The time to focus on entryway enhancements is now

Your Town Rising works with Clifford, Ontario

Have you had a good, hard look at the front of your shop lately?

We’re talking about an honest evaluation of how you would answer “what is catching the eye of the passerby?’

People move around a little more cautiously these days, with a heightened sense of safety in fresh air and outdoor spaces. With warm summer days upon us and an increase in foot traffic downtown, there has never been a better time to get creative at the outside, front entrance of your business.

Downtown storefronts, vestibules and entrances are crucial to making a strong first impression and to connecting with your community. Plopping a single flowerpot in front of your door just won’t cut it. Now is the time for full on efforts to brainstorm, to layer and add unique and creative elements that engage all of the senses.  

A large graphic in the front window of a bakery, featuring a warm cookie with oozing, melted chocolate has the power to get us drooling. The scent of freshly baked goods wafting right out the open door will sell the goods and a decorative bistro set out front will draw others in. “Oh look, there’s a guy sitting outside that bakery, with chocolate on his chin, enjoying a pastry. Maybe I need some of that deliciousness too!” (You get the idea).

A clothing store that has brought the inside – out, with purses, belts or scarves tied to a creatively styled ‘clothesline’ and swaying in the breeze, is sure to grab attention. Engagement begins at the curbside and entices browsing. Efforts to bring creative displays out front, means shopping starts before customers set foot inside.  

And don’t forget the power of Instagram, when considering storefront enhancements! A clever and catchy phrase, in a key location can become a magnet for ‘Selfies’ that end up all over social media channels. There are a ton of fun ways to promote your business and drive traffic to your front door.

Our new 2020-21 program Storefront Makeovers on Shoestring Budgets

Our absolute favourite thing to do, is to visit towns to help inspire immediate, low cost, doable actions that help your community rise. Our new 2020/21 program is called “Storefront Makeovers On Shoestring Budgets’. If this sounds like a fit for your downtown, let’s connect. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Is this our time to shine?

There is no denying that the Corona Virus has changed our world and turned life upside down. When so many small businesses have been forced to close, how do we ensure that our towns survive? How do we sift through the noise and find ways to rise? The truth is, nobody has the exact answer. We are all in new territory. Most of us are figuring it out as we go and riding emotional waves along the way. What is emerging is an incredible response of care, compassion and connection - all principles upon which small towns were built. Somewhere along the way, we may have drifted, trying to keep up with the fast pace of modern life. We may have shifted our focus to numbers and sales and keeping up with the big boxes. Yet our strengths and the way we rise again, lies in ‘community’. This is the reason people live in small towns. We are witnessing some wonderful, community building initiatives from towns of all sizes.

We hope you find inspiration and opportunities for your small business and your town to connect with your community in some of these examples.

Let your customers know you miss them:

We are all seeking connection. A powerful and emotional way to connect is by expressing to your customers just how much they are missed. Video is a great way to convey this message and Instagram live is an effective platform. You can even record a live message from your home, in a simple and heartfelt way.

Customized, Personal Service:

Remind your customers that you are there to help. Consider ways to be flexible and provide personal service. Toy Store Example: ‘Spring has Sprung – Play Kits’: Customers choose an age group and a kit with a toy / game / craft. Several price points can be offered as well as options to personalize the items in the kit. (This concept can be adapted for a variety of businesses)

A hand-written note:

If your business is doing door to door delivery, adding a hand- written note is such a wonderful way to reach out and show that you care. In this age of digital messaging, it is incredibly moving to receive a note! When was the last time any of us received a letter written by hand? It’s such a treat and means so much in this time of social distancing.

Partnerships:

We are seeing wonderful cooperation between shops and businesses in order to support each other during this crisis. Can you work with another shop to coordinate delivery service? If you need to grab a meal on the go, can you pick up something for your business neighbour too? Can you partner with another business for a special offer? (Example a gift store or bookstore and a local florist offering a ‘Mother’s Day’ special).

