Pre-Work - While Waiting Find a blank index card on table Front – write the name of the best CVB marketing tactic or project you’ve ever seen. Who did it? What made it great? Back – write your question for me. What do you want to learn from this morning? Write your name somewhere on card Prizes awarded!

Find a blank index card on table

Front – write the name of the best CVB marketing tactic or project you’ve ever seen. Who did it? What made it great?

Back – write your question for me. What do you want to learn from this morning?

Write your name somewhere on card

Prizes awarded!

Bootstrap Marketing Opportunities & Ideas for CVBs Presented by Skip Lineberg Maple Creative

On Marketing “ What impression do you make, then, when you appear to have invested very little in your own business? You are saying you lack confidence in your own enterprise. If you are not confident enough to invest in yourself, why would I spend money with you?” Harry Beckwith – marketing guru, author

“ What impression do you make, then, when you appear to have invested very little in your own business? You are saying you lack confidence in your own enterprise. If you are not confident enough to invest in yourself, why would I spend money with you?”

Harry Beckwith – marketing guru, author

What is Bootstrap Marketing? Limited budget Limited resources Marketing by your bootstraps Creating impact on very little investment Leveraging zero-cost tactics

Limited budget

Limited resources

Marketing by your bootstraps

Creating impact on very little investment

Leveraging zero-cost tactics

Brand Identity

Research – Find Out Who’s coming to your place? Why are they coming? What is their world view/ lens? Are trends shifting … and why?

Who’s coming to your place?

Why are they coming?

What is their world view/ lens?

Are trends shifting … and why?

Research – Helps You To evaluate your marketable assets To define your target audience (segmentation) To test messages … see what resonates Become more effective

To evaluate your marketable assets

To define your target audience (segmentation)

To test messages … see what resonates

Become more effective

Research Tool - Zoomerang www.Zoomerang.com Free, online research application Create custom surveys Up to 100 questions Up to 1,000 invitees

www.Zoomerang.com

Free, online research application

Create custom surveys

Up to 100 questions

Up to 1,000 invitees

Other Research Tools Exit survey – feedback cards Clipboard capture – man on the street Focus group What else? How did you hear about us?

Exit survey – feedback cards

Clipboard capture – man on the street

Focus group

What else?

On Marketing “ Marketing is a circular process, which can begin almost anywhere and never ends.” Craig Hartsell, Azimuth

“ Marketing is a circular process, which can begin almost anywhere and never ends.”

Craig Hartsell, Azimuth

Question from Audience

Earned Media Local relationships = local coverage Get your news & events covered Regional & national press Think big – are you “swinging for the fences?” Tie your story to recent coverage and world events or trends

Local relationships = local coverage

Get your news & events covered

Regional & national press

Think big – are you “swinging for the fences?”

Tie your story to recent coverage and world events or trends

The Power of National Press Canaan Valley, WV

Earned Media – Other Ideas Editorial Review Board Session Press Conference Invite a travel writer to visit Do you know who’s on the travel beat? Invite an influential travel blogger to visit? We offer spokesperson & media training.

Editorial Review Board Session

Press Conference

Invite a travel writer to visit

Do you know who’s on the travel beat?

Invite an influential travel blogger to visit?

On Marketing “ Tell me a story. Make me say, ‘Hmm-I did not know that’.” - Don Hewitt, founder and long-time producer of “60 Minutes”

“ Tell me a story. Make me say, ‘Hmm-I did not know that’.”

- Don Hewitt, founder and long-time producer of “60 Minutes”

Question from Audience

Internet – Electronic Marketing You Tube Flickr Blogger Twitter

You Tube

Flickr

Blogger

Twitter

Internet Marketing – Why Bother? Low cost Tremendous reach Two-way conversation – engages customers Content tags – makes it specific Measurable – you can track it

Low cost

Tremendous reach

Two-way conversation – engages customers

Content tags – makes it specific

Measurable – you can track it

Flickr Leverage your scenic beauty Post photos of your place www.Flickr.com Comment on other scenic photos; invite contributor to come visit and photograph your place Start a Flick photo group – scenic photos of your area

Leverage your scenic beauty

Post photos of your place

www.Flickr.com

Comment on other scenic photos; invite contributor to come visit and photograph your place

