Tag Archives: downtown marketing

Placemaking Downtown Marketing Trends 2023

January 23, 2023

The terms placemaking and place branding have been bandied about so much across so many industries they are now crossing over into the gen pop vernacular. But we, as place management practitioners, hold placemaking near and dear to our hearts. It’s a crucial element or overarching approach to nearly everything we do for our districts. And whether you’re responsible for operations, clean and safe, marketing, events and activations, programming, special projects, community engagement — or even social and MarCom — placemaking pervades nearly everything we do.

 

Before the pandemic, our co-founder Josh Yeager participated in the IDA Top Issues Council on Placemaking. Together with a whip-smart coalition of IDA members, practitioners, and some downright innovative folks, they collectively developed this publication on Place Branding (FREE for IDA Members) and produced and hosted IDA’s first-ever Placemaking and Place Branding Summit in Huntsville, AL. The pandemic put the brakes on subsequent summits, but the information, insights, and inspiration from the report are all still applicable, albeit perhaps with a few post-pandemic tweaks.

 

And that’s mainly what we’re exploring in this section. No need to say it again, but the pandemic up-ended so many aspects of our lives that, culturally, we’re a different bunch now. Downtowns and districts globally have different concerns, pressures, merchant support needs, dayparting, and foot traffic patterns. So within this section, we’ll delve into today’s world of placemaking and guide you through some examples of outstanding placemaking globally.

Also, never forget to check our website’s RESOURCES section for additional Trends Reports (like this on Illuminated Placemaking) and an archive of our bi-monthly e-blasts for place management practitioners and destination marketing organizations, the Bright Brothers Bulletin. 

 

EXPERIENTIAL

We talk all the time about “leaning into experiential” locally, but what does that mean? A great answer comes from Senior Business Director of Experiential, Victoria Sobel from lauded creative agency Giant Spoon. Known for groundbreaking and impressive, immersive experiences, Giant Spoon caught the world’s attention last year by turning upside down the Empire State Building (and 14 other iconic landmarks globally) to tease the launch of Stranger Things, season 4. If you haven’t seen the activation, click here to enter The Upside Down.

 

Sobel stated in a recent interview with Marketing Brew, “Consumers now look to brands to do more than just demo and sample—they want to participate, learn, celebrate, and ultimately, be part of a community through these shared moments. Marketers should lean into this opportunity to build brand love and loyalty through the creation of great, memorable experiences,” and that Empire State stunt definitely checks all the boxes!²⁰

 

Now, most urban place managers don’t have the kinds of big budgets that Netflix has to promote their districts. So what is possible? Plenty! Think about things you and your stakeholders can do, like:

  • Philly’s famed Pizzeria Beddia has a private omakase hoagie room. Based on the Japanese tradition of omakase, guests participate in the preparation of the food 
  • Host an in-shop experience à la Lush cosmetics, the famed British beauty brand
  • Sleepovers are an increasingly popular trend at museums, zoos, and cultural attractions
  • The Tinder Pride Slide was not only a trip, but it was also a feel-good fundraiser
  • This innovative lighting manufacturer, RBW, hosts lunch-and-learns with architects and designers (their target audiences) and interactive public events where participants assemble a lighting fixture and take it home
  • And then, of course, you have your vetted experiential business models like Build-A-Bear, Wine & Design (aka “tipsy painting”), and chefs classes…
  • Plus, experiential exhibits like The Van Gogh Immersive Experience, Luminarias in the Garden, the Museum of Ice Cream, and many more.
  • If you have an influx of new residents to your district, consider programming “locals only” fam tours, dine-arounds, or bike and burrito rallies!

Taking a deeper dive into experiential and illuminated placemaking, consider the Downtown San Francisco Partnership’s ‘Let’s Glow SF” event.* With two seasons under their belts, the downtown district tirelessly works to counter the media narrative that the central business district is dead. The media in SF itself loves to jump on this narrative to garner alarmist clicks. Admittedly San Francisco’s commercial real estate market has been particularly hard hit with pandemic pitfalls, like major tech companies moving to WFH as standard, Twitter getting hit for past due rent, and more.²¹

 

In an effort to keep office workers downtown after hours, (and spending money on local stakeholders), as well as draw locals, regionals, and visitors to SF’s extremely clean and safe downtown, the district launched Let’s Glow SF during holiday 2021 to much fanfare, plus a special honor from Mayor London Breed. The 10-day event massively increased foot traffic and drove an estimated $2.2M economic impact for the districts’ ratepayers. In 2022, Let’s Glow returned as the nation’s “largest holiday projection mapping festival,” featuring spectacular light shows at five iconic locations within the district, and 2022 knocked it even farther outta the park with a 42% increase in attendance and a 61% increase in visitor spending, creating a $3M economic impact for Downtown SF businesses.  

 

The district worked with a local visual arts company A3 Visual, and tapped local and international talent to design the interactive displays and light shows. In 2022, they offered a digital brochure and added a companion print guide to the festival that was distributed to local tourism and hospitality partners. It all adds up to quantifiable returns for the community, and even in San Francisco, $3M in economic impact is nothing to sniff at!

 

Get the full scoop on Let’s Glow SF on the Downtown San Francisco Partnership’s new website!

 

Now not every district has the budget, foot traffic, or wherewithal to produce this type of event, but a key component here was also dayparting.

