The love, however, is not without limits: Two-thirds of these consumers need more incentives to “think local” – presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for local businesses.

The study’s main findings were unveiled at an event titled “What Seattle Really Thinks About Local,” held at HUB Seattle, and jointly presented by TRAY Creative, Seattle Good Business Network and customer insights agency Hemispheres.

The event was the first of a planned quarterly series titled “Advantage: Local,” designed to offer Seattle’s local, independent businesses the marketing and branding insight needed to compete against non-local chains and corporations.

Fielded by Hemispheres as an online survey this spring, the study was partially underwritten by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. It addressed 495 King County adult residents (75% Seattle; 25% King County outside of Seattle) with primary or shared shopping responsibility for their households.

Among the main findings:

• A majority (54%) of Seattle-area residents define a locally owned business as one whose owners live in the local area.
• A majority (52%) say they feel good about buying from locally owned businesses.
• 21% represent a core group dubbed Local Loyalists, for whom shopping at locally owned businesses is very important.
• 67% represent a group dubbed Fence Sitters – those who consider shopping at locally owned businesses somewhat important. Their purchase criteria change on a situational basis, and they sometimes need additional motivation to shop locally.
• 46% of all residents are willing to pay more for products and services offered by locally owned businesses. Among this group, 84% say they are willing to pay a premium of 10% or more.
• The three most important factors in deciding where to shop are convenient location; high-quality products or services; and low prices.
• When asked what would convince them to shop at locally owned businesses more often, respondents most frequently mentioned the ability to purchase or order online (cited by 50% of respondents). Also ranking high (45%) was the ability to access a rewards program for shopping at local businesses.

“This study confirms that while most Seattleites believe buying local is important to our local economy and community, there’s a huge segment that doesn’t regularly do it,” said Seattle Good Business Network Co-director Christine Hanna. “At last we have hard data that tells us more about this important group, and what will motivate them to buy local more often. It will guide our efforts to convert the Fence Sitters into Local Loyalists.”

Watch the KING5 News story previewing the study.

Get more information about the ongoing Advantage: Local series.

There’s one area, however, in which the big players simply can’t measure up. Their locally owned competitors have a much deeper knowledge of – and a much more personal bond with – the communities they serve. That kind of connection isn’t easily replicated with shelves full of $4.99 T-shirts or warming racks full of $2.99 meal deals.

With this in mind, TRAY Creative is partnering with the nonprofit Seattle Good Business Network and Seattle-based customer insights agency Hemispheres to offer the local, independent businesses in our hometown of Seattle an even greater level of insight into their customers and neighbors.

Earlier this spring, Hemispheres fielded an exclusive study of hundreds of Seattle-area residents to learn their true feelings about shopping and buying at local businesses. The major findings of the study, which is supported by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, will be revealed at an event called “What Seattle Really Thinks About Local,” to be held Wednesday, June 5 at 6 pm, at The HUB Seattle.

For the first time, a dedicated, significant study of Seattle-area residents will answer questions such as:

• What are the most important factors that go into Seattle customers’ decisions to buy from particular businesses?
• What do they perceive as the main benefits of shopping at locally owned businesses?
• What’s holding them back from shopping at these businesses more often?
• How willing are they to spend more on products and services at locally owned businesses?

The full report, including detailed breakdowns of the results across key demographics, will soon be available for purchase on the website of the Seattle Good Business Network.

The event is the first of a planned four-part series called “Advantage: Local,” which runs through 2014. The goal of the series is to provide Seattle’s local, independent businesses with the marketing and branding know-how they need to compete against the non-local chains and corporations.

Please join us for the premiere event June 5th. Tickets are available here.

Tickets are on sale now for the premiere event, “What Seattle Really Thinks About Local,” taking place Wednesday, June 5, from 6 to 8 pm at The HUB Seattle, 220 2nd Ave S.

First-ever study of Seattleites’ local buying attitudes

At the June 5th event, our partners at Hemispheres will unveil the results of an exclusive survey examining the perceptions and attitudes of Seattle and King County residents when it comes to spending money with local, independent businesses. To the best of our knowledge, it’s the first study of its kind targeted specifically to Seattle.

Why should you attend? Because understanding what your customers and neighbors really think about shopping and buying local can have a profound impact on the way you do business — and help you fine-tune your strategies to compete against non-local chains and corporations.

You’ll get a firsthand look at:

• How Seattle/King County residents define the term “local”
• The importance of buying from locally owned businesses compared to other decision factors
• How much more, if any, residents are willing to spend on local options
• How attitudes differ by key demographic and psychographic factors
• The key implications for your business

Tickets include pre- and post-event networking, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, and the opportunity to win gift certificates for great local dining experiences and more.

