How green shoots and positive posts can attract visitors

There's a row of images, or series of short films.

Each one shows something going wrong in the world, or is a shouty message 'this person is terrible', or a photo of something horrible or bad. There's just one that shows the green shoots of daffodil stems, and grass starting to grow again. 

Another row of images has a similar bank of negative images. There's one that feels different: a sunrise, full of promise and light. 

Which of these images are you most drawn to? 

Positive stories and images have always been attractive, offering a much needed sense of calm.

There are two times when they're even more popular - during times of political turbulence, and towards the end of Winter. 

It's worth anchoring yourself to this fact and looking out for green shoots, and positive news and using both in your marketing right now. 

If you've ever unsure what to say in your social media, on your website or in a blog, a good burst of optimism and positivity works really well. 

Everyone loves to feel good. Who would you rather spend time with: someone who moans about life or  someone who bursts with enthusiasm about their area or what they do? We're drawn to people with energy and sparkle - the same is true on social media and in marketing.

During the winter months at some point everyone feels down-hearted and thinks Spring will never come. Short messages of hope and optimism work wonders. Photos of Spring flowers and posts looking forward to Spring can be really effective. 

We don't need to pretend bad things never happen but putting a positive spin on things can help everyone feel better and more hopeful. The more you look forward, sound optimistic, believe that things will get better, the more your potential visitors will want to do the same. When they see plenty of positive messages about Spring and Summer and photos reminding them of how it looks and feels, visitors will be enthused and ready to book and plan a visit. 

You do need to be careful of sounding overly Tigger-like and too bouncy. Your marketing messages need to sound authentic and genuine so don't gush if that's not your normal approach. Just focus on the positives instead of the negatives. 

Talk about things you're looking forward to. Sound optimistic. Show positive change. Be upbeat. Be positive about your business, your area, other businesses. Make sure you tie in the photos and messages to your business. For example, if you show green shoots you need to say it's in your garden and that's where you love to serve drinks in the Spring and Summer. Or you could talk about local walks or a garden to visit.