 

DAYPARTING

Because of the pandemic, we now have disrupted foot traffic patterns, WFH and more flexible work schedules, different child care situations, and hybrid work scenarios creating fractured dayparts. In some cities, we’re seeing rebounds in daily commutes returning to some 80-90% of pre-pandemic levels, and in other places (like San Francisco), we may never return to a formerly-known norm. So what does this mean for districts?  Nearly every one of our clients has expressed challenges pertaining to this disruption.  It’s difficult for restaurants to staff for lunch without the office workers. Some cities have seen a “brain drain” of talent that can work virtually anywhere and have moved off-grid. And in some places, businesses are mandating a return to the office with varying degrees of success. So what to do?

 

Lean into dayparting.  And what that means is understanding when and where people are coming downtown, and programming and activating for those segments. It may not be the traditional “after-work happy hours” and coffee meetings anymore.  We highly recommend you track and analyze foot traffic patterns (with any of the myriad services like Springboard, Placer.ai, and others), to better understand when and how people are using your downtown amenities. Once you have a grasp on when, you can get the most bang for your buck, program for these visitors, and make sure it ties into your merchant support efforts. Some examples come to mind, like:

  • Downtown Tempe’s “Park After Dark” series takes palace after sunset during their blistering summer months
  • Recurring concert series during alternate dayparts like lunch, happy hour, and weekend evenings, like Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership’s “Downtown Sound” series
  • Consider round-ups of content/programming around mid-afternoon sweet treats and pick-me-ups like Visit Chandler cataloged
  • …or even consider go-at-your-own-pace programming like Downtown Austin’s “Mural Map,” Downtown Huntsville’s “Craft Beer Trail,” Downtown Excelsior Springs Chocolate Tour, wine tours, cocktail trails, and more.

 

CHANGE

Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s never going back. We’re now three years into COVID-19 first hit, and the word “pivot” has been beaten like a dead horse (pardon the analogy). But let’s explore how some places lean into change. 

 

“Car-free” frees up space for people. Even before the pandemic, we saw the beginnings of car-free movements in cities around the globe. With Europe taking a decided lead over the U.S.’s love affair with the automobile, cities like Barcelona, Milan, Paris, and Stockholm are ahead of the curve in implementing Open Streets programs — bringing a more human scale to safe and exclusive streets for pedestrians.²² And stateside, we’ve seen massive inroads made in cities like Atlanta, Boulder, Columbus, Fort Collins, Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philly, Portland, and more.

 

Additionally, streeteries lending a slim lifeline to struggling restaurants during the pandemic, are now becoming permanent in cities like New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and many more, albeit not without contention. Some cities (and citizens) favor parking over pizza, and making streeteries permanent comes with a hefty price tag for safety, stability, insurance, and inspections. 

But in one of the most telling stories, the city of Toronto, CA recently announced some quantifiable evidence in favor of permanent street eats.  In late 2022 Toronto published their analysis on revenue generation from the same footprint of space, year-over-year. They found that had the traditional parking been in place, it would have generated a mere $3.7M, compared to the $181M produced by curbside patios during the same 13-week study period. That’s 49X more revenue generated for the city, and its citizens are seemingly stuffed and satisfied with the results as well!

 

Use of the public realm became even more imperative during the pandemic, often with surprising outcomes. One street in Jackson Heights, a dense, bustling neighborhood in Queens, NY closed 34th Avenue to traffic during the pandemic, and residents and businesses liked the expanded, outdoor space so much, the Department of Transportation agreed to make the change to an Open Street permanent. Managed by the 34th Ave Open Streets Coalition, this success story is but one example of thousands implemented worldwide due to COVID-19’s social distancing protocols and efforts to make places more liveable. 

 

Jackson Heights, NY resident and Department Chair at William Paterson University, Lauren Razzore-Cedeño endured most of the pandemic in this neighborhood. She shared personal insights with Bright Brothers Strategy Group, noting that, “What transpired and transformed 34th Avenue was honestly a lifesaver for us,” stated Razzore-Cedeño, a mother of two young children. 

 

She furthered that, “New York was the epicenter of the pandemic at the time. We had nowhere to walk because it wasn’t safe on the sidewalks packed with so many people… we couldn’t socially distance. So I would take the girls down there for fresh air. It started just as a place to get some space during COVID, but they developed programming on 34th, and the whole scene became a really amazing community space. Some neighbors weren’t happy with the changes, but it really provided a lifeline for me and my family.”

So whether for walking, playing games, yoga, dining, dancing, bike rallies or myriad other purposes, the trend toward creating safe, human-scale, car-free spaces within our districts and cities is a trend we’re likely continue to see develop in 2023 and beyond.

Video Downtown Marketing Trends 2023

January 23, 2023

If a picture says a thousand words, then a video tells the whole story, right? And video is everywhere these days, thanks to the fact that nearly all of us have a handheld recording device in the palm of our hands at all times. 

 As video technology and publishing technology have rapidly increased, conversely, our attention spans have shrunk exponentially. Sadly, it is now estimated that the average human attention span is eclipsed by that of a goldfish!  Purportedly, goldfish have a leg up (ahem, fin, perhaps?) on us humans, with an additional second of focus, so that’s Humans 8, Goldfish 9. The stats and research have been disputed, but there’s no discounting the fact that we have very short attention spans. Modern media is not helping the trend. 

