Is print dead? The Locals Board and Squamish.com don’t think so.

Considering you’re reading this web-based article on a desktop computer screen, or perhaps a mobile device or tablet, there seems to be a possible affirmative answer for that question.

While it’s not a newsflash that the inter-webs are here to stay, there are some comforting examples out there of ways print will continue to thrive, even in such a digitally focused culture.

One such example exists right here in Squamish, with the collaboration between the Locals Board and Squamish.com.

What is the Locals Board?

The Locals Board is a monthly ad board for Squamish businesses. The ad board is a physical presence in over 50 locations around town. The bright, eye-catching, boards feature a myriad of local businesses of all varieties and sizes.

Upcoming events are also highlighted, and the plan is to make the events a focal point in the future.

Showcasing Local Businesses

Run by two local entrepreneurs, Klara Langaloo and Stephanie Clark, the boards bring awareness to amazing local businesses, enabling potential customers to learn about their services in a unique way.

“By helping local businesses thrive we are investing in and strengthening our community”, states Stephanie.

In this day and age we are barraged by ads from all angles. Visit any retail website, and related pop-up ads will follow you to all successive websites you visit, seemingly to eternity. This “targeted” form of advertising is becoming tired and stale for many consumers, and with the help of ad-blockers and willful indifference, traditional pop-ups are becoming less effective forms of advertising.

In contrast, the Locals Board leans on the community-minded sentiment of word-of-mouth advertising. Word-of-mouth is as it sounds: one person telling another of a product or service they believe in, or have an educated insight into.

Location, Location, Location

The Locals Boards are placed in local, respected businesses, highlighting other local, respected, businesses (and events). When someone learns of a new business while visiting somewhere they already know and frequent, a level of trust has been established that is lacking from the impersonal in-your-face online pop-up ads.

The Locals Board and Squamish.com Unite

The Locals Board has proven that’s there’s still value in good ol’ fashioned print advertising, but it’d be silly to discount the reach of the internet. That’s where the collaboration with Squamish.com comes into play.

This collaboration works to further strengthen the tightly knit bonds in Squamish. It’s understood that local business is the lifeblood of the community.

Supporting Small Business

Jobs are tough to come by, and the more success these small enterprises have, the more opportunities there are for the locals. There are few degrees of separation between the owners and the patrons.

You probably have a buddy who knows the owner, or it’s your co-worker’s partner, or it’s your family.

Ties are tight, and so is the commitment from the community to support these local ventures. The ability to learn more about these local businesses, both online and off, strengthens the network of awareness and support for all these rad people doing rad things in a rad place.

Promote Your Business

Are you a small business that wants to maximize your reach?

The Locals Board now includes options for a searchable business micro-site on Squamish.com and opportunities to digitally advertise when you sign up with the Locals Board.

Interested? Contact team@thelocalsboard.com to get all the details.