Cogster.com is easy. It allows you to speak your voice and use your money while doing so. Plus, it brings you together with many others in your community. If enough of you want something to happen, Cogster facilitates your collective ability to speak with authority. And, to put your Money where your Mouth is.
Cogster is not just about giving money. It’s also about getting something back. It’s called Social Dividends. You deserve to reap rewards for the choices you make and the risks you take. Cogster Loyalty Campaigns are all about providing a new, social platform for you to direct financial resources to Mom and Pop businesses located on Main Street, USA. Often, the Social Dividends you receive may be 1.5, or even 2 times the amount you pay to join a Cogster Campaign. All you have to do to redeem those dividends is go shop at the businesses you decide to support.
You matter to those businesses. Your money matters. Your Will matters. What you want to accomplish is up to you. Cogster now makes it social and fun to add power to your voice.
Local businesses need capital and customers to stay in business. Now you have a way to provide both of those resources. You don’t have to spend a lot to get involved, either. Cogster aggregates your show of support with that of other citizens who want to join a specific Merchant’s Cogster Campaign too. I’ve seen most individual amounts range from $20 to $50. It’s really easy. When enough people do it, the dollars add up pretty fast to help the local merchant’s business.
How does it all work?
Cogster.com allows you to register and manage your very own Account. It sends email reminders to update you on your Dividend Cash Certificates, when they’re about to expire and when new Dividend amounts are available to you. Plus, it allows you to print out your Dividend Cash Certificates right from your home or office. They’re as good as cash. No blackout dates; no fine print. The Merchants agree to honor those stipulations prior to opening their Campaigns. Those merchants want you in their shops and stores; they need you to keep coming back. So, please enjoy Cogster.com. It is a brand new tool your community now has in its tool-kit to help power-up the local economy and help businesses STAY in business.
Local
16
Jul 10
You Matter
11
Jun 10
French Fries and Beer, with Mandy Sergent!
Mandy Sergent, a local yoga therapist and instructor, is one of the coolest local business owners using Cogster.com right now! She’s always posting exciting promotions and information about her hip yoga studio located in the heart of downtown Boalsburg, PA. One of my newest members, Kristina Giambra (we call her “Tia”), recently stopped by to visit Mandy and this is what Tia had to say:
“…Today, I stopped in at Mandy Sergent’s yoga studio. It’s located right in the basement of her house and when I arrived she was very cool — she made me feel so welcome. As we walked into the studio, I immediately started to feel healthy! Not only does Mandy teach yoga, but she’s also a Holistic Health Counselor. I have no idea what that means, but I do know it has something to do with teaching others how to make smarter food decisions and control portion size. Mandy told me her counseling has less to do with simply dieting to eliminate carbs and sugar – and more to do with maintaining a lifestyle of patient eating. She even said, ‘I eat french fries and drink beer like everyone else, but I also spend a great deal of time preparing my own meals and living a consistent lifestyle.’ Mandy’s customers will tell you she’s nice and thin; that says something for her health and also for her frequent yoga workouts. The studio has dimmed lighting, creating a relaxing atmosphere to perform yoga and the space provides just enough size to accommodate 9 students at one time. Most of her classes are offered in the evening to accommodate her customers’ schedules. In addition, she also offers individual sessions, by appointment. Overall, a great vibe and an impressive local operation. I highly recommend it.”
You can find out more about Mandy Sergent on Cogster.com at http://cogster.com/business/view/33. We’re a huge fan of Mandy’s and we recommend you check out her “Deals of the Week.” Plus, give her a call or stop by to see her. People like Mandy make our community a special place to live.
8
Jun 10
Susquehanna Business Life
Cogster is a big fan of Susquehanna Business Life, a Central Pennsylvania business magazine originating from the part of the State where I grew up. The magazines feature articles telling fascinating stories about thriving Central PA businesses, ranging from start-ups to family-run enterprises that have been around for generations.
I enjoy flipping right to the Publisher’s Letter every time I receive a new issue. It is written by Erica Shames, a rather impressive and energetic force in the Susquehanna Valley. While I’ve not yet met her, I’ve heard great things about Erica from many colleagues who know the area and her work.
A recent issue caught my eye. Erica’s message to business owners: get back out and sell. Erica acknowledges the last year-and-a-half of economic challenges and shares her own story of having to force herself to get away from her passion for writing and focus on the immediately important task of “selling” advertising and reinforcing client relationships. Moreover, Erica goes on to ask, “Who better to be the face of a company than the passionate owner whose entrepreneurial spirit…., and hard work…, propelled the company where it is today.”
Right on. She’s right. Sales and business development cannot be delegated. Not now; not in this economy.
For fun articles and other words of wisdom for small business owners in Central PA, check out Susquehanna Business Life.