Events in the coming months will focus on how to turn “local” into a competitive advantage through brand positioning and messaging; how to translate social media conversations into ongoing, one-on-one customer relationships; and how to partner with Seattle-area nonprofits to strengthen your community and deepen bonds with your customers.

RSVP for the premiere event here.

Recently I decided to cancel a particular service I’d been using through Register.com, the domain registration provider. I was hoping to handle this quickly and efficiently online, but as is the case with so many service providers, I wasn’t allowed to do that. To cancel, I had to pick up the phone and speak to a sales agent.

To his credit, the agent I spoke to was extremely professional and entirely willing to let me cancel, no questions asked. None of the usual “Have you considered moving to our alternate plan?” stuff. He asked if he could put me on hold, so he could process the request.

And then I heard the music. It wasn’t the silky smooth jazz or breezy, adult contemporary pop I’d expected. Instead, it was a sparse, contemplative affair featuring one of the saddest, most wistful flute melodies I’d ever heard. A flute that practically whispered, “Something between us is dying. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

This could have been completely coincidental — for all I know, the next caller in my situation could have been dealt some classic Kenny G. But I’d like to imagine that the Register.com folks did this intentionally, as a not-so-subtle grab at my heartstrings.

While it didn’t convince me to change my mind about canceling the service, I did chuckle a little about it. And it’s given me an odd kind of respect for Register.com, which I will take into consideration the next time I need domain services.

Lesson: Changing a small, commonplace detail to one that’s a little over the top can make a big difference in the customer experience… even if the customer’s reaction isn’t quite what you were hoping for.

DogTV features images and audio claimed to be specifically calibrated for canine sensitivities. According to the DogTV website, the channel’s programming “helps stimulate, entertain, relax and habituate dogs with shows that expose them to various movements, sounds, objects, experiences and behavior patterns, all from a dog’s point of view.” Don’t believe it? Watch the preview below.

That’s right, for the low, low price of $5.99 per month, DirecTV subscribers can finally offer their dogs an alternative to looking out the window at squirrels.

This isn’t as crazy as it seems. Think of the programming possibilities. DogTV is just begging — sorry — for an Oprah-like figure who can provide positive affirmation for your four-legged friend while you’re away. (“Who’s a good dog? You are! You are!”)

Think, too, of the advertising potential. For marketers of pet food and related products, DogTV represents a key opportunity to reach the lucrative 3-to-8-year-old, spayed/neutered demo.

If this takes off, it’s only a matter of time before cats get their own, 24/7 medium as well. Wait, they’ve already got one: It’s called the Internet.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Avoid these seven common mistakes, and people will gladly let you hook up your laptop to their projector.

1. Reading the bullet points verbatim.

When an audience is staring at a bunch of words on a screen while listening to you mechanically recite those exact words, they eventually sink into a hypnotic state, and walk away remembering not a thing you said. Think of a PowerPoint presentation not as karaoke, in which you sing from lyrics on screen, but as improv: using simple, concise bullets as a starting point for a slightly more detailed verbal riff. For example, “Performance boost of 25%” could be spoken as, “Here’s where our customers really see the benefits of our service — they’re getting a 25 percent jump in real-time performance.”

2. Trying to be funny for funny’s sake.

I’ve seen many PowerPoint presentations in which the speaker has thrown in — completely out of context — a New Yorker cartoon or other humorous non sequitur, in a desperate attempt to keep people awake. A word of advice regarding this tactic: Don’t. Unless the cartoon or humorous photo offers a strong, relevant reinforcement of a particular point, you’ll do better to keep your audience’s attention with good design and content, a brisk pace, and an engaging speaking tone.

3. Going off the deep end with animation.

Another classic yet misguided attempt to liven things up. I’ve seen presentations in which a particular screen starts off practically blank, and with every third spoken word, the speaker clicks to “build” an absurdly complex animation sequence: Text boxes fly in from the left and right; bullet points drop like anvils from the sky; photos spin into the frame like helicopters. Animation can be effective, but keep the effects subtle. And limit your build sequence to two or three parts — if it’s more complex than that, you’re trying to communicate too much information.

4. Trying to tell your company’s entire story.

If you were on a first date, would you present your in-depth autobiography, from preschool to the present? No, you’d reveal just enough to make your date interested in seeing you again. Same principle with PowerPoint. A “kitchen sink” presentation that tosses in minutia about your process, every piece of market research you’ve ever done, detailed bios of every staffer, and the like, will send your audience scurrying for the exits. Your goal should be to move the discussion to the next level. Leave them either wanting to learn more, or to close the deal, depending on where you are in the sales process.

