Creating a fresh perspective to attract new audiences

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to find success.”

Over the next few newsletters CVB Digital will be providing insights and guidance for best practices to refresh, rejuvenate and reinvigorate your brand. We will help you to better package the experiences that your destination collectively delivers to prospective visitors.

The on-going challenge is to stay fresh and attract new audiences, while maintaining consistency with the messaging — the story you present about your community.

Many marketers will recommend that you create a new logo and new ads. It is an easy, visual and generally a fun-to-do exercise. But what we encourage and recommend instead is to go deeper for longer term success. Listen to the marketplace and engage your board and your membership to think of new ways to package your community to new and recurring visitors.

Our approach to staging a resurgence in the value of your brand and increasing visitors to your area is based on nine proven strategies. Think of each strategy as a multiplier. The more multipliers you can employ simultaneously, the greater the chances that you can reinvigorate your brand.

Our next few newsletters will address recommended strategies and tactics to create a new perspective about what your destination offers and who you are attracting.  In this issue, we will discuss five of these tactics.

Be clear and be authentic.

Be clear in what you are offering.  Don’t oversell. Unfavorable social media can result. Package yourself appropriately to reach visitors looking for a specific experience whether it’s family-friendly or more adventurous. These market niches can deliver recurring room nights. For millennial adventurers, you can create a weekend getaway by packaging hiking trails to waterfalls that aren’t family friendly into an experience including lodging.

In UpCountry South Carolina, Spartanburg leveraged its connection with music and created the Spartanburg Music Trail, which is a walking tour highlighting musicians from the area who have made an impact in the world, including the Marshall Tucker Band. It anchors a lively music scene and annual music festivals.

Stay in touch with current trends.

Consider what current topics can be connected to your community. Google Trends is a macro way to get a perspective on what is trending. If you can you naturally associate with a trending activity, you can quickly get the word out through social media and with digital marketing. This opportunistic marketing will augment, not replace your overall brand messaging.

For example, when GoPro introduced it’s mountable, underwater camera, it provided a cool way to film an outdoor experience…think about extreme activities like white water kayaking, zip-lining or skydiving.  The CVBs who recognized this trend first got the best results for their digital marketing efforts via YouTube, Instagram and other social media.

Redefine (or refine) your audience.

Over time, like any product, your area will need to attract new audiences. An effective method for ongoing market research is to use your Google Adwords to “test-and-learn” and monitor what potential visitors are searching for in travel and entertainment. Then, you can align your community’s resources and messaging to attract these relevant travelers to visit your area.

If your area doesn’t have significant natural attracters, you can showcase special venues and attractions or specialty destination retailers with loyal enthusiasts.  Keep the millennials and seniors in mind.  If you have colleges or universities, consider the value of adding promotions for the conferences or events they may offer. Embrace who you are and encourage new initiatives that fit your community so they are easily marketable to your feeder markets.

Change how your destination is perceived.

More than a relaunch of new marketing materials, introduce fresh ways for visitors to enjoy your area. A great example in Georgia is how Alpharetta has positioned itself as a destination by showcasing the national performers at Verizon Amphitheatre, supporting unique special events and promoting Top Golf, the American Girl Store and the new Avalon shopping, entertainment venue and conference center.

Leverage paid promotion by being intentional with your social media messages to tell your new and improved story. Also, proactively engage the influencers who can spread and enhance your online story. There are many ways to package and message about your destination but strive to be authentic.

Present your area as a collective destination.

Create connections with your neighbors and proactively present marketable experiences. Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail are well-known examples of how communities have linked together to create a destination experience.

The CVB in Bullitt County strategically leverages its position as the Trailhead of the Bourbon Trail to create additional exposure for its area. Another is the World’s Longest Yard Sale that fills hotel rooms in multiple states.

Just north of Atlanta along a corridor that begins with the excitement of urban Buckhead and passes through Alpharetta and culminates at the historic, gold-mining foothills of the North Georgia mountains, the Hospitality Highway collaboration takes both a collective and singular approach to marketing participating communities.

These are all great example of fresh strategic thinking and collective marketing that draw revenue spending visitors and puts heads in beds.

As your digital marketing coach, CVB Digital can help you make the best decisions for your destination.