business categories that

best fits your business, you’ll be able to start with pre-written

and fully customizable offers.

2. TEMPLATE OFFER

Don’t worry if the pre-written offer is not exactly what you want.

Once you click on “Customize”, you can change everything to

make it a better fit for your particular offering, including copy

writing, price, number available, product details and fine print.

If you want to start over, you can cancel at any time and begin

again. We even give you an opportunity to review the offer

before it instantly goes live to the community.

1 2

Responding to a request

Requests are a two way street.

Not only can you request anything from

the member community (see page 12),

other businesses can request things

from your company as well.


When Savings Connection users have a particular request of your business you’ll be notified

via email and be given the opportunity to respond directly to the buyer.

1 2 3 4

1. YOUR BEST PRICE

This is your chance to get in the game. Enter your best offer so that

your bid is competitive.

2. RETAIL PRICE

Enter the retail value of this product, service or experience.

3. DETAILS AND SPECIFICS

Be as specific as possible so the buyer knows what they are getting,

and have confidence that you can deliver on time and within budget.

Take as much room as you need.

4. COMPLETE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

It’s important that the buyer can easily contact you to discuss any

questions they have regarding your response.

Response notifications


Whether your bid has been accepted or not, it’s important that

you took part in the process. It shows good will on your part and

also lets the community know that you want their business.

ACCEPTED:-)

NOT ACCEPTED:-(

How Buying WorksThere are two ways to buy on Savings Connection.

BROWSE MEMBER OFFERS

REQUEST ANYTHING

USING REQUEST TEMPLATES


2

Browse offersAnyone can search and browse for exclusive offers, that

have been posted by members.


1 2 3

1. SEARCH

Search for deeply discounted and exclusive offers posted by

members by keyword or member name.

2. POSTED OFFERS

Current offers are listed chronologically and give you a quick

overview of the product, service or experience.

Click on any offer to reveal the details and show information about

the selling business, along with other offers from that company.

3. PAGES

All of the offers can be browsed by clicking on the page numbers

or utilizing the “Previous” and “Next” links.

Request anythingAsk for anything and Savings Connection will connect you with

the member business that can best meet your particular need.


1 2 3

1. FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE (SEE PAGE 16)

Other businesses will want to know as much as

possible about your company in order to respond

appropriately. Be sure to complete your member

profile, if you have not already done so. Including a

good picture of yourself adds a nice touch.

2. REQUEST DESCRIPTION

Whether you start with one of our Request

templates or write your own, be sure to include a

short, descriptive statement about what you are

looking for. Simply enter the name of the product,

service or experience you would like to purchase.

Be concise and direct.

3. WILL PAY UP TO

Give the bidders some guidance into how

much you are willing to spend. This will ensure

the responses are not out of your budget.

4. ENTER DETAILS

Generally, more details generate higher quality

responses, while fewer details may generate more

responses. In any event, give bidders some

guidance into how much you can afford.

Consider including such items as deadlines or

when you need it, more specific details on what

you need, and how many of a specific item or the

frequency of service that you desire.

5. HOW TO REDEEM

Potential bidders may have some questions for

you regarding your request, so give them a way to

contact you directly. Include your name and phone

number.

54

Request templatesRequests allow anyone to ask for anything. You can build your own or you can start

with some pre-built and customizable templates to get you on your way.


1. REQUEST TEMPLATE

Request templates help you get the ball rolling when you need

to ask for something. You can use any of the templates to start,

and then customize them to your liking.

2. REQUEST THIS

After you click “Request This”, you’ll be able to modify all of the

details, such as what exactly you need, additional details and

specifics, and price.

Lastly, you’ll invite the business categories and/or specific

businesses that you want to receive the request.

1 2

Your Brand and PersonalityFollow these steps to bring your Savings Connection

experience to life.

BRING YOUR ACCOUNT TO LIFE

YOUR PERSONAL AND BUSINESS PROFILES

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE

STATUS UPDATES

MEASURING SUCCESS

A WEEK ON SAVINGS CONNECTION


3

Bring your account to lifeOver time, your activity and dealings on Savings Connection

will convey your voice, style and personality.


Being a part of this business community gives you an advantage over

on the competition. Now, turn that advantage into new business by

connecting with other members of the organization and the

entire community.

As you continue using Savings Connection, you’ll gain more respect

among the users and gain new customers.

The easiest way to get

started is by posting your

first offer.

Members can post as

many offers as they want,

but be sure to make them

for something specific,

timely and valuable.

If you’re not sure how to

write an offer, use one of

the offer templates to help

you get started. They’re

easy to modify to meet the

specifics of your offer.

MARKETINGADVANTAGE

Your personal & business profilesThe more the community knows about you the more likely they are to want to do

business with you. Design every element of your profile to best reflect your business.