Community Fundraising:

Businesses and individuals are finding creative ways to help a community cause! From house music concerts to raising funds by shaving a long beard, we are seeing creative ways to support local charities. Can you brainstorm a way for your business (or a few small businesses) to support a need in your community?

Facebook Groups:

Social media can provide ways to connect with like- minded people! Do you have ideas for how your downtown can shine? Do you see value in getting to know your business neighbours better? Do you want to connect with others who may have skills, insight or information that you seek? Consider forming a Facebook group, to use as a discussion and brainstorming platform and to connect the doers!

Bring Dreams to Life:

Can you see opportunity in this time of upheaval? Maybe it lies in bringing dreams closer to reality. With more time available to us, we can take steps towards achieving the dreams we have for our town. Is it a colourful mural on a blank wall you envision? Find out if there are artists in town who have experience with mural painting. Connect with the partners, determine any costs and time frames and begin collaborating! Does your town need more bike racks? Seating? Planters? There are designers, builders and makers in your community that would love to help. We have an opportunity to create the type of communities we want to live in.

We look forward to seeing and hearing about the dreams you bring to life.

#YourTownRising

Simple social media idea almost no community or downtown EVER does

By Gregg McLachlan
Your Town Rising

If every downtown, every BIA, every tourism or economic development department thought like their audiences who use social media, they’d know one of the most common questions people have when they post a photo to Instagram.

What hashtags do I use?

Writing our content for our posts is easy. Choosing which hashtags to use takes time.

If we are discovering an amazing town in, say, small-town Alberta, we might include the hashtags #ExploreAlberta #travelalberta #alberta in our post on Instagram. But how do these hashtags connect us to the small town that we’re in? Aren’t there any local-specific hashtags created by locals that can better help us specifically reach the local shops and folks?

None of us have a clue. It’s a mystery.

So let’s face it. We guess. We make up some hashtags, not even knowing if they are useful, exist or are popular. It’s often a spur of the moment decision which hashtag to use. OK, maybe there is one ‘local’ hashtag that we remember because we saw a friend use it. Or maybe it’s the one that the local tourism account on Twitter or Instagram always uses. But we all know, we use more than one hashtag.

Hashtags are how we find amazing places, connect with other like-minded people, and get our content in front of more eyeballs that are interested in the same things. They are also how we tag the great experiences we enjoy.

Which leads us to today’s questions: Why aren’t we making it easy for our local audiences to choose hashtags? Is it really better that they are going to hashtag apps and punching in random words to get the best 30 generic hashtags used on planet Earth? Um, the world has almost eight billion people.

Probably not a great local solution.

Some people will keep using hashtag apps. But others — those enthusiastic community boosters that exist in every small town — always crave more ways to amplify local. Oh yeah, that same ‘local, local, local’ that the local tourism department keeps promoting.

So, here’s a zero-cost way to help your audience. And it is a solution to a problem (see above, again, if you need a refresher).

Create your own official HASHTAG list. It will contain local specific hashtags and some that are more regional in scope. Put it on your website, and make it easy to cut and paste. Promote it. Tell your audiences how easy it is to grab the list and start using it in posts. Start talking up how this helps everyone grow followers and connect around a like-minded list of hashtags.

The problems we’ve had for years is that tourism and economic development departments and downtowns have been very singular in their thinking revolving around hashtags. Many have one. Far more have none. If we think like our audiences, we’d wake up fast and realize they use many hashtags and often wing it as they create a post.

Start helping them! Create a cut and paste hashtag list!

Yes, YOU can show the way with ideas in your downtown

By Gregg McLachlan
Your Town Rising

“We’ve always done it this way.” These are the six deadliest words for every small-town downtown seeking to move forward.

Pssst! It’s also a slap in the face to millennials who weren’t even born when you were still doing it that old way. Um, you are trying to attract millennials, right?

The problem hits the crisis stage when this mentality becomes embedded in the culture of a downtown. Resistance to change will create irrelevancy fast. The public notices when a willingness to change, get creative and adapt, becomes non existent. It’s hard to build back public confidence and a sense of a place if it is allowed to slide.

