July 23, 2026

Downtown Influencer Programs Remain Strong

Hiring local (micro) influencers can drive tourism, increase foot traffic, and build the downtown brand. Because followers trust local creators, their recommendations translate into highly engaged audiences that are primed to visit restaurants, shops, and downtown events.

A handful of micro-influencers who reach a few thousand people in meaningful ways can have a big impact with little or no cost.

Downtown Durham is using a social media ambassador program. The ambassadors receive free access to events, restaurant openings, shows, minor league ball games, and more. In exchange, they create Instagram posts and tag all businesses, event venues, and organizations involved. For each post that Downtown Durham accepts, the ambassador receives a downtown gift card.

Meanwhile, the Downtown Guelph Business Association hired 25 social media influencers to promote its third annual Spirit of the Season event. The goal was to have influencers post in advance of the event and then live from the event itself. Influencers were compensated based on their reach, the quality of engagement on their social media, how their content performs, and who is engaging with their content.

More on promoting downtown appears regularly in Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.

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Recommended Reading

Streets Reconsidered: Inclusive Design
for the Public Realm

Streets Reconsidered provides a roadmap to redesigning city streets for modern living — Streets that accommodate people of all ages and abilities, using all travel modes, and promoting healthy urban living, social interaction, enhanced commerce, and environmental sensitivity.

The book is divided into six main sections each reflecting one of these important roles for today’s streets. Each section includes:

• An introduction to the core concepts and benefits of each type of street.
• Case studies showing the concepts in use. The cases are fully illustrated and include photos, plans, and schematics that demonstrate how the street works.
• Best practices. Based on the case studies and the authors’ work, the best practices section describes and illustrates important techniques and lessons learned.

Streets Reconsidered offers an inspiring and actionable view of all that streets can be in any community.

Order Today

See the Table of Contents

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Streets Reconsidered is just one of the many books on Good Design available from the Downtown Development Center.