 As evidenced by the popularity of ephemeral media like Snap, TikTok, Reels and more, we live in an era of hyper-paced media consumption, so video is a great way to get your message across in seconds. But there are a few things to note:

  • 73% of consumers prefer short form video¹⁴
  • Short form video has the highest ROI¹⁴
  • 30% of all short form videos are watched 81% pf the way through¹⁴
  • Users spend an average of 45 minutes at a time watching TikTok videos¹⁴
  • HubSpot considers short form video to be under 60 seconds, with the optimal length between 31-60 seconds¹⁵
  • 85% of marketers say short form videos are the most effective format on social media¹⁵

 So why do we still see so many long form videos being produced by organizations and marketers alike?  Ego, mainly is our gut take. But perhaps they’re trying to reach Baby Boomers. According to HubSpot, “56% of Gen Z, 54% of Millennials, 48% of Gen X, and 26% of Boomers say they discover new products most often on YouTube,”¹⁶

 

The kind of content and length of video you make really depends on your audience. HubSpot notes, “While each generation might watch fairly similar content, it’s important to remember that the goal is different. For Gen X, it might be to reminisce, while for Boomers, it’s to save time, and for Millennials and Gen Z, it could be to learn something new,” so the old adage, “read the room” definitely applies here as well.¹⁶

 But for many marketers and smaller organizations, professionally produced video is a luxury or out of reach for some budgets. Again, that handy-dandy device in your pants pocket can come in handy. A few things to note:

 

  • Not all video needs to be perfectly polished. In fact, 90% of consumers said that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support¹⁷
  • 92% of marketers believe that most or all of the content they create resonates as authentic with consumers¹⁷
  • 51% of consumers say that less than half of brands create content that resonates as authentic¹⁷

So when you’re out and about in your district, keep your smartphone within reach, and don’t shy away from shooting some impromptu, casual and non-professional video on the fly. And telling your district’s story with short form video on social media can be as simple and as a quick intro video and hello with your favorite barista while grabbing your morning coffee, lunch out with coworkers, an afternoon break meeting people in the park, happy hour, or more. For many, video can provide a virtual snapshot of what it’s like in your district. Having video on hand also comes in handy when you need to tell your story as part of a campaign.

 

UPCYCLE

We like to say that “A little B-roll goes a long way”, and that’s especially true for short form video. A few things to love about B-roll:

  • Oftentimes, a media company (say the local paper, culture rag or TV station), will shoot and produce video for you as part of a larger package. It’s often a “value add” as part of larger campaign. Invest once, then repurpose, reuse, recycle and upcycle
  • If you’re doing a professional shoot, ask the videographer to get (and give you), plenty of B-roll that you can re-purpose later
  • Cut down 15-second snippets to use for TikTok, Reels, Twitter and more. Produce once, then repost or share across multiple channels
  • 15-second spots are also the perfect length for many streaming TV buys, YouTube and Google advertising and more (clearly your social channels)

 

But where else does B-roll come in handy?  PR. Most definitely PR. If you’ve ever tried to get the local media out to cover one of your events, it can be challenging — especially if you’re not buying an advertising package from them. Recently one of our colleagues shared with us an enlightening anecdote from a Top 20 U.S. metro.  On the very same day that she was holding a big press conference/media junket for the unveiling of a placemaking project that took nearly a year to develop, there was a massive auto accident about an hour outside the city. All the local TV stations were covering the accident live, and pulled the TV crews she was anticipating for her event. Not one to be discouraged, she and her assistant moved forward with the event, shot B-roll with their iPhones and sent it to local newsrooms instead.  And guess who got featured on that night’s news? Yep! 

With tapped newsrooms, reduced editorial staffs and slim-lined news crews, plus consumers’ short attention spans and their preference for authenticity – B-roll shot on your iPhone can be a lifesaver in your annual content calendar.

 

AUTHENTICITY

While we’re on the topic of authenticity and consumers’ preferences for the real deal, we wanted to call out some of our favorite campaigns from downtowns, districts, and DMOs showcasing the faces behind the community. A few come to mind, and while not video (these were photography-based), the essence is the same — keepin’ it real!

 Downtown Fort Collins (CO) did a very popular “People Behind the Plates” campaign to support their annual “Great Plates of Downtown” promotion. Great Plates of Downtown is a nearly two-decade long promotion, similar to the restaurant weeks many downtowns produce. There’s a prix-fixe menu at participating locations, with a portion of the proceeds donated locally. Downtown Fort Collins interviewed 25 employees from participating locations to genuinely showcase the veritable faces behind the plates. The result is approachable, credible, and personable and tells the story of a tight-knit downtown that supports its community. We absolutely loved this one!

 Another example comes from Downtown Tempe (AZ) in late 2020. During the full brunt of the pandemic, the BID ran a social campaign entitled “I Mask Up Because…” and featured interviews and quotes from local business owners wearing their masks, and describing what it meant to them and the community. With varying viewpoints, perspectives, and positive impacts, the campaign put a human face (albeit a masked one) in front of the district’s fans and followers and drove additional support to their struggling businesses during some of the darkest days of the pandemic. Kudos on a personalized campaign bringing awareness and driving support to their stakeholders!

So whether you’re shooting photos or videos for your district, keep authenticity, varying viewpoints, and stakeholder support top of mind. The more real you are helps tell your story, and pays off in dividends regardless of media type.

Branding Downtown Marketing Trends 2023

January 23, 2023

When it comes to branding, oh boy, do we have a lot to say. Certain adages come to mind: “A rose by any other name…”. Or one of our co-founder’s personal faves, “Your brand is not what you say it is — it’s what others say about you when you’re not in the room,” and these are loaded statements. Let’s unpack these a little. 