5. Two words: Bar charts.

“And this next chart represents our quarter-over-quarter gro— zzzzzz.” In and of themselves, bar charts are deadly. While PowerPoint has added some more visually appealing chart templates in recent years, a bar graph is still about as exciting as crop rotation. So customize it a bit. If your company makes industrial gears, for example, do a pictorial representation of your production volume: each gear icon represents, say, 1,000 gears produced. Sure, it takes more time and effort than simply using an off-the-rack chart template, but if it helps an audience remember your point, it’s worth it.

6. Two more words: Pie charts.

What goes for bar charts goes twice for pie charts. If your pie chart doesn’t include even a small nod to the growing popularity of infographics — by, say, using differently colored icons to represent percentages of a whole — you risk inducing sleepy time. (On a related note, I’ve seen more than one presenter try to inject some humor by turning a photo or illustration of an actual pie — as in, blueberry or pizza — into a pie chart. Just… no.)

7. Not knowing how to end it.

Even if you’ve just delivered a powerful presentation with compelling copy and visuals, a clear set of features and benefits, and vivid case studies, you can throw it all out the window if you end it abruptly or with no call to action. (I’ve seen PowerPoint presentations that actually end with the words “The End.”) Briefly sum up the main points, and politely ask your audience to do something.

So, now that you’ve learned what not to do in PowerPoint — from reciting bullet points to using boring charts — I encourage you to use this knowledge in putting together the most engaging and effective presentation you’ve ever delivered. (See what I did there?)

Take social media, for example. Here, Starbucks seems to break all the rules: The company has managed to acquire more than 30 million Facebook Likes despite sporadic posting (sometimes days go by between Starbucks’ status updates).

When the company does post something to its Facebook page, the fans go wild: It’s not uncommon for a Starbucks update to draw Likes in the six figures, as well as thousands of comments. (And even then, the company rarely if ever chooses to respond to any particular comment.) The story’s not much different on Twitter, Pinterest or Google+: Lots of brand love, little offered in return by Starbucks.

So if Starbucks keeps its social media fans at arms’ length, what keeps the love affair going? It’s simple, really. Starbucks doesn’t need to keep talking. It’s in a position to let its stores (and by extension, its products) be whatever people want or need them to be: a comfortable place to meet old or new friends, a business meeting space, an opportunity to chat with the baristas, a spot to catch up on a good read… all over a very familiar cup of coffee. It’s about facilitating human connections.

It seems like the company is taking a similar approach with social media, in that it’s stepping back and letting its fans chat amongst themselves.

Make connections on your own terms

If you’re a brand manager, the Starbucks example raises the question: What is it about your brand that gets customers to stay engaged with it, even if you offer a niche product or service, and customers might need to purchase it only once or twice in a lifetime as opposed to once per day?

Unlike Starbucks, which has the luxury of ubiquity, with brick-and-mortar locations on practically every corner, you’ll probably have to do it in the digital space — on your website and/or social media channels. And you’ll have to do it in the mindspace of customers as they chat (probably at Starbucks) with friends or colleagues about what a great experience they’ve had with your brand.

Take our company, for example. We’re a niche B2B provider, and we directly interact with a small group of clients in face-to-face meetings, by phone, and via email. When a client’s project or contract is concluded, we’re no longer in regular contact with that team. But we look to stay engaged with them through other means — the content we provide on our blog and social media channels, the events we attend, the nonprofit cause campaigns we periodically run, the notes we send as a thank-you for a referral.

Our actual services are never going to be an ongoing daily ritual for any single client. But we do try to create an environment where our voice and expertise make at least periodic reappearances in our clients’ lives. Hopefully those appearances spark connections that lead to those clients coming back, and bringing new customers with them.

If you happen to be in the business of information, Reader is an invaluable content aggregation tool that helps you quickly skim through volumes of articles and blog posts, grouped into various categories that you can set on your own. We use it every day. In fact, many of the topics we’ve written about in this very blog have been inspired by items we’ve come across on our beloved Reader.

Why this decision? According to a Google blog post, “While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined.” By all accounts, Google is paring down its product offerings, and stragglers like Reader have got to go. What’s unspoken is the idea that Reader was probably pretty tough to monetize for the Mountain View crowd.

Google is encouraging users to start looking into RSS alternatives. And they’re suggesting the use of Google Takeout to export Google Reader data to these services.

Sure, we’ll likely switch to one of these alternatives, but we won’t be happy about it. After all, none of them have that quintessential…Googleness.

There’s already a campaign afoot on Change.org demanding that Google reverse its decision. As of this writing, tens of thousands of people have signed on. How did we find out about this petition?

We saw it in Google Reader.

