Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Hood River Biz Buzz

June 7th, 2010

Last week I wrote a post suggesting rural communities should conduct video interviews of entrepreneurs in their communities as a way of showcasing local businesses and building their community’s brand as a great place for entrepreneurs.  A couple days ago I stumbled across a blog that’s doing something very similar.

Hood River Biz Buzzrepresents the community of Hood River, OR (pop. 5831 according to the 2010 Census).  The blog’s “About” page offers the following as its purpose: 

A big part of what makes Hood River special is the vital business scene. Frustrated with the lack of local media attention to business news, I thought that a blog would be a good first step to share what I learn in my various work and volunteer activities.”

Peruse its posts and you will discover articles featuring local businesses, upcoming community events, and the latest news.  It’s a bit more expansive and eclectic than what I was talking about the other day, but I think that’s what makes it so fun and interesting.  It definitely leaves me with an impression that Hood River is a place I’d enjoy.

Stu Watson, the blog’s publisher, is a professional journalist with over thirty years of experience.  The blog, however, is a volunteer activity and a display of his love for his community. 

When I called on people to interview entrepreneurs in their community, I had in mind community volunteers being engaged in the project.  After all, that’s who gets the work done in most of the rural communities in our part of the country. 

If your community has someone with Stu’s experience, I’d highly recommend you engage him or her in the effort.  If not, look for other alternatives.

I like the idea that Rebecca Terk left as a comment on my blog post:

I do think this is the kind of project that community volunteers could pull off with some assistance, but I also think that group of volunteers has to be diverse enough in order to be able to identify different facets of the entrepreneurial efforts in the community.

I wonder if it’s also something that could be accomplished in a media/journalism course (do they still have such courses?) on a high school level if the school had faculty savvy in this area. That ties in young people and what they see as valuable/cool/attractive about a community (the promotion of which could attract more young people to the community).”

I love the idea of youth engagement.  I can see the project being a perfect match for a media/journalism course or even a business class for that matter.  It’s also an opportunity for community volunteers to contribute their knowledge to young people.  I know most educators would welcome a volunteer with knowledge of video production expertise in their classroom.

Whether it’s a blog like Hood River Biz Buzz or a series of video interviews with student involvement, I hope you find a way to lift up entrepreneurs and build a stronger brand for your rural community. 

Note:  I discovered Hood River Biz Buzz in a blog post by Rural Tourism Marketing, another excellent resource.

Photo Credit:  BillFromSpokane - Flickr

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Branding: Triumphs over adversity

April 13th, 2010

In Made to Stick, Dan and Chip Heath shared how to build compelling stories that people remember.  In a recent article for Fast Company titled “Jared: The Power Story,” Dan highlights “how stories about triumph over adversity make for better brand messages than … math.” 

To make his point, Dan describes the story of Jared, who lost 250 lbs. eating Subway sandwiches each day.  Everyone knows (and remembers) the story; it had an incredible positive effect on Subway’s brand. 

Stories about triumph over adversity.   I like it.  What compelling stories does your small, rural community have about people who have overcome adversity?

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Trust Agent Authors from OTA Sessions

April 1st, 2010

In addition to Mitch Joel’s interview (which I previewed on Tuesday), Lindsey and I were able to interview Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, co-authors of Trust Agents.  Along with Mitch, both Julien and Chris are spreading their ideas about the future of social media. We were fortunate that all three, as a part of the “Building Trust in a Connected World,” kicked off the OTA Sessions.

Here’s a bit of what Julien had to say in an interview with Lindsey. 

Julien Smith on “breaking habits”

 

Without mentioning it specifically, Julien described the basic concept of ReImagining Rural.  He recommends people step out and try new things.  As they do, people will discover new ideas and ways of doing things. Isn’t that what we are calling on rural communities to do? 

Most of us recognize that what we’ve been doing in small towns for the last 50-80 years hasn’t been working.  So why shouldn’t we try stepping out into new experiences?  That, in part, is what motivated me to do these interviews.   I’m never going to become Tom Brokaw, but hopefully, by stepping out into new experiences, I will continue to grow and develop new ideas.  Hopefully, along the way, my new experiences will lead to successes and failures that all rural communities can learn from.

