Is social media all about connecting online or can it be used to keep people connected to what’s happening in their local community? I say it can do both, and here’s my story to back it up.
Our small East Texas town of Sulphur Springs is running a campaign to revitalize our historic downtown area. Last year our Main Street was been repaved with beautiful red brick and black ornate street lamps were installed. The sidewalks were all redone and the landscaping has been wonderfully carved out for everyone to enjoy. At night, music is piped into the air and local businesses put out their open signs. It has become a social event to gather and eat downtown.
Last year our city manager, Marc Maxwell, started a farmers market on Main Street to attract people to the downtown area. Vendors were invited to participate and the street filled with produce and all sorts of locally grown foods. It didn’t take long for my food blogging wife to get involved and soon after we decided the farmers market needed a blog to help feature all the great vendors and produce that were being featured at the market. We also wanted to cover other events like live music and family events that would be of interest to the local community.
Once the site had a few months worth of content established, Jill (my food blogging wife) decided to add a Facebook fan page to the farmers market blog. Each Saturday morning she would walk the market, talking with the vendors and take pictures with her iPhone. As she moved through the crowd she would live blog using Facebook to update the Farmers Market fan page status.
She did this every Saturday for several months and before long several hundred fans had joined the fan page. People were inviting their friends and family to join the fan page. Now as Jill updated the page status, people would chime in that they would stop by later in the day or they would comment on the photos that were being posted. Some would ask if specific foods were available or if they could get a vendor to hold something for them. Most of the time, a full blown conversation about the market would be in full swing before Jill even left Main Street.
So, can you use social media to keep people connected to their local community? Absolutely. You can meet them where they are and communicate with them on an extremely personal level that encourages interest, participation and overal community. It’s all in the way the tool is used.
I was recently interviewed by Texas A&M University Commerce about our success with social media. Here is a clip from the radio program. The interviewer mispronounced my last name, but then so did my English teacher in high school, so I guess she’s not alone. I give several useful tips in the interview that you should find helpful.
Enjoy,
Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com
I’d like to thank Texas A&M University Commerce and Katie London for providing air time to this story.