Start a Flick photo group – scenic photos of your area

Twitter Micro-blogging www.Twitter.com Free Quick & easy Attract the early adopters Followers can spread the word

Micro-blogging

www.Twitter.com

Free

Quick & easy

Attract the early adopters

Followers can spread the word

Twitter – Elkins example www.twitter.com/visitelkinswv Promote upcoming events Spread good news Invite folks to visit Offer suggestions Offer facts and trivia

www.twitter.com/visitelkinswv

Promote upcoming events

Spread good news

Invite folks to visit

Offer suggestions

Offer facts and trivia

Question from Audience

Search Engine Visibility Travelers pre-shop on the Internet Internet #1 source of travel planning and purchasing Majority of leisure travelers (66%) now use the Internet exclusively for planning a vacation. 2007 National Leisure Travel Monitor

Travelers pre-shop on the Internet

Internet #1 source of travel planning and purchasing

Majority of leisure travelers (66%) now use the Internet exclusively for planning a vacation.

2007 National Leisure Travel Monitor

Things Have Changed!

Google Search Results Page 1 or Page 2 (100% … 82% … 2%) Where do you rank? For which search phrases? What are your critical search phrases?

Page 1 or Page 2 (100% … 82% … 2%)

Where do you rank?

For which search phrases?

What are your critical search phrases?

Evaluate Search Phrases Your own research Google Suggest, Google Trends http://labs.google.com/ You can’t be “all things.” You can’t afford to market your place as “all things.” Find your niche.

Your own research

Google Suggest, Google Trends

http://labs.google.com/

You can’t be “all things.”

You can’t afford to market your place as “all things.”

Find your niche.

WV Assoc. of CVBs April 22, 2008 How Google Sees Your Site Connections on the Web very important to search engines - hyperlinks in/out, blogroll, partners, reciprocal links Relevant, fresh content can boost your rankings with spiders, bots & Web-droids

Connections on the Web very important to search engines - hyperlinks in/out, blogroll, partners, reciprocal links

Relevant, fresh content can boost your rankings with spiders, bots & Web-droids

How to Rank Higher on Google Relevant content Connections Fresh content Use content tags and meta-data

Relevant content

Connections

Fresh content

Use content tags and meta-data

More on Electronic Marketing and Web 2.0 Statewide training series Beginning in May Five WV locations www.MarketingConference.org

Statewide training series

Beginning in May

Five WV locations

www.MarketingConference.org

Blogs & Blogging Create a conversation Create fresh, relevant content Give customers a voice They have more credibility than we do. You are the publisher. You’re in control. Tag your content Build traffic and connections

Create a conversation

Create fresh, relevant content

Give customers a voice

They have more credibility than we do.

You are the publisher. You’re in control.

Tag your content

Build traffic and connections

Blog Drives Traffic to Your Web Site The Maple Example

Closing Blogs Marketing Genius from Maple Creative See our blogroll – other great blogs http://MarketingGenius.blogspot.com

Blogs

Marketing Genius from Maple Creative

See our blogroll – other great blogs

http://MarketingGenius.blogspot.com

Key to Marketing, Especially Marketing Places Stories are memorable – “sticky” Powerful, persuasive stories Powerful, persuasive images Find and organize Begin to cultivate and build Put them out for customers to discover

Stories are memorable – “sticky”

Powerful, persuasive stories

Powerful, persuasive images

Find and organize

Begin to cultivate and build

Put them out for customers to discover

Maple’s Marketing Plan Leverage our strong brand Feature talent and creativity New Web site – promote launch Continue to feature our blog Some advertising – very targeted Sign boards at airport Speaking engagements, publish articles New print materials – folder, biz card, note cards Community service

Leverage our strong brand

Feature talent and creativity

New Web site – promote launch

Continue to feature our blog

Some advertising – very targeted

Sign boards at airport

Speaking engagements, publish articles

New print materials – folder, biz card, note cards

Community service

On Leadership "You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are so unpredictable." - Peter Drucker

"You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are so unpredictable." - Peter Drucker

Closing Bibliography – recommended reading list Let’s start a dialogue [email_address]

Bibliography – recommended reading list

Let’s start a dialogue

[email_address]

Thank You!

Bootstrap Marketing Opportunities & Ideas for CVBs Presented by Skip Lineberg Maple Creative