Barre Strategic Plan Prelim Overview · Strategic Growth Plan Preliminary Overview ... Where some communities are focusing their marketing efforts on the single goal of attracting

Barre, Vermont Strategic Growth Plan Preliminary Overview

Prepared for the Barre City Council - January 10, 2020

BARRE ROCK SOLID – THE IMAGINATION COMPANY FOR THE BADC 1

OVERVIEW

This document is intended to bring more clarity to the vision and scope of what will be an ambitious, multifaceted and ongoing program for Greater Barre. It outlines the the overall initiative, describes the basic methodology we’ll use to develop direction and priorities, gives a specific approach and examples we might use for each pillar of growth, and lastly it introduces our view of placemaking as a fundamental part of the overall Strategic Growth Plan.

Going forward, we intend to produce the detailed Strategic Growth Plan, as well as a realistic timeline and action plans for each established priority, over a three month period.

This vision doesn’t rely on media as a singular growth strategy. The final Strategic Growth Plan will combine innovative approaches, PR, and strategic growth development - or Placemaking - as fundamental components, as well.

It’s important to recognize that we’re not just in competition with any number of Vermont communities in this effort, but also with smaller communities throughout New England and beyond. With that in mind, Barre needs to be seen as a visionary community in order to stand out in this crowded field.

Three Pillars of Growth

Businesses Visitors Residents

SCOPE OF THE PLAN: THE THREE PILLARS OF GROWTH

Where some communities are focusing their marketing efforts on the single goal of attracting new residents, the Barre Rock Solid program focuses on growing all aspects of Greater Barre. We use the term Three Pillars of Growth to represent:

New Business DevelopmentNew Resident DevelopmentNew Visitor Development.


It’s obvious that an elephant of this size must be approached “one bite at a time”. The methodology used to suss out the best way to do that - to create effective strategies and approaches to growing each pillar - is key.

METHODOLOGY

In basic terms, we’ll take a five-stage approach to this:

Propositions - when looking internally at any given pillar, our team we will make propositions …assertions as to how to approach the growth of that pillar. We’ll then work to prove or disprove that proposition through research and debate/discussion. Ultimately, this stage will establish initial direction.

Directions - By continuing to make and challenge various propositions, we will develop a number of solid directions and options for growing any given pillar. If a proposition seems valid, we’ll start brainstorming a range of possible options to achieve the desired outcome.

Priorities - The next step is to present and compare the strength of the potential directions in order to establish priorities to move forward with.

Actions - Our next step is to create an Action Plan to move any given priority forward. It will contain all of the tactical details, budget and timeline, as well as metrics to gauge the program’s efficacy.

Results Analysis - Using a variety of metrics, we’ll be able to track the success of our outreach over time and adjust the messaging, PR, innovative initiatives and paid media mix accordingly to maximize impact and ROI. What we’ll measure:

• Ad conversions, site visits and form fills• Press coverage - # of beneficial published articles• Social media engagement trends• Number of actual visits (meals & rooms tax revenue)• Attendance at community events• Business sales & tax revenues• Building occupancy rates• Real estate sales and new homes built • School enrollment• Population growth (tax base)


EXAMPLES OF APPLYING OUR METHODOLOGY TO EACH PILLAR

1. NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

An initial proposition that we might start with regarding new business growth is: “It’s easier and smarter to identify, attract and relocate a startup/entrepreneur than it is a larger established company.”

In proving/disproving that assertion we might find: “Most new startups/entrepreneurs we attract will become residents.” And further: “Most of those residents will buy real estate in Barre.”

If these assertions prove valid, then this example of the process shows that making startups/entrepreneurs a focus of new business development would positively impact two of our growth pillars.

Based on this, one direction we might explore to attract startups/entrepreneurs is to target Veteran Entrepreneurs. One reason for this is a great potential niche we learned of in our early discovery - that both Ceres Greens and Old Route Two Spirits distillery are founded and run by millennial veterans.

In fact, these are some of the reasons that we chose Ceres and ORTS as two of our new business films. And why you’ll hear two of the partners talk about how they not only built their new business in Barre but decided to live here as well.

