AMIBA Offers 'Buy Indie/Buy Local' Outreach Tools

The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) has a free holiday gift for local communities -- new outreach tools aimed at ramping up "Buy Indie/Buy Local" campaigns for the holidays -- or anytime. Among the offerings are a bag stuffer template and two posters/fliers spreading the pro-independent message. Each is ready to print on standard 8-1/2" x 11" paper. One poster, which can also serve as an ad, features the holiday-theme "Give a Gift to Your Community." The other compiles three messages from AMIBA's popular "Why Buy Local?" poster series into one design. The posters can be viewed and downloaded here.

AMIBA is also offering a free copy of Main Street News magazine, featuring an eight-page primer on creating effective Buy Indie/Buy Local campaigns. Booksellers who would like to receive a complimentary copy should e-mail [email protected] with their contact information.

Forthcoming in 2010 are more outreach materials, and AMIBA "eagerly invites booksellers' suggestions for posters, bumper stickers, t-shirts, and other ideas," said Jeff Milchen, the group's co-founder and outreach director.

Specifically, AMIBA is seeking immediate input on two items: Military personnel are a large portion of the population in several IBA communities, so the alliance is looking for slogans, images, and ideas to effectively communicate the value of going local to folks who often have short residencies and little community contact. In addition, AMIBA wants to design a T-shirt and tote bag to distribute nationally with a Go Local/Go Indie message that can be customized with a local IBA's name and logo. Anyone submitting ideas that AMIBA uses in either of these initiatives will receive a prize.

AMIBA is also asking for input on what conversations or workshops will be most valuable for member communities at its April conference in Tampa.

To submit ideas for any of the AMIBA initiatives, send an e-mail to [email protected]. For more information, go to www.amiba.net.