So I just got back from the 2012 Governor’s Conference on Tourism (held in Concord March 11^th -13^th) and here are the highlights:

1. TOURISM TRENDS AND UPDATES: Because I work with many clients in the tourism industry (most of which are in NC), it’s always great to learn about travel trends and get updates at the state level. Overall, the numbers were positive and encouraging. One trend to note in the State’s advertising is their increased focus on digital and social media. This year, the paid advertising will be 59% digital up from 34% last year. In addition, the State now has a Pinterest page and a branded station on Pandora. Click here to view the 2012/2013 North Carolina Marketing Strategy http://partners.visitnc.com/

2. A LESSON IN FACINATION: I met Sally Hogshead. You may not recognize the name, but you’ve probably seen her work. If you have never heard of her, check out her websites: HowtoFacinate.com and SallyHogshead.com. I attended 2 of Sally’s presentations and they were the hit of the conference. She talked about how to use your “7 Triggers” to fascinate and persuade. What is your primary trigger?

3. SETTING THE PACE: Monday night’s festivities (both the conference party and the Our State magazine party) were held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  It proved to be a great evening of food, drinks and networking. As an added bonus, people were given the opportunity to take a few laps in a pace car. I did not take them up on their offer, but my husband and friends did. They said that it was a very cool experience.

4. OLD AND NEW FRIENDS: As usual, the conference provided many opportunities for networking. From sessions to receptions to socials, I enjoyed meeting new people in the tourism industry and catching up with clients. Our lives are so busy that it is nice to get out of the office, have a glass of wine and talk about how things are going with various destinations throughout NC.

5. LIGHTBULB MOMENTS: I came back to my office better informed, more energized and full of ideas. For three days, I was furiously scribbling in my notebook. As I attended sessions on everything from “Creating Fascinating Social Media Messages” to “Tailoring Press Materials for the Digital Catwalk” I was constantly thinking about how I could apply these concepts to my clients' projects. If I’m going to take time out of the office and away from projects, I think it’s important that my clients be able to benefit from that experience. So, I’m excited to get back to work!

QR Code Tips

Using QR Codes to Benefit Your Marketing Program

Do you use QR Codes? They can be a great tool for promoting your business or destination.

Before you generate a code and start implementing it, think about 2 things:

1. When will someone be scanning the code (Is it on a sign or billboard?  A menu? A visitor guide? A print ad in a magazine?)

2. What information would be useful to the visitor at that time? I recommend that you link to a piece of useful information rather than just your website. The QR Code could link to a map, video, directions, coupon/promotion/special offer, instructions, special landing page, white paper, etc.

Examples:

• If you place a QR Code on a coaster at a bar, it could link to a specialty drink menu or a list of wine/beer and food pairings.
• A QR Code placed on a trail marker could link to a trails map or a video about something significant located at that marker.
• You could use a code placed on your retail shop’s door to link to a landing page that would allow visitors to sign up to be on your mailing list and receive monthly specials.

You get the idea. The main thing is to consider the visitor’s experience. Why would he scan your code? What information would be helpful or entertaining to him at that point?

When placing your code, make sure that it is easily seen and has plenty of white (clear) space around it. You should also clearly, but concisely explain what the visitor will receive.   

Email me if you would like to talk about ways that QR Codes could benefit your marketing program.

Add an Effective Call-to-Action to Your Website

Take a look at your website, Facebook landing page or e-newsletter. Is there an effective call-to-action? If not, there probably should be. As you were planning your website or social media, you thought about the goals and what you want the outcome to be when someone visits your site. Sample goals and calls-to-action include:

• Education = Download a White Paper
• Lead Generation = Request a Visitor Guide
• Fundraising = Donate

Once you understand the goals of your website or social media, you can craft and implement the appropriate call-to-action. Here are 5 Tips to help you get started!

1. Plan – Think about what you want the visitor to do and why? And don’t forget to plan how you will use the data that you collect or how you will deliver the information that is being requested.

2. Offer – Make sure that you are giving the visitor something unique and of value.

3. Convince – You’ll need to convince them of the need or explain the benefit. Why should they request a visitor guide…because it’s full of maps, contact information and discounts. Why should they donate…because they will receive a free t-shirt.