TRAY worked with the Vita team to determine how a new website and e-commerce platform could streamline and improve order processing, and how new features, such as coffee subscriptions, could add value to the customer experience and make it easier for people to get their favorite roasts. We also collaborated with the Vita marketing team on architecting the site, creating an image-driven design to better reflect the energy and personality of the Vita brand, and contributing to the site’s development and implementation of a content management system.

On the site you can directly purchase and learn more about Caffe Vita’s sought-after, globally sourced coffees, including organic, single-origin, and farm-direct options. You can also purchase tea, merchandise, brewing equipment and gift subscriptions; find a Vita location near you; explore Vita-affiliated events and other community happenings; read the blog; get brewing tips; and even check out Vita’s in-house record label.

Check out the site here and let us know what you think.

This is not a new concept — it’s been around in the print publishing industry for decades. There, these pieces are called advertorials. (Your author has written more of them than he can count.) The difference is that in the print world, the industry long ago established clear guidelines regarding what advertorials could and could not look like (although those rules are weakening as print struggles to maintain advertising), while online, it’s basically a free-for-all. The rules, if any, are still evolving, and brands and publishers are doing a delicate dance to figure out what readers are willing to accept.

Take a look at an example of an IBM-sponsored post on The Huffington Post. And a Dell-sponsored post on Buzzfeed. And an AMC-sponsored post for Mad Men on Deadspin. Unless you squint to look at the fine print, it’s not immediately clear whether these are paid content pieces or regular posts from the publishers. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on your perspective.

How to do sponsored content the right way

If you’re thinking about using sponsored content as part of your brand’s marketing mix, here are three tips:

1. Choose the right partner.
Partner with a publisher whose audience profile matches yours, in terms of demographics and psychographics. Got a fun, irreverent brand targeting a younger audience? The Cheezburger humor network, for one, is ready to embrace you with open arms. (Its chief revenue officer, Todd Sawicki, was quoted in Digiday as saying, “If brand content is actually entertaining, then is it advertising or content? The users choose to engage with the content. We provide an environment for users to engage.”) Got a green product or service? You’ve got options, as even Grist, that bastion of green journalism, accepts sponsored content. (They’ve even helpfully provided advertisers with a template for what that content could look like — we dig the vegetable-themed greek copy.)

2. Don’t make it all about you.
Offer entertainment. Offer practical information. But whatever you do, avoid making it solely about how great you are. (That’s what ads are for, right?) And while you want your content to fit in, you want it to stand out, too. Look carefully at the publisher’s content mix — is there a gap that your brand can fill? A certain relevant topic that seems like a natural fit for that publisher, but hasn’t yet been covered? There’s your opening.

3. Draw a line between your content and theirs.
As an advertiser, you might think there’s an advantage in having your content integrated seamlessly with the publisher’s content. And there is, in the short term. After all, readers might be lulled into thinking that the content on your page represents the unsolicited opinion of the publisher. But inevitably, some will find out otherwise, and they may wind up resenting both your brand and the publisher for attempting to put one over on them. You should insist on at least some small differentiation between your content and the publisher’s “regular” content. If there isn’t some rubric such as “Sponsored Content” or “Presented by [Your Brand]” clearly represented on the page, you’re treading in murky waters.

How to do it the wrong way: Scientology and The Atlantic

It’s helpful to look at what happens when you ignore most of the tips above: Witness the recent debacle that was the Church of Scientology-sponsored post on The Atlantic‘s website. The Church created its own content and paid The Atlantic to publish it. Nothing unusual there. Problem was, the post was such blatant, over-the-top propoganda that it could have come from North Korea. Worse yet, the comments were moderated (presumably by the Church and/or The Atlantic‘s advertising department) so that only a  bunch of wildly fawning, seemingly orchestrated remarks appeared below the post.

Readers — and the larger media world — savaged The Atlantic for publishing the piece, and the publication’s embarrassed staff was forced to take it down. Result: The Church of Scientology wound up compounding its already considerable PR problem, and The Atlantic‘s previously sterling reputation took a huge hit.

The Atlantic‘s long-held reputation for impeccable journalistic standards is exactly what drew Scientology to the publication in the first place. It’s obvious Church leaders wanted a little of that seemingly unimpeachable credibility for themselves.

What they should have considered, however, is that when a media outlet is known for high journalistic standards, its audience tends to be a little more sophisticated than most. Its readers know the difference between a carefully researched and written essay by an established writer, and a self-serving puff piece masquerading as such.

The Church of Scientology’s sponsored content might not have drawn nearly as much negative attention had it appeared on the website of, say, US Weekly, where it’s likely not as many readers would have known or cared that the “article” they were reading was bought and paid for. (No disrespect to US Weekly readers.)

Lesson: If your brand is going to integrate its story into the content of an online publisher — especially a respected one — make sure you’re bringing something of real value to the publication’s readers.