 

 It’s important to remember that your brand isn’t just logos and fonts and color palettes. It’s the sum total of your reputation, how well your website functions, the types of programming, placemaking, clean and safe, and support you provide your community, and so much more. And all ego aside, your brand is what the community thinks about you, not just the narrative you try to sell. So if the community thinks parking sucks downtown, then guess what?  Parking sucks downtown. And it’s now your job to dispel the myth or drive the narrative in a different direction.

 

 To start, let’s consider community engagement. We’ve seen tons of organizations go through the process of gathering the entire team, huddling, and brainstorming. While that might work in some scenarios, a top-down approach is rarely the best. And we’ve seen examples of community backlash when they weren’t invited to the table. So what’s the best approach to starting your branding process? Community engagement, of course.

 

If the agency you select to guide you through the branding process does not include community intercept surveys, polls, face-to-face intake, or other forms of community involvement and crowdsourcing, you’re doomed to fail. Make sure there’s an entire section in their proposal before you sign the contract! And any agency worth its salt will have a clearly outlined process for this and can explain how the results inform the branding process.

 

You only know what you know, so starting with a ground-up, grass-roots intake session should affirm and validate that your mission is aligned with the community’s needs — or help you identify areas of opportunity for improvement that can be addressed in your new brand.

 

Ask the community questions like:

  • How are we doing?
  • What do you like best?
  • What should our priorities be?
  • What would make you spend more time downtown?
  • What keeps you from doing X downtown?
  • What do want to see more of?
  • I like downtown because it’s XYZ…

 

Ask lots of qualitative questions. Offer a mix of formatting styles of questions. Lists of common adjectives describing downtown, also provide invaluable insights. 

 

This type of community engagement will inform your organization and provide answers to just what people say your brand is. You may or may not like everything you learn, but the feedback should be honest and help you understand controllable aspects of your brand. It also leads to a better understanding of your constituents’ needs, wants, and barriers to entry. 

 

Bright Brothers Strategy Group uses community engagement surveys as part and parcel of our Persona Development Process. The Personas are a perfect amalgamation of qualitative and quantitative data, and can then be used for:

  • Brand development
  • Marketing and Communications strategies
  • Program development
  • Placemaking
  • Website, social, and advertising copy
  • SEO
  • Economic Development
  • Events and Activations
  • … and a whole host of related district initiatives

 

When you start your processes by asking, listening, and engaging with the community, you better understand their needs and can develop a responsive organization that is in tune with the community and meets their needs.

 

But this is just the first step in developing your brand. Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a host of organizations attempt to rebrand their districts — with varying degrees of success. Your brand should be flexible, dynamic, multi-faceted, and able to connect with various communities locally and afar, and above all, be authentic. 

 

ELEMENTS

 

So you’ve done your due diligence. You’ve listened to the community, synthesized their feedback, and developed your new branding. That’s only part of the picture. What comes to mind when you think of your brand (logo, accents, font families, and color palette) is really your visual identity.  Your brand is still the total of your district and organization overall, your merchants and their associated brands, your streetscape and public realm, your level of cleanliness and attractiveness, your events, activations, and more. And overall, your website, the ratings and reviews of your district and merchants, and most importantly, the user-generated media coming out of your district are of paramount importance as well. 

 

Every photo, every video, every review and rating tagged with your district is part of your brand.  And remember that nearly 40% of Gen Z prefer TikTok and Instagram for search over Google! So that percentage gains exponential weight when you consider Millennial behaviors, Gen X actions, and more.

 

This is how people plan trips and travel now. This is how people determine where they want to live, work, shop, or relocate to. This is a significant part of your brand. And while you cannot control every aspect of every Yelp review, Facebook rating, Google My Business comment…etc. surrounding your district — you should be driving the narrative around what is controllable. Much of this starts with claiming/owning your Google My Business account for the district and actively managing it. 

 

But again, your brand is so much more than your visual identity and online text, images, and video. It goes beyond that, and one trend we kept major tabs on in the past year is sonic branding. 

 

ALL THINGS AUDIO

 

Aside from podcasts (and yes, you can easily buy media on podcasts), other audio opportunities exist as well. If you manage ads on Google, you can purchase 15-second spots (there’s that magic number again!) directly through your Google Ad Account that play as interstitials on YouTube and more.

 

Furthermore, to big brands and audio, the past few years saw some amazing innovations that will impact 2023 and beyond:

  • Gabe Alonso, who heads up digital platforms and community for PepsiCo, proposes that your brand needs to have a signature sound. From TikTok to podcasts and live audio to earworms, Gabe says that the audible element of your brand is just as important as how you look and feel. 
  • MasterCard launched a 10-layer sonic branding plan that includes numerous audio assets, and even an album of original songs.
  • Chip brand Tostitos (owned by PepsiCo) worked with a sonic branding agency to drill down to discover the brand’s signature sound, what the agency calls its “inevitable sound,” and incorporated the sounds of a salsa jar lid popping open, plus the rustling of a chip bag as parts of their sonic logo.
  • Fast-casual chain Panera developed not one, but four different versions of its new sonic logos in one-, three-, and six-second, as well as a long-form version, that all assist with brand recall and sales lift.
  • Social media management software Hootsuite launched a wild sonic logo along with a Mortal Kombat Easter Egg for fans.
  • The Wikimedia Foundation (yes, those brainy folks behind Wikipedia and more), held a competition to define The Sound of All Human Knowledge last year, in building their sonic logo. This is also a great example of community engagement with the contest.
  • Headspace and Orangetheory appointed new CMOs (Chief Music Officers) to their C-suites to invest in their sonic identities.