25
May 10
Our local Ace is the Place… for great customer service
If you haven’t seen the Cogster Truck just yet, well, you’re in for a treat. I spent a ton of time readying it (Link to Episode #7) for the Summer of Cogster, and I had one huge ally with me every step of the way: our local Ace Hardware store. A gentlemen by the name of Grant Rosenberger not only owns the place, but also showcases one of the best customer service operations I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I walked in there about 11 times during the last 3 weeks and every single time I received personal attention and a guided tour directly to each nut, bolt, and tool I needed to find. Now, I’ll admit, I don’t know much about hardware or building stuff. But I do know first-class customer service when I see it. Every single team member of Grant’s staff is friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and motivated to help you find what you need and get you back to your project. One day, I walked in and as Jim was helping me find something, I saw Grant explaining how to program a TV remote control to a charming lady who clearly doesn’t use electronics that often. But, there was Grant, explaining and repeating each step, as if it was the most important customer of the month.
I admire that. I was so impressed by it, I spoke with Grant directly about his business and congratulated him on his environment of outstanding service. Turns out, ACE Hardware is a retailer-owned cooperative, meaning that Grant, along with others like him in their respective local areas, own shares of the cooperative. This gives Grant the ability to tailor his store to the local market he serves. This isn’t just fabulous for me and the rest of the folks who live on the South Atherton side of town, this is great for the entire Centre Region. Personal attention. Special treatment. First-class service. Every time you shop. Thanks Grant, and thanks for bringing back good old fashioned customer service to the hardware business.
For more information, keep your eye out for the upcoming Town & Gown, which will profile Grant’s operation and team.
24
May 10
A Sustainable Weekend
What a weekend!? I had to meet a friend back in my hometown of Selinsgrove, PA (The Susquehanna Valley), this past Saturday morning. On my way back to State College through the Bald Eagle Forest, Tara and I decided to stop for lunch at the Elk Creek Cafe in Millheim, PA. Located literally right on Main Street (a.k.a. Route 45), the Elk Creek Cafe is all about sustainable agriculture and local foods. I’d heard about this place several times before, including a few mentions in Ken Hull’s book, going LOCAL!, but I’d never been there to experience it for myself.
It was an absolutely perfect pit stop and a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. I highly recommend the Elk Creek Copper Ale, but if you want to test all the brewed beers, as Tara did, you may easily order a set of glasses and sample the entire line up, one by one. And, of course, if you are in the mood for wine, they have that too. What impressed me most was the naming convention – all the beers are locally named after recognizable landmarks, such as Poe Paddy and Penns Valley, and the wines come from local vineyards. The prices were very reasonable, too!
Shannon served Tara and me our lunch. We sat right at the bar and had an order of homemade chips with the Burger and fries special. As we were eating, we decided to strike up a conversation with the gentlemen sitting right next to us. And, there it hit me: we met Ben Macneal, a local maple syrup and apple farmer; Brian Futhey, a local farmer (Stone Meadow Farms) and supplier of cheese and beef, and another gentlemen who also farms in the area and supplies food to the Cafe. I took a closer look at the dinner menu, and right there in black and white, the names of several local producers are called out by name. Tait’s Farm, Gemelli’s, and all the guys we were seated right next to! It made my food taste that much better knowing it was all local. Plus, we got to sit right next to some of the guys whose farms were listed right on the menu and hear directly about what local farming is really like.
A totally inspiring experience! And, not just because I had a few beers. It made me passionate about how Cogster complements grassroots leadership like the Elk Creek and its suppliers. I drove away wanting to find out more. I am intrigued to learn about missions such as buylocalpa.org and organizations like the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). If nothing else, just to say thank you. Thank you, Tim Bowser. Thanks Brian Futhey and Ben Macneal. Thanks, Ken Hull. And thank you to all those whose mission it is to support PA farmers and merchants.
I’m thrilled about Cogster.com and the potential we have to complement this “sustainable” movement. Very soon, we will be unveiling some of our newest features, and when we do, I think you’ll find we provide a “win-win” for both consumers and merchants. It is the new way to Go Local – in a very economically sustainable way. In the meantime, we’ll do all we can to spread the word to our growing user base and encourage them to stop by the Elk Creek Cafe and learn about several of its local suppliers.
28
Apr 10
Cumulative Loyalty: Earning Points on Cogster
We just geared-up our entire Cogster website. Now, there’s a lot more in it for you! At Cogster, we believe your local loyalty counts, and now we’re keeping tabs on it for you.
Starting today, every time you use Cogster to support your town, you get points!
Buying local is cool. Saving money is even better. But, having Cogster keep track as you rack up more and more points the more you help your Main Street — well, that’s really something.
Cogster users can utilize their points to increase their loyalty ranking in town, brag to their peers, and qualify for special drawings and promotions! But, perhaps the best part of the cool, new points accumulation roll-out is that everyday consumers now have a way to prove their loyalty to locally-owned businesses. Moreover, local merchants now have a readily verifiable feature to distinguish loyal regulars from others who may not be as locally committed. Why does that matter? Local merchants want their best customers to feel special. Merchants want to gear certain promotions to be available to their most loyal customers. Now, with Cogster, everybody wins.
Have you ever walked into a local store you’ve been frequenting for years and felt mistreated by a brand new salesperson who didn’t know who you were? I have, and it didn’t make me feel very special. Your loyalty matters. With Cogster, we can all keep track of the cumulative loyalty we possess.
Save Money. Sustain Main Street. AND, earn points for doing so!
