It’s Summer, and that means consumers are traveling and vacationing. Inevitably during these travel months, you’re going to find that consumers and the media start becoming obsessed with finding the out-of-the-way place that no one else knows about.
Face it: Everyone wants to be “in-the-know” about the little-known, secret hideaways that haven’t been discovered yet. Whether it’s knowing about that great little restaurant that has wonderful food that’s never crowded, or that fantastic new store with the amazing selection that never advertises, or that great spot by the river where you’re guaranteed to catch fish but not find a crowd, we all want to be the one that knows about the Must-See Secrets.
This blog post is written for business owners, but all of you reading this have those favorite spots. For example, whenever we put on a Destination BootCamp in Longmont, Colorado, we always are asked by the people who come for the class to tell us which restaurants are the best. And we always send people to an incredible Southwestern restaurant in Longmont that’s hard-to-find and whose owner never advertises. It’s not a chain and it serves knockout green chili, but those of us who go there often also know that this restaurant has an owner won’t put up with screaming kids running rampant through his dining area. We always tell our guests to be on the lookout for parents who can’t control their offspring because this owner will kick them out, rather than ruining the dining experience for every other customer. To us, this means you are guaranteed great food and great atmosphere, and possibly, if you’re lucky, excitement that’s not seen in other dining establishments! Who wouldn’t want to eat in a place like that?
As a resident of your community, and a business owner in your community, wouldn’t it be great to be able to market your business, bring people in your doors, all the while helping those who are coming to your area to find these incredible secrets? Sure it would. Here are some simple steps to help your business and community at the same time:
First, I want you to start thinking about how you can position your business as a place that knows your local consumer “must-sees”. As you do this, the more attention your business will receive. To begin, answer these four questions:
1. What are the “Must See” events in your community, or in your business, this month that haven’t been well-publicized? When you let customers know about these events, you are seen as being “In the Know”.
2. Can you think of some of the “Great Product Values” that you or other businesses you know are offering this month, that might not be reaching as large of an audience as possible? Write about this in your e-newsletter and in your social networking posts.
3. Can you name “Ten Extraordinary Products” in your business or in another business that you can talk about and that your customers probably don’t know exists? Look for items that could be limited in quantity, or newly arrived. You could be changing this list monthly!
4. Can you list any “Secrets” or “Secret Places” that are must-sees in your community that you have to be an insider to know about?
When business owners are trying to find content to post on their Facebook page, put in their blog, write in their e-newsletter, and stay engaged with their customers, focusing on the secrets of your community can lead to a wealth of content.
