It’s a banner moment.

Yesterday we welcomed our 1000th member to the community engine neighbourhood – Kerry Stubbs.

Kerry (smiling here in frame) is CEO of Northcott Disability Services. They operate all over NSW providing a range of services and programs to people with a disability, and their families and carers.

We’ve sent one of the nummy special offers from engine member Madura tea to Kerry, for helping us grow to four digit strength.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already got that many folks buzzing around the engine. But it’s awesome to watch.

Thanks to our 1000 plus founding members, who are setting the bar high with their community offers, notices and stories.

Who are we missing from your neighbourhood?

Become a member and start recommending local business, organisations and people from your community so others can discover them.

David Corazza and Peter Boyle own and run The Channon Gallery in the Byron Bay hinterland.

The gallery scouts, showcases and sells Australian contemporary art, and has deftly built a loyal following, while introducing people to art they may never have discovered.

In this second of our community engine member brains trust series, we asked David and Peter, aka, the Channon lads, to reveal some of their small business owner secrets to nurturing and keeping strong relationships.

David and Peter’s lessons:

• authenticity is key – mean what you say and say what you mean
• enthusiasm and passion – wear love of your work on your sleeve and you’ll attract others who share that passion
• reach out and get involved – recognise that you’re a part of something bigger and reach out to people regularly. Every conversation is an opportunity.

What makes your customer community special?

We’re still young, only ten months old, but in that time we’ve seen amazing growth in our patronage and following.

We think it’s because we always focus on giving people a positive experience, whether in person, online, or over the phone.

Our customers are our lifeblood and we welcome them and respect them – always.

Authenticity and engagement are the keys. From a genuine greeting at the door, sharing a coffee or providing worthwhile content online means we give our customers a memorable experience, and a reason to return, both to the gallery and to our online portals.

How do relate to the wider community – and how does this play a part in your strategy for success?

We are keenly aware that we exist as part of the art community, and are certainly not separate to it.

Our involvement and support of artists, government initiatives in the arts and other commercial and noncommercial galleries is essential in lifting the mindshare of all concerned in this region.

We are not a “shop” and we are definitely not an island. We work to foster positive local associations with business and community interests.

Life in The Channon Gallery mainly focuses on presenting the work of fine artists to the public, but it is also about building relationships with our artists, who we admire and respect, and their audience.

This occurs within the physical spaces of the gallery, via our website, which is continually updated with news and photographs, and via community engine and social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

These channels brings us into contact with a host of people involved in all sorts of arts endeavours, local andregional businesses and people who just admire art. They provide all sorts of opportunities to both learn about and contribute to a broader sense of understanding  of the arts community and all the ‘cogs in the wheel’ that drive our region and make it such a worthwhile place to live … and work.

What advice would you have for other businesses looking to grow their communities of customers and advocates?

Enthusiasm, authenticity and a keen desire to reach out and be involved are simple attributes we live by.

We think it works, and more and more, we are find a greater satisfaction in contributing to a community that brings together what we do at the gallery with a broader arts network, our patrons and our locale.

Connect with David, Peter and their team on community engine. If you love and know their work, recommend them!

Here are some simple tips to help your offer come alive.

A great headline

Your title should sum up what your offer is about and spark interest.

Be original (we can only absorb so many ‘Great offer, limited time only!’ headlines, aside from which, that doesn’t tell us anything useful).

At a glance people should be able to know what the offer is generally about and be compelled to learn more, if not take immediate action.

Think of it as a greeting with someone you want to impress. You wouldn’t yell at them (the equivalent of all capital letters and exclamation marks). You’d say something short and sharp that made them want to have a longer chance to talk to you. Or you’d say something amazing that stopped them in their tracks and made them want to learn the whole story.

Clear call to arms

It should be clear at a glance what you want people to do. We’ve taken some of that work out of your hands in the way we’ve designed our offers on community engine, but it’s still up to you to get the message across.

