Marketing rural communities: a qualitative study on the power of community images

Abstract

What do prospective new residents see when they look at local images on a community website? Are the pictures conveying the meaning that the community wanted? These questions were central to a study of six communities located in the Great Plains of the United States to discover and apply innovative marketing concepts and methods to attract new residents to rural communities and regions. Market image research using a modified business marketing model was conducted with current and potential new residents. Findings suggest that images do not always communicate the intended message and that the same image can portray different messages to different people. The findings suggest that by tailoring the types of image and way images are used, communities can enhance their ability to market their community to new residents. Rural economic developers, chambers of commerce, and business owners can incorporate the recommendations to improve targeted employee recruitment, as well as general new resident recruitment.

Keywords:

• community
• marketing
• new resident recruitment
• rural
• image
• message

Acknowledgments

Funding for the research project was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Research Initiative – Rural Development, 2008–2012. In addition to the authors, other research team members and their institutions include Kathleen Tweeten and Sharon Smith, North Dakota State University; David Olson, Kari O’Neill, and Peggy Schlechter, South Dakota State University; David Peters, Iowa State University; Connie Hancock, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and community representatives Becky Bowen and Tyler Demars from Underwood, North Dakota; and Irene Fletcher from Wayne, Nebraska.

Notes

1. For more information about the entire USDA study (grant no.: 2008-35401-04508) go to: http://cris.nifa.usda.gov/cgi-bin/starfinder/15510/crisassist.txt.