A bison ranch, Cosmosphere, Amish community and salt museum are sights to see in Hutchinson, Kansas. And townspeople desperately want more people to see them in this slow economy. Astutely, instead of inviting travel writers to take a tour of their small town they invited bloggers. They included Becky McCray of the wildly popular rural blog Small Biz Survival. 

Why not co-host a “blogger invasion” of your town? Or your region or business neighborhood? In fact, why not organize several – each targeted at bloggers who reach a niche of people that tend to buy your kind of product or service? Rather than offering a general schedule of sights to see, bundle a day of experiences that serve their avid interest. Reduce the number of steps it takes them to find a place to enjoy what they most like to do.

Make them feel mighty welcome. From cyclists to quilters, passionate enthusiasts have their favorite ways of enjoying their interest.  If you offer the situational experience that best serves their interest you can attract flocks of them to your area. And the best way to create that situational offer is through partnering with others who can participate in creating the package they’d love to buy.  Enable them to spend less time planning and more time playing – in your town.

 Here are two approaches to partnering to attract more visitors:

 1. Build on Innate Attributes of  Your Locale

With its hills and bay views, my town of Sausalito is a magnet for cyclists yet no one here offers a bundled experience to serve rather than hinder them. The town could be a launching pad for early morning rides, with places to store bikes, healthy breakfasts at dawn, take-along snacks and evening gathering spots that welcome them.  Or, if your area is picturesque, why not package an “Outdoor DayTrippers” for the very active walkers that enables them to pack in as much varied activity as possible. Suggest three schedules, for the Casual Walkabout to the Uber Athlete, complete with what to do, where to eat or take photos – and how to win the badge and gift that proves they’ve done it so – something to take home and brag about.  

 2. Serve the Special Needs of Your Niche

In the village of Russell on the northern tip of New Zealand, I worked with a B & B owner to attract quilting teachers who led classes in her large breakfast room during winter, a traditionally slow time for visitors. By partnering with several of the quilting teachers, clubs, fabric stores and bloggers, she has managed to fill her lodging with avid quilters. Partnering with locals she also displays their work around the quilting room. From huckleberry jam to hand-carved bowls, the “only here” handmade items have proved popular as take-home souvenirs. Each partner – from the quilting world and from the local “only here” group, posts images and descriptions of all partners on their site and/or blog.

 With the right partners, what special need of a niche could your kind of business serve? The more narrow the niche, the more efficient and distinctly appealing your outreach can be. For example, parents of infants and toddlers have very different needs when looking for a getaway than seniors. What if you offered a Wheels Away experience for those who are wheel chair bound or traveling with someone who is? 

Perhaps your area has attributes for both of the above approaches.  Are you in an agricultural area, for example? Are there unusual restaurants in town? How about inviting food bloggers to host a gathering in your town – to meet each other and their readers?  Organize a band of local partners to support them in the plan they make for that meeting. Hopefully it will become an annual tradition, growing in size each year.

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