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Full Description
Technology and economics are transforming business in a completely unexpected way: suddenly, even the largest companies must compete as if they were small, local businesses. Suddenly, your customers can talk to everyone else across the nation, and people listen to them, not your carefully crafted advertising or branding. It's just like doing business in a small town, where "reputation is forever." Suddenly, communities and personal connections are critical to your success - just as they've always been in small towns. The best small-town and rural entrepreneurs have been successfully overcoming these challenges for centuries. Their lessons and techniques are suddenly intensely valuable to even the largest companies, most dominant brands, and most cosmopolitan businesses. Small Town Rules adapts these lessons and techniques for today's new "global small town": one knitted together through the Web, Facebook, and Twitter. Two pioneering entrepreneurs and social media experts show how to: * Survive seasonal cycles and year-to-year fluctuations the way rural farmers and businesses do * Use "small town entrepreneur secrets" for coping with limited access to people and capital * Reduce risk by "piecing together" multiple income sources * Start using customer-driven communication to your advantage * Interact with customers on a more human scale, no matter how big you are * Rediscover your company's local roots, and more
Contents
Introduction 1Chapter 1 Surviving Difficult Economic Times for the Big and Small 7The Change: Economic Meltdown 8Impact on Brands 10Shifting Markets and Public-Relations Mistakes 11Major Product Disasters 12Chasing Trends and Shiny Objects, Too! 12Why Small Towns Survive 14The Small Town Rule: Plan for Zero 16Question Assumptions 17Know the Seasons and Cycles 18Invest Long Term 21Applying Small Town Rules to Big Brands Survival:Planning for Zero 23Planning Ahead Is a Survival Strategy 24Summary: Things Don't Always Go Up 24The Small Town Rule: Plan for Zero 24A Look Ahead 25Powerhouse Small Town Brands 26Winnebago Industries 26Chapter 2 The New Normal: Profiting When Resources Are Limited 29The Change: Resources Are Now Limited 30Impacts on Big Brands: Low Consumer Demand Hits Where It Hurts Everyone 31Why Small Towns? Because Resources Have Always Been Tight for Rural Business 32Lower Consumer Demand 34A Shortage of Skilled Workforce 35The Small Town Rule: Spend Creative Brainpower Before You Spend Dollars 35Creative Financing 35Being Frugal 38Reducing Startup Costs 39The Labor Force: Be Creative 40Being Creative Means Doing Whatever It Takes 41Big Brand Solutions and Examples 41Conserve; Stop Spending for Stupid 41Growing Slowly, with the Cycles 42Getting Creative in Tough Times 44Summary: Resources Are Now Limited 45The Small Town Rule: Spend Creative Brainpower Before Dollars 45A Look Ahead: Will the Rule Be Relevant Tomorrow? 46Powerhouse Small Town Brands 47Viking Range 47Chapter 3 Adapting to the New Economic Realities of Self-Reliance 49The Change: No Sure Things (A Job, Income, or Help from the Government) 50Impact on Brands: No Sure Thing 51Why Small Town Businesses Survive 51The Small Town Rule: Build Multiple Lines of Income 54How to Manage Multiple Lines of Income 55Diversifying Online: Selling Expertise 56Market Online to Diversify 58Big Brand Solutions: Extending Brands for Survival 59Summary: No Sure Things (A Job, Income, or Help from the Government) 61The Small Town Rule: Multiply Lines of Income to Diversify Your Risk 62A Look Ahead 62Powerhouse Small Town Brands 64Walmart 64Chapter 4 Adapting to the "Anywhere, Anywhen" Business World 67The Change: Geographic Advantage Is Shrinking, and Competition Is Everywhere 68Impact on Brands and Big Business 70How Small Towns Gave Up Geographic Advantage Long Ago 71The Small Town Rule: Work "Anywhere, Anywhen" Through Technology 73Broadband Internet Makes Working Anywhere Possible 73"Anywhen" Makes Time-Shifting as Valuable as Work-Shifting 74Putting It All Together to Be Location Independent 75Digital Distribution Extends Reach 77Forget Outsourcing, Think "Rural Sourcing" 78Applying the Small Town Rule to Big Brands 78Summary: Geographic Advantage Is Shrinking, and Competition Is Everywhere 80The Small Town Rule: Work "Anywhere, Anywhen" Through Technology 80A Look Ahead 81Powerhouse Small Town Brands 82L.L. Bean 82Chapter 5 Forget Advertising: Learn Customer-Driven Communication 85The Change: Technology Allows All Customers to Easily Communicate with Each Other 86Impact on Brands 86Why Small Towns Already Work This Way 89Rural Regions Lead in Social-Media Adoption 90Social Media Is Like a Small Town, Everyone Says So 90The Small Town Rule: Treat Customers Like Community 92Treat Customer Service as Though It's All You've Got 92Use Social Tools to Connect with Customers 93Applying the Small Town Rule to Big Brands 95Summary: All Customers Can Communicate with Each Other 96The Small Town Rule: Treat Customers Like Community 97A Look Ahead 97Powerhouse Small Town Brands 98The Grasshopper Company 98Chapter 6 How Big Brands and Small Businesses Are Thinking and Acting Small 101The Change: Society Is Cycling Back from Big to Small 102Impact on Brands 103Why Small Towns Create Community Interactionon a Human Scale 104The Small Town Rule: Be Proud to Be Small 105Build Community Through Involvement 106Network to Build Power and Accomplish Goals 112The Antidote for the Negatives 116Move Past Connecting and On to Building Relationships 119Build Community Among Customers 121Keep the Business Small 123Apply the Small Town Rule to Big Brands 124Summary: Society Is Cycling Away from Big to Small 128The Small Town Rule: Be Proud of Being Small 128A Look Ahead 129Powerhouse Small Town Brands 130Longaberger Baskets 130Chapter 7 Going Local, Even When You Are Big 133The Societal Change: The Local Movement Is Here 134Impact on Brands 135Small Towns Define What It Means To Be Local 135The Small Town Rule: Build Your Local Connections 136Connect with Your Culture and Place 137Using a Local Story to Build Engagement Like Milk 138How to Build a Shop Local Campaign 139Apply the Small Town Rule to Big Brands: How Brands Can Go Local 152Summary: The Local Movement Is Here 154The Small Town Rule: Build Your Local Connections 154A Look Ahead 155Appendix A Resources for Implementing the Small Town Rules 157Appendix B Business Ideas Inspired by the Small Town Rules 171Afterword: The Small Town Rules 183Endnotes 189Index 199