 

Chris Brogan on saying “I See You”

 Of the three “Building Trust in a Connected World” presenters, I was the most familiar with Chris Brogan.  I discovered his wisdom when I first began the process for developing ReImagine Rural, and I really started paying attention to him based the connection he had with Small Biz Survival blogger, Becky McCray.   (And thanks for the introduction Becky. Chris is incredibly gracious and down-to-earth, as were Mitch and Julien.)


 

Chris nails his description of why “I see you” is so important today.  We’re all tired of people not recognizing us for who we are.  Rural leaders seeking to promote their communities can’t just rely solely on traditional marketing because it’s a one-way conversation.  We need to build relationships that recognize people for being unique and make each person feel special. 

And this brings us back to how we treat each other in our day-to-day, face-to-face lives.  Chris suggests an opportunity is present for rural communities to tap into people’s increasing desire for human interaction; it’s supposedly something we’re good at. But is it?

We often like to talk about how friendly our small towns are.  I’m not sure I buy it.  Does the ceremonial small town wave mean that we’re really friendly?  Or does it mean that we’re good at saying “Hi”?  In today’s world, casual greetings won’t cut it.  We’ve got to become better at seeing each other for who we are.

Mitch, Julien, and Chris:  Thanks for the great presentations and for being so generous with your time.

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (2)

Civic Riders and Storytellers

March 24th, 2010

I love listening to storytellers.  Some people seem to have a special gift to entertain, motivate, and educate by describing an event or activity.  Many good storytellers learn and practice their art around the campfire, and I’m envious of their skills.  It’s this envy that motivates my desire to intend the OTA Sessions in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday.

If this is the first time word of the OTA Sessions has reached your ears, I’d encourage you to check out this previous post and the OTA Sessions website.  You will discover an incredible group of speakers;  perhaps the most talented to ever grace the stage of the Orpheum Theater in Sioux Falls. 

But there’s more.  The Rural Learning Center, in conjunction with Deep Bench, is sponsoring a post-conference workshop called “Civic Riders: Discovering the Story of Rural America.”  The vision for the event is that we will launch the development of a process that helps rural communities build stronger brands through storytelling.  Spike Jones, a storytelling guru, is sticking around to help lead the session with Hugh Weber. 

Time is short, but we still want to share the details:

 We think it’s a great opportunity for our small towns, and we’re hoping that you and other rural community members will participate in its development.  See you Friday!

 

Photo Credit:  Bunky Pickles - Flickr

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Youth Engagement: A path to reinventing rural education

March 4th, 2010

We talk a lot about the importance of youth engagement in rural communities. It’s a great way to connect with young people, and make sure they realize how valuable they are to the community.

I recently discovered this great example of youth engagement in rural Perth County, Ontario. 

Under an initiative developed by the Perth County Econoimc Development Offices, MS2 Productions, a local production company, has been offering Social Media Boot Camp training classes to local businesses.  The training involves a 3-hour overview session on social media marketing and hands-on training focused on specific social media tools, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

To promote the training, the company produced a video which I’ve embedded below. (It’s so good, I wish Perth County, Ontario was closer so that I could have attended.)

 

Perth County Social Media Boot Camp from MS2 Productions - Your Complete on Vimeo.

But it is what’s happening behind the scenes that sets the training apart. In addition to encouraging businesses within each rural community to work together, they are engaging students as social media consultants.  As Melissa Schenk, Executive Producer of MS2 Productions explained to me via e-mail:

Local Businesses will hire CO-OP students to be their Social Media Marketers… The Baby Boomers learn from students how to use the Social Media Sites, but the students in turn - learn more about local businesses, how to better put these social media sites to good use, and are providing a valuable resource of information in their communities. Not to mention students are engaging more with businesses, that they might never have had the opportunity or an interest in otherwise.”

In short, young people and business owners are learning from each other.  And in the long run, these young people will better appreciate life in their rural communities and be better prepared to recognize business opportunities after completing their education.

Additionally, I think projects like this will lead to the educational reform that Richard Florida has been talking about lately: creativity, technology, and social.  All are 21st Century skills that young people need to be successful.  Come to think of it, those are the same skills rural communities leaders need as well.

Note:  Melissa Schenk  sent me a message correcting my initial post, which did not credit the Perth County Economic Development Office for the project.  My apologies to Bernia Wheaton, Perth County Economic Development Coordinator.  I love this story even more knowing that economic development professionals are leading the charge!

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (3)

What can we learn from Hazelton, ND?

February 17th, 2010

“Did you hear the story on the radio about Hazelton, ND?” 