Email Downtown Marketing Trends 2023

January 23, 2023

Email marketing is the natural extension and progression of direct mail, a vetted marketing practice going way back into the 20th century. And as other, newer technologies emerged (e.g.  social media, digital advertising, influencers, etc.), many marketers preferred to chase the bright, new and shiny, in favor of what can and should be your number one performance marketing channel. 

 

We’re not going to posit that email marketing is “making a comeback”, because frankly it never went away. And during the pandemic, the value of custom communications to your most loyal and supportive user bases offered a socially-distanced lifeline for your organization or business. And while successful email campaigns are both part art and part science, the numbers don’t lie. A well-crafted email campaign can and should be part of your media mix for any events, activations, merchant news, and more. 

 

We love email for several reasons:

  • As mentioned above, email should be your number one performance marketing channel, and the proof is in the pudding
  • Email Lists are technically “owned media”, meaning that your lists should contain your most hardcore supporters 
  • Email is literally a digital call-to-action, and should be brief, to-the-point, and oftentimes merely a “single subject” (yes, we’re wagging our fingers at those of you who send “30-scroll websites” full of content to your lists) — especially for district event promotion

 

According to market and consumer data resource Statista, “In 2020, the global e-mail marketing market was valued at 7.5 billion U.S. dollars and the source projected that the figure would increase to 17.9 billion by 2027,” and that’s nothing to sneeze at.⁷ To make your email campaigns successful and legally compliant (and that’s a big one in 2023!), here are some things you should consider:

  • Data privacy should be a top concern for your organization. We’ve been talking about GDPR or the EU’s “General Data Protection Regulation” for years now. It went into effect in 2018 and has far-reaching implications — even in the US.⁸
  • The State of California also enacted its own stringent regulations in 2018, with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) with several amendments and expansions in provisions as recently as 2020.⁹ Enforcement began in earnest in 2022 with beauty brand Sephora paying out a whopping $1.2 million USD settlement to the state, with promises (or threats) of many more big brands coming under fire.¹⁰
  • Develop an automated drip campaign for new subscribers that consider their customer journey:
    • When and where they first sign-up (most likely that’s your website)
    • Sending a verification/opt-in email
    • Thank the subscriber by sending an authentic “thank you” email, perhaps with a gift like a $5 “Downtown Dollars” incentive
    • Set expectations for how frequently you’ll send emails to them
    • Provide contact information for your organization
    • Sending from a staff member’s name is a great way to break through to stakeholders

 

Some trends which have been around for a while now, but are expected to sizzle in 2023 include:

  • Engaging and intriguing headlines still matter
  • Inclusion of emojis in subject lines increase open rates and engagement
  • Personalization and authenticity matter. Most modern email services like MailChimp, Emma and Constant Contact offer personalization functionality
  • Marketing leader HubSpot put together a nice primer on email personalization with 23 case story examples you may want to consider.¹¹
  • User Generated Content (UGC) can help fill the gaps if you’re deficit on content (although we don’t advocate simply blasting for the sake of blasting if you have no news or a compelling CTA)
  • Artificial Intelligence seems to be popping up everywhere these days, so from managing your customer service threads, to most commonly answered questions to even developing content, the use of AI is on the rise and only expected to become more pervasive
  • Animated or interactive content within e-blasts continues to grow in popularity
  • Authenticity is still key. Don’t feel compelled to write in an overly formal manner, even if you are promoting the district. E-blasts, website copy and social media should all have an approachable, authentic, humorous or even vulnerable tone of voice, depending on the content. Write like you’re speaking to a friend, not the mayor

 

To opt in or opt out — that is the question. While we marketers typically aim to grow our numbers, followers, subscribers and metrics, a case can be made for giving subscribers the boot.

 

In general we recommend numerous points of entry for new email subscribers on your website; from static footers, to dynamic pop-ups sprinkled throughout the web experience, as best practice. 

 

Partner promotions and/or cascade promotions work extremely well. Perhaps you team up with your local CVB, chamber and a popular venue, park or business in town to collectively grow your lists with prizes or incentives. We developed one such sweepstakes promo in Tempe, AZ years ago and the list attrition was near zero years after the fact. 

 

Don’t overlook “owned sources” for list acquisition. For example, if you’re selling tickets to an event, grab the emails from EventBrite (or whichever platform you used), of those who purchased/participated and segment them as an event-specific list (you know there’s intent and affinity for future events, corollary content…etc.), and offer them an opt-in to your main list (segmented, of course).

 

Consistent list hygiene is imperative though. Most email providers tell you who’s unsubscribed or bounced, so be sure to remove those from your distro. Dead email addresses may even be costing you money, depending on your service plan.

But one of the bigger trends we’ve seen in the past year is an “opt out strategy”. Yes, you’re literally asking folks if they’d like to unsubscribe, proactively. As many as 68% of emails get deleted automatically, and for whatever the reason — maybe they’re just not that into you anymore.¹² NBD. Show them to the door. If someone no longer opens or engages with your e-blasts, they’re technically dead weight that’s just pulling down your numbers. So be kind and offer them a way out that’s not uncomfortable, and aids you in the long run. Not sure how to do that?  Check out this overview from Ann Gynn for the Content Marketing Institute on developing your unsubscribe strategy.¹³

Social Media Downtown Marketing Trends 2023

January 23, 2023

It’s a new year, and as we welcome 2023, we hope you found solace, solemnitude and joy over the holidays. Now it’s “back to the grind” for most of us, and with the new year comes a time of research and planning for the months ahead. Ardent strategists, we’re always looking ahead and keeping tabs on the trends, research and data that impact districts like yours. Within this document, we’ve rounded up themes, trends and topics we see bubbling to the top from the worlds of urban place management, destination marketing, placemaking, urban planning and economic development.

