Andrea Dono (pictured left), Executive Director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR), an Advancing Virginia Main Street (AVMS) program, was recently featured on Brand Story Podcast where she spoke about showing off your brand’s personality, staying true to your mission and how storytelling builds community, while also sharing insights learned from her time at the National Main Street Center (NMSC) and how that experience shapes how she approaches her role as “Connector-in-Chief” of HDR.

“When you have relationships with people, they trust you. They know you’re coming from the right place, welcome you into their business and welcome your feedback. It’s not something you can just show up one day and start doing. You have to get to know people and really care about what you do.”

– Andrea Dono, Executive Director, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance

Episodes highlights include:

• Demonstrate your value by showing your audience how to do something, instead of just telling them.
• Earn your audiences’ trust by building relationships and investing your time meaningfully.
• To successfully build your brand’s identity and increase loyalty, truly listen to what your audience says.
• Stay on track and best serve your audience by staying true to your mission – remain steadfast.
• Share stories from your audience to not only build your brand, but build the community around your brand.