Buy Michigan: be part of solution

Buy Michigan Now. That’s the three-word mantra of a new effort to get people to support the state’s economy by spending with Michigan-based business and spreading the good news about Michigan wherever they can.

The campaign is the brainchild of Lisa Diggs, owner of The Catalyst Company, a consulting firm in Livonia. It centers on her website, BuyMichiganNow.com, which went live in late November.

The website will undergo a major relaunch in mid-March with the addition of several features intended to help consumers, businesses and communities live up to the goal of supporting Michigan’s economy through shopping choices.

The two new features of interest to business owners will be a searchable business directory of Michigan-based businesses and a section called “Mich to Mich,” which will help businesses find other Michigan-based firms with which to do business.

“Businesses can find each other and get contact information, then meet on their own to work out details,” Diggs explained.

What got Diggs interested in the idea was her desire to change her buying habits to support Michigan-based businesses. When she found very little on the Internet to help her, she decided to create a website.

Since the launch she reports receiving many positive comments from consumers.

“They tell me they are making changes—eating Better Made potato chips or shopping at Hillers since learning they are based in Michigan. Or they want me to list the great Michigan businesses they love.”

The website’s homepage features a request to “Take the Pledge.” It reads, in part: “I hereby pledge to play an active role in building a strong, vibrant and diverse Michigan economy. I will be a part of the solution by speaking positively about the state, learning about our products and services, and making a concerted effort to buy from Michigan businesses.”

Diggs encourages Michigan business owners to “pre-apply” for the searchable business directory on the website even before the mid-March launch, so that their businesses will be visible when the upcoming publicity push drives new users to the site.

First, a business must meet one of three criteria for inclusion, established with the input of business groups and downtown development authorities. The business must:

• operate entirely in Michigan;
• be headquartered in Michigan with additional operations out of state; or
• be a Michigan-owned franchise (some fees or revenue may be paid out of state).

Qualified businesses can create a free basic directory listing or pay for an enhanced listing, which includes options such as links, larger descriptions, keywords, logos and multiple-location listings, at a price Diggs describes as “incredibly affordable”: starting at $100 per year.

Good news
The other major addition to the upgraded website will be a steady supply of articles and information emphasizing good news about Michigan.

“I think we all have a handle on the fact that the state has its challenges. Let’s turn that around, not dwell on the challenges, but publish the good news,” said Diggs.

“Too often we come to believe our own negative press. Buy Michigan Now plans to report on Michigan, but simply will choose not to cover negative stories.”

Articles will give consumers ideas about how to spend their money within the state and help businesses learn from one another—anything that helps Michigan-based businesses increase their sales so that more Michiganders are gainfully employed.

The website received good press around its initial kickoff, especially in Southeastern Michigan, including coverage by several television stations. Governor Jennifer Granholm mentioned the site in one of her weekly radio addresses.

Another aggressive PR effort will follow the relaunch, with television and radio appearances, speaking engagements and articles in print media across the state. Diggs has been forging relationships with media and business organizations across the state for the relaunch and expects the media coverage to be broad.

The bigger picture
Buymichigannow.com is not the first or only website to focus on Michigan businesses. At least three other similar sites, of varying levels of quality, have been online for several years. Many offer free listings, which may include a free link to a business’ website.

Buymichiganproducts.com lists only products actually produced in Michigan and some retailers that carry them, and currently has a fairly small database—377 products, of which 216 are food.

The Michigan Business Directory, www.michiganbusiness.us also lists Michigan businesses but has no criteria for inclusion and lists many national chains not headquartered here.

MRA’s own Mall of Michigan (www.mallofmichigan.com) lists MRA member businesses organized by retail category, and links to the business website (e-mail pdkerwin@retailers.com to be listed or for more information).

Another website, Absolute Michigan (www.absolutemichigan.com), developed by Leelanau Communications and Traverse New Media, is arguably the most complete overall guide to everything Michigan, from retail businesses to libraries, real estate, sports, travel, nonprofits, media and more.

Diggs respects all these websites, but explains the difference between them and her site:

“We are more single-minded, focused on creating commerce that helps the state. We heighten awareness of the power of buying habits to affect the economy, and through the Pledge we ask people to commit to being part of the solution by changing those habits.”

In this way, the Buy Michigan Now campaign is similar to “Local First” efforts in local communities—business groups that promote buying locally as a means of keeping local dollars circulating in the local economy. (See “Local First helps Grand Rapids independents” in Michigan Retailer, March 2007).

Local First organizations are likely to view the Buy Michigan First campaign as in line with their mission.

“Local First groups encourage shoppers to buy locally first and—when that’s not feasible—to buy as locally as possible, which might mean from a Michigan-based business rather than one owned out-of-state,” said Katharine Czarnecki, executive director of the recently formed Capital Area Local First in Lansing.

Diggs notes that a smart business owner will list the business on several Internet directories, especially if it’s free, but she also believes that her plans to actively promote BuyMichiganNow.com will make it “the place to be if you are a Michigan-based business.”