Be personable and avoid cliche

Make sure the offer shows off the personality or brand of your organisation.

You don’t have to be the brightest star in the room, just be yourself (that’s much more interesting).

Use real, conversational language, not ‘marketing’ speak that people will naturally tune out. Keep it real and keep it sociable.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing the same, generic, promotional spiel. Resist the temptation!

Once you’ve written up your offer, search online for the title or key phrases you’ve used. If they come up somewhere else (especially if they come up again and again), take a different tact.

Clear description and conditions

The description of the offer needs to detail what your customer will get for their money. This is your chance to elaborate on the offer, pointing out what’s great about it and explaining the full value.

Conditions need to explain any and all limitations of the offer and any restrictions, that affect the purchase or redemption of the offer.

This is your chance to set clear expectations to avoid confusing or disappointing your customers. Everyone appreciates honesty and transparency (it also ensures you keep things legal and safe).

Distinguish yourself by making your fine print actually quite easy to read.

Images speak a thousand words

Use high quality, attractive images.

Your picture needs to represent the offer and entice people. Show what people are actually buying where possible, and show the product or experience in its element if you can.

People tune out images that feel like tacky stock photos as much as they do canned marketing messages. Don’t go for cliche, be creative!

With such great photo tools, applications and services out there, it’s never been easier to snap a picture and make it look great. You can use your mobile phone and a fancy filter to make something look quite spectacular.

(Don’t forget, the picture needs to be your own or you need to have permission to use it – another good reason to take and upload your own photo! Note: community engine does not claim any ownership of your content, so you can create your own content worry free)

Tell people more about you

People often want to know more about who they’re buying from, especially in a social marketplace like community engine.

Make sure you’ve filled out your community engine profile with a picture and a little something about who you are and where you fit in your local communities.

The more people get to know you, the more they’ll be interested in what’s going on in your world (and if you’re asking them to buy or give something, the more likely they are to trust you).

If someone likes your offer, they’ll definitely be exploring your profile. Don’t waste that opportunity to tell your story and make a new connection.

Clear contact details

If people have questions, or need to contact you to redeem the offer, make sure they know how.

Any unique contact information required for customers to enquire or take up the offer can be included in the offer’s description or conditions.

Depending on your privacy settings, customers who go to your profile page may not be able to see all your contact information, so don’t forget to put your preferred point of contact on there for customers if you wish.

Put yourself in your customers shoes

As a litmus test, think about the kind of offers that stand out to you personally. What makes them different? What makes them seem valuable and authentic?

Try to pin down what you love and emulate those qualities.

Proof read your offer a couple of times, and ask a trusted colleague or customer to look it over before you make it live. Use them as a sounding board before releasing it to the wild.

What do you think? What’s your advice for creating offers with soul, that deliver on their promise?

community engine is all about connecting communities and empowering people, businesses and community groups to discover and trade on their own terms, so we’re huge fans of the Trail and their mission.

We chatted to their Community Manager Andrew Campbell about the event and why he thinks people, businesses and organisations are flocking to take part.

Why do think the garage sale is such a treasured institution?

I think because it’s that most basic of community activities - a face-to-face interaction and exchange of goods just like at your local markets. It’s about meeting your neighbours, swapping stories and having a bit of fun.

And I think that’s why the Garage Sale Trail is so successful in only its second year as a national event. People want to reconnect with their community and what better way than a day when people around the country are having sales. In last year’s Trail, six new neighbourhood connections were made on average for each garage sale!

And of course let’s not forget, you can always do with a bit of extra cash and an emptier garage.

What’s the most inspiring or memorable story to emerge from the trail?

The most inspiring stories for me are those of the people holding a sale to raise money for charities.

This year there are sales to support Cancer Council NSW and WIRES Wildlife Rescue and many others for local schools and community groups.

There are always memorable sales too – last year we had someone in Bondi list their house for sale!

Not to be outdone this year, now there’s an apartment in Bondi for sale!

