Local Promotion

I last posted about promoting your community for the benefit of visitors. What about promotion to the people who already live and work in your town? It’s true we sometimes think because we know about something, that everyone else does, too. That’s not always the case – and if they do, it’s nice to have a reminder from time to time.

What does it mean to promote locally? If you’re a volunteer community improvement group like a local Kansas PRIDE program, you want people to know what you’re up to. There are three points on a project’s timeline when you’ll want to get the word out:

1. Before a project begins. This lets the community know what’s about to happen and why, how it will benefit them, and how they can participate. Is it a fall festival, a new fitness center, or painting houses in a specific neighborhood? When can they mark their calendars to see the parade or sign up for a gym membership – important to know about the end result, yes – but also, how can they volunteer or donate to the project? Letting people know about your efforts in advance gives them an opportunity to plan on being patrons of those projects, or donating time, skills, or money to help you get it done.

2   2. While that project or event is happening. Everyone had a chance to mark their calendars when you published that pre-project newspaper article or gave a radio interview, but now is when that reminder comes in handy. People may find it a helpful reminder to have an e-mail or social media blast, radio station commercial, or community calendar entry to say when and where the action is taking place.

3   3. Once the project is completed. Talk about the success and how the community benefited or will continue to benefit. If you replaced the playground equipment in the park, now’s the time to announce to the world that it’s ready for their kids to partake in the fun. Promoting your success can also draw in new volunteers or donors who want to be a part of your future successes.

What method of promotion works best? It’s different for every community, large or small. Some have television stations, and in others, radio or social media might work best. Think about how you and your neighbors get their news and tap into that method if you can.

Resources: The Kansas PRIDE program has several videos available on its Education page, one of which is about Telling Your Story.  Visit that page for the video and materials that go along with it.  This is another great opportunity to use the Community Promotion Grant, made possible by the partnership and generosity of the Kansas Masons.  --Jan Steen, jmsteen@ksu.edu