We all eat lunch, and many of us proactively network to grow friendships and find new business. A Lunch Mob combines the two and is typically much less time consuming to plan and organize than a cash mob.
So, what is a Lunch Mob?
Simply put, a lunch mob is a group of people meeting at a local restaurant and each person paying for their own meal in order to support a local business. A lunch mob can easily be combined with other activities such as a social gathering, professional or dating speed networking or as a stop on a larger cash mob event.
Chamber of Commerce Lunch Mob
As a chamber event, a lunch mob is an informal lunch gathering at a member business. Those in attendance pay for their own meal. The benefits to a chamber of commerce because it’s a fun activity that focusses on connecting members without a lot of the formality of an evening networking event.
It’s also a boost to the local business that gets a lunchtime rush thanks to the chamber’s efforts. It may also introduce new customers to the restaurant. Some member businesses will offer specials just for the group.
Combined with speed networking, chamber members can get to know each other and still have time for a nice meal.
Community Banks, Business Banks and Credit Unions each have different overall missions, however, each one can benefit from hosting or sponsoring Cash Mobs in their community. Banks and Credit Unions are always looking for ways to increase awareness of their small business lending and banking services–a Cash Mob is a great way to get the word out. The following are the top five reasons Community Banks and Credit Unions should sponsor local cash mobs:
Media Coverage. Local media is starved for positive stories to cover about locally owned businesses. Holding a local cash mob at well-loved business will bring out the community and provide a great PR opportunity.
Community Engagement. Community Banks need to be associated with local positive acts and a cash mob fits the bill perfectly. Some banks have even been known to hand out $20 bills to the first 10 people through the door of the Cash mobbed business to lessen the burden on consumers while still benefiting a local business. Using this in cash mob event marketing will ensure a good turn out.
Brand Recognition. When done correctly, a cash mob sponsor logo and brand messaging is promoted before during and after the cash mob happens.
Product and service awareness. Keep in mind that the event isn’t about the sponsor it’s about the community and a locally owned business. However, as part of the Brand Recognition is product and service recognition. A banks employees should be encouraged to attend the event and as part of being there and speaking with other attendees (Cash Mobbers).
Good Will. Good will has always been important for local community-based businesses, but in todays social media-enabled world it’s even more so. Any opportunity that a lcoal bank or credit union has to show that they care about the local community and the locally owned businesses that make up that community the better it is. And, with so many people live streaming events the benefits are now compouinded by each attendee.
So, aside from the the shear joy of helping the local business community there are 5 specific reasons that Cash Mobs can directly and positively impact local community bank, business banks and credit unions. Even if you don’t have the available staff or Cash Mob expertise you can still sponsor a series of local Cash Mobs. We offer do-it-yourself cash mob packages as well as cash mob event planning consulting. So, now you have no reason not to use Cash Mobs as a marketing tool!
The Cash Mob concept is a strategic match for a Credit Union regardless of whether they offer business accounts. Using little, if any, monetary resources to get started, Cash Mobs may become the next fad for pro-local individuals to participate on a grass roots level.
“The basic foundation of Credit Unions were as grass roots institutions themselves so I think a Cash Mob is an absolutely natural fit for a credit union,” says Michelle McGovern, Chief Marketing and Development Officer for Firefighters Community Credit Union ($180m/Cleveland, Ohio)
Three simple reasons why Cash Mobs are perfect for Credit Unions:
Connecting with ‘buy local’ minded consumers has traditionally served Credit Unions well for the obvious audience parity.
Supporting the home-grown Mom and Pop store and keeping money local, especially in an economy that favors big-box solutions and global solutions, generally produce long-term and raving fans.These fans historically have put their money, and their banking, behind their social ideals.
Cash Mobs are in direct alignment to our seven cooperative principles. (which really should be posted on each and every Credit Union’s website for all to read if your CU really believes in them) Giving back to the community should be one of our obligations. Autonomy and independence are really what sets us apart, much like the local community retailer.
Even if you don’t have the available staff or Cash Mob expertise you can still sponsor a series of local Cash Mobs. We offer do-it-yourself cash mob packages as well as cash mob event planning consulting. So, now you have no reason not to use Cash Mobs as a marketing tool!
Every so often we need to take time to evaluate how we do things and if we can improve on the process. Many Cash Mob organizers provide feedback to us and describe how some rules are written to be broken.
Keeping the cash mob business a secret
Mystery has been at the core of cash mobs, however, businesses are missing out on a little pre-promotion. We’ve updated our Cash Mob Rules to give the locally owned business a little pre-cash mob love.
The value of the pre-promotion for the local business outweighs the mystery and can help drive are more specific type of customer through their doors.
Lunch Mobs
When it comes to organizing Lunch Mobs it’s even more important, critical really. Dietary requirements, allergies, and even simply food aversions speak to the need to pre-announce the Lunch Mob location.
Even though cash mob rules and lunch mob rules are merely guidelines, we like to provide a simple list of rules to help make hosting cash mobs as easy a possible.
Today may be April fools day, but businesses that participate in Cash Mobs are some of the smartest local business owners around. In fact, some communities have a Cash Mob waiting list of local businesses that have either self-nominated or have been nominated by local residents.
