Get the most out of your membership by taking advantage of these member benefits!
This page has everything you need to know and more on how you can make the most of your Shop Local Raleigh membership!
Bookmark this page and use the links below to navigate through the various sections where you will learn how you can best utilize your Shop Local Raleigh membership.
Shop Local Raleigh Logos & Promotional Materials
Download the Shop Local Raleigh logo and other promotional graphics to use on your website, marketing materials, and anywhere else you would like to brag about being a member!
Website & Directory Listing Features
Login to the Shop Local Raleigh website to access your Member Dashboard and take advantage of all of the great features your listing and the site have to offer!
We encourage you to routinely check your business listing for accuracy and periodically update it with fresh photos and information.
Click the button below or select “Login” in the top-right header menu of the website to navigate to the login page. Once logged in you can access your Member Dashboard where you can make edits to your listing(s).
If you need help editing your listing, email us anytime for assistance.
In your Member Dashboard, you will see tabs for:
My Businesses
Under this tab, you will see a preview of your business listing. Select the ‘🖊 Edit’ option underneath to update your listing description and information such as your operating hours, social links, logo and photos, contact information, and more.
When editing your listing you can also add or update your Member-to-Member offer, $20 on the $20th deal, drink specials, and any recurring specials your business may have. Just check the box for the special you want to offer and then input the details in the appropriate box.
- Special Offers – This field is where you would put any ongoing specials. Example: “Free shipping on orders of $50 or more” or “Complimentary teeth whitening for new patients”
- $20 on the 20th – This a monthly campaign where we encourage consumers to spend at least $20 at a local business on the 20th of the month. Example: “Save $20 when you book an appointment on or for the 20th of the month”
- Member to Member – These offers are only visible to members of the organization (you must be logged into the website to view). Example: “Members receive 25% off purchases with the code SLRMEMBER”
- SLR Insider – This is a new program that we are building where individuals pledge to support local with a donation to Shop Local Raleigh and in exchange receive perks and access to exclusive offers from our local business members. Example: “Free dessert with the purchase of two entrees”
- Drink Specials – If you have weekly drink specials, add them to your listing to reach a wider audience!
Keep scrolling for more information on our Consumer-Driven Campaigns and Member-to-Member Programs!
My Events
Keep track of all of your event listings on the Community Calendar under the ‘My Events’ tab. This is a great place to promote your upcoming one-time or recurring events like a grand opening, sale, open house, or trivia night!
My Jobs
List and manage your open positions on the SLR Job Board to reach a larger pool of potential applicants. We commonly share these open job positions to our social media and in our email newsletters.
My Account
From here you can update your password, account email, and payment details. Note that your account email is different than your contact email.
Your account email is used for login purposes and where renewal notifications will be sent. This is often the email for the owner, marketing department, or accounting.
Your contact email is where inquiries that come through your business listing are directed. This is often a generic “info” or “contactus” email. Your contact email can be changed by editing your business listing.
My Donations
We greatly appreciate your support of Shop Local Raleigh as a business member. If you would like to make a donation on a personal level and become an SLR Insider, you can manage your individual contribution under this tab.
List Your Inventory
Members have the ability to add their merchandise to the Shop Local Raleigh online store at no additional cost! That’s right, we don’t charge any fees or take a portion of your sales. You get 100% of any sales made and have complete control of your inventory management.
If you are interested in selling items on the Shop Local Raleigh website, please email us so that we can get your vendor account set up. We will notify you once it is completed so that you can begin adding inventory to the SLR website.
If you are an existing SLR Marketplace Vendor, click here for information on how to access and manage your store.
Consumer Driven Campaigns
$20 on the 20th
Our $20 on the 20th campaign encourages consumers to spend at least $20 at a locally owned and independent business on the 20th of every month. We feature these specials on our social channels and in the monthly consumer newsletter.
We invite you to join in and offer a deal on the 20th to help drive traffic to your business. To add a $20 on the 20th special, edit your listing and scroll to the “Add Your Offers” section.
