Newcomer Guide “BeLocal” Coming to Georgetown

A newcomer guide aimed at helping new move-ins and long-time residents alike is coming to Georgetown!

Laura Capes Terry, owner of BeLocal Georgetown, told Hello Georgetown she is looking forward to providing a guide that connects new residents with the best resources in town like Hello Georgetown, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor’s Center, local businesses who can help them settle into their new home and new city with ease, and more

Hello Georgetown is teaming up with BeLocal to provide new residents and longtime residents this resource and we sat down with Laura Capes Terry to talk about this new resource for Georgetown and why she decided to bring it to the community.

What is BeLocal?

BeLocal is a national brand that creates hyperlocal newcomer guides for over 100 of America’s top cities: www.belocalpub.com.

Here in the Austin area, we currently have a BeLocal in Cedar Park, Southwest Austin, and West Austin with plans to open a BeLocal in Georgetown in 2022.

These comprehensive local resource guides are available in print and online. What makes them special is that they’re written by long-time locals to introduce newcomers to important local resources, top attractions, hidden gems, and insider tips.

BeLocal Georgetown is 100% funded by reputable local businesses that want to be the first in their industry to connect with new residents that are moving to Georgetown. Since BeLocal arrives in the new resident’s mailbox shortly after they move into their new home, our business partners get the first chance to build a life-long relationship with each family.

This is a unique window of time for our local business community as these new movers are actively seeking local products and services. Also, because BeLocal is a trusted resource guide, our business partners are seen as trusted community partners—not solicitors.

Here’s how it works:

We use the power of word-of-mouth and local recommendations to produce an essential local resource guide for new movers. Our goal is to ease the transition and cut years off the time it takes for these new residents to feel like a local.

Then, we mail a printed copy of the guide to new residents shortly after they move into their new homes. This guide is beautifully designed and filled with important resources so it typically remains on the family’s countertop or coffee table for several months.

We make our content available online 24/7 so anyone has access to this important information. If you’re traveling, you can use www.belocalpub.com to explore local favorites in over 100 cities across the United States.

The content you’ll find in BeLocal Georgetown will be especially impactful for new GTX residents because we’ve partnered with Hello Georgetown to produce the guide.

What sparked your decision to bring BeLocal to Georgetown?

As a member of the Georgetown Leadership Class of 2021-2022 (put on through the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce), our class was asked to read a very special book called “The Power of Moments” written by brothers Chip and Dan Heath.

This book fascinated me. It’s a New York Times Bestseller and explores why certain brief experiences can jolt us, elevate us, and even change us. It inspired me to learn how to create such extraordinary moments in my own life and work.

Then last month, our class had the unique pleasure of hearing Hugh Brown, CEO of St. David’s Georgetown, speak on “The Power of Moments.” Hugh showed us how we can proactively become the authors of these “defining moments” by focusing on three situations:

1. Transitions (moving from one stage to the next)

2. Milestones (achievements that can be marked)

3. Pits (negative experiences that can be reshaped)

The most impactful moment for me came at the end of Hugh’s presentation when he challenged us and said, “As leaders in Georgetown, what can we collectively do to elevate the city of Georgetown and make this an even greater place to live?”

In that moment, I felt God’s whisper…”create a newcomer guide for Georgetown”

I realized that we could work together to mark the moment when a new resident arrives in Georgetown and make their transition into our city both magical and memorable.

What do you hope Georgetown residents both new and old will gain from BeLocal?

For new residents, my hope is to use the power of our platform to mark the moment of arrival and make their transition magical, easy, and memorable. I believe that by working together, our community can:

• Proactively welcome new residents to Georgetown shortly after they move into their new home, so they feel noticed and cared about
• Quickly introduce these new residents to the most important resources they’ll need to settle in, so they can connect to others and quickly feel like a local
• Share the heart of Georgetown with these newcomers when they first arrive, so they feel warm and fuzzy feelings about this place they’ve chosen to call “home”
• Give these new residents an essential resource that they’ll rely on for months and a keepsake that they’ll treasure forever

For our long-time locals, my hope is that our mission makes you proud. I believe that by collaborating with our city’s best resources (organizations like, but not limited to, Hello Georgetown, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Georgetown, the Georgetown Visitor’s Center, The City of Georgetown, and more) to produce this guide, we can:

• Collectively add tremendous value to the lives of these new residents
• Help them feel welcomed, cared about, and connected
• Give them stories and resources to help them learn about and carry on our legacy
• Pass on the history and heart of Georgetown for future generations for years to come

What are you most excited about for BeLocal in Georgetown?

Relocating is not easy. When my family and I first moved here from Austin three years ago, it was an overwhelming experience. I wished that someone had given me a resource like BeLocal when we first arrived, so we didn’t have to struggle to plug in and find essential resources.

Since I live here now, what I’m most excited about is connecting the dots for the new residents here in Georgetown.

By giving my new “neighbors” the trusted resource that I wished that I’d had delivered to my mailbox when we first moved here, I can help them quickly connect to the great resources this community already has to offer so they can quickly plug in and feel like a local.

Cover Contest

BeLocal Georgetown and Hello Georgetown would like to invite anyone who would like to participate in the front cover contest to submit a picture for consideration by emailing your photo to [email protected].

Learn More

Hello Georgetown and BeLocal Georgetown will be hosting a joint ribbon cutting at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, January 13 at 12:15 PM. We hope you can join us and can’t wait to tell you more about BeLocal Georgetown.

Laura Capes Terry, owner of Grayson Media & Marketing, is an MBA, StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guide, and Certified Partner for DigitalMarketer. Working as a marketing and media consultant, Laura helps small, local business owners attract and engage their ideal clients through traditional and digital marketing strategies. You can learn more about Laura at www.lauracapesterry.com.

Learn more by following BeLocal Georgetown on Instagram, you can visit their profile by clicking or tapping here.

This article was originally published by Sydney Decker of Hello Georgetown on January 5, 2021:
https://www.hellogeorgetown.com/coming-soon-to-georgetown/newcomer-guide-belocal-coming-to-georgetown/