Those were the first words Lindsey shared with me yesterday morning as we hopped into a car before heading out on our day trek across South Dakota yesterday.  I hadn’t, so Lindsey explained. 

A family had moved from Miami, FL to Hazeton, ND (pop. 240) four years ago to take advantage of an incentive package for new residents.  Two housing lots and $20,000 were given to this family of four to move to the ND community.  The family started a business (which has since closed) and moved into a new house, excited by the opportunity to move from a crime laden, urban neighborhood.

Now four years later, they are ready to move back.  Not because of the much maligned North Dakota winter; but because they felt the community had given them the cold shoulder.  Michael Tristani, the father in the family, is quoted in the article saying, “It hasn’t been easy. No one really wants new people here.”  (source:  James MacPherson, “Small-town life fails to live up,” Associated Press via Yahoo News, Feb. 15, 2010)

Hearing Lindsey describe this story almost caused me to turn around and skip the meeting we were driving to.  Needless to say, she didn’t let me, and I was finally able to read the story this morning and learned that it’s being discussed all over the blogosphere. (see links at the bottom) .

Rather than focus on the details of situation, I’d like to offer some thoughts about what I think rural communities can learn from the story.  As I write, however, I want to be clear that I am not passing judgment on either the Hazelton community or the Tristani family.  None of us, as outsiders, will ever know the complete story. 

What can we learn from Hazelton?

1) Don’t assume that newcomers will know how to live in your small town. That concept crossed my radar a couple years ago in a book titled Get Urban. (I wrote extensively about it here.) The book’s author, an urban enthusiast, developed his thesis around the concept that many people who move to urban, downtown environments don’t recognize the nuances of life in the city. Their mental models are so tightly fashioned around living in suburbia that they think they have to drive out to suburbs to buy their groceries at Walmart, rather than stopping off at the local grocery while walking home from work. My guess is that we’ve all seen numerous more serious examples of this play out in our rural communities. But what have we done to help these newcomers?

2) Develop a “hosting concept” as a part of your community’s marketing plan. I touched on this over a year ago when I wrote a post titled “What if Starbuck’s marketed like a rural community?” A fun, insightful video embedded in the post pokes fun at how churches welcome new members. The point being, Starbucks wouldn’t be in business if its marketing strategy didn’t include efforts to “welcome” new customers; so why should churches expect anything different? I’d contend the same principle applies to rural communities; why spend money advertising your community if you don’t have a strategy to make people want to stay? At the Rural Learning Center, we’ve been developing a more robust “hosting concept,” which I’ll describe sometime in the near future.

3) Accept the mantra “The customer is always right.” I think communities who develop programs like this must be prepared to treat it like a business. The town is the product, the community is the owner, and the new resident is the customer. If the customer is upset, figure out why and do something to fix it - because the customer is always right. At the same time, most business owners will tell you that sometimes the customer may not be worth the headaches they create, and you have to find a way to let them go.

4) It’s about the relationship. For a long time, I was conflicted over the concept of offering incentives to people moving to rural communities. On one hand it feels like the strategy of offering incentives to businesses to move small, rural communities; maybe they come, but will they stay? On the other hand I appreciate the moxie of a small town who is willing to try to do something about their future. What I’ve come to believe is that the decision about offering incentives to recruit businesses and recruit people is a community-by-community decision. There’s no universal right or wrong. The chance of the initiative succeeding, however, is probably dependent on the ability of residents to build a relationship with the newcomers. Incentives may open the door, but the bonds of friendship are lasting.

5) What about the people who don’t receive incentives? This case is drawing a lot of attention, but my question is, “has your community been paying serious attention to the people who already live in your community?” My point is, try to make sure that everyone is satisfied. If you gain two new residents, but lose four current residents, you are destined to fail. Pay attention to the people who are living in your community now, and when someone leaves, have a conversation with them about why. And try to dig in deep–often the first response will not be the real reason.

There are a lot of stereotypes being thrown around in this story that worry me.  That might be worth discussing later.

Stereotypes aside, however, the story provides a good lesson for all rural communities.  If we want to grow our population, we have to get serious about how we interact with newcomers.  Hazelton is probably no better or worse than other rural communities, and there’s definitely more to the story than was reported.  They just made the headlines today.  Hopefully, your community is doing something to make sure it doesn’t make the news tomorrow — at least not in this way.

 

Other article related to this story

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Is your community ready for social media?

