Standing on a stage in front of about 100+ community leaders to deliver a keynote address sounds intimidating. OK, it is intimidating, but as it turns out, it’s also inspiring.
We can attest, as our team, including Publisher Wes Smith, Advertising Director Pete Clinton and myself had the privilege of delivering the opening keynote at the annual Michigan State University Extension Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) conference. CEC is designed for stakeholders, economic developers, businesses, local government, educators and nonprofits to create a network that increases a community’s potential for entrepreneurship.
Billed as “a small-town conference for small towns in a small town,” CEC moves each year to highlight the many outstanding communities in our great state. This year’s event was held in Lapeer and hosted 103 attendees representing 46 cities and 37 counties. There were representatives from downtown development authorities, chambers of commerce, municipalities and business owners.
Lapeer Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Jim Alt, who we work with on many projects, asked us to deliver the opening keynote of this year’s event given the theme of “connecting.”
We were happy to as the team at View Newspaper Group is dedicated to making connections. In fact, it’s right in our tagline, “Your Community Connection.” We believe connections are what has helped us become Michigan’s largest, independently-owned newspaper group with 22 newspapers covering 14 counties with more than 352,000 copies of our newspapers in print each week.
Since CEC is an opportunity for attendees to share ideas and learn best practices, our team knew that we had to give tangible pieces of advice participants could take back to their communities and implement. In turn, we developed a keynote titled “How to become a community connector in 5 easy steps!” Since many readers of this column are also community leaders who aim to be community connectors I’m sharing an abbreviated version of the tips here too. Happy connecting!
• Build, grow and strengthen your brand: A brand includes your mission, vision, logo, tagline and brand promise, but it’s so much more than these tangible pieces. Your brand must “paint a thousand words” so that someone knows what to expect from your organization in a simple image. I recommend looking at your brand identity pieces at least once a year to ensure they still reflect who you are and what you do. And if your goal is to be a community connector, put those words right into your brand pieces like we did. Once your brand built it’s important to keep it consistent — use the same logo, same colors, same key words and phrases — and promote it frequently in as many avenues as time and budget allows. One way to do that is through Step 2.
• Tell your story: Clinton handled this part of the presentation reminding attendees that storytelling is vital to making an emotional connection, because people are drawn to a good story. In a world saturated with facts and figures, stories have the ability to truly connected with an audience. To tell a great story you must understand your audience, know your brand values and use testimonials. With your story in place it’s time for Step 3.
• Market and advertise: How you market and advertise depends on what you have available in your community and which of those options is the most effective way to market to your target audience. While social media may make up part of your marketing and advertising plan, Clinton stressed it cannot be the only piece. In today’s world full of digital clutter, alternative methods have to be a part of the mix.
• Network and volunteer: Smith knew the audience at CEC was full of experienced networkers. He suggested that at their next networking event instead of seeking a new client, for example, they shift their mindset and seek a new connection in someone who has knowledge or a skillset they may lack. Or someone who may be looking to join their team. He added, “When you meet someone new, ask questions that will help you get to know their desire to connect, like ‘what do you like most about where you live?’”
He also reminded the group of the importance of giving back in your community through volunteering, another great avenue to connect.
• Host in-person events: After more than a decade of hosting events, our team knows they are a great way connect with our community, and give back to that community thanks to the fact that each of our signature events is tied to a nonprofit partner. I was humbled as the audience of impressive attendees applauded when I shared that in just over 10 years, View Newspaper Group has raised nearly $300,000 for those partners. Plus, events are fun. Just ask the organizers of CEC, who did a fantastic job hosting last week’s conference. Thank you again for having us!
What are your best tips for becoming a community connector? Email me at ecaswell@mihompaper.com.
Emily Caswell is the Brand Manager for VIEW Group, the branding division of View Newspaper Group.