Grow Your Business In Barre

Downtown Entrepreneurs WIP


How Will We Reach Out? Potential Approaches and Directions

Media

We would run a digital advertising campaign that targets this specific group of veteran entrepreneurs. This means creating a target profile of veterans searching for information about starting a business or conducting searches related to becoming a Certified Veteran-Owned Business.

Those who have visited sites such as: • NVF.com • VA.Gov's Veteran Entrepreneur Portal• Inc.com• SBA.gov• Entrepreneur.com• Legalzoom.com/business/businessformation

The ads, both banners and videos, would drive these interested veterans to a landing page created just for them where they will find information about Barre’s support for business and welcoming entrepreneurial environment as told by fellow veterans, Jake Isham and Adam Overbay, through the films about Ceres Greens and ORTS, and linking to the depth of content found on all the business portal pages about Barre’s unique advantages and resources.

Ambassador Program

It is not sufficient to drive interested veterans to the website for information on business development. Our most important asset is the strength of our community, so it is of the utmost importance to demonstrate that to anyone interested in relocating or starting a business here. Starting a business can be daunting, so we want to make it smooth and exciting.

Stakeholders must help entrepreneurs to connect with the business community directly through an Ambassador Program, the development of which is a key component of Barre’s marketing plan. In addition to BADC’s Executive Director, the goal is to grow and train a core group of volunteers who can welcome individuals to Barre, answer their questions, and set up personal contacts for financing, real estate, legal and accounting services and other business assistance.

There would be a questionnaire on the Do Business In Barre portal that they fill out, or they can call, and we assign an Ambassador who is best suited to their individual interests and needs. Specifically for the Veteran Entrepreneurs initiative, both Jake and Adam have expressed a willingness and interest in serving in this capacity.


2. NEW RESIDENT DEVELOPMENT

An initial proposition that we might start with regarding new resident growth is: “Young families and couples should be the primary focus for attracting new residents.”

In proving/disproving that assertion we might find: “They’re more mobile and attracted to an outdoor environment.” And further: “Young families and couples will contribute to Barre’s economy and culture for decades to come.”

If this assertions are valid, a business development focus on creating a more vibrant and entertaining downtown experience would be in synch with one of the two primary factors influencing young families looking to relocate.

Ambassador Program

It is not sufficient to drive interested people to the website for a glossy portrayal of Barre. Our most important asset is the strength of our community, so it is of the utmost importance to demonstrate that to anyone interested in relocating here. Moving to a new place can be intimidating, and we want to make it easy, fun, and exciting.

Stakeholders must help potential new residents to connect with the community directly through an Ambassador Program, the development of which is a key component of Barre’s marketing plan. The goal is to grow and train a core group of volunteers who can welcome individuals to Barre, answer their questions, and set up personal contacts for jobs, housing, business, and education.

There should be a questionnaire on the Live In Barre portal that they fill out, or they can call, and we’ll assign an Ambassador who is best suited to their individual interests and needs.

Live In Barre

Education Lifestyle Entertainment



PR/Free Media

Nothing will get Barre more attention than a few really positive press articles in travel and lifestyle publications. Every rural region is looking for innovative ways to attract residents, so articles about how we’re approaching it are relevant. There is a story in what Barre is doing to market itself as an intentional community.

We’re inviting people to join a unique and genuine community of energy, creativity, and achievement - for a lifetime or a day. We’re creating a buzz about it…we’re going somewhere exciting…there’s really something happening here.

Direct outreach is often the best strategy for PR, but BADC could go one step further and organize an open house or “Writers’ Weekend” in Barre, and invite members of the regional travel/lifestyle press (Boston Globe, New York Times, New England Living, Country Living, etc.) to experience the best of Barre.

Influencers

An influencer marketing campaign is when a company, institution or brand works with influencers to promote services or products to the influencer's followers on social media. The right influencer can reach our target audience, build trust and drive engagement, and we should enlist relevant influencers to promote Barre to their followers and readers.

Media

Targeted Digital Ads For paid media, we would use targeted digital advertising aimed toward families and couples interested in relocating to Vermont with a message about life in Barre and why it is special. This means creating a target profile of younger working adults and families with children in New England and nearby NY initially, who are using real estate websites such as Zillo, Trulia and Realtor.com looking at VT properties, visiting ThinkVermont.com, and conducting searches related to “moving to Vermont”, “Vermont schools”, and “Jobs in Vermont”, “Vermont lifestyle”, etc.