There’s a common thread that drives the “We’ve always done it this way” syndrome that throttles the need to grow and adapt.

The common thread is thinking everything has to go through a certain channel. That channel often involves some folks or leaders who have worked in your downtown for decades, probably even before a microwave first appeared in the local coffee shop. Many of these folks may be in ‘comfort’ mode. Change is tough or even seen as not needed. They’ll complain about anything that changes routine. Yes, you may be one of the enthusiastic ones and you have tried approaching these people with ideas. But it usually ends the same way: “I talked to them about that idea and it went nowhere.” When more and more people have this same refrain, you can see an unfortunate stereotype has developed.

So, if you are one of the enthusiastic store owners who wants change, what can you do to encourage change in a downtown?

Here are a few suggestions:

Schedule a time to meet with your leaders

I know, I know…. if leaders are a problem, then why go to them? Well, you can be a leader yourself by showing ‘leaders’. You’re lucky if you work in a downtown where people can suggest ideas in passing and it generates a response like “Great idea! Let’s meet to talk about that more!” Or better still, “Great idea! Run with it!” But this isn’t most downtowns. If you meet with your leader, don’t say “I have this great idea that I’d like to talk to you about.” Just say you have something that’s important that you would like to talk about. Bring along another shopkeeper who is supportive, if that will help. And then take ownership of your idea (it’s your idea!) and talk about how YOU will move forward with it. You’re not being a rebel. You’re being a do-er. Your downtown probably needs more do-ers. In the end though, you really don’t need any meeting to move forward with your idea. Just start doing it!

Focus on doing

Sure, an idea with information, a strategy, benefits to the downtown, and outcomes is the basis for selling action. But, let’s be honest, don’t get bogged down in all that stuff to the point of an idea’s enthusiasm getting killed by time wasted. There’s nothing wrong with doing and learning at the same time. Doing 25 things and learning that 15 were awesome, is generating Idea Capital and creating progress. That’s way better than doing nothing or continually studying, doing reports, and forming committees. An idea-friendly downtown can be contagious and spur others. You WANT this kind of downtown.

Yes, you can still talk about benefits and improvements

If you know that fear of change from leadership or is an inevitable response, then be prepared with how you’ll deal with it. You need a solution to move beyond that hurdle and keep a conversation going. Often it starts with baby steps. That’s because small steps can win over fear of change. They help ease into new ways. If you go in and attack current methods of doing things in your downtown, some people will take it personally and become even deeper entrenched against change. So Rule 1: Don’t trash existing methods. Focus on new improvements.

Remember that deep down, the resistance is often based on the mindset “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” To that, I say, Kodak thought the film camera would last forever too.

Do you need BIA approval?

You’re not going to see every leader or board member jumping up and down shouting “Hooray! We’re going to start doing this tomorrow!” You’re far more likely to get a “We’ll take a look at it.” Which, unfortunately, may result in you never hearing another word about it. But here’s the thing: Do you even need your BIA or downtown association to approve? Not every idea needs to pass through the bureaucracy and red tape of your BIA. What idea can you put into action to make a difference? An idea is just an idea if it never gets implemented. Get the ball rolling so others can see a can-do mindset does exist.

Stay the course and stay positive

No doubt, if you got rejected, you left a meeting feeling demoralized and muttering all kinds of negatives about the downtown culture. That’s natural. But snap out of it. Stay focused on you. You are trying to be positive. You are trying to help main street. That’s why you’re bringing forward new ideas. Cultures that don’t want change will be banking on you simply giving up on presenting new ideas. That’s why it’s essential to get back in the saddle and remain positive. Never forget that change is a long game. It doesn’t happen immediately.

A final note….

Every downtown has other businesses, even if it’s only a few, that probably see things the same way as you. Change often begins because someone like you or a some small group of store owners said “Let’s do this!” The public will see the effort you are doing. And let’s be frank: that’s who the target audience is, anyways. When the public starts noticing and starts talking, that ‘talk’ begins spreading through the grapevine up and down main street. In the end, that’s the most powerful form of validation that you’re on the right path. And slowly, but surely, your entire downtown will begin to sit up and notice too.

