08/03/2023
Thoughts?
It's commonly touted amongst businessy people that it cost 5x as much to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing one. Every towns have a lot of existing customers and yet they seem intent on ignoring them. Why not pay them a little love? Why not sell local?
It is inherently easier for the city people currently call home, to win them over and turn them into fans than it is to try and convince someone 30 miles down the road to up and move. There is such a tremendous benefit in gaining the affection of locals.
It’s the locals who pick up trash and show up to council meetings to speak up, locals that can hype their town, renovate buildings, and open new businesses. It’s the locals that run for school board and council and donate money to the t-ball team. A great town has passionately committed residents and this is why they deserve some attention.
I’m not looking for a shiny new town to win me over. I don’t care about the hiking trails or the house museum or whatever it is that is being sold as some community panacea.
I want dumb old boring stuff like a pretty downtown I can be proud of, local shops I can feel good about patronizing, and neighbors I can get to know and grow a lifelong bond with. I want a place where I feel a sense of attachment and a town that makes me a more civic-minded person.
I want a place where I can grow deep roots and can experience a sense of community. When a place makes people feel connected and proud, the best marketing in the world will pale in comparison to the way it feels just to get to call that place home.