Read on for tips and tools to make your job easier, validate your direction, spark your passion and pique your curiosity — all in the name of supporting your constituents, members and ratepayers. We’re keeping this pretty high-level, so if you want to learn more, dig deeper or would like a personal consultation to discuss what this might mean for your district, please give us a shout!

 

Social Media

The “tok” is the talk of the town. Well, the whole internet, really. And it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Despite efforts at the federal and some local levels that ban the use of Chinese-owned TikTok app from municipal phones, for place-based marketers and your constituents, it’s a place you need to be.

 

The salad days of wild growth and engagement on Facebook and Instagram are gone, and they are now what they’ve always intended to be; highly targeted advertising platforms that deliver dollars to investors and shareholders. Period. Other than Instagram Reels, you’ll need to pay to play, but explosive growth, discovery, engagement and shopping (yes, shopping — we’ll get to that in a minute), are squarely on TikTok these days.

 

And when looking across all of our clients, plus industry trends, analyst insights and anecdotal feedback from merchant marketing sessions we’ve done with districts for their ratepayers — the upside cannot be ignored. Unlike more traditional social media channels, TikTok is all about discovery, and their algorithm works to bring you unprecedented growth and visibility for your district’s stories, events and placemaking, if you play your cards right. And that doesn’t mean you need slick, polished professional video. But you do need a crafty strategy, authenticity and a willingness to dedicate time, energy and resources to this white-hot platform.  

Some things to consider with TikTok:

 

  • 53% of TikTok users are over 30¹
  • 13.6% of US TikTok users have an HHI of $75K – $100K, and a whopping 40.2% have an HHI of $100K+!¹
  • Users skew 57% female to 43% male on their gender binary¹
  • On average, TikTok users spend 95 minutes per day on the platform and open it 8 times per day¹
  • TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to immediately purchase something they discovered on the platform compared to other social media platform users¹
  • TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to convince a friend or family member to buy a product they’ve seen on the app¹
  • TikTok users are 2.4x more likely to create a post and tag a brand after buying a product¹
  • 67% of users says that TikTok inspires them to shop — even when they weren’t planning to do so²
  • 40% of Gen Z users prefer using TikTok and Instagram for search over Google³
  • And anecdotally, we’ve gotten feedback from small businesses who attended our merchant marketing sessions who told us:
    • “I gained 12K+ followers in the past 24 hours!”
    • See next page for a case story!

 

STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT

Bright Brothers hosted a merchant marketing session for one of our downtown client’s stakeholders that focused on connecting with Gen Z, as well as best practices for TikTok. Soon after, we received the following, lovely email full of thanks and praise from one of the district’s small businesses:

 

“I started my account a day or two after your workshop. I didn’t link any accounts or use my contacts to find friends, so I started completely from scratch. About a month in, I started making bag sales online almost every day. Previously, I almost never had online bag sales. This past weekend one of my videos kind of took off, and I sold 30 bags in about 48hrs.

The video got over 100k views over the weekend and it seemed like everytime I refreshed my email, there was another order notification.

The craziest part is that I’ve spent 11 years making photos and videos for Facebook, IG, and YouTube and never have come close to getting any kind of traction like I’ve gotten with TikTok–literally in less than 3 months from opening my account.

Anyways, I just wanted to take a minute to tell you that I am singing your praises to people a couple times a day, and I have no idea how I’m going to fulfill all the orders.”

That’s a GOOD problem to have! 

*Courtesy of Werther Leather Goods, Norfolk, VA

 

TWITTER KILLER?

Despite all the brouhaha about the future of Twitter, the staple social networking service is limping along after business magnate Elon Musk finally acquired it in late October 2022. Since that time, it’s been a rocky road for the 280-character-long platform. Musk’s volatile takeover has included a back-to-office order that didn’t sit well with many employees, a mass exodus of staff and brain trust at nearly every level internally, a diaspora of advertisers resulting in millions in lost revenue, and thousands of users fleeing (or looking to leave) the formerly-favored platform.

 

But what comes next? There’s no clear consensus. With myriad upstart start-ups looking to take a bite out of Twitter’s market share, many are racing to bring betas to market and grow their user bases, including open source and collaborative communities like Mastodon, Post and others. 

 

Additionally, formerly-abandoned industry-leading apps like Tumblr (which experienced massive fallout and fell out of favor after the enforcement of stricter content policies surrounding adult content in 2018), are now seeing an upswing in users fleeing Twitter. Case in point, as reported by Tech.co in November 2022, “Tumblr, a still widely-used but ultimately more historical social media platform, saw 301,000 post-acquisition downloads compared to 170,000 for the same period beforehand.”⁴

 

Some, like WIRED’s Morgan Meaker posit that LinkedIn is the way to go, and Marketing Brew’s Jack Appleby put out some quantifiably discerning stats regarding cross-posting from Twitter to LinkedIn — and looked at the exponentially positive numbers he saw on the professional networking platform.⁵,⁶  

 

At the end of the day, there’s still no clear “Twitter killer” (aside from Musk himself), and the drama will continue to unfold, so any singular replacement probably remains to be seen in 2023.

 

 

Downtown Recovery Trends November 2020

November 23, 2020

THE THIRD WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC is spreading faster than ever in most states, and restaurants and bars are again being shuttered. Those who survived the summer though, have learned to be tough and are largely surviving.

