Case Study: Strategic Marketing Plan for Pelican Rapids

Creating a unified, modern identity for a small Minnesota town rebuilding after two years of detours.

When Pelican Rapids approached Growth Forge, the town had just come through two years of total highway reconstruction.

For nearly 24 months:

• Highway 59 — the main north–south corridor—was stripped down and detoured entirely around town.

• Highway 108 — the gateway to Maplewood State Park, followed the next year.

Visitors didn’t stop. Seasonal traffic didn’t pass through. Even locals adjusted their routines.

By the time both highways were rebuilt, Pelican Rapids looked better than it had in decades, but the community needed a way to bring people back.

And that’s where the strategy begins.

The Starting Vision

The town had already articulated the emotional core of the project in their early construction-era messaging: “Find Your Path.”

In the opening of the final strategy document, we framed Pelican Rapids’ future like this:

A family driving north chooses to stop—not because they have to, but because something caught their eye. They walk downtown, visit a shop, grab lunch by the river, take a photo with the world’s largest pelican, and think, “Maybe we should stay a little longer.”

This future-facing story became the anchor for how Pelican Rapids wants to be seen:

A place worth discovering, worth returning to, and worth belonging to.

Our job was to turn that narrative potential into a practical, unified marketing strategy.

The Challenge

Pelican Rapids didn’t have a marketing problem — they had a capacity problem.

1. No single group could “own” marketing.

The city, Chamber, EDA, and business community were aligned and collaborative, but everyone was busy running their own operations.

2. Messaging was fragmented.

Different groups communicated in different ways, with no shared structure or central hub.

3. A transformed physical landscape needed a matching digital identity.

The rebuilt highways created a once-in-a-generation moment. The marketing needed to rise to that level.

Our Approach

The goal was simple:

Build a clear, modern marketing strategy that the entire community could use, without adding complexity or new workload.

We delivered four primary components:

1. Reframing “Find Your Path” into a long-term identity

Originally created as a construction navigation line, “Find Your Path” already had traction.

We reinterpreted it as a flexible, future-ready message:

• Find your path to visit

• Find your path to live

• Find your path to belong

• Find your path to opportunity
  

It created a single narrative the city, Chamber, and businesses could all speak through.

2. A Unified Digital Presence

Pelican Rapids didn’t need more channels; it needed one central digital home.

We recommended:

• A destination-style website that becomes the community’s official story hub

• A unified narrative that every group can link out from

• A structure that supports tourism, relocation, and economic development in one place

This gives the community a stronger identity without creating new management burdens.

3. A Practical Three-Platform Social Strategy

We focused on the channels that matter most for a town of 2,500:

• Facebook → local and visiting families, community updates

• Instagram → visual storytelling for visitors, explorers, and day-trippers

• LinkedIn → economic development, investment updates, and professional visibility
  

This creates consistency without overextending anyone.

4. Story-Driven Content Themes

We built content formats small towns can actually use:

• Simple photo + caption templates

• Reels concepts highlighting local people and places

• Seasonal storytelling prompts (winter, summer, fall colors, events)

• Business spotlights, resident features, and behind-the-scenes stories
  

It’s a toolkit designed for sustainability, not overwhelm.

5. A Phased Action Plan

Clear next steps, with no ambiguity:

• Approve strategy

• Build the destination-style website

• Capture new video + photo assets

• Launch social content

• Develop seasonal campaigns
  

This gives Pelican Rapids a path from strategy → execution → visibility.

Impact

The strategy immediately created clarity:

• Leaders now have a shared vision and a simple narrative they can confidently speak from

• All groups understand the role they play in the community’s digital identity

• The town has a roadmap that aligns with tourism, relocation, and long-term economic development

• Pelican Rapids is positioned to move directly into content creation, website development, and storytelling
  

This plan turned a post-construction challenge into a cohesive, forward-looking opportunity.

Why This Work Matters

This project demonstrates how Growth Forge approaches rural community marketing: Simple, unified strategies that give small towns a voice — without adding complexity.