October 26, 2011

Eastern North CarolinaHeritage Tourism Marketing Strategies

Heritage Tourism Committee MeetingNorth Carolina Eastern Region Office, Kinston

This project received support from:

The Project Branding to promote the region Set of universal practices Easily recognizable theme Easily adapted by county and tourism

sites Drive tourism traffic

Marketing Strategies: A Two-Track Approach

Marketing Strategy Recommendations – Approved at the May 2011 meeting

Heritage Area Theme Categories and Statements

Marketing Strategy Recommendations

1) Adopt the concept of a technology-based strategy.

2) Approve creation of marketing messages designed for use through these technologies. Create a “look” (graphic design) and a message that can easily be incorporated or adopted by tourism agencies and heritage attractions.

Marketing Strategy Recommendations

3) Approve a marketing message strategy that focuses on places and people.

4) Begin developing plans to provide technical assistance to tourism agencies and heritage sites to fully benefit from the technology-based marketing plans.

Overarching Theme: Rivers to Sounds to Sea

The confluence of human activity and the interconnected waterways of eastern North Carolina have shaped the region’s past, defined its unique present character and charted a course for the future.

Settling a New World

Facing untold hardship with equal determination, early habitants capitalized on Eastern North Carolina’s prominence on the Atlantic coast to create a home and livelihoods and eventually to influence the establishment of a new nation which encompassed the region’s inherent struggle between freedom and enslavement.

Living with the Land and Water

Eastern North Carolina’s distinctive landscape of coastal plain, piney woods, banks and waters gave rise to all manner of livelihood, from those who scratched out a living to those who amassed prosperity from maritime and agricultural enterprises, shaping daily life and impacting regional and national historical events.

Defense of a Nation

Since its first settlement, the military has been a strong presence in Eastern North Carolina, giving the region a critical role in establishing a new nation in the Revolutionary War era, in reflecting the struggle of a nation torn apart by Civil War, and in defending America’s ideals in 20th and 21st century wars.

Living Traditions

Present-day residents are preserving the region’s history by carrying on traditions such as food ways, cultural arts, religion, working traditions and recreation that have often been handed down in families for many generations or sharing the region’s legacies by preserving the built and natural environment and interpreting stories of the past.

The “Look” and the Message

The “Look” and the Message

Chart Your Course Continues nautical theme

Speaks directly to the potential visitor – invites them to plan a trip

Easy to use in a variety of promotional venues

Eastern North Carolina’s Heritage Website

Make it the “go-to” source for planning heritage-focused travel

Include unique and in-depth content not found on other tourism websites

Connect heritage sites to people – past and present

Highlight the region’s themes Serve as the foundation for social

media promotions

Key Elements of the Website

Theme and message

Introduction Special places –

special people Exploration

routes Travel Tools

Itineraries Events Photos Restaurants Social media

symbols Links and

maps

Introductory Section:Explore Eastern North Carolina’s Heritage

Overview of the region’s characteristics

Why the region is a special place to visit

Special Places – Special People

Build section as a unique resource to share stories of people past and present

Invite submissions of stories

Exploration Routes

Settling a New World Living with the Land and Water Defense of a Nation Living Traditions

Sub-themes are an entrance pointfor trip planning.

Settling a New World

Introduction

First Americans

Fort Raleigh

Roanoke Island

Festival Park

African Americans

Bellamy Mansion

Hope Plantation

Princeville

Colonial Life

Historic Bath

Beaufort

Burgwin-Wright House

New Bern

Old World Origins

Albemarle, Edenton, Bath,

Brunswick

Neuse and Trent Rivers

The Struggle to Settle

Dismal Swamp

Halifax

Travel Tools and Itineraries

Events and Programs

The website is home base to make travel planning smooth…

Social Media Marketing Tools

Traditional tourism promotion:

Show, tell, persuade

New tourism promotion:

Facilitate, orchestrate,

enable

Facebook – 28 million users over age 45

o Can be updated regularly

o Interactive format

The average user: Has 130 friends Spends 15½ hours

a month on Facebook

Visits 40 times per month

Connected to 80 community pages, groups and events

Begin with a Tab page on Coast Host

What should be on the Facebook page?

A regular feature will encourage repeat visitation.

What is this and where is it?

What should be on the Facebook page?

Links to new blog entries

Event or program info

Pictures or videos of tours

Ask “friends” to talk about places they visit

Links to publicity Restaurant

reviews

Blogs can give in-depth info New blogs encourage

regular check-ins Blogs can link from all social

media avenues

How can Blogs be used?

Behind-the-scenes for heritage events

Happenings at the sites Review books on

heritage sites and encourage discussions

Ask visitors to share their travel experience – compile responses with the best ideas

Share current publicity

Twitter – A quick way to reach visitors

Heading to North Carolina in late November and can’t decide – mountains or surf? Blue Ridge or Outer Bank?

One week road trip starts today. First stop Outer Banks, North Carolina

USS North Carolina turns 50: Wilmington is marking the 50th anniversary of landing the battleship.

2 Ways to Use Twitter1. Link potential visitors to websites,

blogs or Facebook for info on activities and special deals.

2. Monitor discussions from visitors in the region and help them find things to see and do.

Seattle tweets reach thousands of visitors

@SeattleMaven is a “know-it-all/concierge extraordinaire”

Tweets about city’s happenings

Monitors visitor conversations and jumps in with suggestions of things to see and do

Flickr™ combines social networking with photo library

Baker City, Oregon

Used Flickr™ to create a high quality, low cost photo library

700+ photos submitted Builds photo collection for

small attractions Provides images for media

QR Codes make more information accessible to visitors

By the end of 2011, half of Americans will own a smartphone. Source: CNN report, July 2011

How Eastern NC can use QR Codes

Brochures Interpretiv

e Signage Videos

Deadwood, SD posted QR Codes on historic buildings, linking to historic photos.

Building an Internet andSocial Media Network –

3 Strategies

Placement of Heritage Area Website

1. Stand-alone website – register domain name

2. Landing page on Coast Host

Training and technical assistance for tourism agencies and heritage sites

Find champions Connect with

bloggers Collect

testimonials Work with travel

writers