Top 5 ways to maximise your Place Marketing
If you are creating a new place, development, village, city, or place of interest, how do you convey the story behind your decisions?
Why did you pick that location? What makes it so unique? Why should people be inspired to invest?
What is Place Marketing?
Place marketing is a strategic approach used to promote and market a physical location, such as a city, region or development, to attract visitors, residents, and businesses.
The primary objective of place marketing is to create a positive image of the location in the minds of the target audience. This is achieved by highlighting the unique attributes of the location, showcasing the local culture and community, and creating a compelling narrative that captures the essence of the place.
As a place brand in the built environment sector, you need to craft a message that resonates with the target audience. We explained how branding plays an essential role in creating your businesses foundations, now it is time to link your vision and values to the location you are developing. This requires a deep understanding of the audience's interests and needs, along with an appreciation of their own motives. By tailoring the message to their preferences, place marketers can create a more effective campaign that engages potential visitors, residents, or businesses.
What is the importance of place marketing?
Place marketing doesn't just benefit businesses and organisations - it can also benefit the local society as a whole. By promoting a location and attracting visitors, residents, and businesses, place marketing can help create jobs and stimulate the local economy. This can lead to increased prosperity and a better quality of life for the local community.
In addition, place marketing can help to preserve and celebrate the local culture and heritage of the area. By highlighting the unique attributes of the location and involving local residents and businesses in the storytelling process, place marketing can help to showcase the local community and create a sense of pride and identity.
So what makes a good Place Story?
Authenticity is a very important element of your brand's marketing and is absolutely essential for a good place marketing story. It should be a true representation of the location and its people. By incorporating local residents, businesses and history, with all their perspectives and experiences, you can create a more genuine and relatable story that resonates with the audience.
With all good marketing, your storytelling should also have a clear call to action. Whether it's encouraging visitors to explore the location or businesses to invest in the area, the story should drive the next action and inspire people to ask more questions.
Here are our top 5 strategies to create a great story for your place.
1. Highlight local history and heritage
The UK has a rich history and cultural heritage that can be a powerful marketing tool. By promoting historical sites, museums, and cultural events, you can attract visitors who are interested in learning more about the UK's unique history.
Whilst you are creating your own story, remember that historically people love to tell their own story. St Peters Village in Kent drove home the historical value of the River Medway of which their development sits. Homeowners on the site are now able to spill the secrets over a glass of wine at dinner and further the conversation, inspiring new people to visit the site years later.
The world famous Battersea Power Station needs no introduction to the older generations of today, but still they included the rich history deep into their marketing campaigns. The development is a testimony to the past, and they are still bringing together people from the past to highlight the present.
2. Emphasise natural beauty and outdoor activities
The UK is home to some of the most beautiful and scenic natural landscapes in the world. By promoting outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and wildlife watching, you can attract visitors who want to explore the UK's natural beauty, and advertise a healthy lifestyle to those that reside here.
The Meridian Water project used the Lee Valley Regional Park and Waterside public areas to capitalise on existing local spaces, which enhanced their own regeneration project. Being able to advertise spaces for walking, kayaking, and boating amongst other things, gave them a huge natural advantage in their marketing.
3. Focus on local cuisine and food culture
The UK is known for its diverse and vibrant food culture. By promoting local food festivals, markets, and restaurants, you can attract foodies and culinary tourists who are looking for new and exciting dining experiences.
Leicester City seized upon this opportunity in 2014 when redeveloping the city centre. Whilst they advertised the broad range of offerings the Food Hall would bring, they were able to use local delicacies like Red Leicester Cheese, to create an authentic buzz around the development.
4. Engage local residents and businesses
Involving local residents and businesses in the storytelling process can help create a more authentic and genuine representation of your location. It can also help build a sense of community and pride in the area.
In every new development project you will find examples of interviews or quotes from local residents praising the local area for what they believe it should be known for. People are proud to live where they do, and that makes them the most authentic way of marketing your place.
5. Tell a compelling story
Remember your marketing is only as good as your storytelling. If you don’t capture the essence of the location you are developing, you are just selling bricks and mortar. Create a compelling narrative that evokes emotions in the reader, so you can create a lasting impression and inspire action.
Overall, place marketing is an essential tool for businesses and organisations that create and develop physical locations. A built environment specialist marketing agency like Concept Culture can guide you through the process of creating a vision for your place and design a place brand and identity that resonates with its community.
If you need help defining your target audience, developing your place narrative, expressing your place story or ensuring your story reaches your audience, please get in touch. We’d love to offer you tailored branding support to grow and elevate your place brand through the power of storytelling.
Book a discovery call with us to discuss your branding needs.