1 2 3 4 5 6

1. YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE

Your personal profile is accessed under the

account menu and contains personal information

about you and your position in your business. It is

separate from your business profile.

2. PICTURE

Upload a nice picture of yourself. It helps buyers

understand that you are personally involved

in making their buying experience via Savings

Connection a good one.

3. YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE

Your business profile contains all of the basic

information about your company including name,

logo, description, business categories and phone

number.

4. LOGO

This will appear on all of your promotions so

use an image that represents your business well.

Recommended image size is 700x700 pixels with

a minimum 100x100 pixels formatted as JPG, GIF,

PNG. Uploaded logos will be cropped to fit a

square container.

5. DESCRIPTION

Write a clear and informative bio that describes

your business, products or services.

6. BUSINESS CATEGORY

Add as many as are appropriate, so customers can

find you easily when making requests.

Your social media profileCollectively, your Social Media Profile tells a story about you, your company and its mission.

Complete this part of your profile to help potential customers get to know you better.


1 2 3 4

1. WEBSITE

This may be the single most important part of

your Social Media Profile. You can link customers

to your main site or build something special for

Savings Connection consumers.

2. LINKEDIN

If your business serves a business-to-business (B2B)

market, then a LinkedIn business profile is becom-

ing an especially important part of your social

media footprint. It’s invaluable for reaching

decision-makers.

3. FACEBOOK

Most businesses have a presence on Facebook.

It helps you connect with your customers on a

more personal level and allows your followers to

easily share things about you.

4. TWITTER

A wide variety of people, organizations, businesses

— big and small, local and international — all use

Twitter to make their presence known and to

connect with customers throughout the week.

What’s your status?Let others know what you have been up to. Status updates allow you to

engage with others on a more regular basis.


Savings Connection status updates are for letting others know about the

things that make your company special. They allow your followers to take

a peek behind the scenes of your business and connect with you and your

employees on a more personal level. It’s kind of like having your own pri-

vate social network.

Has your company earned an industry award? Has there been an article

published about you or have you hired a new employee? Has your sales

team met their quarterly goal? Are you opening a new location or

expanding your operations?

These things are important to people making buying decisions, and the

only way they may ever know about them is to tell them in a status update.

Status updates are a way to stay in touch with your customer base

and lets them know that you are paying attention to the activity on

Savings Connection. They also let the community know that you will

be ready to respond promptly to any direct requests for products,

services or experiences that they may make of your company.

It’s easy to search

for another business.

Simply click on the buy tab

and enter the name of the

business, product, service

or experience you are

searching for.

FOLLOW TO LEARN MORE

Measuring successYour dashboard is the window into how you are using Savings Connection.


1 2

1. TOTAL SAVINGS

This number represents your company’s

savings from buying and requesting products,

services and experiences.

2. FOLLOW AND BE FOLLOWED

The more you are active in buying and

selling, the more followers you will have.

By following other businesses, you let them

know that you’re interested in what they are

offering which will encourage them to connect

with you.

3. OFFERS

These numbers let you know instantly how

many offers are currently on Savings

Connection and how many of those offers

your company has reserved.

4. REQUESTS

The surest way to know that you’re successful

is to have a good number of requests. Make

requests for products and services to save on

your business expenses. Respond to requests

from other businesses to boost your sales.

3 4

A week on Savings Connection


It’s possible to plan ahead on Savings Connection. Here is an example of how you might

spend a week saving money and engaging your customers.

SELL SOMETHING

There are two ways to sell your products, services or experiences on

Savings Connection. First, launch an exclusive offer only available

to account holders. Remember, you can post as many offers as you

like and you have full control over how many of your offers can be

redeemed.

Second, you can browse open Requests that account holders have

submitted and see if you are in a position to fill a need.

UPDATE YOUR STATUS

Give potential customers a behind the scenes peek into your

business. Post a key happening, event or award that your company

has earned. Status updates are key to adding a personality to

your brand and could help in earning a request.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

With a little planning and commitment, Savings Connection can become

not only a way for you to save your business money, but a powerful mar-

keting platform that can create new sales from a community that already

trusts your membership in our organization.


BUY SOMETHING

Savings Connection can have a positive effect on the cost of doing

business. Take some time to look at your regular or special needs

for products or services and see if another member can help you out

at a substantially discounted price.

MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS

Check to see how your current offers are performing and make

adjustments as needed. If sales are low try increasing the discount

but lower the number that are available.

FOLLOW FRIDAYS

Search for the types of companies that you would like to sell to or

are part of your supply chain and follow them. This will pay off in

new sales, and product and service discounts for your business.

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

You can browse or search any of the

Offers that are already posted.

If you don’t see what you need, you can

Request anything from the members.

A GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED

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