Can you tell us about your own neighbourhood? If you had/were putting together a trail through it for visitors, what would be on your list?

My neighbourhood is Surry Hills in Sydney. It’s an inner-city suburb so it’s a pretty colourful place with a great mix of characters. The trail there this year will be awesome – there are so many houses and local businesses taking part that visitors could walk anywhere and find something cool.

I think I’d start with the City of Sydney’s Garage Sale Trail launch in Richards Avenue. It’s a cul-de-sac full of cool sales including The Man Sale. We could walk to Bourke St Bakery for a slice of pizza and a pastry then on to Crown Street to take a look at some of the great local clothing and record shops. A little detour and we could check out a gallery for young artists on Chalmers St and then on to the Life of Riley Street sale for some eclectic fashion and Aunty Mame’s sale for vintage fashion from New York. There are plenty of great small bars around too you could end the trail at.

You’re a community manager and you work for an organisation that brings people together. What do you think defines a connected community?

I think a connected community is one that has real relationships built on sharing and working together. Whether that sharing is simply carpooling or lending your lawnmower to your neighbour or as organised as a community garden, local markets or active community groups.

As a community manager I think we live in exciting times because the internet and social media are giving us the ability to re-connect people in communities not just online but face-to-face. People can find online the resources and people in their area and connect face-to-face.

Imagine you join a gardening community online and on the map you see your neighbour down the street has registered their garden too. You catch up with them and end up regularly sharing tips and even the veggies you grow.

It’s all about connecting people within their community over what they share.

We couldn’t agree more!

The Garage Sale Trail happens this Saturday May 5th, in streets around the country. Find a sale near you and learn more at garagesaletrail.com.au.

Follow the Garage Sale Trail team on community engine and show your support!

Here are some basic tips to help you plan and deliver a great offer for your community.

Remember, creating offers costs you nothing unless you successfully sell them (we believe in fair play).

This is just to get you started. You can ask the community engine team, and your fellow members, for help whenever you need it.

Align your offer with a goal

Aligning your offer with a specific business goal or objective simplifies offer creation.

Rather than fumbling for general ideas and getting lost in the possibilities, think about something you currently want – or need – to achieve, and create an offer to help get you there.

Importantly, it helps you measure your results, because you know what success looks like.

e.g. For a restaurant it might be attract more couples during slower mid week nights. For a hairdresser it might be more repeat customers for a regular trim.

Target your ideal customer

Most of us are swimming in an ocean of media and marketing messages. We don’t have time to read media that isn’t relevant or helpful to us.

Rather than creating an offer that is aimed at everyone, create an offer that is relevant to the customer you would most like to do business with in that moment.

The more specific you are, the more relevant you’ll be, and the more likely your offer will resonate.

e.g. Time poor working mothers, ambitious mid level managers, first time fathers are all specific segments of a market that have particular needs.

Name your customers’ pain (then propose a solution)

When you articulate the pains and concerns of your customers you show empathy. How wonderful is it to find someone who understands you?

In the description of your offer, describe the experience of your customers’ pain and the relief they’ll feel when your product or service addresses that pain.

You don’t have to ‘sell’ this. If you’re truly working to solve their problem, just explain how you’ll do it. 

e.g. Tired of working all day and coming home to cook? How about a night off? No running to the shops, no cooking and no washing up. Mario’s Business Suppers provide busy executives with a fast, hassle free dinner mid week.

Make it (actually) special

How many ‘special offers’ do we see out there that, upon inspection, are nothing special at all?

It’s not realistic to always offer massive discounts, a ton of inventory or other bonuses. But it’s not necessary either.

More stuff, or stuff that costs less, is not the same as special.

Think about who you’re making this offer to and consider truly what would be special for them.

It could be some time to themselves, a unique experience, some love and attention, or a small detail that makes a big difference, like personalisation or home delivery.

Make it simple

People shouldn’t need a law degree, a microscope, or a spare hour to figure out what you’re actually offering and where the value lies.

