It turns out you do. At least if you are trying to gain traction and trust in the online world. It may seem purely intuitive that bad press or reviews are not good for sales, but this short article from Fortune magazine says otherwise. This article is geared toward online sales, but the idea can … More Who needs all that negativity?
In the United States, there are 10,466 streets that go by the name of Main, and no doubt, each has a story to tell. To capture them, a new social media project, Mapping Main Street, is putting to work the internet’s capacity for sharing video, photos, and words. There’s a small team traveling the roads … More Is your Main Street on the map?
We have been promoting the idea that recessions and layoffs, while very difficult to navigate, provide the impetus for an entrepreneurial boom. Now, the Kauffman Foundation has issued its report supporting our claims. In economic gardening terms, this is the equivilant of burning last years crops to make way for the new “green shoots.” … More Entrepreneurial stories
When a financial crisis arrives, it is too late to try to make the case for all the services your downtown organization provides to the community. You need to be spending that time engaging your support base and selling the future. To do that, there has to be a broad based system of support throughout the … More Tell us what you think.
Those of you who made it to the “Livable Downtowns” training held in Harrisonburg a couple of weeks ago know that just building upper story housing or rehabbing an old warehouse into loft apartments is not quite enough to get people living downtown. It is important to have the amenities people need (dry cleaning, corner … More How to attract Gen “Y”
As champions of Virginia’s traditional commercial districts, Main Street leaders can be effective marketers for their communities. Working to earn coverage in local, regional, and national media outlets can help drive visitors and residents downtown. You might have a weekend travel package that a newspaper from a more urban area would be interested in covering. For instance, The Washington … More Getting Main Street communities in the news
You’ve spent years building your professional reputation and protecting your organization’s good name, but in today’s interconnected, information-rich world it’s easier than ever for the actions of others to damage the goodwill you’ve established. Networking is a basic responsibility of business owners and organizations serving them. We network to keep abreast of best practices, to … More Trading Faces: Building and caring for your online reputation
Once you have designed and launched your Web site, your next task is to get it noticed. One of the top ways to do this is to make sure you show up in relevant Web searches. If you are selling your charming and thriving business district, you will want to be sure that your Web … More Get noticed
When times are tough, even the most successful retail business can have some trouble. Making the right business decisions is paramount when the margin for error is slim. “Fear can be a motivator, but it can also lead you into bad decisions, particularly in times like these,” says Norm Brodsky, small business writer for Inc. … More Focus and attitude
Question: What took 89 years for the telephone; 38 years for the television; and 14 years for the cell phone? The answer? How long it took for each of these communication devices to be adopted by 150 million users. In only five years Facebook has attracted more than 175 millon users – and it’s not … More New media
Virginia Main Street 