Spotlight One, Grow by Many Campaign

William Sammons
Dec 1
5 min read

Get Started Monday:

Weekly Theme: A practical marketing campaign to end the year, and your business, on a strong note.

Marketing Momentum Tip: Warm Marketing can be simple, it can be step by step, and it can be highly effective!

Accountability Check-In: Look at your weekly planner, what actions do you need to take today and tomorrow to be on track for the Wednesday accountability blog?

List a win from last week: [Your Reflective Answer]

The Blog:

This week, I want you to finish the year strong, I want you to do something that is practical and in the Live Local way that will grow your business as we head into the New Year.

So, let's create a marketing campaign that will support your community and generate leads.

-What We Are Doing

We are choosing one local business owner and creating a featured “Heart Post” about them before the year ends.

Not a generic “shop local” graphic. Not a list of ten places. One human. One story. One focused spotlight.

In this campaign, you will:

Pick a specific local business owner to feature
Craft a post that tells a short story about them (both written and a video or podcast)
Publicly thank them for what they do
Use that process to grow your relationships and your CRM

This is Phase 1 of a bigger campaign, but even this one post can change how people see you in your community.

-Why We Are Doing It

Warm Marketing is built on a simple idea. People trust people who genuinely show up for others.

Most end of year marketing screams:

Buy now...HOW MANY BLACK FRIDAY DEALS CAN THERE BE??
Last chance
Final sale

Your audience is burned out on that. When you highlight a local owner, talk about their story, and say “thank you” without asking for anything, a few very important things happen.

The business owner feels seen and valued.
Your audience sees you as a connector, not a taker.
You are remembered as the person who lifts others up when everyone else is shouting offers.

You can still make money. You just build the relationships first.

-How This Builds Community

This Heart Post is not just content. It is community architecture, it is trust, it is giving, it is genuine.

When you feature one business owner:

You deepen your relationship with them.
They often share your post with their audience.
Other owners notice that you are the person who shines a light on others.
Your followers get a real life example of what it means to support local.

You are training your community to see you as:

The local guide
The connector
The one who knows “who is who” in town

Over time this is what makes you the first person people think of when they need a service, an introduction, or a trusted recommendation. That is the heart of Live Local style Warm Marketing.

-How This Builds Your CRM And Gets Leads

Let us be very practical. Done correctly, this one Heart Post can feed your CRM and lead flow.

Here is how:

You schedule a short chat or visit with the business owner. That is a new or deeper contact.
You add them to your CRM with notes about their story, values, family, and business.
When they share your post, new people see your name. Some of them follow you, reach out, or join your email list.
You now have a reason to follow up in January, ask how the holidays went, and offer more value.

Instead of chasing strangers, you are building a list of local allies who already trust you because of how you showed up for them.

This is the first step in compounding your marketing strategy. One campaign at a time.

-Phase 1 Step By Step: The Heart Post Campaign

Here is the simple, repeatable process. You can literally copy and paste this into your notebook or planner.

Step 1: Choose Your Business Owner

Pick one local business owner who:

You genuinely like or respect
Represents the kind of values you want to be known for
You want a stronger relationship with next year

Write down why you chose them. This will shape your post.

Step 2: Schedule a Short Conversation

Reach out and say something like:

“Hey, I am doing an end of year spotlight on local business owners who make a difference around here. I would love to feature you. Can I ask you a few quick questions and share your story with my audience?”

Ten or fifteen minutes is enough. Ask about:

How they got started
One challenge from this year
One moment they are proud of
Why the community matters to them

Take notes and record it.

Step 3: Capture One Core Story

From that conversation, choose one moment or one theme that hits you emotionally. It might be:

The time they almost quit but did not
The customer who made them tear up
The way the community showed up for them
How they balanced family and business this year

This becomes the center of your Heart Post, the hook that catches the audience's attention.

Step 4: Write The Post

Use this basic structure.

Hook A simple opening line about finishing the year strong by supporting real people behind local businesses.
Mini Story Two or three sentences telling the story you chose. Keep it human and specific.
Gratitude A clear thank you to the owner by name. Mention how they make your community better.
Invitation Invite your audience to visit them, try their service, or simply leave them a kind comment or review.
Tag And Share Tag their business, use a couple of local hashtags, and share it on your main platforms.

Pro tip, read it out loud before you post. If it sounds like a real person wrote it, you are on the right track. You can use AI as a guide, BUT be the one who writes it first and make sure it is human and with feeling.

Step 5: Log It In Your CRM

Right after you post:

Add or update the owner in your CRM
Include notes about their story, values, and family
Set a follow up task for early January, “Check in on how the holiday season went and offer to collaborate again”

This is where Warm Marketing stops being just “feel good” and becomes a real system for future leads and partnerships.

Step 6: Follow Up And Reflect

A few days after the post:

Send the owner a link or screenshot
Thank them again for letting you share their story
Ask what kind of response they received

Then ask yourself:

What worked in this process
What felt natural
What would I change next time
When can I repost it as a review or look back

You just created a repeatable campaign that builds your brand, supports a local business owner, and grows your network.

Your Call to Action:

Pick one business owner this week and run Phase 1 exactly as written. Do not overthink it, just start.

If you want more structures like this, that turn “be a good person” into a real marketing system, grab my free 5 Day Warm Marketing Challenge and a copy of my Warm Marketing book at www.LiveLocalWarmMarketing.com