November Monthly: Retail Strategies, Grants, Tradeshow Updates, and more!

MADE IN MONTANA

Made in Montana, Grown in Montana, Native American Made in Montana

Made in Montana Monthly

November 2020

Our logo is a badge of honor for artisans, growers, manufacturers and craftspeople working for something bigger than the bottom line


items Made in Montana

2021 Made in Montana Trade Show

Made in Montana Tradeshow

Many of you have asked about the 2021 Made in Montana Trade Show and we are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Montana and neighboring states. 

Health and safety guidelines necessary to keep our members and staff safe, including  limits on large gatherings, factor into planning the 2021 Made in Montana Trade Show for Food and Gifts, tentatively scheduled for March 12 and 13, 2021 in Helena. 

We will notify Made in Montana members by email, social media, and the Made in Montana Tradeshow webpage when we determine whether to move forward with an in-person show.

We recognize the importance of wholesale buying events and are actively exploring additional ways of promoting our members via virtual shows, an online marketplace, or networking groups.


Domestic trade show grant

Export Montana Offers Grants

Are you planning on exhibiting at any U.S. trade shows outside Montana between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021?  If so, Export Montana has grant funds available to reimburse you for up to $3,000 of your expenses!

The Trade Show Assistance Program (TSAP) can help you with out-of-state market expansion by exhibiting at U.S. trade shows (including virtual shows) for the first time.  You can apply for these funds to get a 50% reimbursement, up to $3,000 for:

  • Exhibit space fees and registration
  • Booth rental
  • Display elements (booth rental, graphics, banners, signs, racks, decorations, lighting)
  • Booth furnishings (table, chairs)
  • Shipping and storage (drayage, freight, exhibit storage)
  • Show services (set-up and tear down, utilities, card reader, security)
  • Trade show literature (brochures, sales sheets, business cards, etc.)
  • Travel expenses (hotel and airfare)

 Learn more at EXPORTMONTANA.COM.


Keyboard

Ready for Holiday E-commerce?

Chances are you already prepped and tested your online store, scheduled your social media promotions, and sent emails to your loyal customers.  If not, you still have time to prepare for holiday e-commerce.  

Start with five steps:

  1. Ensure customers will have the best user experience.
  2. Automate selling, shipping and fulfillment.
  3. Create strategic holiday marketing and promotions.
  4. Ramp up customer service and support for holiday traffic.
  5. Measure the success of your holiday campaign.

More information for each of the five steps is available from a recent Big Commerce post: 

Here Come the Holidays: Prepping Your Ecommerce Store for 2020


Farm to Grocery Guide Available

Farm to Grocery Guide: Tips on Selling to Montana Retail Markets includes best practices and general information about making the decision to sell wholesale to retail markets.  

This guide is a companion resource to the Montana Farm to Grocery Webinar that took place on August 26th, 2020.The webinar was recorded and is now available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SooLBllzNBY&feature=emb_title [youtube.com] 


Celebrating Made in Montana

Good news from the Made in Montana inbox! Check out these highlights from several Made in Montana members  - from launching new products to celebrating milestones.  If you have news you would like to share, please email the press release or publication link to madeinmontana@mt.gov

Wake Up Montana featured Mountain Fresh Italian Ice and their successful business story Bozeman Business Boom: School teacher turned Italian ice entrepreneur

The Last Best Box on your doorstep!  A recent profile from KRTV in Great Falls highlights a subscription box filled with curated Montana products


COVID-19 RESOURCES

  • Montana COVID-19 Hotline: 1-888-333-0461 or COVID19info@mt.gov 
  • Montana Coronavirus task force: COVID19@MT.GOV
  • If you are a business owner and have questions related to the phased approach to reopening and how the plan applies to you directly, please call 1-800-755-6672.
  • If your question relates to unemployment insurance/benefits, please contact the Department of Labor and Industry at 406-444-2545. If you think you are eligible for unemployment benefits accessible to workers laid off due to COVID-19, you can apply for benefits online at: www.montanaworks.gov or contact the Unemployment Insurance Division over the phone at 406-444-2545.
  • CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
  • Montana Aware Toolkit: Montana Aware is a statewide effort designed to help Montana’s tourism partners and local businesses slow the spread of COVID-19 by promoting safety measures for those traveling in the state. As part of this initiative, the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development has developed a toolkit of resources to help you educate residents and visitors on safe travel best practices. The toolkit includes a web badge, printable posters and flyers, social media posts, and other customizable materials and is available at https://marketmt.com/ISO/Montana-Aware-Toolkit