Some marketing bamboozles with lots of smoke and mirrors, and our natural response is to shut down if something seems too much effort or too confusing.

People should be able to read, understand and assess your offer in a minute or less.

Keep everything as simple as possible – the offer itself, the description, how to redeem that offer, and the terms and conditions.

It won’t just be more effective, it also shows you respect people’s time (and they’ll be grateful).

Make it exclusive

Creating an offer that’s exclusive to a certain group of customers or members gives them a sense of belonging and reminds them why that belonging matters.

An offer exclusive to community engine will show that you value customers who’ve connected with your organisation on community engine, and makes them feel part of something worth their time and trust.

Make it limited

None of us like to miss out. It’s not supply and demand, but human nature. When we think something is fleeting or rare, we’re always attracted to it.

Limiting your offer in quantity or time will create a sense of urgency, prompting people to act and buy.

For busy customers, it gives them a clear idea of when to act, if they’re interested. When offers are too open ended, we tend to procrastinate and not bother, even if they’re a great deal.

Show the savings

In survey after survey, customers say they connect with businesses online to get early or exclusive access to discounts, deals and other things that will save them.

We’re all looking for ways to make our money – and time – go further. We all want to save something.

Identify and show how your offer will save your customers what it is they want or need to save.

Make sure you can deliver on your promise

This is an important one. The most important from a planning perspective.

The most unbelievable offer in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t deliver the goods.

You risk legal trouble if you can’t fulfill the obligations you’ve made to your customer community, and critically, you risk their trust.

Trust is the rarest of gems. Be gentle with it.

Take careful stock of what you can manage and only promise what you know you can honour.

Be upfront and you’ll be fine. Better to be back by popular demand than under fire for overestimating what you could provide.

A great offer that delivers on its promise will lead directly to recommendations on community engine, and elsewhere.

Got more tips? Post them in the comments below, tweet them to us @communityengine, or email us.

Photos courtesy community engine member Koby Hagenfelds.

Your community engine profile is a cross between your front porch and your market stall.

It’s where you hang your signage, sample your wares, place your business cards or brochures, tell people your story, strike up conversation, buy, sell and trade.

Optimise your profile

The more you fill out your profile, the better it will serve you.

Fill out the basics (your business or organisation name, address and contact details), but don’t stop there. Would you visit a market stall that had a simple sign, no products on show and no other colour or life?

What’s your tag line?

Start enriching your profile with a memorable tag line.

If your business had a t-shirt, this would be on it. It should capture who you are and what you do in a nutshell.

It might be a line you already have associated with your business. Something locals will instantly recognise, or that just sums you up better than anything else.

You don’t have to be a writing whiz to come up with something striking. You could just write down three words that summarise your business or organisation – or ask a friend, colleague or customer to do the same. You might be surprised at the story those words tell!

We love this one from cino bambino.

Say cheese!

Having a great profile picture is essential.

community engine is powered by noticeboards. Profiles that feature profile pictures will feature more prominently than those that do not, so make sure you’ve got yourself in frame.

Images communicate volumes and help break the ice. We humans are always a little suspicious if we can’t see something – profiles without pictures feel more inaccessible and even less trustworthy.

Your profile picture is an opportunity to visually introduce you and your business or organisation.  A photo of you with your product, you doing what you love, or even some of your customers, paints an inviting picture. It doesn’t have to be overly slick, just an honest reflection of your business or organisation.

Avoid logos wherever possible. They’re often bland and lifeless, and don’t give people the information that counts.

Logos don’t tell stories – your profile picture can, and should. You can try different pictures and update them whenever you like.

Without a picture, your profile won’t come to life and you’ll lose opportunities to grow your customer or member base. Grab your phone, or a camera, or someone with either, and get snappy.

Categories and specialities

Categories are topics or subject areas your organisation might be associated with, such as ‘antiques’, ‘brewery’, ‘motel’ or ‘music’. Adding these will help you be discovered by people looking for those things on community engine, and on the web in general.