The ads, both banners and videos, would drive these viewers to the Live in Barre portal, where they will find information about Barre’s lifestyle advantages as told by our residents through films, and the depth of content found on the all pages about our attractions, resources and events, etc.

Livability.com Build and maintain a Barre page on livability.com, a site created specifically to assist people who are thinking about relocating within the US to learn about, weigh options and decide what region/city they would like to live in.


Email campaign

As we build an email database of interested respondents who have opted in, BADC will develop an ongoing email campaign to reach out to them periodically with new information, invitations, events, contests, etc.

RSVP Barre

When people come to the Live In Barre portal, invite them to write a short essay on why they think Barre would be a great place for them to live. In order to enter, contestants must opt-in and provide their email and mailing address. Design a direct outreach program to follow up with a personal, hand-addressed invitation/golden ticket to connect with an Ambassador and visit Barre, signed and sent by BADC interns or volunteers, to these potential new residents.

Monthly or quarterly, select winners from these essays to spend a free overnight stay in Barre including dining, perhaps tickets to the Opera House or Thunder Road, and take them on a tour of Barre with an Ambassador to connect with potential employers, real estate agents, schools, etc.

Social Media

BADC needs to build an active and engaging social media presence. The new Barre Rock Solid Facebook page is a good start, but as resources allow, there should also be a youtube channel and an Instagram account. There needs to be a plan to manage and consistently generate content for these platforms.

Mobile Outdoor Advertising

Wrap a vehicle with the Barre Rock Solid brand message and url that can be driven all over the Northeast’s high density population areas (Boston, NYC, Providence, Hartford) with a “move to Barre/lifestyle/We want You” call to action.

3. NEW VISITOR DEVELOPMENT

In this case we have already made the proposition that: “Currently, downtown Barre is not positioned well as a destination experience for Vermont tourism.”

Based on challenging and reinforcing that assertion, a direction we’ve proposed is to focus early growth in tourism on Adventure Packages. These are specific experiences where we would attract new visitors by combing places like Thunder Road, Millstone Trails, Barre Opera House, SPA and choice restaurants into a day trip that would ensure new visitors have a positive, unique experience that would build Barre’s brand to visitors.


An example of the way we might structure some packages:

ROCK OPERA PACKAGE Pack a picnic lunch and hike through the stunning Barre Town Forest or ride single track through Gnome Man’s Land at Millstone Trails during the day, then see a fabulous headliner at Barre Opera House that evening. Make sure to look for all the unique stone carvings and historical markers as you work up an appetite for dinner at the Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen before the show.

THUNDER STONE PACKAGE Spend an afternoon learning all about Barre’s granite industry of yesteryear and today at Rock of Ages Visitors Center & Quarry Tour, and make sure you get to Hope Cemetery to see the incredible artistry of the unusual memorials there. Afterwards, experience a perfect summer evening at the races at Thunder Road Speedbowl. Grab dinner at the Quarry Kitchen before, or go all out at the concession.

ART HISTORY PACKAGE Join a morning art class or view eclectic works in the galleries at Studio Place Arts and stop for lunch at Morse Block Deli while discovering Barre’s downtown granite sculptures along the Art Stroll. After lunch, head over to the Vermont Granite Museum to learn hands-on about the history of granite quarrying and sculpture and see contemporary stone artists working their craft at the Stone Arts School.

Looking forward, one of the key focuses of our placemaking strategy would be to create an environment where we could begin driving tourism directly downtown as soon as year two of the Strategic Growth Plan.

Visit Barre

Arts Outdoors Entertainment



Media

To advertise these Adventure Packages, we would piggy back on the effort and investment of Vermont Tourism and Vermont COC in order to target and invite potential new visitors to Barre. We would participate in the Vermont Tourism Marketing Program (vermontvacation.com, Stay & Play Directory, COC Summer/Fall Vacation Guide and eGuide) where we can maximize our investment by reaching people that are already planning to visit Vermont and are looking for things to do while here.

We would also buy an annual Barre listing/page on Vermont.com where we can feature the Adventure Packages through the warm seasons on the home page as well as on multiple appropriate listing pages such as Vermont museums, outdoor recreation and arts & culture.