RESTAURANTS

Takeout and delivery were at an all-time high this summer and, as we head into mid-autumn, that trend has skyrocketed: Searches for takeout and delivery have doubled! In particular, bundles with family-friendly fare are wildly out-performing. While customers still expect customization, they’re also appreciating the ability to buy a package deal. When people are stressed, removing choices is an attractive proposition.

QR codes have become ubiquitous sights at many restaurants who are looking to minimize physical contact between guests and servers. Restaurants that aren’t currently also using the QR code to collect emails, feedback, and reviews should add those immediately. The largest opportunity that restaurants are missing out on the rich data available to them using QR codes. Never before have guests been so willing to hand over personal information. Just as online retailers use orders to customize their marketing, restaurants need to learn as well. Simple segmenting can also help: lunch, dinner, family, alcohol, etc. make it easy to craft relevant messages.

Restaurants that have lines built up in waiting areas or where guests have their temperature checked are rethinking the host stand. Not only is it critical for safety reasons to have someone prevent close contact, but it can be a pleasant experience that sets the tone for the meal. Complimentary beverages, plants, music, shade/heaters, blankets, and distanced seating set the stage for a pleasant meal, keep guests and staff safe, and are a wonderful opportunity to upsell alcohol and dessert.

COVID RESOURCES

Updates on COVID are largely ignored on BID’s websites, but roundups that mix businesses with attractions are performing significantly better than last year. You can use analytics to decide what your audience is interested in… or you can just ask them. Make a habit of using social media to engage your audience and ask them what questions they have or what they’re looking for, then reply with a longer post later in the week. People are eager to communicate right now and everyone loves to feel heard.

WARM UP

Temperatures are dropping and people aren’t as eager to go outside. It’s not just a public health hazard: it also affects businesses with outdoor seating. We’re seeing branded blankets everywhere. It’s a costly investment, but organizing an order for your merchants can keep costs manageable. Better lighting public lighting and music can also help people feel warmer.

BLACK FRIDAYS

Retailers are counting on ecommerce, but they’ll still need to get creative with their in-store experience. Many retailers are reaching out to their customers to offer “reservations” for busy shopping days, either complimentary or by including the offer with gift cards. This strategy can work especially well when coordinated with restaurants; BIDS are well-positioned to help coordinate. Because retailers know exactly how many people to expect, they can manage labor costs and even offer extended hours without breaking the bank. Experiences are also easier when shops are reserved. Whether that means inviting people to watch as products are made, taking the time to wrap gifts, sharing stories, making personal shoppers available, upselling gift cards, or even just putting out a plate of cookies, a managed stream of shoppers makes experiences extra special.

Downtown Recovery Trends September 2020

September 23, 2020

THE PANDEMIC ISN’T GOING AWAY any time soon, but there are bright spots among the gloom… and we’re seeing more opportunities than when this began.

RESTAURANTS: NOW OR NEVER

With the experiments taking place in each state, we now know that most restaurants that closed due to COVID-19 will never reopen. We’ve also learned how to help them stay open- and districts can play a major role. A recent Restaurant Week in Norfolk, VA that featured dine-in, takeout, and delivery options was more successful than their traditional restaurant weeks, with more restaurants reporting a better experience and more sales, and traffic and engagement at year-long highs. Most impressively, they did it with a small fraction of the budget of previous Restaurant Weeks. By utilizing social media ads, Norfolk took advantage of the extra time people are spending online; especially families whose kids are attending school from home.

Elsewhere, while delivery services have largely remained steady throughout the summer, curbside pickup is continuing to grow. Not only do curbside guests tend to spend more, they also save the restaurant money by skipping expensive delivery services. More and more, guests are choosing pickup for the experience of seeing other people. The most innovative restaurants are creating an enjoyable experience at the curb, adding planters, shade, drinks, music, and more. Many downtowns have supported parklets to create additional space for dining; restaurants that only offer pickup can benefit from similar programs.

Restaurants that previously didn’t offer pickup are having the greatest success with family-style packages, as well as kids menus and the customization diners expect at a restaurant. On weekends, many mid-range restaurants (that also offer alcohol) are making nearly as much as last year.

ONLINE DIRECTORIES

More cities are experiencing changes to reopening phases that are different from their state. With more people traveling for work and school, districts need to ensure that visitors have up-to-date information. Districts that have consistently maintained directories over the summer are seeing significant increases in traffic; in many cases, more than any time outside of the holidays. Updated directories only work if people know they’re current; use bold graphics with the dates you update the page so people know they can rely on you- they’ll keep coming back.

TOURISM

Global tourism has been devastated by COVID, but local and regional tourism aren’t so dire. If anything, there may be a slightly longer leisure tourism season as we head into fall. Savvy districts are focusing their efforts on visitors within four hour drives who want to get out and go shopping. Districts with historic sights or large outdoor attractions are also successfully bringing in families from the suburbs who need a change of scenery; small “study areas” with wifi are starting to pop up.

HOLIDAY COMMERCE

More than 40% of Americans have shopped at a new store online since the beginning of closures, and they’re placing order 40% earlier. Your retailers should already be online, but they should also be prepared for an earlier holiday sales season. Help your retailers by coordinating a holiday shopping campaign ready to go in October rather than November. Offering free/reduced photography sessions, gift guides, advertising support, and tech support can all benefit your district as a whole. There’s also an increased interest from people interested in popup concepts; with jobs in flux and extra vacancy, people are ready to pursue their dreams.

