The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay celebrated the release of volume eight of its iconic city guide on March 31st, putting the spotlight on the area’s premiere independent businesses, service professionals and artisans.
Now published in over 70 cities nationally, The Scout Guide is known for its coffee-table quality and curated advertisements that help residents and visitors find the best of the best independent businesses in a local region. Print advertisers are also featured on local and national TSG social media, websites and a searchable national directory.
Advertisers develop a sense of community through the annual volume launch party, held this year at NOIR: A Simply Panache Lounge in Hampton, and other events hosted throughout the year. Meanwhile, readers get to “live like an insider,” with tips and information on the latest trends from taste makers around the area.
Sara Harris, of Sara Harris Photography in Gloucester, took over as the owner and editor of The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay with volume two back in 2016.
“The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay is all about celebrating small businesses, supporting entrepreneurs, and helping visitors and residents alike enjoy our amazing region to the fullest,” said Harris. “It’s been an honor connecting people with local makers, experts and one another.”
Copies of the guide are free for consumers and can be found in participating stores, businesses and other locations across the area. The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay is updated and released annually by Harris who also creates the imagery for each advertisement.
“The guide is a high-end publication,” said Harris. “When someone sees a local business in the Scout Guide, they know there is a ‘Scouted’ seal of approval that affirms it is a beloved local business.”
Complementing the print guide is a significant amount of ongoing promotion online. Nationally, The Scout Guide corporate runs their own blog and social properties, frequently running special features and profiles of businesses from the various regions.
Locally, the blogging and social properties for The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay include an Instagram handle that receives tens of thousands of impressions per week. The guide itself is also available in digital format on the web at thescoutguide.com/williamsburg.
“From print to online, the guide is all about bringing as much exposure as possible to independent local businesses,” said Harris.
The Scout Guide Williamsburg & The Chesapeake Bay territory extends from Hampton up through the Peninsula, Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck across to Cape Charles and the southern Eastern Shore.
Other nearby franchises include The Scout Guide Richmond and The Scout Guide Tidewater – Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
Advertising placements are being accepted now for volume nine to be released in early 2024. Learn more at thescoutguide.com/williamsburg.
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