4. Stand Out - Make the call-to-action button stand out by making it big or a complementary color, and put it in a good location (above the fold).

5. Test – Test the effectiveness of different colors, placement and wording.

How Brand Consistency will Help You Communicate Your Message

How consistent are your brand and identity pieces? Do an experiment. Pull you your marketing pieces (direct mail, e-newsletters, promotional items, website, social media, brochures, etc.) and look at them together.

First, check to see if they all make sense together visually. Does anything stick out or look like it doesn't belong?

Next, take a closer look. How consistent are the details (fonts, colors, logo usage, paper choice, photography, illustrations, tone of voice and the visual language of the pieces)? If you have a style guide or identity standards manual (see samples below), all of the details will be well thought out and illustrated.

Finally, let's go one step further. How do these identity pieces fit into your overall brand? For example:

• You own a business such as a salon and part of your brand is that the business is cool, edgy and trendy, but your brochure is very traditional in size, layout and paper choice. Even though it may be a beautiful brochure, that would not fit the brand.
• If your boutique hotel offers a very upscale, luxurious experience, do your website and social media give them that same experience or is there a disconnect?
• You are promoting a destination know for scenic beauty and outdoor adventure. So eco-tourism is part of your brand. You would want to consider using recycled paper for your printed materials and eco-friendly promotional items.

You get the idea. If you would like an evaluation of your marketing materials or more information about identity standards, email me.

When to Use CMYK vs. PMS Colors

What are PMS and CMYK Colors? How Knowing the Difference will Improve the Look of Your Marketing Materials...

Have you ever received a printed piece only to find that the color is not what you had anticipated? Maybe the color of your logo is not exactly right or maybe you have a brochure reprinted and the same color looks very different the second time around. When you have something printed (letterhead, visitor guides, direct mail pieces, etc.), it is either printed in CMYK or PMS colors or both. Knowing the difference and when to use each will make your print pieces look their best.

CMYK colors (or process colors) are created by layering cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. This is the best choice when printing full color photographs or illustrations or when you are printing something that has too many colors to be financially reasonable to print in PMS colors. A drawback of printing in process color is the inconsistency (however with a really good printing partner, the inconsistency should be minimal).

PMS colors, which stands for Pantone Matching System (or spot colors) use a system similar to that of house paints. Each color has a numbered swatch sample. PMS colors should be used when an exact color match is required such as your logo. They are also great for vibrant, fluorescent, pastel, or metallic colors.

I often use both in one print piece. For example, if I am printing a postcard, I may print the card in process color because of the photograph on the front and add one or two PMS colors for the logo on the back.

Logo vs. Brand...What's the difference?

The words “brand” and “logo” are often used interchangeably. However, they are, in fact, very different animals. Think of your brand as all of the emotions and ideas associated with the products or services that create a distinct experience for your customers or visitors. It includes all things real or perceived, physical or sensory, planned or unplanned. For example, if you own a restaurant, your brand includes your employee dress code, the way that your staff interacts with your guests, your menu (type of food, layout of menu and prices), your take-out containers (are the Styrofoam or bio-degradable?), the décor and your location as well as all print and digital marketing materials.

Your logo is certainly a component of your brand. Think of it as a symbol of your brand and the foundation of your identity. Your identity includes all the things that make up the consistent “look” of your marketing materials (how the logo is used, specified fonts and colors, visual language of print and digital pieces, signage, packaging, etc.).

Which Social Media Sites are Right for You?

With so many social media sites available, how do you know which ones are right for your business? Which will benefit you the most? While Social Media Marketing is very cost effective (in fact most of the sites are free), it does require a commitment of time. As with any marketing project or campaign, it is important to have a good plan which begins with determining your goals for social networking.

Then you can choose the sites that are right for you according to those goals and the implementation plan. To determine which sites will be best for you, consider the purpose and audience of the site. There is a seemingly endless amount of options and more popping up every day. So you may want to begin with the basics:

Facebook - Good for communicating with your customer and promoting your brand.

LinkedIn - Great for promoting individuals and getting referrals, but not very good for driving traffic to your website.

Twitter - Good for customer communication but not as great at bringing visitors to your website.