Both of these programs will also link viewers directly to the Adventure Packages section of barrerocksolid.com’s Visit Barre portal, where they will find comprehensive information on dining, entertainment, museums, art galleries and events to help inspire and plan their visit.

Free Media

During the warm seasons, we will promote our Adventure Packages on regional event calendars and those of specific interest groups (mountain biking, hiking, arts, stock car racing, etc.).

Social Media

During the warm seasons, we will promote our Adventure Packages on our social media platform(s) and encourage engagement with followers to post their photos and experiences at these venues.

Email campaign

As we build an email database of interested respondents who have opted in, BADC will develop an ongoing email campaign to reach out to them periodically with new information, invitations, events, etc.

PLACEMAKING

One obvious and important question to ask about any growth effort is: “How do we fill the empty store spaces?” Our answer is: Strategically. That’s where the concept of Placemaking as an ongoing priority comes in.


We think that Placemaking needs to be a focus of much of our planning and efforts - near and long term. One example would be building a more vibrant and entertaining downtown experience, one that could act as an anchor for all three areas of our growth efforts going forward.

These are three examples of placemaking that we think could be transformative for downtown Barre in the coming years:

Made in Barre

This is our working title for what would be Vermont’s first and only STEM museum and an anchor concept that could be transformative for downtown in and of itself. In addition to studying the economic impact of children and STEM museums on the surrounding community, TICO has connected, designed and executed several museum experiences around the country.

Brew Pub

Attracting a brew pub to fill one of the downtown spaces would be another anchor business. Barre is the only city in VT that doesn’t have one, and they have become a powerful niche for VT tourism. Having Barre on the VT Brewery Tour circuit would be a real plus, as well as offer another reason for locals and surrounding neighbors to visit downtown more often.

TICO has a good deal of experience with creative and development in this area. In fact we had dinner with a very interested investor (for whom we had previously developed the Vermont Tap House) ready to put a brewpub into the old Positive Pie facilities. He saw it and our plans for growing Greater Barre as an ideal opportunity and location. Unfortunately the building was under contract to the AOT before we could move forward.

Boutique Grocery

Knowing that a good deal of effort was put into exploring a similar concept to no avail, we still believe it would be a great addition to the intentional culture that would appeal to locals, neighbors and tourists.

Filling Other Spaces

We propose building Barre’s focus as an art-centric and foodie downtown, and making this central to our brand. By specifically attracting creative shops as well as more restaurants and cafe’s to fill empty store spaces, we would go a long way toward redefining the downtown experience for visitors near and far.


How a creating a vibrant downtown experience can support all three pillars of Barre growth:

New Business Growth

By creating a powerful vision and culture for the downtown experience, it makes it easier to focus on and attract the types of new businesses we want to populate it. It’s also easier to attract new business investment when there is a real plan and vision that is aggressively communicated. When a potential new business knows that there will be an innovative, ongoing focus and investment in downtown growth, it will make Barre an attractive choice.

New Visitor Growth

With a focus on building an intentional culture and brand for downtown, we can build an attractive, dynamic and entertaining experience for visitors for years to come. And with our central location and two interstate exits, we can begin to attract Vermonters from the surrounding communities as well.

And it can start building quickly. We can begin to reposition Barre in the minds of tourists as well as Vermonters initially by aggressively communicating our new vision and then with ongoing messaging of its successful development and important milestones.

New Resident Growth

The primary factors for families considering moving to a new community are education and lifestyle. Given the exceptional nature of Barre’s educational offerings; a vibrant downtown with a focus on arts, food and edutainment could give Barre a unique advantage in attracting new families in the years to come.

Other Placemaking Thoughts

Barre Entrepreneur Center

In order to create the kind of environment that would attract millennial (and younger) entrepreneurs, we recommend developing an incubating space to attract them. A building that could be converted into dorm style housing upstairs, with shared office and work space downstairs and a mentorship program involving various community business people could be a powerful attraction for this demographic.


Merchants Row Re-Imagined

Beginning a creative design process of a new Merchants Row should be an imperative. A compelling plan that would greatly improve aesthetics, access, parking and enhance business growth could allow Barre to begin grant writing in the immediate future.


Barre Strategic Plan Prelim Overview · Strategic Growth Plan Preliminary Overview ... Where some communities are focusing their marketing efforts on the single goal of attracting

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