Flourishing and marketing go hand in hand

During a recent visit to The Research Triangle area of North Carolina I began thinking about the word “flourishing.” It’s a great word that conveys a sense of vitality and liveliness in its definition.

One evening during our visit to Raleigh, North Carolina, my family decided ice cream after dinner would be a good idea. Is it ever a bad idea?

We were newcomers, we didn’t know where to go. I did a quick search online and found many good options in the vicinity. One stood out. It was family-owned, received fabulous reviews online and sounded just right as our sweet nightcap.

We hopped in the car and plugged the address into Google Maps and proceeded on our way. After a short drive we found ourselves in a charming residential neighborhood. In the middle of it was a small strip mall that had about five to six businesses. There was a parking lot, but it was full. We circled around for street parking, which we found a short walk away.

On arriving at this little strip mall, I’m calling it that as it was just a simple series of commercial spaces, lacking any distinct architecture, but it was busy. There was a restaurant, a wine and cheese shop with a cafe, a cute gift boutique, the ice cream parlor and perhaps one more food place. Everything was packed. There were no tables available at the restaurants, the wine and cheese store had those glass garage doors that roll up letting in the fresh night air and the line for ice cream stretched right out the door! The place was flourishing.

It felt so good to be in this place even though we didn’t know anyone. The ice cream was delicious and homemade using family recipes. And there were plenty of tables outside where we could sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Flourishing. So many people in one place enjoying every aspect of the place.

Now I wouldn’t say there was a ton of marketing being done to get everyone to this neighborhood, instead the businesses were just putting their best feet forward and the public was loving it. It was understated and so incredibly appealing. Word-of-mouth was pulling everyone toward this center of flourishing small businesses.

Back home on the North Shore of Chicago, I’d say we also are experiencing a flourishing of sorts. I’m noticing more business owners taking creative chances and scoring big wins. Wilmette continues to attract new and varied eateries to its charming downtown center. Kenilworth is taking a chance on hosting food trucks on Monday nights this summer. The Winnetka Music Festival was dazzling and attracted more than 15,000 people for live music, food trucks, family programming and more in its town center. Glencoe hosts food trucks and outdoor events. I could go on and on about each town in my area, but you get the idea. There’s an obvious liveliness emerging. People are taking measured chances on small, local businesses and the impact is obvious.

When neighborhoods are flourishing, they become destinations that invite people to come and spend some money and some time. We as marketers can define the flourishing we seek for our clients. We can build beautiful advertisements, social media content and programs that have distinct yet wide appeal. As business owners we can radiate the local flourishing in ways that reflect how we experience it. Some of my clients are doing just this. They are sponsoring events, making fun promotional items, they are advertising in local publications and events, setting up booths at festivals and they are engaging meaningfully, and humanly in their local community. They are, in fact, flourishing.

It's not always easy to create whimsy or appeal, but we should aim for it when we can. I hope your business is flourishing and I hope your community is, too. Think about the ways you can use your marketing and your outward communications to add to the vitality where you are. This is a gift we marketers can give, and it is one that our public will enjoy immensely.

• Rebecca Hoffman is the founder and principal of Good Egg Concepts, a strategic communication and brand marketing consulting practice serving clients around the Chicago area and nationally.