February 2nd, 2010

Last night Lindsey and I engaged in a little social media training for residents in Miner County, SD.  During our session, we noted the changing landscape of advertising, and cited Pepsi’s withdrawal from its traditional advertising during the Super Bowl in favor of sponsoring a community grant program called the Pepsi Refresh Project as an example.  Marketing and advertising is definitely going “social.”

This morning, I hopped onto Facebook to find an update from Mark Rembert at Energize Clinton County who recommended people support a project in the Pepsi Refresh grant contest called Studio H. Learning of the project has inspired me to include the video explaining the project below.  

 

Combine design thinking, vocational trade training, and community citizenship in a youth engagement project — all within a high school setting.  The image of design:SD on steroids comes to mind.  If you agree, I hope you will vote for the project on the Pepsi Refresh page.

Reflecting on this project has created a couple thoughts that I’d like to share.

First, I hope rural communities are inspired by the Studio H project to develop their own youth engagement projects.  I love the idea of combining design and construction training in a community project.  But each community is different, and youth engagement projects need to meet the needs of both young people and the community.     

Second, I hope the Pepsi Refresh Project helps people see how marketing is becoming “social.”  The idea of taking money that previously directed at advertising and using it to engage your customer base is a great way to build a stronger brand.  It’s caused me to think more about how small, rural communities might use online contests as a part of their branding efforts.  (Note:  There are issues with “crowdsourced” contests of this nature, as is highlighted here.) 

And finally, I hope that the Pepsi Refresh Project helps rural residents and community development practitioners understand the importance of delivering social media training to people in rural communities.  I loved the idea advance by David Becker at the Friend of the Farmer blog to develop a social media training program for rural farmers.  (I shared my thoughts in greater detail in this post.)  The idea, along with support from local extension educator Jim Krantz, caused Lindsey and I share the presentation (which I’ve embedded below) with Miner County residents last night.      

Social Media 101
View more presentations from Rural Learning Center.

Our presentation is intended as an overview of social media.  Beginning February 15th and continuing each Monday through March, we will offer hands on training for specific tools like Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter.  If you are a Miner County resident and are interested in this training, I’d encourage you to contact the Miner County Extension office. 

If you are a rural community outside Miner County, I’d encourage you to answer the question:  Are people in our rural community interested in using social media?  If the answer is “yes,” I hope you find a way to bring training to your community.

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Rethink your nonprofit marketing efforts

December 29th, 2009

A few weeks ago, the Sioux Falls Washington Pavilion of Arts & Science made headlines in South Dakota (look here) when it was announced that a $300,000 fundraising shortfall had placed the non-profit’s future on tenuous ground.  I read this announcement on the heels of a conversation with a friend who serves on a much smaller non-profit board (they have a part-time director).  Her organization is facing a much smaller but still daunting budget deficit, causing the organization to rethink how they raise money and do business in this down economy.   

There’s no doubt that both organizations should emerge from the crisis with refocused efforts.  But it’s caused me to question how non-profits in small, rural communities are doing?   The organizations I’m talking about (i.e. -libraries and museums) often operate on volunteer staff and probably don’t have a website, let alone a marketing plan. 

And that’s where the problem begins.  Nonprofit organizations in rural places play a critical role in the economic and social health of their communities.  But it’s been my experience that few operate with any type of plan, marketing or otherwise.  This leads to fragmented, unsustainable marketing efforts that hinder the organization’s performance.

If this description meets your non-profit’s practice, I’d encourage you to consider the following ideas for rethinking your marketing efforts. 

 

5 Ways to Jazz Up your Marketing Efforts

First, and most importantly, write down your goals and then match them to your marketing efforts. Goals will vary, but might include: fundraising, promoting organizational events, or building general awareness of your organization to name a few.  If your goals are written down you can use it to examine your marketing efforts and ask the question:  “Are the marketing strategies I’m spending time and money on helping me achieve our goals?” This is the start of a marketing plan, which doesn’t have to be complicated.  In fact, I have always advocated the simpler the better.  Just writing down your goals is a huge first step.

Second, get online with a blog… it’ll be better than a website.  Everyone knows how important it is for non-profits to build relationships.  Large non-profits often seek to hobnob with finance bankers and philanthropists, while small non-profits probably look more to the average citizen in their community; like the retired carpenter who can volunteer a little time for a construction project. 

