When we sat down to plan out our year last fall, we knew that we wanted to focus on getting Hutchinson noticed in 2014. With that main goal in mind, we have been working hard to promote Hutchinson as a place to be. We want people to know about our businesses, our events, and our attractions. Something interesting that we have found though, is that it’s not just about spreading the word outside of Hutchinson that counts. We also need to promote Hutchinson within our community. We want visitors to find more reasons to come back and visit us again, and again, and again. Shouldn’t the same be true for Hutchinson residents?
We have affectionately come to refer to this as ‘Connecting the Dots.’ We want people to know that there is more in Hutchinson than just a sports tournament, a single event, or the closest grocery store. And so far, it seems like our ‘Connect the Dots’ campaign has been working. Feedback from both businesses and shoppers during Small Business Saturday and Stop Shop & Drop have told us that people are finding reasons to both come to and stay in Hutchinson. Not only are people hearing about Hutchinson from family and friends and then coming to check it out for themselves, but locals are also finding more reasons to stay local.
The good news is, we’re not done yet! We are constantly looking for new ways to promote Hutchinson and our businesses. Events like the Bring It Home Business Expo are designed to showcase our businesses locally, while our shopping events like Stop Shop & Drop, Crazy Days, and Small Business Saturday allow us to draw from both local and non-local markets.
We are also in the second year of our Tourism Marketing Grant program with another deadline coming up on June 10th. By offering marketing grants to our local events, we have a chance to help other organizations grow their events and push their marketing into potentially unreached areas as we continue to spread the word that Hutchinson is the place to be.
And now, thanks to social media and smart phones, we have yet another way to really show people what Hutchinson has to offer. If you are out and about at an event or just having fun with your family, consider tagging your social media posts and/or pictures with #MuchInHutch. And if you are looking for something to do, check out the table tents or visit our online calendar. Let’s show off all the great things that we have to offer here in Hutchinson!
