Product, price, place and promotion are known as the four Ps of marketing a product or service. Positioning a community within a region is similar.
1) Product — Does your community meet resident, business and visitor needs and wants? Various improvement projects can make your city more appealing to these target audiences. The western North Dakota community of Beach, in its most recent strategic plan, is focusing on several product improvements including re-use of vacant lots and beautification. Killdeer’s updated comprehensive plan addresses the importance of improving the appearance of aging structures along Central Avenue and discouraging the use of buildings for storage along this main street. “Carrot and stick” approaches can help with these objectives. Incentives or rewards for the desired actions may include storefront matching funds, Renaissance Zone property tax exemptions for in-fill projects, and awards for the best lawn or renovation project. Regulations and punishment for violations are sometimes introduced in the form of local ordinances. For example, storage could be a prohibited use in certain zoning districts or through use of a zoning overlay. 2) Price — Costs for real estate and construction enter into consideration for both commercial and residential interests. Do you have affordable housing and childcare to contribute to the availability of workforce? Does your community offer assistance and incentive programs to reduce risks and costs of business start-ups and expansion? During my latter years as the City of Mandan business development director, leaders approved a fire sprinkler assistance program to help offset the cost of repurposing older buildings. Project applications have involved bringing entertainment, recreation and nightlife uses to vacant buildings and expanding childcare facilities. 3) Place — Convenient and accessible locations are advantageous. Access to transportation including roadways, rail and air is a competitive advantage. Communities also should capitalize on natural and physical features that make it inviting and functional. The characteristics of place involve your community’s infrastructure. Do you have what is needed by way of streets, water and sewer for downtown revitalization or extension of services to accommodate green field development for new housing? Do you have available development sites and locations for businesses seeking a presence in areas visible and easily accessible to travelers? 4) Promotion — Communication and community marketing mean sharing your community’s key messages about differentiating factors and any progress on the fronts of improvements in product, price and place. Don’t let the absence of a perfect logo and slogan stop you. Positive messaging, imagery and authentic stories conveyed frequently and consistently are most important. Make sure external audiences can find your community online with a strong website and social media presence to include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. 4 Cs of Marketing The 4 Cs of marketing run parallel, from the perspective of the consumer, emphasizing the customer, cost, communication and convenience. To provide benefit to the customer, consider your community’s value proposition to residents, businesses and visitors. Help To Get Started Big messaging for small towns is possible. Contact me today to create and implement an affordable and cost-effective community marketing plan. For more thoughts, stories and updates about community betterment and small business development, please follow future blogs at www.communitymattersnd.com, or on social media: www.facebook.com/CommunityMattersND and www.linkedin.com/company/community-matters-llc-nd. Leave a Reply. |
About EllenEllen Huber is a country girl passionate about nurturing communities. She gets things done and welcomes opportunities to assist enthusiastic, committed community and business leaders in reaching their goals. Archives
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6/14/2023
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