Regardless of whom your nonprofit targets for relationship building, blogs are a great place to start because they make it so easy to share stories about your non-profit’s work. I think this is particularly important in rural areas where distance makes communications more difficult. 

But I can hear it already; “We don’t even have a website.  Don’t tell me about a blog!”  I understand.  But you need to understand that blogs are generally inexpensive and easy enough to use that most non-techies can manage them. 

Perhaps the key to nonprofit blogging is to get personal and let others know what you are passionate about.  Even if your goal is to promote your organization’s events, you can make it personal, so that readers get a feel for you as well as the organization.  And if you post regularly - that might mean once a day, once a week, or once a month - people will be more likely to come back to your site and stay connected to what you are doing. 

Third, think of Facebook as a place to create a sense of community.  Just over a year ago, I would have frowned on any recommendation for a non-profit in a small, rural community to create a Facebook Page because I didn’t see many older rural residents using Facebook.  That’s changed dramatically with Baby Boomers making up the fastest growing segment of Facebook users. 

Many non-profits have looked to Facebook as a fundraising tool, choosing to develop a strategy around a Facebook “fundraising” application. These tools make it easy for people to donate online. That’s great for some organizations that have an emotional cause that transcends geography and reaches a wide audience.  Most non-profits in our small, rural communities, however, are probably focusing fundraising on a smaller group of people who already have a connection to the community. 

Instead of asking for donations online, think about how you can use Facebook as a place where people can chat about how your organization is making a difference.  “Make meaning before money” is a common phrase used to describe online marketing efforts today, and it definitely applies to small non-profits using Facebook. 

When thinking about Facebook, you should also consider the following two recommendations.  First, chose either a Facebook page or a blog.  I say that only because most small non-profits don’t have time for both.  (But if you do chose Facebook, make sure you have a link to your Facebook page on your website.)  Second, think of your goals before deciding if and how you are going to use Facebook.  Although I suspect you can find a way to use Facebook effectively to meet most any goal, only you can decide that.

Fourth, use YouTube to showcase projects you are working on.  Just the other day, I learned of how the Anaheim Ballet has been using videos to showcase their students practice and performances.  What a great way for interested parties to see what their work is about.  There’s nothing fancy about their efforts, and they are definitely not trying to create a viral video, which can be daunting. It reminded me of the efforts of Café au Play, a nonprofit seeking to create a third place coffee house with a place for children.  (I wrote about them about a year ago, and embedded their video below.)

 

 

My guess is that most small non-profit can rustle up a volunteer who enjoys doing a little video production. 

Fifth, get online and learn what others are doing and what the experts recommend.  What I’ve identified above is just a starting list.  I tried to keep it short because I understand what it’s like to serve on small town non-profit boards, and I know you don’t have the resources to do everything. 

Although I understand life in small rural communities better than most, there are people out there who focus solely on non-profit marketing, and they share some of their knowledge for free.  You need to turn to these experts for inspiration. Often what they talk about applies more to large non-profits for whom they hope to consult.  But I think innovative small town residents should filter through what they say to find new ideas that can be done by their non-profit.

Some of these experts include: 

There’s no doubt that the economy will create challenges for non-profit organizations, regardless of size.  But I hope that the non-profits in our small rural communities will do a better job of creating marketing plans and begin to embrace social media.  There’s something in it for everyone.

Photo Credit:  Annie Mole - Flickr  

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ReImagining the CCC: Could it train rural residents?

December 8th, 2009

David Becker at the Friend of the Farmer blog recently issued a call for a “reimagined” Civilian Conservation Corp that focuses on helping farmers learn how to use technology.  His idea essentially calls for unemployed college grads to assist farmers in acquiring the technology skills necessary for the 21st Century.  He explains:

The Rural Electrification Act of the 1930s brought power to rural areas. Today’s farmers, especially small farmers, need similar help not only tapping into the fire hose of information and opportunities available to them, but getting connected to guidance on maximizing its usefulness. Imagine the options: real-time access to weather and crop reports, databases of local and national agricultural extension programs, ordering parts and supplies, acquiring new skills through distance learning, even building an online marketing presence using low bandwidth social media tools.”

I think the idea makes a lot of sense. Just two weeks ago over the Thanksgiving weekend, I heard my father-in-law (a 73-year-old farmer) lament his lack of computer skills.  Becker’s idea would address just that need. I would, however, recommend that Becker’s concept be expanded to include training for all rural businesses and people– not just farmers. 

