Honest Attraction

Nonfiction Still Sells

Last week we talked about the future (ok, ok…current) drivers in our economies and communities prioritizing making a life over making a living. They pick a place to live and then figure out that whole pay the rent thing. Let’s talk about how to get on their short list. More importantly, let’s discuss telling the truth about where you live to find people who will love it as much as you do.

Information is accessible at the click of a button, and the stories we tell about our towns are more important than ever. Finding the authentic story to tell about a place is a powerful tool that can captivate audiences, foster community pride, and a force for talent attraction. For businesses, nonprofits, city leaders, and chambers of commerce, working together to craft and share these stories can lead to a cohesive and compelling narrative that promotes the distinct ethos of what makes your hometown, well, your hometown (it’s probably why you chose it!)

The Deal is to Keep it Real

Authentic storytelling involves sharing genuine experiences, histories, and aspirations that resonate with both locals and outsiders. This creates an emotional connection, making people feel invested in the community. Whether it’s a small business owner talking about their journey, a nonprofit highlighting their impact, or a city leader discussing future plans, these stories collectively weave the quilt to showcase unique identity.

Businesses: Spotlight Local Success and Passion

Local businesses are the heartbeat of any community. They provide not just goods and services, but also character and personality. By sharing their stories, businesses highlight their contributions to the community, their entrepreneurial spirit, and their commitment to local values.

• Personal Narratives: Journeys, challenges, and successes.

• Customer Stories: Connections, traditions, service.

• Behind-the-Scenes: Hard work, passion, people.

Nonprofits: Impact and Involvement

Nonprofits play a crucial role in fostering a sense of community. Stories of impact inspire action and support from a broad audience.

• Success Stories: Highlight a wide range of stakeholders benefited.

• Volunteer Spotlights: Let them tell their why for the work.

• Community Events: Quality AND quantity of togetherness.

City Leaders: Vision and Progress

City leaders are in a unique position to tell the overarching story of the town’s past, present, and future.

• Communicate Vision: Strategic plans, upcoming projects, long-term goals.

• Celebrate Milestones: Significant achievements, improvements in infrastructure, education, community services.

• Engage Residents: Involve residents in decision-making processes, soliciting their stories and feedback.

Chambers of Commerce: Weaving the Stories Together

Chambers of commerce* have the unique role of bringing these various stories together into a cohesive narrative.

• Act as a Hub: Collect and curate stories from businesses, nonprofits, and city leaders.

• Create Platforms: Develop and maintain platforms where these stories can be shared.

• Facilitate Collaboration: Encourage collaboration. Share the content of others, make yours available.

*Fine, maybe it’s not the chamber, or you don’t have one. You have an organization that can act as a central storyteller. That group MUST ensure that the entire community has a voice and is on board. New residents, legacy stakeholders, the young folks, the no longer all that young folks.

The bigger the crowd, the better the party.

About that broad buy in…

Authentic community storytelling means leveraging the collective voice of the community. This involves ongoing conversations across the stakeholder continuum, from individual residents to major institutions.

Change happens.
Growth happens.
It should happen with you and for you.
Not to you.
Not at you.

• Stakeholder Meetings: Regular meetings with representatives from businesses, nonprofits, city leadership, and residents to discuss and align on initiatives.

• Community Forums: Public forums where residents can share their stories, ideas, and feedback. Capture diverse perspectives and foster a sense of ownership.

• Focus Groups: Smaller, targeted discussions with specific community segments to delve deeper into unique narratives and identify compelling stories.

• Surveys and Feedback Mechanisms: Utilizing surveys and online feedback tools to gather stories and insights from a broader audience.

Action Plan: A Strategic Approach

Establish Baseline Understanding

• Download Data: Learn the current pride points and future vision community members and business leaders.

• Identify Influencers: Build relationships with super influencers across the business, nonprofit, and community sectors.

Build Momentum

• Share Findings: Present initial stories to community partners for feedback and secure buy-in.

• Convene: Plan and execute events that bring different stakeholders together to share and develop stories.

Sustain and Expand

• Launch New Initiatives: Use established events to announce the new initiative and celebrate the community collaboration.

• Engage Champions: Identify and leverage internal and external champions to advocate for and spread the town’s stories.

• Adjust the Volume: Continuously review the impact of efforts, throttle up or down as needed.