Making It Happen: A Digital Marketing Roadmap for Small Towns
For struggling rural towns, investing in digital marketing can yield significant returns. A well-executed campaign can put a small town on the map, attract adventure tourists, and support local businesses.
Adventure Tourism as an Economic Lifeline
While we often view gravel cyclists, vanlifers, mountain bikers, and hikers as weekend warriors, they’re really a town’s untapped economy. Adventure tourism has emerged as a powerful driver of economic growth, especially for rural communities seeking to diversify income streams and revitalize struggling local economies.
I think about this every time I go mountain biking or gravel riding. Wherever I go, I aim to stop for food and drinks. Am I making an impact? Maybe not alone, but if a town becomes a cycling destination, yes.
Branding Small Towns: From Forgotten to Must-Visit Destinations
Why do some small towns become viral hotspots while others fade into obscurity? To me, the key lies in branding and storytelling.
In an era where digital marketing can make or break a destination, small towns must craft a compelling brand identity that resonates with travelers.
The Power of Digital Marketing in Rural Tourism
Imagine a small town that was once thriving but is now struggling to keep businesses open. What if the key to its revival isn’t in factories but in Instagram posts and YouTube videos?
Digital marketing has become an essential tool for tourism-driven economic growth, especially for rural communities that lack the visibility of major destinations.
Is Your Brand Falling Behind? The Case for a Solid Social Media Strategy
Interestingly, most business owners and non-profit leaders I talk with don’t like social media. While they know it is essential for their brand to grow its awareness and generate sales, interest, signups, etc., there’s a growing allergy to social media. As a result, most will post randomly without any plan or strategy.
However, they’re missing out on the best of what it means to be on social media. Here’s why a strategy is essential …
Social Media Growth is About Engagement
Social media growth is the magical elixir that all brands are focused on … or at least should be. However, looking at the analytics of several brands I know or follow, especially those that grew rapidly in the early days of Instagram, it seems they’ve contented themselves with either flatlining or declining slowly. When pressed, many will simply shrug and then mention something about algorithms.
What Can Photography Do For Your Brand?
Many small brands lack the time and expertise to generate high-quality digital media content.
This is one of the biggest challenges smaller brands face.
You’re so preoccupied with getting your brand off the ground, and there are so many hats you’re wearing. Often, what gets neglected are the actual components that help you build and grow your brand, namely quality photography, video, and social media content.
How Brands Can Thrive on Social Media
Social media is constantly changing. That is nothing new, and it has been that way from the beginning. Throughout the year, there are constant tweaks to the algorithm. For example, Instagram may emphasize Reels and push that content, only to later pivot toward carousels. We're left guessing and scrambling to keep up. Oh, and then there's AI.
As we forge ahead year after year, with everything happening and changes on the horizon, what does it take to stand out on social media today?
How about authenticity ...
The Not-So-Secret Sauce of Social Media
One of the common themes about social media that I hear constantly is that to “crack the code,” you need super-secret “insider-only” info that only a select few marketing gurus know. I regularly see videos about the SECRET TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
Is it really that secretive?
