Trends Summer 2020 | Page 27

ANATOMY OF THE PICKAXE APPROACH

These five key elements summarize the Pickaxe program ’ s approach :
Review of current marketing tactics and follow-up recommendations
Discussion of five key audiences , their core values , and communication strategies
Digging into the storylines that illustrate big wins
Tailored slide deck to help tell the story to key audiences
Template for mapping out communication delivery
Cue ’ s personal and professional passion for Lamar , coupled with the community ’ s recent involvement in the Colorado Main Street program ’ s “ Pickaxe Project ,” is packing a powerful promotional punch for downtown business owners , elected officers , volunteers , donors , and its 7,500- plus residents . Using strategies outlined in the program , Cue and her co-workers are able to communicate their impact and create meaningful messages like never before – benefiting all who live , work , and play there .
“ Before Pickaxe came to us , we weren ’ t telling our story ,” Cue said . “ We had a confusing logo , we weren ’ t all on the same page , and we were hit and miss out there . Pickaxe has really helped our Main Street organization with brand identity , telling
our downtown story , and enhancing our community presence .”
Equipping Communities with the right tools for the job
The Pickaxe program offers Main Street organizations like Lamar ’ s support for community-led downtown revitalization by providing a framework to focus efforts , energy , and resources and elevate communication efforts to bolster success , said Matt Ashby , an urban planner at Ayres and one of the primary developers of the Pickaxe Project toolkit .
“ Main Street programs often have difficulty communicating the economic value of the efforts and activities that they ’ re undertaking ,” said Ashby , noting that some of the most visible initiatives
include events and beautification efforts . “ But Main Street organizations definitely support traditional economic development activities like job creation and business attraction . What the Pickaxe toolkit created was a way to approach different audiences within a community and be able to highlight motivating actions in terms that each specific audience can appreciate .”
Elected officials , for instance , are typically interested in the financial side of the program ’ s performance and want to know “ hard facts ” like the number of jobs created and whether retail sales taxes have increased . The public and visitors , on the other hand , often want to hear about what ’ s fun and exciting in town , while donors and investors may want to
Editor ’ s Note : Angie Cue , one of the sources cited in this article , recently changed jobs but offered the above statements while with Lamar Partnership Inc . and the City of Lamar .
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