Locals Love Us

Challenges

• Zero baseline awareness: Locals Love Us entered the Black Hills with no existing audience, no social following, and no advertising momentum, requiring growth from the ground up.
• Established competition: Competing directly with the well-known established Best Of competitions in the Black Hills meant overcoming strong brand recognition and long-standing community loyalty.
• Driving real participation: Success depended on getting people to take action, not just engage, turning awareness into actual votes required motivation, trust, and ease of use.
• Earning business buy-in: Local businesses had to see immediate value and actively promote participation to help fuel platform growth.

Game Plan

• Out-of-Home Advertising: Show up big and everywhere. We used bold, high-impact billboards and outdoor placements to put Locals Love Us directly in front of the community, building instant visibility and making sure the name stuck.
• Digital and Social Campaigns: Meet people where they scroll. Targeted digital ads and social campaigns were built to drive awareness, spark curiosity, and push users to take action, turning passive viewers into active voters.
• Local Radio: Get in their ears and stay there. Strategic radio placements helped reinforce the message with frequency, tapping into local trust and keeping Locals Love Us top of mind during daily routines.
• Print and Trade Publications: Show legitimacy on day one. Print placements added credibility and extended reach, positioning Locals Love Us as a serious contender alongside long-standing programs.
• Community Events and Activations: Bring it to the streets. We showed up in real life with activations that created energy, built trust, and gave people a reason to engage with the brand beyond a screen.
• Fully Integrated Approach: No silos, no guessing. Every channel worked together to create a constant drumbeat of awareness, building momentum fast and establishing Locals Love Us as a real player in a crowded market.

Wins

The Results Are In…
From zero to serious traction, Locals Love Us didn't just launch, it took off. We built their Facebook presence from the ground up to 323 followers and counting, turned business curiosity into commitment with 300+ Black Hills businesses registered, and drove real community action. Voter registrations jumped 52% in 2026 over 2025, while total votes climbed 49%. This wasn't passive growth, this was momentum you can measure and a platform people showed up for.