ABOUT YOUR TOWN RISING

What makes Leslie Fournier and Gregg McLachlan different? They’re not consultants.They’re small business owners. Just like you. And they’ve got lots of stories and experiences to support 20+ combined years of helping towns, businesses and organizations be successful. Oh, and Leslie and Gregg make learning fun. Get ready for energy!

Leslie and Gregg joined forces in 2018 to create Your Town Rising. They believe the path to success doesn’t start with grandiose plans or million dollar handouts. It truly begins at street level. It begins by ‘doing’. Their proven approach is about giving you the inspiration and enthusiasm for creating momentum that snowballs.

Your small town can bring more people downtown this winter

By Leslie Fournier
Your Town Rising

Community is at the heart of your town’s success.

Inviting spaces draw people in, no matter the weather. Winter months bring a great opportunity for downtowns to be creative and fun. When you focus on community building, everybody wins. Full scale Winter Carnivals are not always manageable for smaller towns with fewer resources. Here are some creative placemaking ideas to bring people downtown all winter long!

Work together

The impact is so much greater when a majority of shops and businesses come on board to showcase your downtown as an exciting place to be. Consider a theme that can be used in decorating and displays and that also works well for social media and marketing: #ColdIsCool  / #DressedUpForWinter / #White&Bright

Unveil your theme with a ‘Winter Walk’ event

Have your community vote on favorite downtown window and store-front displays in a variety of categories. BIA or Chamber of Commerce sponsored prizes can be awarded from ballots submitted (and businesses can be up for prizes as well – to encourage full participation). Get people circulating and watch the downtown ‘buzz’ build!

Stage outdoor ‘photos booths’ or ‘selfie stops’

These can be set up quickly and inexpensively with simple designs on plywood or coroplast and propped against a wall (held in place with a couple of outdoor planters). Ramp up the fun with a bucket of photo prop sticks (fake mustaches, crazy glasses etc). Remember to put your winter hash-tag theme on the photo booths and track the social media posts!

Host a ‘Winter Warm Up’

Get cafes and restaurants on board to offer up samples of chili or soup. Shops can provide hot drinks and treats. This can be done for a nominal charge or can be organized as a tasting event or even a contest.  Your downtown community may decide to run this type of event as a fundraiser for a food bank or other local charity.

Enhance the sidewalks with winter sculptures

In cold and snowy regions, many communities put ice or snow sculptures on display. Some towns contract it out to professionals, while others will organize a community run event. In either case, the goal is to create a winter display that gets people excited to see more by exploring the entire downtown core.

Tree or Pole wraps

In milder areas or those with a lack of snow, try covering downtown tree trunks or poles in bright fabric wraps. This can be done with knitted or with felt fabrics that cling to the trees. Determine a colour scheme and get the community involved in the knitting! Fabric wraps (also called yarn bombs) are temporary and do not hurt the trees. Many examples on the internet will get you inspired. 

The Big Snow Slide

Downtowns situated on hills have the advantage of a natural slope for a winter slide. Block off your street to cars and bring in enough snow to create a smooth, slippery surface. Volunteers can help monitor line-ups and families can descend without the need for sleds. Hay bales at the bottom ensure a safe and soft landing!

Recreational Activities

There’s no shortage of fun outdoor winter sports that can attract both participants and spectators. Don’t have an ice rink? Think ball hockey, broom-ball or snow baseball. Organize mini tournaments in a downtown parking lot or right on the street.  Encourage teams to dress in crazy costumes and focus less on competition and more on fun.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An entrepreneurial spirit and love of exploring led Leslie Fournier to create Streets Alive in her downtown core. This unique placemaking program brings public spaces to life with interactive art and activity. The Streets Alive story has been featured in national publications and Leslie has been recognized as Citizen of the Year and Business Woman of the Year for the impact and success of these projects. She speaks to BIA’s, tourism groups, cultural summits and economic development conferences on how to attract visitors and shoppers with creative placemaking. As a small town retailer for over 15 years, Leslie understands the challenges faced by local businesses and the increasing importance for every community to create a strong, vibrant sense of place. Follow along with Leslie on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

5 key reminders for successful downtown social storytelling

Downtown Dundas, Ontario

By Gregg McLachlan
Your Town Rising

Social storytelling has been around for a long time. Way back when, we all did it. It was street-level and it was all face to face. Or, sometimes it was on the telephone. And if it we were hearing a story from a friend or family, we often believed it.