Offer Example: “Save $20 when you book an appointment on or for the 20th of the month” OR “Use code SLR20 to receive $20 off your order of $100 or more”
Drink Specials
One of our most highly trafficked pages on the Shop Local Raleigh website is the #DrinkLocal Specials. If you offer a weekly special, edit your listing to have it included in this list of local happy hours to reach a wider audience and attract new customers.
SLR Insider
This is a new program that we are building where individuals pledge to support local with a donation to Shop Local Raleigh and in exchange receive perks and access to exclusive offers from our local business members. To participate in this program, edit your listing, scroll to the “Add Your Offers” section, and inout your SLR Insider deal details.
Offer Example: “Free dessert with the purchase of two entrees” OR “$5 off for SLR Insiders”
Member-To-Member Programs
Member-To-Member Offers
Reward those who understand the importance of shopping local most, your fellow SLR business members! Many members choose to offer a deal or discount available exclusively to other SLR members. To add a M2M offer, login to edit your listing and scroll to the “Add Your Offers” section.
Offer Example: “Members receive 25% off purchases with the code SLRMEMBER” OR “Complimentary consultation for SLR members”
Member-to-Member Offers are only visible when logged into the website. We also highlight a couple each week in the member newsletter. Check them out and take advantage of these savings while supporting a fellow member!
B2B Business Members
Are you looking for a new accountant? Do you have some printing projects? Maybe your website needs an update?
Search the Shop Local Raleigh Business Directory and check out our list of business-to-business members to support fellow SLR members!
To be added to our list of B2B businesses, send us an email.
Social Media & Marketing Opportunities
Members Only Facebook Group
If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to join the members only Facebook group where you can connect with fellow local business owners to share ideas, make referrals, and get to know one another. We ask that you refrain from using this group for self promotion so that it can continue to serve as a business resource for members. This is a great place to post when you:
- Are looking for advice – “What POS do you use and how do you like it?”
- Need a referral – “Can someone help me with updating my website or suggest a local professional?”
- Have a referral – “XYZ was great to work with and did an incredible job on our office remodel!”
- Want to connect with members – “We would like to invite fellow SLR members to our Friends & Family Open House for complimentary refreshments this Thursday evening.”
- Have helpful information to share – “This webinar looks really informative and is free to attend!”
Social Media Spotlights
Here are some ways you can get featured on the Shop Local Raleigh social platforms & leverage our following to promote your business!
Keep us updated! Add contactus@shoplocalraleigh.org to your newsletters so we can stay in the loop with what you have going on. If you have some exciting news you want to share, send us the info so we can help spread the word.- Tag @shoplocalraleigh and use the hashtags #shoplocalraleigh and #showsomelocallove in your posts.
- Engage with our posts! If your business is featured; be sure to like, comment, and share the post to help boost its performance. We also encourage you to engage with our other posts. Not only is it a great way to support fellow members, it will also give your profile more visibility to followers of our page.
- Partner with SLR to grow your social following with a giveaway!
- Schedule a time for SLR to film a Reel for your business.
- Add your upcoming events to the community calendar. We routinely pull from this page to create content for our social channels and newsletters.
- Offer a $20 on the 20th special. Each month we rotate through the various $20 on the 20th specials to feature them in our monthly consumer newsletter and on social.
- Participate in a promotional campaign. We will announce details and make a call for submissions to various marketing campaigns such as holiday gift guides in our weekly member newsletters so keep an eye out.
- Join the Shop Local Raleigh GRMA Members Only Facebook group! Not only is this a great place to connect with other members, this is also where we will post information about upcoming promotional campaigns.
Keep us updated! Add contactus@shoplocalraleigh.org to your newsletters so we can stay in the loop with what you have going on. If you have some exciting news you want to share, We look forward to connecting with you on social media and encourage you to give us a follow as well!
Blog Posts
Sponsoring members have the ability to submit up to 3 blog posts a year to be featured on the Shop Local Raleigh website. You can use this member benefit to share exciting news or for SEO purposes. You are welcome to repurpose content from your website, write an original piece for the SLR blog, or we can write something for you to highlight your business. We do ask that any content you submit have a local focus to it to fit our brand.
