I live in the Historic town of Stillwater, NY which is the actual location of the Battles of Saratoga. The Battles were called the "Turning Point" of the revolution and are said to be in the top 10 battles in world history. I have for the past 8 years produced 20+ YouTube videos on the narration of the battles by park historians and many of the local events of Stillwater. I would like to start a "Stillwater Skool" community. Has other towns or cities created skools? How could a skool of this type be structured? I thank you in advance for your input. Edat85

Small towns don’t run on massive ad budgets or viral campaigns. Word travels fast... but not always in the way people expect. What’s the one marketing move that’s actually brought in new business? What’s flopped? Door hangers, local paper ads, Facebook groups, yard signs... what’s worth the time and money? Drop a win, a fail, or just a question about what works for getting the word out in small towns.

AI seems to be pretty much everywhere, and in everything. I have noticed a lot of smaller businesses using it (so have you), and the fact that it is easy to notice is a pretty big problem. A great many more established businesses are using AI as well, but in ways that are more polished and difficult to detect. One of the more dangerous things for a small business about using AI without a plan is the unintended damage to their brand that occurs. The subconscious mind of the viewer picks up on several things when a cookie-cutter style AI post scrolls through their feed, or past their window on a billboard: 1) “That looks like AI.” - Dangerous, because it takes precious seconds away from the time your message gets to be processed before your customer tunes it out and moves on. 2) “I suppose that company cannot afford a real designer.” - Dangerous, because it solidifies your organization in the viewer’s mind as second-rate, and therefore a lower tier among choices. 3) “I hate this AI stuff everywhere.” Dangerous, because it now attaches your brand to something which it is not actually involved with, the AI-issue in a general sense which is as likely to have a negative effect as a positive one. Just a chance not worth taking. 4) “That was made by a computer, and is not worth paying attention to.” Dangerous, because your message does not even get a chance to be communicated, simply due to the medium in which it was created. All this brings us to a point of discouragement. Why bother, then? Is this just another example of The Little Guy being given the impression of power, only to get steamrolled by bigger spenders? Will AI turn out to be a waste of time and money? If you utilize AI as a way to try to shortcut the process of real and thoughtful content creation, it certainly could (and likely will) be. If, however, you use AI as a tool to simply multiply whatever knowledge and skills you do possess, it can be a game-changer. A quick example: If you are not an artist of any kind, using AI to create art is going to be counterproductive, because you do not have enough knowledge to even know that you lack the knowledge to properly prompt the tool, or to effectively critique what has been created in order to avoid pitfalls (of which there are many).

Hello Small Town Strategy Community, I’m excited to connect with like-minded professionals dedicated to fostering growth and development in small towns. As we navigate unique challenges and opportunities in these communities, I’m interested in exploring effective strategies that promote sustainable economic development, enhance quality of life, and attract new businesses and residents. What innovative approaches or success stories have you seen or implemented in your towns? How can we leverage local assets and community engagement to create lasting positive impact? Looking forward to hearing your insights and collaborating to strengthen small towns everywhere.