Downtown Recovery Trends August 2020

August 23, 2020

RECORD-SETTING ECONOMIC CONTRACTION in Q3 and growing unemployment numbers have taken the wind out of our summer recovery sails. Still, there are encouraging signs that carefully directing our resources can keep our downtowns growing.

RETURN TO WORK

When most office workers moved to work from home, many of the small businesses that served them shuttered during the day, from coffee shops to restaurants to professional services. Many of the largest Fortune 500 companies are extending their work-from-home policy through 2021, but many state and federal government employees are returning to the office. Mid-size offices are also coming back online at an increasing rate, but with new patterns: many businesses are staggering starting hours, flexible four-day work weeks, and relying on even more contractors than before. It’s been a long time since many of these people have been downtown and a lot has changed. Treat these workers as if they’re brand new to downtown. For example:

  • Launch your new brand campaign now. Things have changed- embrace the change and make it fresh. Be sure to integrate a safety campaign.
  • Continue your relaxed signage restrictions and increase wayfinding so employees can find businesses to support.
  • Provide extra outdoor seating throughout downtown to encourage employees to eat outside. Consider branding or sponsorship opportunities with benches.
  • Send an eblast once a week that’s hyper-targeted to downtown employees. Don’t include anything extraneous. Even if the list is small, word travels fast in an office.
  • Switch up your swag. Branded paper napkins can be distributed to restaurants for delivery, towelettes can be provided next to parking meters and traffic lights, spray bottles can be kept next to seating areas.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

“Link juice” is the idea that a popular web page passes on some of its prestige to other pages linked to it. It’s one of the great principles of the internet, and Google has just declared it dead. As we all create new content for these new times, focus on making it as easy to use as possible and stop trying to force it to work with your most popular pages.

TOURISM

Travel during the Fourth of July was higher than last year, and that trend is continuing. Traffic to business’ sites is slowly on the rise. The most successful strategy for businesses that serve visitors is to expand the radius of the marketing. For downtowns, create content for visitors like “locals favorite ice cream” or “the best regional dish you can only get here”. We’re seeing exceptional returns for small businesses whose districts are employing this approach.

EARLY BIRDS

People are popping in and out of their homes as infection rates and the economy changes. Downtowns that are investing in geo-located ad campaigns are seeing strong returns. By only targeting people who are willing to come out early, the campaign can pay for itself. As an additional bonus, it’s one more tool to use to track your recovery.

RESTAURANTS

Restaurants that are determined to stay open through rollbacks need to adapt to stay at capacity. Innovative restaurants are combining reservations and restaurant pagers. Guests are given a suggested timeframe, then their phone alerts them of their assigned time and when to leave home. This method reduces crowds of lines out front while filling slower hours. Yelp currently offers the best version of this technology we’ve seen.

Downtown Recovery Trends July 2020

June 23, 2020

STATES ARE REOPENING AND CLOSING, experiencing sharp spikes in cases and dramatic declines… but there are some trends that will affect downtowns nationwide.

TOURISM

Summer is the busy season for many downtowns and, for many small- and mid-size towns, the number of tourists is likely to reach the same numbers as 2019. Especially for coastal towns and those with natural beauty, the tourist season just seems to be starting a month late. People are still planning vacations as much as they did last year, but they’re staying closer to home and staying at rentals. It’s not good news for our hotels, but restaurants and shopping districts can still pick up some visitors if they widen the radius of their marketing.

RESTAURANTS

Restaurants enjoyed a major spike in traffic and revenue in late May, even in states that hadn’t reopened. While revenue is holding steady at around 20-25% lower than last summer, restaurants are cautioned not to over-commit: Customers in their 20s and 30s are very quickly abandoning restaurants. While this may not be hitting everyone’s bottom line just yet, we expect to see dramatic declines in downtowns that rely on this demographic. For cities that rely on the summer season, plan to see revenue falling to the levels you saw just before and after the holidays.

EVENTS

People are looking for things to do and some of them are starting to look for events again. Boomers in particular are keen to get out. Unlike most summers, interest isn’t spiking on the weekends: most people are planning further ahead. As you start to plan events again, give people a little more lead time instead of ramping up three days ahead.

ONLINE DIRECTORIES

Now that everyone is comfortable ordering and shopping online, people are becoming more discerning in their tastes. Large directories of restaurants and retail have been extremely effective up till now, but consumers are rapidly shifting back to searching for specific cuisines and dishes. If your site saw increases in traffic because of your directories, now is the time to add the ability to segment by cuisine and to create pages and blog posts along the lines of “our favorite ice cream/pizza/brunch/etc.”

Likewise, it’s time to dust off your event calendars and posts. Boomers are looking for events again and even families are starting to venture out. Focus on the best activities and events rather than every recurring meetup. For events that are online-only, work with your site developer to implement virtual events markup. This will tell search engines that an event is online-only and will help your events rise to the top of search results.

ONLINE RETAIL

The majority of small businesses have put off moving sales online. That strategy won’t be enough to keep them afloat this summer. In fact, many independent clothing retailers are seeing more sales this summer than last. Dozens of tools and services are now free for retailers, but they can still be overwhelming. The simplest solution is the new Facebook Shops. Business owners can create a free Shop as easily as they can post on Facebook, and the results have been extraordinary thanks to Facebook’s knowledge of their audience. Businesses that want to go a little further are also encouraged to check out the free Google Shopping platform. It’s easy to list products for sale, and Google will help by showing local ads to locals first. This is the first time local retailers have really been able to compete with the big box stores online.