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The value of a marketing campaign for your Main Street is difficult to overstate: pictures, videos, and stories that shine a little light on the wonders of your town can encourage tourists (and even locals!) to step out and contribute to your community. A well-run campaign can even be a gift that keeps on giving, encouraging people to capture their own experiences and share their time with friends and family who might, in turn, do the same. You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
But like the old saying goes, if it were easy, everyone would do it! Managing your limited time and budget and designing a campaign that showcases the year-round magic of your district — or perhaps highlighting a few main events — can be hard for a busy office with limited time and seemingly unlimited demands on it.
Thinking about making the best use of those resources, there are a few things to keep in mind to maximize your impact. Our experience working with businesses, entrepreneurs, schools, and local tourism boards to create marketing and brand campaigns led us to some of the best practices we encourage customers to think about when working on projects. The best projects match the skills of the videographer with the clients’ local knowledge — experience that can make a good campaign into a great one. Whether you’re directing your next campaign in-house or looking to work with professionals, these tips can prepare you to make the most of your project.
Bring your calendar. You might want to get something out next week, but if you know this is a slow time in your neck of the woods, it might be valuable to wait until the busy season to film. If you’re in Fairbanks, Alaska — where hours of sunlight vary drastically month-to-month — ask yourself what you want it to look like when you film. Or if your town is known for its Asparagus Festivals, it may make sense to film during the season. By picking a great time to film, it’s easier to have a great campaign.
Make some introductions. You know the people in your district who can speak about its charm. Small business owners, elected officials, lifelong residents, or dedicated volunteers are often great people to feature in a project. Picking a few spokespeople (whether official or honorary!) can start your project off on the right foot, and help you craft a final product that you know represents the best your community has to offer.
Google yourself. While you might not feel the need to feature it, it’s helpful to know what someone from out of town will learn if they look you up online. A quick search might turn up a movie or a book (Fargo and Osage County, we’re looking at you!) Whether it’s a famous festival or an ignominious claim to fame, it will be part of your online identity for out-of-towners. A well-executed campaign can help you put that feature in the broader context of your town, and keep you from being written off as a one-trick pony.
One size does not fit all. Think about what medium you’re using to share your campaign. A 10-minute video might look great on a website, but it would be hard to use effectively to advertise in social or traditional media. That’s why movies have trailers, and people love highlight reels. An effective campaign will involve still images, short videos, and longer videos, and its release might occur over days, weeks, or months. It’s not a matter of adding more projects to your schedule. It’s a matter of creating the right content, and using that content — whether it’s a series of great images or a 10-second clip from your final product — strategically.
Have an interesting point of view. It’s all about perspective. Think about the best days you’ve had in your district — the sights! the sounds! the food! — and make sure that is how the video looks. If you’re not careful, an art gallery can look like a place where people watch paint dry, and not like the tremendous resource you know it is.
Get futuristic. It can be tempting to focus on your district’s past, since you already know it and it’s easy to show. But keeping an eye on what is modern, or even futuristic, about your town can help it stand out. How does your town stand out today? What sort of programs or business will be coming in the future? By focusing on the new and the novel, you extend the shelf life of your campaign and avoid telling visitors what they probably already know.
Have a budget in mind. Create a budget and discuss with the production team what sights and sounds will resonate most with your audience. A production team can capture those sights and sounds while working within a budget, but knowing what your “must-haves” are can help you direct your money to maximize its impact. Your final product probably won’t be free! But just like new street lamps or wayfinding signage in your downtown, it’s an investment in how people see, enjoy, and talk about your district.
About GAH! Films:
GAH! Films is a full-suite creative and production service helmed by Joseph Sliker and Joseph Wilinski. They’ve helped tourism boards, schools, and entrepreneurs to tell their stories to audiences all over the world. https://www.gahfilms.com/
Editor’s note: In addition to our downloadable video series on the power of Main Street’s potential, we rounded up a few of our favorite Main Street video examples below. Have you recently completed a campaign? Add your video to The Point’s resource library and include any additional tips/best practices that could benefit your fellow members.
- Downtown Franklin’s Local Greeters Program: https://www.facebook.com/287051691327308/posts/we-are-so-proud-of-the-franklin-locals-greeter-program-have-you-chatted-with-one/2019111514787975/
- Metuchen Downtown Alliance’s “Meet Me Downtown”: https://youtu.be/H6dUVozl-T4
- The District Quincy’s Quincy TV: https://www.facebook.com/TheDistrictQuincy/videos/10156492795489330/
- Downtown Berkley’s promo video: https://www.facebook.com/DowntownBerkley/videos/10156598096863774/
- Wausau River District’s promo video: https://youtu.be/1gBJtMNbE7Y
- Brunswick Downtown Association’s "A Day in the Life of Brunswick, Maine": https://youtu.be/su-8pC3oasQ
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Congratulations to these Main Street programs for their fantastic work!
Community Spotlight: Missouri Main Street Connection Leads the Iowa Community Expedition
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) had the opportunity to take Missouri Executive Directors and other community representatives on the Iowa Community Expedition
District Spotlight: Pontiac, Michigan
In response, UrbanMain and Main Street Oakland County joined forces in March 2018 to assist Pontiac stakeholders in putting their downtown organization back on a positive track, making Pontiac the first community in Michigan to participate in the UrbanMain initiative.
2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Winning Sites
American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America announced the winners of the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign.
2018 Community Transformation Workshop Recap
An essential component of the Main Street America Institute, the three-day in-person workshop gives participants hands-on tools to enact revitalization projects in their communities.
A Statewide Movement Improving West Virginia Main Streets
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