Then along came social media. Suddenly the ability to amplify (or share) a story grew exponentially. Most importantly, organizations and businesses could show vs tell, with more power than ever before. And with that huge potentially for spreading stories by audiences, also came the huge ability for having audiences influence even greater audiences. We call that viralness.

Why is social storytelling so essential today? It’s key because a great story or narrative over time converts people into fans and into loyal customers or donors.

Here are 5 reminders for helping you build a successful storytelling effort for your business or organization:

Be Human

This should be a no-brainer, but it takes work. Take a step back whenever your writing or video starts to be too corporate-ish and robotic and filled with jargon. You don’t need to be a CEO. You need to be human. Talk like you are talking to a person. Any business can tell a story. But it doesn’t mean it will come across as genuine and authentic. Ditch the elevator pitch garbage. Today, people can spot push-marketing from a mile away.

What’s the story after-taste?

Successful stories and ongoing narratives produce an action because they trigger an emotion after reading or watching it. It could be to make a donation. It could be to use a service. It could be to say “Hey, we’re local people just like you!” Or it could be to start a greater conversation with people around you. When you are planning a story, ask yourself this critical question: What do you want people to feel after reading/viewing it?

Don’t forget behind the scenes

Humanizing your brand means going beyond logos and letterhead and corporate slickness that permeates so much marketing today. People love to see behind the scenes because it feels like an exclusive look, and it takes on even greater meaning to those who already like you. Now they’re getting extra special access! Photos, live videos, videos, Stories on Instagram, are all easy ways to take people behind the scenes of what you do and how you do it.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Stop trying to be perfect all the time! Being human (see Don’t Forget Behind the Scenes) also includes showing flaws. You’re not perfect. Don’t try to be. Your audience isn’t perfect. Your audience needs to see themselves in you, too. You can easily turn a difficult experience into a learning experience for others. Showing all your sides will help you build trust. Showing the Good, the Bad and Ugly will keep you real.

A narrative is never one and done

You only need to look to Hollywood and sequels to know that it can take many stories to build a narrative. Never think of one story as being the single solution. Storytelling work best over time, and through accumulation. There are many parts to a story. Don’t try to tell everything in one story. You’ll overload the audience. Effective storytelling, just like in the movies, TV and in books, keeps audiences waiting for the next sequel, episode, or chapter.

10 things successful small-town downtowns do

Downtown Orillia, Ontario

By Gregg McLachlan and Leslie Fournier
Your Town Rising

There are two kinds of small-town downtowns.

There are downtowns which are constantly trying new ideas and learning, and always trying to keep a sense of excitement and energy alive. The public notices these downtowns! Why? Because these downtowns have built a sense of community through activities, beautification, and understanding their audiences.

And then there are downtowns that just exist. They have few, if any events. There’s little coordination of anything. Storefront signage is a mish mash of professional and downright crappy. For these downtowns, it’s no wonder the public uses phrases like “the place is dead.” That’s a tough commentary to hear. But remember, perceptions don’t just materialize. They are borne, rightly or wrongly, by what people observe and hear. No small-town downtown has turned itself around by letting the talkers continue to talk and talk and talk and waiting for others to solve problems. It takes actions. And can-do leadership with vision.

Here are 10 things successful small-town downtowns do (and things your downtown can learn from):

Take note: Every one of these is doable and actionable now. That’s why successful downtowns are a success: They start doing. And through doing they kickstart revitalization

1. Gateway signage

Successful downtowns have great gateway signs. Sorry, many of those old 1980s banners, now discoloured and looking ragged, that get strung across the road are so yesterday. They might still have a place today, but they are secondary elements. You must have hardened gateway signage that immediately greets visitors upon arrival and creates a great first impression. Let visitors know they’re entering your downtown district, your heritage district, your arts block!

