How to Coordinate Collaborative Campaigns to Drive Traffic Downtown

Want to boost participation, foot traffic, and visibility for your downtown?
Bring your merchants together under one coordinated campaign.

From seasonal shopping promos to community-wide bingo cards, collaborative campaigns build buzz, get people moving, and give your businesses a reason to promote each other. The best part? They are easy to run once you’ve got the framework in place.

You do not need to be a writer—follow a few simple prompts. That is what we call Business Blogging. It just works.

Why It Matters

Working together creates more visibility, more fun, and more reasons to visit.

You will drive foot traffic across more businesses.
A single shopper might visit three or four places they would not have thought of otherwise.

You will promote the district as a destination.
You are not just a bunch of businesses - you are a community worth exploring.

You will make marketing easier for everyone.
One shared campaign lets all businesses benefit without doing it all themselves.

Bottom line?
When your businesses work together, your community wins - and your Main Street stands out.

Why It Works

People love a reason to explore - especially when it feels local and fun.

A content-led approach works well because:

It’s flexible.
You can run light campaigns with flyers or go big with events, bingo cards, or bundled packages.

It gives businesses something to promote.
Window signs, postcards, and social posts give everyone a consistent message to share.

It encourages repeat visits.
Campaigns like punch cards or itineraries keep people coming back to complete the experience.

It can be seasonal or community-specific.
Valentine’s Day, Small Business Saturday, Back to School - or your own locally-relevant themes.

In short: It works because it gives people a reason to shop, explore, and support local - all in one place.

Small Steps, Big Wins

Marketing does not have to be complicated.

Pick a theme and format
Think seasonal campaigns or small challenges like a shopping bingo card.

Create shared materials and messaging
Design flyers, graphics, and a central landing page on your website.

Involve your merchants
Invite them to contribute offers, ideas, or items for bundled packages.

➡️ One campaign. Multiple businesses. Maximum community reach.

A Prompt-Based Approach to Collaborative Campaigns

Use these questions to plan your next coordinated effort:

1. What is the occasion or theme? (Holiday, season, local tradition?)

2. What businesses want to participate, and what can they offer?

3. Will it be a simple flyer campaign, a bingo-style challenge, or a bundled package?

4. Where will the campaign be promoted? (Website, flyers, social, newsletter?)

5. What is the incentive to participate? (Discounts, prize, raffle, local pride?)

6. What do people assume about shopping local that is not true - or what do you wish more people knew?

Pro tip: Keep it simple and repeatable. You can reuse the same framework all year.

Get Going - Free Worksheet Download

✅ Fill-in-the-blank prompts to guide your campaign planning
✅ A space to list participating businesses and their offers