What the North Country Already Knows About Marketing (But Sometimes Forgets)

Earlier this week, while scrolling through one of our many local Facebook groups, I noticed something that made me pause. There were posts from local businesses asking people to stop in, visit their website, or shop the latest sale. Most of them were straightforward, written with heart, and clearly aimed at keeping small operations running strong. And yet, the ones that actually drew engagement—the ones with likes, comments, shares, and genuine responses—were doing something different.

They were not asking. They were offering.

A café shared a story about hiring a local teenager and what that first job meant to both of them. A realtor posted a list of free family events happening in the area that weekend. A contractor gave a quick reminder about how to protect deck boards during a heat wave. None of those posts were promoting anything. They were participating.

That is when it struck me: this region already understands trust-based marketing better than most.

You do not need a business degree to know that relationships matter. You do not need a campaign strategy to understand how word travels in a town of five thousand. Here in the North Country, the rules of good marketing have been modeled for generations. They sound like “be true to your word,” “show up when you say you will,” and “give more than you take.” If that is not marketing, I do not know what is.

What many business owners struggle with is not a lack of understanding, but a disconnect between what they know works in person and what they think they have to do online.

Think about how you interact when you walk into a room full of fellow business owners at a local networking breakfast or chamber event. You do not barge in and start shouting, “Buy my product!” or “Come to my store and spend your money!” You’d likely alienate almost everyone in the room in less than thirty seconds. Instead, you start with a handshake. You listen. You ask questions. You share stories. You offer advice if someone seems stuck. You talk about your work in a way that feels natural because you are part of the community—not separate from it.

That is the kind of marketing that works here, because it reflects what people in the North Country already value: connection, mutual respect, and a sense of belonging.

Somewhere along the way, marketing became loud and impersonal. It became full of jargon and urgency, shaped by trends that do not quite fit the rhythms of a place like Littleton, Lancaster, or Gorham. The truth is, the best marketing for small towns has never been about reach. It has always been about resonance.

Here, people still greet each other by name. Reputations follow you from the hardware store to the school board meeting, and most folks remember how you made them feel long after they forget what you were selling. When a business shows up online with that same spirit—grounded, generous, and personal—it creates the kind of visibility that sticks.

This does not mean you should stay quiet. Visibility still matters. But it does mean that when you speak, it should feel like you. Not like a marketing handbook. Not like a desperate ask. Just you, offering something of value in the same way you already do in every other part of your life here.

When I work with clients across the North Country, we often start by clarifying what trust looks like in their world. For some, it means sharing practical tips that help people take action on their own. For others, it means showing the faces behind the brand—telling stories of lessons learned, team members celebrated, or community partnerships that matter. For all of them, it means shifting away from constant self-promotion and toward consistent contribution.

This approach works not because it persuades people to buy, but because it invites them into relationship. And up here, we already know that relationships are everything.

If you are a local business owner trying to make your way through the noise of modern marketing, I want to remind you that you are already doing the hardest part. You have shown up for your neighbors. You have built something that matters. You have weathered seasons that many others would not survive. That is not just resilience. That is brand equity.

The next step is simply aligning your online presence with the way you already show up in real life. Not louder. Not flashier. Just clearer. More aligned.

So the next time you go to write a post or update your website, ask yourself: What would feel like a gift to my community? What small offering—of insight, encouragement, celebration, or practical help—could I share that would feel like a real conversation?

Marketing in the North Country is not about reinventing the wheel. It is about remembering what you already know and honoring the intelligence of the people around you.

In towns like ours, where trust is built eye to eye and neighbor to neighbor, that is the kind of marketing that lasts.

-Amanda