2. Sign plans

Successful downtowns know the damage and rundown perception created when store owners who don’t give a darn about professional storefront signage are allowed to pollute the visual appeal of a streetscape. Successful downtowns have signage plans. That means they have storefront standards, rules or regulations. They also have wayfinding signs for people walking on the street and for people driving through the downtown. They may have map poles, sandwich boards, storefront decals, billboards, perpendicular blade signs above storefront doors that are easy to see for sidewalk pedestrians, and more. Creating a sense of place and visual appeal may involve tough love and opposition from some retailers. But you can’t begin to create a sense of visual appeal if your downtown signage standards are non existent and crappy signs are allowed to persist. The public notices the lack of effort that goes into crappy signage. And the perception is ugly. You can’t afford that. Successful downtowns know that and they take action. Sign plans, while they obviously impact retailers, are first and foremost about creating a sense of place and attachment within the public about your downtown. To get them to care, you have to show you care.

3. Gathering places

Successful downtowns have beautiful gathering places such as a public square with tables and chairs, plants, and perhaps even a water fountain. These gathering places make people want to stay in the downtown for an extended period of time. And they help to get people to form an attachment to a place. How on earth do you expect tourists to visit and gather in your downtown if your own residents don’t have a public gathering place downtown where they love to hang out? It’s the sense of attachment that is so critical in getting people to care about their downtown. These public spaces become focal points for events, musicians, markets, etc. Far too many leaders of BIAs, chambers and boards of trades only think of attachment as how people feel about the shops. A downtown is living, breathing space that can be a community.

4. Regular events calendar

Successful downtowns have an events calendar. And that means real events! They don’t have unimaginative calendar-fillers to make it seem like it’s exciting. There’s actually planning involved, ideas that don’t make the cut, and a filter that gets used for every single event… Why will the pubic care about this? Successful downtowns are so creative and active they practically require an events guide. They know that having two weekend events in a calendar year do not explain the absence of any creativity for the other 50 weekends of the year. So they are constantly alive with events. Successful downtowns know and understand that people get attached to doing things, whether that’s a Girlfriends Getaway Weekend, or enjoying festivals, or walking up and down main street to see vehicles in a car show, a giant outdoor used book fair, or looking at public art on main street.

5. Curb appeal planning

Successful downtowns know that beautifying the area between the storefronts, sidewalks and road are critical to creating pedestrian curb appeal. Unless a friend has recommended a shop or they’ve read something on social media or overheard street talk, most first-time visitors to a shop make the decision to enter a based on curb appeal. That means there are frequently window boxes with flowers, planters in front of stores, sandwich boards, awnings, benches at the storefront (not at the curb), sidewalk art, etc. Successful towns have curb appeal throughout. That’s because they create a plan.

6. Information gathering about branding

Successful downtowns understand branding and know that it’s all about perception. The leadership understands that branding is what people think about you and what it means to experience you. Successful downtowns understand that the downtown is owned by the community, not the businesses. And that means getting regular citizens (not just the same old cliques) involved in making it a great place. That could mean school classes doing art projects, citizen-led events, walking tours with folks who have interesting stories about the town, etc. The leadership understands branding is not about putting more decals on windows, or suddenly deciding to do more posts on Facebook. Leaders understand that branding means they must gather information on how the public defines the brand of the downtown. (Please, no more anonymous surveys where people complain about the same old things like parking and store hours and no action is taken.) Successful downtowns get out and talk to shoppers and the public.

7. Uniform store hours

Successful downtowns develop uniform business hours to address one of the biggest complaints of consumers today: “I work and they’re not open after 5 pm!” This refrain never dies today thanks to social media. You can see endless posts from people complaining about this annoyance. Successful downtowns know they need to get a majority of downtown stores to agree to uniform hours. It’s sad seeing that one store staying open past 6 p.m. weekdays (or even Thursdays and Fridays) in a struggling downtown and wondering why the rest of the downtown is abandoning that store’s efforts to be more accessible to shoppers. You can’t develop a campaign about making improvements for shoppers if only one or two stores are committed. Successful downtowns know that having uniform hours helps, maybe not entirely, but helps in this age where people do most of their spending at night at home and online.