You can add up to five categories. Make each one count – adding a bit more information about you and your business.

Specialities are the nitty gritty. That’s where you should show off everything you’re proud that you offer and anything you’re known for.

You might list best sellers or favourite menu items, the fact your stock is locally made or grown, or that you’re in the only one in your town that offers a particular import.

The more detail you offer, the more you increase your odds of being discovered, meeting and converting new customers.

Photo galleries

The world is your oyster when it comes to photo galleries.

They’re the most creative element on your profile, and you should take full advantage of them to show off all your best assets.

Here’s a handful of simple but effective ways you can use your photo galleries:

• a product gallery
• images of your store
• images of your neighbourhood or suburb
• images of your favourite customers or regulars (with their permission, of course)
• images of your business or organisation active in the community
• images of your business through the years – or its construction, if it’s brand new
• images of your products ‘in the wild’

Don’t forget to add captions so people know what they’re looking at, and make good use of the featured photos function, which lets you regularly highlight choice images on your profile.

This means you can create lots of great albums for people to browse, but retain an editor’s touch on your profile front page, showing only the images most relevant to you and your customers at that moment. This is perfect for promoting a seasonal sale or a customer case study.

Credentials

If you’re in the type of industry that has certain licensing or regulatory requirements, you’ll want to include that information for your customers.

If they’ve never used your services before, this is an important way to signal that they can trust you. Plus, qualifications take time and effort to earn. Wear them proudly.

Details that matter

Things like price guides and opening hours might seem like optional extras, but they’re all important.

The information age has made us an impatient lot. If we find a business or organisation we’ve been looking for – or think we might want to connect with – having to go somewhere else to look up contact details, opening hours and prices will often make us not bother at all.

Share as much detail as you can and it makes it even more irresistible for people to connect and transact with you.

Personal or business?

On community engine you need a personal profile before you can create or claim a business or organisational profile.

You can build out your personal profile as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.

It’s worth nothing however, that when you share as a person as well as a business, it’s usually easier to build lasting relationships with customers and your community.

It’s nice to learn about the people and stories behind a local business or group, especially if they’ve been a part of the community for a long time.

Patt Gregory (pictured) uses her personal profile to introduce her customers and community to more of what makes her tick. She also maintains a profile for her business.

Consider what the right balance is for you and your organisation and we’ll support you in your choices.

Take care not to mix up your personal and business profiles when posting or adding information.

Your business profile has all the components described here (categories, map, pricing and product options, and so on), whereas your personal profile only has your profile picture and photo galleries.

Your personal profile offers a place to connect on a more intimate level, and you’d use this profile to have conversations on the profiles of others as yourself (rather than your business).

You might want to recommend a local business as an individual customer, not wearing your business hat, so you’d use your personal profile to do this.

Why optimise?

The web is littered with half empty profiles and websites, where the only thing that passes through is an occasional tumble weed.

Spruce up your stall, don’t forget to show up on market days and you’ll see real world outcomes.

A little effort up front means current and prospective customers will be drawn to you easily and efficiently.

Then the really great stuff happens.

Photos courtesy of community engine member Koby Hagenfelds

Based in majestic Byron Bay, Positive Change is working to bring an end to unsustainable fishing and ocean industry practices, while offering protection for the vulnerable marine ecosystem currently under assault from humans not thinking enough about the bigger picture.

Karl’s small team are doing epic work and their impact is being felt, one positive change at a time.

Tell us the story of your organisation? 

Positive Change for Marine Life was formed in June of 2010. After working with many marine conservation organisations in the past and with some of our founding members working in Japan on dolphin hunting and fisheries, we realised there was a need for environmental groups to work with communities, industry and government towards sustainable alternatives.

Understanding and respect are vital to creating positive change within these industries. If we are to look after the environment we have to ensure that sustainable alternatives are available so that the communities are looked after as well.