If you would like to be a part of our Meet The Owner blog series, send us an email to schedule your interview!
Events
You’re invited! Shop Local Raleigh hosts a variety of events from free monthly business seminars to NC’s largest beer festival and we would love to see you at one of these gatherings!
Monthly Member Events
Our monthly member events are free to attend and a great way to meet fellow members. Join us for Tech Tuesdays on the 3rd Tuesday of the month to learn about a range of topics to help you with growing and managing your business or meet us for 4th Friday Connections to network with local business professionals.
4TH FRIDAY CONNECTIONS: Connect with fellow small business owners and hear some Shop Local Raleigh updates during this traveling monthly networking series.
On the 4th Friday of the month we spotlight a different member and meet-up at their place of business for a casual morning of networking and coffee with local business professionals.
TECH TUESDAY: Tech Tuesdays are a FREE monthly webinar series held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Each month features a different presenter and topic ranging from “Small Business Taxes” to “What’s New in Social Media.”
Check out these recordings of past Tech Tuesday presentations and visit the events calendar to see what’s coming up next!
June Tech Tuesday – Event Marketing
May Tech Tuesday – The Importance of SEO
April Tech Tuesday – Social Media 101
March Tech Tuesday – Finding Your Why
Annual Events
Shop Local Raleigh hosts several annual events. We welcome you to take part in these fun community events as an attendee, participating business, or through sponsorship.
Annual Meeting
Brewgaloo
Falling for Local
ABC11 Raleigh Christmas Parade by Shop Local Raleigh
Sponsorship & Vendor Opportunities
Check out our sponsorship and vendor opportunities to be a part of a Shop Local Raleigh event!
Discounted Vendor Fees
In addition to receiving the member rate at SLR events, Shop Local Raleigh has teamed up with local market organizers to serve as a promotional partner for these area events that showcase local makers and small businesses.
Shop Local Raleigh members receive discounted vendor rates when participating in these local markets:
- Pop-Up Raleigh: $10 off vendor fees
- Raleigh Night Market: $10 off vendor fees
- The MAKRS Society: $10 off vendor fees
Details and applications for upcoming markets can be found on the respective market partners’ website:
- Pop-Up Raleigh | www.popupraleigh.com
- The MAKRS Society | www.themakrssociety.com
- Raleigh Night Market | www.raleighnightmarket.com
Members of SLR will still need to complete the application and jury process for these markets as normal. Membership status does not enhance or hinder the likelihood of acceptance. Discounted rates apply to the vendor fee only; application fees are still required when indicated. To receive discounted rates, Shop Local Raleigh members must be in good standing with the organization at the time of acceptance to the above markets.
Local Market Partnership Creates New Benefit for SLR Members
Additional Membership Perks & Benefits
Complimentary Notary Services
Shop Local Raleigh has an in-house notary public and we are pleased to offer this service to members of the organization at no charge.
Discounted Eye Care
As a part of your Shop Local Raleigh membership, you receive vision perks at The Eye Institue’s Seaboard Station location. Save money on your yearly eye exam, contact lenses, and frames. Unlike most insurance plans, you can use your vision perks towards glasses AND contacts in the same year and there are no limits on how many pairs of glasses you can use your discount towards.
- $59 Routine Comprehensive Eye Exams
- $75 New Fit for Contact Lenses
- $50 Refit for Contact Lenses
- 30% Discount on all Frames & Lenses
- 15% Discount on Contact Lenses before Manufacturer Rebates
Call 919-200-4840 to schedule your appointment and make sure to #ShowSomeLocalLove to The Eye Institute with a shout-out on social media as a thank you for these awesome savings!
Raleigh Christmas Parade Member Benefits
As a special perk to members, you can enjoy the parade from reserved VIP seats or be a part of the Shop Local Raleigh float! Keep an eye out for more details about these opportunities in your Fall member newsletters.