Flickr - Very good for helping out with SEO and a pretty good way to promote your brand.

YouTube - Great way to communicate with your target audience, build your brand and contribute to SEO.

There are also tons of industry and interest specific sites out there that may help your business or attract visitors to your destination. Here are a few resources that I have found that I think will help you find a few niche sites.

50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence On

List of Social Networks

If you would like any help choosing the best sites for you or branding your social media presence, email me.

Old School Social Networking Tips

Social Media is very popular and an important piece of your marketing puzzle. But so is old school social networking...getting out there and meeting people face to face.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Networking is not sales. It’s about helping others in a mutually beneficial relationship.Think about the value that you can bring to the relationship.

2. Building a personal network takes time. You will not build your network overnight and you will not see the benefits overnight. But trust me, as time goes on, you will see the fruits of your labor.

3. You have to be consistent with your networking efforts. If you let them grow cold, you will have to start all over again. Stay in contact with the folks that you meet. I find it helpful to keep either a list or spreadsheet with my leads or contacts and a scheduled reminder for contacting them.

4. Be systematic in building your network. As with any other part of your marketing program, you must be strategic in your networking efforts and you must have a plan (and often a budget). Which are the right organizations for you to join? Who do you most need in your network? Don't forget about referral sources.

5. By building up your network of referral sources, you are building a (free) sales team. Just as your followers in your Social Media network are spreading the good news about your company, you also need those people on the street spreading good word of mouth.

6. There is power in numbers.The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have and the more connections you can make.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT Analysis is done during the marketing plan process and is an excellent tool to help you evaluate your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. By looking at yourself and your competitors using the SWOT framework, you can start to craft a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your market.

STRENGTHS: What makes your company or destination great? What advantages to you have over the competition? (Examples include: unique staff expertise, location, superior processes, strong brand recognition, proximity to other popular destinations.)

WEAKNESSES: What are your limitations? How could you improve? (Examples include: lack of expertise, inferior products, cash flow, location, poor reputation, inadequate lodging.)

OPPORTUNITIES: What are the market developments or industry trends that could benefit your company or destination? (Examples include: teaming relationships, cross selling, competitor vulnerabilities, niche target markets, new services.)

THREATS: What obstacles do you face? What do you perceive is standing in the way of your success? (Examples include: negative market developments, competitor strengths, economy, key staff loss, seasonal effects, political or legislative effects.)

How to Write E-Newsletter Content that Your Readers will Love

When it comes time for your monthly or quarterly e-newsletter, do you get writer’s block? If you are not getting the desired response from your e-newsletters, here are my tips for generating content: 

1.   Give them what they want. Think about your target audience. What are they interested in reading? If you want your newsletters to be successful, you have to give your readers information that benefits them, not just information about your company or destination. How do know what your customers or visitors want? Well, you could ask them. At the bottom of my newsletters, I ask for suggestions for future newsletter articles. Another trick is to study your website analytics or use Google’s keyword tool.

2.   In addition to writing articles specifically related to your business or destination, it is a good idea to branch out and write related articles. For example, one of my clients is a bankruptcy attorney. In his newsletters, we not only include articles about bankruptcy law, but we also share money saving tips. Recent topics include: Thanksgiving on a Budget, Free Local Events and How to Save on Baby Gear.

     If you are marketing a destination in a wine region, you may want to include an article about wine and food pairings. If you own an upscale clothing boutique, you may want to include an article on home furnishing trends. You get the idea.

3.   Make an offer. Whenever possible, it is nice to offer your loyal readers something special such as a coupon, discount or promotion. Another idea is to invite them to an event.

4.   Include a call to action. Examples include graphics that read Download an Ebook or White Paper, Call to Schedule an Appointment, Register for a Webinar, Make a Reservation, etc.

5.   Don’t try to recreate the wheel. Think about reusing content from your blog, a white paper, a webinar, or social media. Blog posts or portions of a white paper can become great newsletter articles. If a recent social media post received a good response, consider expanding on that idea. 

Finally, analyze the statistics from your e-newsletters (look at number of opens, click-throughs and forwards) and evaluate the response to your calls to action to determine which topics where successful. Then replicate that success.