This last weekend, I was driving through Lincoln, Montana. It’s the type of town that’s got about two coffee stands, a gas station, and no real grocery store. But what they do have? A diner that’s been there since the 1980’s and a main street that runs down the entirety of the town. As I rolled through, I noticed something interesting. One little coffee stand had a line of trucks on both sides of the window. The other stood a little down the road with nearly nobody in line.

Same town. Same type of business. Same cold Saturday morning. So what’s the difference?

I asked a local at the gas station and they said, “everyone goes here because they’re more up to date with posting their specials online and they post fun videos making the drinks. I’ve even seen them on the Tiktok’s”

That’s when it hit me: In Montana, word of mouth travels fast, but social media is faster. The businesses that show up consistently inline become the ones people drive an extra mile for. Not being their product is much different, but because they stay visible in a place where the community hangs out. So this week we are diving into simple small-town proof strategies for promoting your business, Montana style.

Forget big-city marketing tactics. If you are running a small business in Montana, here’s what matters most:

✔️ Stay visible
✔️ Stay personable
✔️ Stay local

This system is built for that.

Montanans appreciate consistency. One simple post can remind the community “Hey! We’re here. We’re open. Come on by.”
Ideas: A photo of today’s sunrise from your business window or a snap of fresh pastries or new arrivals.

This helps build familiarity, and in Montana, familiarity builds loyalty.

Once a week, post something genuinely helpful or interesting about your business.

Ideas:

Boutiques: How to layer for Montana winters

Gyms: 5 stretches to help before your next hike

Restaurants: Our favorite local farms we source from

When you teach, you become the expert. When you localize what you teach, you become the go to business in town.

Your promotional posts should feel less like an ad and more like an invitation.

Prompts to try:

Here's what we are featuring this week…

Weekend specials for our locals…

Just restocked these Montana favorites!

Supporting [Local school/team/event] this weekend!

This is how you promote in a small-town market with personality, purpose, and place.

To make this process even easier, you can use the Outlaw AI toolkit created for small business owners like you! Inside the Event Promoter CoPilot, you can use this simple prompt:
“ Im wanting to create 7 social media post for my business [enter business type]. Use this structure:

• Daily ‘open for business’ posts (4 variations)
• Weekly local value post (1 variation)
• Community-centered promotional posts (2 variations)
Tone: warm, local, community-focused, Montana-themed but modern.
Business type: [insert business here].
Include short captions and ideas for photos/videos.”

Run that once and you instantly get:

✔️ Montana-specific content
✔️ Captions ready to post
✔️ Photo/video ideas that feel authentic
✔️ A full promotional week done in minutes

This is a total game changer. Especially for busy business owners juggling 10 other things, which is basically every small business owner in Montana.

1️⃣An Account to Follow: @IncMagazine on instagram.

They have been showcasing fast growing companies since 1979, contributing to why it is a go to for business inspiration.

2️⃣ An Awesome Tool: Meta Business Suite

If you are already posting on Facebook or Instagram, which every small business should be, this is the easiest way to schedule posts, reply to messages, and keep track of engagement all in one spot. It is simple, effective, and 100% free.

3️⃣A Good Listen: The Mindset Mentor on Spotify

These are short, punchy episodes that help you stay focus, motivated, and mentally tough. These are perfect for early morning drives, setup at the shop, or those long commutes.

After the launch-day adrenaline fades, many small businesses slip into the dreaded “post-launch slump” — the excitement is gone, foot traffic drops, and the momentum just… disappears. The article “How to Stay Hot After Launch Day” argues that your grand opening isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting gun. To keep the buzz alive and build a lasting business, you need to keep engaging your audience — with a welcome email series that builds relationships, follow-up events that bring people back, spotlighting real customers to build social proof, asking for kind, personal reviews (not robotic templates), and teasing future offers so people stay curious.

👉Read more: How to Stay Hot After Launch Day

Done-For-You: Want me to run this play for you? My Buzz Packages are designed for business owners who want expert results without the guesswork. We handle the strategy, the content, and the execution. The Promotion Sprint .

Done-With-You: Need a custom playbook for your specific situation? Book a 1-on-1 Strategy Call with me. We’ll spend an hour building a roadmap tailored to your exact goals. .

Do-It-Yourself: Want the tools to run these plays yourself? The Outlaw AI Toolkit gives you 9 expert-trained AI assistants to handle your marketing in minutes a day.