This describes your little town to a T ?
Do you ever feel like I’m talking directly to you? That maybe I’ve had a peek inside your town, and somehow I got inside info on your people?
I do always think of you individually when I write, so I am writing directly to you as much as possible. But about that inside info, it’s not as hard as you might think.
“Did I take this survey? Did anyone in [my town] take this survey? This describes my little hamlet almost to a T. It’s scary. I could write a blog about how we are not alone. Right down to the employees parking in downtown spaces.”
That was one of the reactions to the article I wrote about the tourism-related findings in the Survey of Rural Challenges for TourismCurrents.com. And it’s the most common reaction. Because we have some very similar challenges.
If I can’t tell you anything else, I want you to know this:
You are not alone.
Your town is not the only town with major challenges. Leslie McLellan from Tourism Currents also saw her towns in the survey results. She said, “most towns, cities and regions have dealt with at least one of these issues, and it takes time and a concerted effort to make the necessary changes/shifts in thinking.”
And that’s the second thing I want you to know:
You can take action that shapes the future of your town.
That’s why you get ideas and action steps from me each week. That’s why I often assign you homework or tell you, “here’s the plan.” You can’t do all of them, and not all the ideas are right for you. But some of them are right for you. Some ideas are perfect for you, your abilities and your resources.
Each action you take shapes the trajectory of your town. Your town has a trajectory, like a ball that’s thrown. It might be fast or slow, climbing or descending. If you nudge the ball, it will make a big difference in where it’s headed. The same with your town. A little push may not seem like much at the time, but it can drastically change the direction of your town in the future.
You are not alone. You can take action that shapes the future of your town.
Remember it.
Keep shaping the future of your town,
Becky
PS – How do you get your marketing heard these days? How can you be heard over the noise without shouting? It helps to know two things: how you make a difference, and how to layer the message. I talk about both in this interview with Prairie Public Radio