Imagine being able to generate an entire week’s worth of business by 5PM. That is literally what has happened during a cash mob. However, the immediate economic impact on the day of the event is just one benefit of being the focus of a cash mob. There are a number of long-term impacts as well.
First, new customers. The Cash Mob event exposes local businesses to new customers who have either not heard of your business or haven’t made the time to come shop.
Second, press coverage. Many times the novelty of the Cash Mob concept or the community involvement necessitates the local news media to cover the event. This “earned” press coverage is free to the business and extends the Cash Mob Shadow out for another week or longer.
Finally, good will. Most cash mobbed businesses a give back to the local community. Be it sponsoring the local little league team, donating to a local worthy cause, or even sponsoring a pancake breakfast–any good act creates good will. Promoting this charitable aspect of a business during the Cash Mob event will instill a sense of goodwill in new and returning customers.
So, whether you’re a business owner or a local resident looking to help your community Cash Mobs are more than just a single event. they’re a force to make a positive long-term change in local communities. Learn More.
Several of the tips that Heidi notes in the interview are included in her best-selling book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping With Purpose. These tips include how to be more mindful of why we buy and where our money is best spent to have the biggest impact and benefits to the local community.
The author explains how independent and locally owned businesses reinvest a greater portion of revenue back into the community rather than sending money to corporate headquarters elsewhere. Says Heidi, “Shopping locally is not something that’s only seasonal. It’s good to support local businesses throughout the year to keep our communities thriving, give us diversity of choice and build our local economy.”
Heidi’s book also raises awareness about our buying habits and to not always assume that small local stores are more expensive. She reminds us that we may think we’re getting a good deal on price but that the value of our time and quality of the product or service we’re buying may actually cancel out any savings. “We should be asking ourselves what’s most important about our purchase and whether it’s really worth buying something online or at a lower price at a big-box store. Especially when you may not be getting the best quality or you have to spend twice as much time returning or re-buying an item that looked good online but is actually 10 times too small.”
Making the shift is when you have a plan.
Following the 5 basic steps laid out in the planner makes your own shop local shift that much easier.
In the first few pages, you’ll answer questions to help you explore your values and shopping habits.
Next, you’ll choose which of the Focus on Five areas you’ll use to shift your spending for the month.
Then you can print out the progress pages to note the steps you’ve taken to Shop Local every month.
Use the Daily Intentions page to write down your mini goals that you can use to Shop Local in your everyday life.
Finally, as you become more mindful of your Shop Local Shift, you can use the last few pages to note all your favorite local indie businesses in your neighborhood.
About the Book
Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping With Purpose is an enlightening, inspiring and transformational guide that will change the way you shop forever. In this book, the author shares real-world stories highlighting why it makes sense to buy from local neighborhood businesses. She shows how rewarding and fun it is to shop at local indie businesses instead of going to major chain stores and how this helps our communities. Packed with clever ideas and easy-to-follow tips, the book offers all you need to support local indie businesses and shop local.
Heidi Butzine [pronounced bud-zeen] is a best-selling author, entrepreneur and wine aficionado. Her most recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping with Purpose, is part of her personal mission to get more people to support local businesses everywhere and strengthen the communities where they work and live. Heidi earned her executive MBA from UCLA and her bachelor’s degree from Cal State University, Dominguez Hills. Heidi is a Southern California native who lives in Redondo Beach where she grows Zinfandel grapes, dabbles in photography, painting and garagiste winemaking.
Small business matters. Without locally owned independent business most communities wouldn’t survive. Cash Mobs are one powerful tool in a community-focused strategy to shine a light one one local business. A Cash Mob event at one local business will make other local businesses want to get involved. When a Cash Mob is produced well it will garner local media coverage. local resident interest in the cash mob process and in featured local businesses.
Why does small business matter to a community?
Small business supports community activities both directly and indirectly through sponsorship’s, donations and hiring local residents.
“Small businesses are central to creating jobs in our economy; they employ roughly one half of all Americans and account for about 60 percent of gross job creation, newer small businesses, those less than two years old, are especially important: Over the past 20 years, these start-up enterprises accounted for roughly one quarter of gross job creation even though they employed less than 10 percent of the workforce.” – Ben Bernanke
“Start-ups are responsible for all net job growth in the U.S. economy. During years of recession, net job losses grow at existing firms—those a year and older—while job creation at start-ups stays stable. Start-ups create an average of 3 million new jobs annually, all other ages of firms, including companies in their first full years of existence up to firms established two centuries ago, are net job destroyers, losing 1 million jobs net combined per year.” – Tim Kane, senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation
If you care about your community help organize a Cash Mob. Support your local business s and shopkeepers and they’ll return the favor.
Congratulations to Lauren Way and San Diego Cash Mobs for their first successful mob! The business they mobbed said it was the largest single-day take EVER!
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California known for its beaches, parks and warm climate. Immense Balboa Park is the site of the renowned San Diego Zoo, as well as numerous art galleries, artist studios, museums and gardens. A deep harbor is home to a large active naval fleet, with the USS Midway, an aircraft-carrier-turned-museum, open to the public.