Click here to find out how you can start earning points today!
(If this is your first visit to our Cogster Blog, I encourage you to scroll back through some of our earlier posts. Read about 30 excellent local businesses and get to know them a bit better. Also, take a moment to click on the “Businesses” tab within the Cogster community nearest you and find out more about what your Main Street has to offer, how you can save money while gearing-up your town.)
15
Jan 10
Local Business Owners: Is the Money You Spend on Marketing/Advertising Paying Off?
Are you a business owner who has ever wondered what you were “getting” for all the money you spend on advertising? You’re not alone. It is difficult, toilsome, and, most times, downright arbitrary to calculate the return on the investment you make in marketing and advertising. Especially in this market.
[img credit: http://www.deploy511.org]
Here’s one good place to start:
Recently, I saw a seasoned CEO in action during a staff meeting with his top sales executives. When they were reviewing the firm’s 2010 ad budget, the CEO made a decisive, clear directive that made perfect sense. Basically, it was to spend “smart,” and the ROI will naturally follow. “Smart” spending means you must answer and then perform the following:
- First, list out where your current customer leads are coming from. Break it down by percentage. (ex: radio, website, newspaper, walk-in, referral, etc)
- Next, list how much you’re spending per lead source, as a percent of the whole budget. Once you have these two lists, put them side-by-side. Do the two lists match? Is there a good reason why not? If not, match the two.
- Example: One local firm recently reported spending over 75% of its annual ad budget on newspaper ads, when only 2% of its customer leads came from those print ads. This is a clear mis-match. Ensure you have the proper lead generation sources, then invest in the ones that yield good leads. Then, go about your business. Very quickly, you’ll figure out if you are spending “smart.” And, ROI will naturally follow.
Hit up Cogster today to learn how you can spend wisely and sell more. It’s three easy steps: (1) Register a business profile. (2) Post some Deals. (3) Initiate a loyalty campaign. Tell all your current customers about it. Ask them to tell their friends. Cogster is a win-win for everyone – customers and you. And it’s smart marketing, with a true ROI.
21
Dec 09
Zola Becomes First Cogster Business to Reach Milestone
Zola New World Bistro, a classy, contemporary restaurant in Central Pennsylvania, made history for Cogster earlier this month. It became the first locally-owned business to surpass its Cogster Campaign Milestone. That’s right — Zola raised just over $1,000 in under two weeks from many local, loyal supporters who want to see Zola prosper. In return, those supporters will double the amount of their purchase over the next 4 years. The best thing? Cogster will administer this loyalty relationship by tracking, updating, and orchestrating the social dividends rewarded for joining this relationship.
Cogster’s rapidly growing list of users continues to find great value in the partnership Cogster facilitates between local merchants and local consumers. Great deals, direct communication, and a very user-friendly system that is free for everyone to join lead the list of attributes. But, the milestone that Zola just surpassed represents the true “feel good, do good” value for Cogsters. The core of Cogster – that which makes it better and different from any social networking or on-line portal anywhere on the World Wide Web – is the Cogster Campaign. To learn more about how to help Zola continue its ongoing campaign, or about the other locally-owned businesses seeking your support, please go to: http://preview.cogster.com/businesses.
Click on “How it Works” for a step-by-step rundown of how to join a campaign and receive social dividends.
Cogster would like to extend a congratulations and thank you to the owners of Zola: Dave Fonash and Paul Kendeffy. Well done, and thank you for your trust in Cogster. And now that Zola has met its Campaign Milestone of $1,000, it is now actively pursuing its Campaign Cap of $10,000! With everyone’s help, we can all support Zola, and other local companies like it, to enhance their operations and improve our community.
Happy Holidays!
24
Nov 09
3 Ways Businesses Can “Think Local”
In this video, Matt Marshall from VentureBeat stresses some great points on how important it is for a business to think local. Whether you are a large corporation looking to go global, or a small company with a single location, your business must consider the needs of your local customers and figure out creative and effective ways to satisfy those needs.
The video points out that Facebook has been unable to successfully launch in China because they never established a local strategy, or took into account the strict government regulations of the area. It is important to do your homework before entering a local market! Here are three things you steps you should take in order to improve your local business:
- Use local talent
- Think like a local
- Adapt to local customs
Cogster is a tool that can help local businesses connect with their customers on a more intimate level. You can uncover your customers needs and desires, achieve higher customer loyalty and therefore create better customer relationships that will last for years to come.
What do your customers want?
11
Nov 09
Be a Valuable “Cog” in the Wheel of Your Local Economy
[img from gwoltal.myfastmail.com]
Cogster is entirely based on the notion that small businesses drive economic vitality and that everybody within a community is a critical cog in the wheel. Our goal is to roll out this template to small towns all across America. This idea is not all that far out, either. In fact, various templates have been attempted before and we have seen a strong sense of community commitment trends in recent months – in farm coops and other “buy local” initiatives.
An article published a few months back in the USA Today speaks to these trends and sheds light on some of the initiatives being tested. As you read below, think about how Cogster can work to your benefit and add value for you and your community:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-04-05-scrip_N.htm
