September 2021 – user's Blog!

Sky is the Limit for SaveOn

As a longtime marketing company, SaveOn has seen everything from economic boom to nationwide recession. Although it hasn’t always been an easy journey, the company has taken each ebb and flow as a learning experience. Its business model is built for growth and new opportunities but is prepared for crisis and external economic uncertainty. That’s why when the COVID-19 pandemic came suddenly and mercilessly, SaveOn was prepared.

“SaveOn is not afraid of a challenge,” SaveOn President and CEO Heather Uballe said. “When the pandemic hit, and businesses started pausing services, we didn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. We jumped into action.”

The company — which strives to save people money by connecting them with savings from trusted, local businesses — knew the pandemic had the potential to result in tough financial situations for both businesses and Savers.

“Our plan was to help keep businesses alive, while providing Savers with deals at a time when they needed them most,” Uballe said. “We had to help educate our business partners on the importance of not cutting off marketing and going quiet during tumultuous times.”

The company put together educational materials such as webinars and blogs, while having its sales team work with businesses to make sure they were supported beyond selling, she continued. SaveOn also put together a program to give local businesses free microsites where they could showcase their services, offers and more to potential customers.

“Sales weren’t our top priority. People were,” Uballe said. “We made sure our team, business partners and Savers all felt safe, secure and supported first and foremost. Next, we wanted to lift up local. We used our resources to give businesses with the most need free or discounted advertising, took to social media to encourage people to shop local, and adjusted our monthly giveaway program to provide much-needed materials to our communities.”

Some of SaveOn’s many charitable actions included:

Grocery giveaways
Team and club sponsorships
Donations of food, money and supplies to nonprofit organizations such as Grace Centers for Hope
Free microsites
Discounted advertisements
Social media and blog highlights of nonprofits

While many businesses and industries struggled throughout the pandemic and are still carefully navigating the recovery phase, SaveOn is one of the few exceptions. The company — which offers digital services, print coupons and mailers, and reaches nearly 3.5 million homes in the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago and Twin Cities markets — not only remained open but also enhanced its digital service offerings and is now expanding into new markets:

In June 2021, SaveOn acquired Chicago-based Trader Magazine and its reach of 240,000 homes in the Chicagoland suburbs.
In its latest power move, SaveOn is going even further through a merger with Home Pros Guide in Davie, Florida, that will extend its reach to more than 1 million homes in South Florida.
Home Pros Guide will retain its name in the Florida market.

“We’ve been very blessed at SaveOn to have kept employees working throughout the pandemic and to be able to take on new business ventures,” Uballe said. “We never take a day for granted. We will continue to share our success by giving back to the communities we love and that have supported and built us up over the years.

“SaveOn is entering one of the most exciting times in our nearly 40-year history. Our team is energized and thrilled to continue to help businesses reach their fullest potential and help Savers Live Life for Less,” Uballe said.

Learn more about SaveOn at SaveOn.com.

About SaveOn
Together, with our trusted business partners, we are dedicated to helping Savers Live Life for Less by saving them time and money. We are passionate about the growth of our team, business partners and the communities we call home.

Doing Good is Good Business

Small acts make big differences.

They have an outward rippling effect the same way a tiny pebble does when tossed into an area of still and silent water. It expands in all directions and reaches well beyond its small and seemingly insignificant point of impact.

The easiest way to think about this is, unfortunately, in the negative. We’ve all had those days where one ugly comment hurled in our direction affects the rest of the day. It drags us down. We dwell on it and repeatedly hit replay on the incident over and over in our head.

The negative is memorable because we tend to carry it with us like awkward and cumbersome baggage that we can’t put down. It becomes a black stain in our mental ledger that too often will metastasize into an immoveable grudge.

In business, it’s been well-documented how one bad review can create those waves of doubt and uncertainty in a potential customer base. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom; the good news is positive experiences produce similar results — and business owners have many more avenues to spread those happy ripples across the pond than they do the poor ones.

Perhaps the widest avenue for spreading good will is the one that runs outside the storefront. It’s that eight-lane luxurious superhighway known as community altruism, where small acts of kindness can reap big rewards in reputation.

Giving back is an important cornerstone for any organization looking to cement a relationship in the community where it does business. It’s said you have to spend money to make money and providing support to local causes and organization gives your business purpose as well as helps raise your profile and, ultimately, boosts your bottom line.

Build Your Brand

Having your business name attached to worthwhile causes and events bonds your brand to things local residents care about and puts your brand top of mind. The result is positive public relations and name recognition.

As noted in Forbes, “People tend to refer business to people they trust and believe will take good care of their family and friends. By giving, you are letting the world know that you care and that you are sharing your wealth and blessings with others. This is crucial to growth and success.”

Networking Opportunities

One of the most powerful tools a business owner wields are the contacts they make. Common ground is fertile soil to grow connections, and what better way to find like-minded people than at a cause or event you already support?

“Networking allows you access to opportunities you might not be able to find on your own. Your network has the potential to provide you with insight into different fields, information on what potential employers look for and advice on how you can improve professionally,” according to an article from Indeed.com.

Increase Employee Engagement

Offering options for your employees to give back to the causes they care about in the communities where they live increases engagement among your workforce. It also contributes to team building and unity among staff members. Younger generations place a high premium on companies that give back and are dedicated warriors in the arena of philanthropy. This can help employee retention as well as make you more appealing to top-tier candidates.

All the above reasons help get your name out in front of the eyes of the public. However, there is another reason for community giving that often goes unstated and may be even more valuable: It’s the right thing to do.

You chose to do business in a particular community. Because of that, you should have a personal stake in seeing your community succeed and becoming a better, friendlier and more thoughtful place to live and work. A lot of times, giving back doesn’t even have to take a lot of thought and planning; it can be almost reflexive.

At SaveOn, for example, our collaboration with the Michigan Renaissance Festival in our Detroit market provided us with an abundance of complimentary festival tickets. It was a no-brainer to take those tickets, bundle them up and send them out to local first responders and front-line workers who have been working diligently to protect the community for more than a year. We didn’t have to think about it, and it didn’t cost a thing. It was just good will to good people.

And that may be the most significant point of giving back. You need to invest in the community if you want them to invest in you. It’s a foundation where not only relationships are established and built, but it also serves as an inspiration for others through leading by example and creating a more caring world.