Tourism Marketing on a Shoestring May 15, 2012

Introduction

•  Travel Oregon Staff

•  Regional & Local Organizations

•  Presentation Team

•  Workshop Participants

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Introduction Cooperative Marketing Paths

Local Businesses, Services, Attractions

Local Destination Marketing Organization (DMO/City/Chamber)

Regional DMO (Central Oregon Coast Association)

Regional DMO (Oregon Coast Visitors Association)

Travel Oregon

Travel Oregon

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Introduction Overview of Today’s Topics

§  What is marketing?

§  Starting your marketing plan

§  What is the experience you are selling?

§  Product positioning and branding

§  Cooperative marketing opportunities – Travel Oregon/RDMO

§  Understanding your potential markets

§  Marketing communications strategies and action planning

§  Budgets, timelines, measurement

§  Discussion

§  Evaluations and wrap-up

§  Workbook

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Introduction

Outcomes

§  How to communicate in a way that the visitor finds compelling.

§  Familiarity with marketing terminology, strategies, action planning.

§  How to extend and maximize financial resources through partnerships.

§  Tools and resources from which to develop a tourism marketing plan.

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Introduction

What are the top three things you are going to do in the next week?

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Starting on Your Marketing Plan

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Marketing Plan

What do you want to work on?

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Marketing Plan

WHAT IS MARKETING?

§  What do YOU think Marketing is?

§  Definition of Marketing – The process or technique of promoting, selling and distributing a product or service. To be most effective, marketing requires the efforts of everyone in an organization and can be made more or less effective by the actions of complementary organizations.

§  Marketing includes everything from the initial awareness of a product, service, or destination to the marketing materials developed to the delivery of the experience. GDS

Marketing Plan

§  Create your organization or business mission statement

§  Mission – A broad, general statement about an organization’s business or organization’s and scope, services or products, markets served and overall philosophy. §  What is your business/organization?

§  What services or products do you provide?

§  Describe the markets that you serve.

§  What is your overall philosophy?

Marketing Plan Background & Rationale – Page 7

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Marketing Plan

§  What is happening in the world around you?

§  Economic Conditions?

§  Current travel trends?

§  Current social trends?

Marketing Plan Background & Rationale – Page 8

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What Experience Are You Selling?

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The Experience

What Are You? (Page 9) The LURE: the experience that motivates the visitor to actually come to your destination. DIVERSIONS: things visitors can do closer to home but will do in your destination because they are already there. AMENITIES: Things that make the visit a comfortable one: signs, restrooms, shade trees, parking, seating and gathering areas wifi, etc. AMBIANCE: historic buildings, public art, street banners, etc.

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•  Who is your customer?

•  Lead with the benefit to your customer.

•  Name the company second.

•  Are you part of a larger niche or destination brand?

When selling: (Page 9)

The Experience

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Positioning & Branding

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Positioning & Branding

A Brand is a promise of the experience you are going to deliver.

Positioning is how you describe what you are selling. (marketing)

(A good reference book is “Destination Branding for Small Cities” by Bill Baker.)

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Positioning & Branding

What branding IS NOT:

•  A logo

•  A slogan

•  A marketing campaign

•  Geography

•  History GDS

Positioning & Branding

•  Tie in with a destination brand when possible

•  Become known for something special

•  If the product is not unique, make the service special

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Positioning & Branding

Even if you do nothing, you still have a brand. It just may not be the one you want.

Because consumers decide what your brand is, your product, service or destination has a brand.

Do you really know what your brand is?

Are you managing your brand?

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Travel Oregon Programs

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Global Marketing

Marketing Team Kevin Wright, Vice President, Global Marketing

Holly Macfee, Vice President, Global Brand Strategy

Global Communications •  Judiaann Woo, Director •  Linea Gagliano, Manager Global Integrated Marketing •  Mo Sherifdeen, Director •  Kate Jorgensen, Project Manager •  Bryant Marban, Production Coordinator Global Marketing •  Amy Nyberg, Account Executive •  Katy McCulloch, Coordinator/Assistant Global Marketing Services •  Michael Sturdevant, Senior Manager •  Ariana Bray-Sweet, Coordinator

Marketing Programs •  Media/Advertising

– 2 year/$4 million campaign •  Public Relations & Communications

– Media Relations/Communication + •  Integrated Marketing

– Digital Channels + Content •  Fulfillment

– Guide distribution (website & 800 # requests, and BRCs)

Marketing Objectives

•  Continue to Engage Consumers in the Oregon

brand

•  Breakthrough Market Clutter by Focusing our Messages

•  Engage in Conversations with Consumers who Identify with the Oregon Mindset

•  Leverage Oregon Fans

Folks don’t come to Oregon to get away from it all. They come here because they need more of something.

Rich Storytelling & Inspiration

Authentic. Visionary. Stewardship.

Advertising Message:

Media Strategy:

Promotion:

Positions Oregon as the travel destination for outdoor recreation. Focus on:

TV and online ads placed in environments that reach active explorers and outdoor enthusiasts who are more likely to travel to Oregon Social Media promotion on Facebook with Adventurecation contest and branded tabs on Travel Oregon and partner Facebook pages

Fall Culinary Oregon Bounty

Position Oregon as a premiere foodie destination. Feature stories may include:

Developing a tastemaker event designed to make influential foodies intrigued in the specialness of Oregon Bounty

Two Pillar Marketing Strategy

TV and online ads placed in environments that appeal to foodies/cultural creatives who are active vacationers

Spring Outdoor Recreation Oregon Adventurecation

• Hiking • Cycling • Golf • Outdoor Adventure

• Oregon Chefs • