The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Campaign aims to show what town has to offer
LITCHFIELD — In an effort to increase its online presence, the town is turning to a former local journalist for a marketing campaign to tell the town’s tales and show what it has to offer.
The goal of the campaign, according to First Selectman Denise Raap, is to boost the local economy and put Litchfield on the map as a desirable place to visit and to live.
To that end, the Economic Development Commission has hired former County Times editor Doug Clement for the project.
“I’m excited to be working with the Economic Development Commission to highlight and promote Litchfield as a destination town, and a great place to
live,” said Clement, who lives in Morris and was editor of the County Times from 2005-13.
The effort was set in motion by resident Lindsey Turner, who is a member of the all-volunteer EDC.
Clement will be working at maintaining a continuous social media presence for the town, which Turner said is “absolutely essential.”
“If you don’t exist online in 2021, if you’re not Google-able, you don’t exist. It is critically important and I didn’t want Litchfield to be left behind,” said Turner, who used the marketing campaigns in the towns of Kent and Washington as models when developing the idea for Litchfield’s.
Clement will be building and maintaining a tourism website for Litchfield — from the ground up,
The goal of the website is to “have enough really compelling great content that Google will send people there,” Turner said.
Additionally, Clement will be maintaining two new social media pages recently launched for Litchfield: a Facebook page and an Instagram feed, both called VisitLitchfieldCT.
According to Clement, those sites already received a great response, “with organic reach and engagement levels, demonstrating how much people love Litchfield and crave userfriendly insider information about experiencing the town’s treasures — ranging from its rich history to scenic beauty, abundance of outdoor activities, shopping, dining, and more.”
The town also has plans to create a pocket-sized booklet to highlight what the region has to offer.
Telling history
In creating an online presence, Clement will be telling the stories of the town, and in doing so, sharing its history.
“If you grew up here and you know the area like I do, it’s in your heart,” said Turner, a married mother of a 9-year-old son who grew up in Litchfield and Washington, moved to New York City, and later returned to the area.
“Litchfield has a very rich story to tell, and an incredible history,” she said.
Clement has lived near Bantam Lake for 17 years, and said he knows all the ins and outs of the area.
“Almost every day, you can find me hiking at White Memorial, Topsmead State Forest, or other trails, as well as shopping, dining, and satisfying my passion for great coffee, in Litchfield,” Clement said. “So it’s fun to be able to combine ‘work’ with pleasure by building context around the great Litchfield lifestyle experiences I enjoy daily for visitors from around Connecticut and beyond.
“To see people inviting each other to plan their Litchfield day through Facebook comments, or offering thanks for a tip about something they weren’t aware of, is very gratifying,” he said. “More importantly, it’s an affirmation Litchfield deserves for its status of being a beautiful, even magical place.”
Funding
The marketing campaign is made possible by a $23,500 grant award the EDC recently received from the Seherr Thoss Charitable Trust, which funds Litchfield’s efforts.
The grant stipulation is that the money must be spent in a year, according to Turner. Turner originally requested a $38,500 grant from the Seherr Thoss Charitable Trust. If the EDC secures the rest of the funds from other sources, it will use it to further increase the town’s presence. Additionally, EDC’s annual budget of $1,000 also is going toward the project.
Turner said Litchfield has a responsibility of pulling out all “those incredible stories that are already here, and telling them in a compelling way, and also curating experiences for people. That’s at the heart of all of my efforts — crafting what we have to offer as a town and a community in a story-telling way.”