At the Rural Learning Center, we’ve been noodling around the idea of how we can develop some training activities for rural residents that helps individuals understand the marketing opportunities presented by Web 2.0 tools (like Facebook, blogging, and Flickr).  We firmly believe all rural communities and businesses could benefit from a basic understanding of social media marketing.  

There is, however, one question that training programs like the above must overcome to be successful:  How far do people with virtually no computer skills have to go before they are able to see real benefit from the training?

Take my father-in-law as an example.  He’s a successful farmer in production agriculture, but I’m pretty sure he’s never used e-mail, and I doubt he could effectively navigate the Internet to find information, including the local weather he is always interested in.   Are we biting off more than we can handle in trying to bring these skills to computer novices?

I doubt we will ever see the rebirth of a CCC program that focuses on technology training, at least not at the level it operated in the 1930s.  But that shouldn’t stop those of us with a passion for rural from developing programs that accomplish the goal of training rural residents to use technology.  After all, what’s the use of investing in broadband internet connections if we don’t also teach individuals how to use it in their businesses and daily lives? 

Photo Note: This statue, named “Work Call” is dedicated to the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps. I is located outside the Visitors Center in Hill City, SD, which also houses a CCC exhibit.

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Miller, SD has got Facebook figured out

October 13th, 2009

I’m always on the lookout for rural communities that are using social media to build conversations.  Recently, I found a great example with Miller, SD. 

Joe Fiala and Amy Howard of On Hand Development Corp. launched the Miller, SD Facebook page on Sept. 24, 2009.  Within weeks they built over 500 fans, which is very impressive in a community with a population of approximately 1530 people. 

Amy Howard and Joe Fiala, On Hand Dev. Corp.

What has impressed me more than the number of fans is how people are interacting on the page.  Lots of people start Facebook pages, but not many do a good job of generating conversations with their fan base. 

Joe and Amy do.  They even have people who have moved away from the community saying how much they miss the community.  Impressive.

With that in mind, I contacted Joe to find out what’s the secret sauce in his recipe.  The following interview  with Joe is the result. 

 

Why did you create a Facebook page for the community of Miller?  Does it connect to your organization’s goals? 

We were looking for ways to engage our community utilizing the internet beyond our “regular” website. Facebook is a way to easily interact with people living in Miller, people that used to live in here, and people that had visited our town.

Using Facebook helps us reach our goals as a business development organization because we can showcase our community and lifestyle. It allows us to communicate more effectively with the young adults that will be the next generation of business owners in town.

 

One of the things that impresses me about your page is number of people commenting.  What have you done to try to create “conversations” on your Facebook page?

We have made a conscious effort to create posts that garner comments from the fans. We’ve tried to post items that people will find interesting, but we also ask questions within the post.

Our partnership with our local newspaper, the Miller Press, has been effective too. They have a “Talk on Main Street” question each week in the paper. We asked if we could address that same question on the Facebook page and they agreed.

 

Any future plans for your page? 

As we have events in Miller like the opening weekend of pheasant season, the Christmas on the Prairie celebration, and the 4th of July festivities, we will post pictures of the events.

We will also listen to our fans to see what items they would like us to post.  Our page is set up so that fans can post items and we are hoping that they will take advantage of this and add to our content.

 

We constantly hear how social media tools are sucking up work time and decreasing productivity.  How much time do you spend each week using Facebook? 

Our goal is to post an item on every work day, whether it is an announcement, a picture, or a question. So far, we probably average about 10 minutes per day.

This is not much time and we are reaching an audience of over 500 people that have already shown interest in being involved in our conversation. For a small town, that is an amazing amount of publicity for so little time involved.

 

Why did you choose Facebook as a social networking tool over others tools like blogging, Twitter, MySpace, etc…?

Facebook lends itself very well to holding a community conversation. It allows short posts, pictures, and comments. All of these actions are very easy to do.

However, the deciding factor was that a large majority of young adults and high school students use Facebook.

We are planning to incorporate a blog as part of our website communication tools. This will allow us to post articles that are too long for Facebook to handle efficiently.

 

Note:  Wow!  Working with the local newspaper is a great idea.  And if you go to their page you will see that they do a nice job of asking questions that engage their fans.  (You don’t have to join Facebook to view the Miller, SD Facebook Page.  Check it out by clicking here. )

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