8. Knowledge building

Successful downtowns have active knowledge building initiatives, whereby experts (real experts) are brought in on a regular basis to provide insights to help businesses be successful. This is called providing support and leadership. This is called Wanting Everyone to be Successful.

9. Doing

Successful downtowns just start doing. They don’t sit around being inactive, passing the buck, blaming others, waiting for reports, compiling more studies that always end up sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Successful downtowns provide the freedom that encourages people who have ideas to implement them. Successful downtowns don’t bog ideas down with forming committees, holding numerous meetings, asking for the idea to be put into a 22-page proposal for consideration, etc. Successful downtowns uncomplicate the process of bringing creativity to main street. They know that doing 20 things and being successful at 12 of them means they know have 12 new initiatives. Conversely, the downtown that does only two things every year will never make much headway, if any.

10. Customer service training

Successful downtowns know that today in the social media era a downtown’s image can be seriously damaged by complaints about customer service. Word of mouth has a far greater reach today than in the 1980s. That means a snotty cashier or waiter or clerk can end up being the unwelcome poster child on Facebook or Twitter when someone has a negative experience in your town. Sure, store managers play a huge role in customer service training. But successful downtowns deliver that message as it relates to overall branding. And successful downtowns know that negativity often paints an entire downtown, not just the store where it happened.

10 energizing actions your small-town downtown can do now

Downtown Drumheller, Alberta

By Gregg McLachlan and Leslie Fournier
Your Town Rising

Many small-town downtowns tend to have the same problem: There’s a lack of activity. A sidewalk sale here and there is an old-school way of generating excitement. And even then, it’s a one-off. Downtowns need sustained idea innovation that the public notices and recognizes. When you do this the public is left with an emotion “Hey, they are really trying with new ideas!”

You can create that emotion by rolling out small things now. You don’t need grants to do any of these 10 things below (so hey, no more excuses of having no money). You don’t need to wait for grand revitalization reports, go grovelling to to a town council about needing money, or forming more endless committees.

Just start doing things now. Today. Not a year from now.

Start evaluating your downtown progression based on actions rather than words.

Too many struggling downtowns stay paralyzed, thinking they can hit the revitalization money jackpot and magically turn things around overnight. Not. The road to success always begins with efforts from within, every day, at street level. Revitalization is an end process of many small steps that lead to that outcome. The landscape is littered with downtowns that got new heritage lampposts installed as part of as municipal-funded streetscape improvement plan, and then the downtown itself did nothing else to complement that effort.

Here are 10 simple action-based things your small-town downtown can do, and show the public you are working hard to bring energy back to your downtown and kickstart revitalization efforts from within rather than waiting for others.

1. Wifi Here signs

Get branded Wifi Here signs and put them up on the exterior storefronts of every business that is offering wifi to customers.

2. Create a Main Street Facebook page

This is completely different than the usually dormant or once-a-week posts on Facebook pages of local chambers of commerce or BIAs. This is a central Facebook page specifically created for your small-town main street businesses to use and post to. It’s also a one-stop Facebook page for your residents to visit and see content from all the businesses. It is administered by the participating businesses who will be given Facebook administrator privileges to the page. Tip: Keep the page specific to businesses in one central core and resist the temptation to have it evolve into retail sprawl beyond the page’s core focus.

3. Monthly VIP Nights

Downtown businesses are always getting in new stock and products. Stores unpack boxes, put stuff on the shelves, and then think the public has ESP to know new stuff has arrived. They don’t have ESP. Give your best customers, or interested new customers, exclusive looks at what is new. Think of it like a Tupperware party with a modern twist. A few refreshments and nibbles, and voila, you have a series of VIP Nights.