At first we started a blog which focused on our work in Taiji, Japan towards an end to the dolphin drive hunts that occur there. The blog turned into a website and that website became the muti-faceted NGO we are today.

We have expanded our work in Japan to include turtle rescue and rehabilitation as well as working with communities that have been affected by the tsunami and nuclear contamination.

In Australia we have begun work on the East Coast Inshore Fin Fishery (ECIFF), a dedicated (legal) shark fishery within Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that takes around 78,000 sharks per year, including bycatch of threatened and critically endangered species.

Non-targeted sharks, stingrays, dolphins, turtles and other animals are taken as bycatch and many believe that this fishery could signal the end for sharks within the GBR and have dire consequences on the overall health of reef biodiversity.

We are also working on ending the sale of shark fin and related shark products in Brisbane, a marine debris clean-up and scientific monitoring campaign in Byron Bay and working with individuals, fisheries and government towards protecting the GBR from the threat of coal seam gas mining, dredging and associated operations inshore from the reef.

What is your philosophy of practice?

Through understanding, education and respect we aim to create long-term, profitable, but most of all sustainable alternatives to these industries. We work with individuals, governments, businesses and communities to achieve our goals.

What strategies have you used to grow your community and supporter base?

We use creative mediums such as art, photography, music, film and design to inspire the general public and give them a new perspective on marine conservation.

We’ve used social networks like Twitter and Facebook for promotion, and also use events, local media and word of mouth to attract support.

We really want to grow a lot further and expand our reach as far and wide as possible, and are always open to suggestions and ideas to help us achieve this.

What’s special about doing this work in the Byron Bay community?

Byron Bay is a very special place. It is the most easterly town in Australia and the region surrounding Mt. Warning is host to the highest amount of biodiversity on the continent.

The protected marine park in the bay includes the iconic Julian Rocks, which is a Grey Nurse shark and manta ray aggregation site, sea grass reefs that are a refuge and feeding area for green and loggerhead turtles and a vast array of fish, rays, sharks and other species, and Watego’s Bay that is a critical habitat area for the resident population of bottlenose dolphins that call Byron Bay’s sheltered waters home.

The Bay is also a rest stop along the migratory route of Humpback whales that travel from Antarctica to the warmer waters of The Great Barrier Reef to mate and give birth.

We also get the odd Right whale in the bay as well!

We are blessed to be able to work with a community that is largely conscious of marine and environmental issues and is very supportive of the work that we do.

How can people support your work?

People can support us in a number of ways. We offer memberships for people to support us financially on a monthly basis. In return they get a free t-shirt, are first to know about our campaigns and are updated on our work through our e-newsletter.

They also have the opportunity to volunteer with us.

We also take donations online and at any of our stalls, festivals and fundraising events.

People can also support through offering their services such as printing, design, film, marketing, advertising, web design or prize donations. In return we will offer them free advertising through our all of our promotional material, via the web and at all of our market stalls and events.

We have a large range of volunteer opportunities available as well and are constantly in need of volunteers to help us run our campaigns both in Australia and abroad. If you are interested in what we do please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail or our facebook page.

We are a heavily community based organisation and as we are working with communities worldwide, community engine is a great platform for us to market what we do and spread the word.

We want to be an organisation that involves as many people as possible on as many levels as possible and we believe that community engine is key to doing this.

Follow Karl and support his work on community engine.

Positive Change for Marine Life
phone: (02) 6687 0639
e: positivechangeformarinelife@gmail.com 

Hats off to Karl for being one of our pioneering members, and for his dedicated efforts to bring about positive change. We’re working to create hassle free membership tools for organisations like Positive Change – giving members more time to mobilise around what matters.

Eve and Ross Heath run Heath’s Old Wares & Collectables in beautiful Bangalow, on Australia’s Northern coast. 

Their antique trove is a lucky dip for lovers of art deco, retro and vintage treasures, and a popular prop house for movies, television and special events.

Like any small business owners, they’ve done the hard yards to get where they are and have lived the value of their relationships they’ve built in the region and beyond.