4. Sandwich boards

Put professionally branded sandwich board signs in front of businesses. These signs are so adaptable. They can feature specials. They can have words of humour. They can have social media promotions. Most importantly, they provide readable content at sidewalk-level for pedestrians who don’t always look left or right in a storefront window because they are looking straight ahead (where your sandwich boards will be!).

5. Mini performance hubs

Convert one or two parking spaces into mini performance ‘amphitheatres’ with a summer deck feel, complete with wood benches and plants. This can then be part of a summer buskers concert series. Too often, parking spaces are just converted to outdoor cafe spaces in the summer. But this is a limited option for downtowns with few restaurants. Mini deck amphitheatres can give more shops the opportunity to sponsor or get involved in sidewalk ‘bump outs’ that temporarily convert parking spaces.

6. Give your audience After 5 Nights

Too often, After 5 Nights are the exclusive schmoozy domain of special events for chamber of commerce ‘movers and shakers’. Ugh. Your downtown’s needs are about more than satisfying movers and shakers. One of the biggest ongoing complaints from the public about small-town downtowns is that stores close after 5 pm, making it difficult for working folks to shop locally. Create Facebook ‘events’ for After 5 Shopping Nights that are for the public. Hold these Event nights when stores are typically not open after 5 pm. By creating a Facebook Event, you’ll also see who’s Going which can help you build a list of local shopping supporters. P.S. The great part about Facebook Events is that when a friend says they are Going to an event, their friends will also learn about it too. Facebook Events are simple ways to crowd source for events.

7. Host a My Idea Is…. weekend

The purpose here is to get people sharing their ideas and thoughts about “My downtown is important because….” or something similar. Hang extra large canvases on storefronts, provide markers, and invite the public to come on down, write down their thoughts, and then come in the store for some exclusive ‘thank you’ deals and giveaways. To qualify for the thank you deals, they simply have to take a photo of what they wrote on the canvas or post it on social media and then show what they posted to staff when they go in the store.

8. Host a Meet Your Local Store Owners Night

So many downtowns talk about how shops are owned by locals but often the public doesn’t know them, or they interact with an employee only. Sadly, the phrase “We are locally owned” has lost meaning and value because it’s too often just words that don’t create a genuine connection with real faces. It’s also now a phrase that has filtered into large franchise marketing. Host a night where each downtown store owner is outside on the sidewalk to greet passersby. Have the owner stamp a Passport called “I Met My Local Store Owners” that can be completed and handed in for free giveaways at the end of the night. Nothing says “C’mon in!” like a welcoming small-town store owner that you can also meet and say hello to.

9. Host a Show Your Downtown Love Day

Too often these kinds of ‘days’ are a marketing fail because they consist of an ad telling people to come out and shop, and by doing so, they will show their love. Um, marketing doesn’t work that way today. There is no call to action. You need to be inventive and unique. So try this. Create a two-hour street closure. Promote that you are doing a special outdoor crowd photo shoot in the downtown with people who care about downtowns, revitalizing them, and shopping locally. Everyone who participates in the giant photo shoot will receive a voucher after the photo is taken. You’ll need elevation to take the photo so inquire about a fire ladder truck, lift truck, or something to get your photographer up high. Beware of drone use in your downtown. Follow Transport Canada rules.

10. Planters and benches

When I visit many small-town downtowns I immediately notice two simple differences. Many attractive downtowns feature storefronts with flower planters directly in front of the stores, rather than, or in addition to, at the street curb where they are obscured by parked cars. It’s well known that flowers are attractants. Put them where you want to attract pedestrians…. at the doors of stores. Stop placing them just at the street curb in hopes speeding drivers will see them (they don’t). Secondly, try placing benches against storefronts rather than only at the curb. Who wants to sit at the curb and have a parked car and its exhaust greet you and your lungs? Let’s get people sitting directly in front of storefronts. Tip: If your downtown encourages awnings on storefronts, you’ll instantly have benches that are popular and welcoming stops for pedestrians. Getting creative directly in front of storefronts extends the storefront out into the public space and makes stores more welcoming.