We asked adorable Eve to share some insights about their customer community that others can learn from – what makes it special, how they’ve built it and keep it going strong.

Eve’s lessons:

• constructive collaboration – find ways to add value to those in your industry and extended community, it’ll come back to you!
• take it outside – have events that connect you and your regulars that allow for getting to know one another in a relaxed setting
• peer support is priceless – make and keep friends who understand your work and its challenges; and be a good friend yourself!

How did the adventure start?

Ross and I started our business doing the local North Coast Market circuit with our four very young children. It was not the easiest path, but it has proven to be a good one!

Tell us about your community? How is it unique – and how have you grown it over the years?

We met so many other marketeers over the 15 years of being stall holders and remain friends with them all.

Some have moved on, but the basic understanding of the work and commitment that goes with having a regular stall creates respect and friendship.

We had a friend Ray Evans who owns Chinderah Bay Antiques, and another friend who owned Old Codgers in Ulmarra. We were in the middle, so we created a list of shops that we knew about between the two (and into Casino because we had met the McKee Family).

Ross went around to every shop, introduced himself and asked if they would like to be listed on our ‘Local Trail’, which we maintain on a simple Excel spread sheet – easy.

By personally meeting each of the shop owners, a relaxed and friendly community started to form. Seeing what type of stock they focused on also gave us the opportunity to share this with our customers and send them to visit other like-minded stores.

Ross came up with the idea of our ‘Local Trail’ because customers would ask us where there were other stores like ours they could visit. The trail now includes Kyogle, Grevillia and Uki!

Every now and then we have a ‘dealer’s convention’ – it is well overdue at the moment!

It’s an invitation to anyone in the industry who can make it (focusing on shops listed on our ‘Local Trail’ and their customers) to meet at a nominated venue for lunch and a chance for people to put faces to names.

Gatherings like these make for an inclusive community of people who share a common interest.

Many of the shop owners on our ‘Local Trail’ are not computer savvy so when we started a blog and later when I built our website, we included our ‘Local Trail’. This global, 24-hour access and presence is a terrific reference for our customers and others in the industry.

I often take pictures when we visit other shops and post them on our blog. This keeps our customers abreast of what is around in the very sustainable industry we are passionate about.

How would you sum up your philosophy and approach when it comes to getting and keeping customers? 

Our line of thought is no other store is competition, only complementary.

If we were looking for something we would really appreciate someone helping us, so we try and help our Old Wares community and customers.

Ultimately it helps us too.

Connect with Eve and Ross on community engine, support their work, and be the first to know about their great offers and hot off the press announcements!

Photos courtesy community engine member Kirra Pendergast Photography.

Our first featured offer comes from member Danielle Stewart, who grew up in the Byron Shire and trained in Classical Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary at Queensland University of Technology.

For 11 years she ran the Byron Contemporary Dance School, mentoring local talent into dance careers.

Danielle returned to freelancing while raising her family, but she stayed busy, working on the NORPA Dance Action committee to foster dance in the Northern Rivers region.

Thanks to our maiden engine-eers for their feedback and ideas so far.

We’ve had some great conversations with you in Byron Shire and on community engine itself, about how you’d like to see the engine evolve to support your needs.

Keep them coming by emailing support@communityengine.com, tweeting us @communityengine, or if you’re a member, posting on our community engine profile directly.

What’s working for you, what’s not?

What new features would help you create offers, post notices and engage with your customers and members?

We’re learning with you, so make sure you have your say.

If you get stuck, check out our FAQs (and tell us what we’ve missed), or reach out to our Lead Community Manager, Venessa Paech.

One of the unexpected pleasures for us so far has been watching different connections between businesses, organisations and community members surface.

We’re interested in how we can develop this further, so let us know what you think.

Have a fantastic Easter, if you celebrate it, and we hope you get some time off to play in your communities.

Remember, if you don’t recharge, you’re no good to the people that love or need you.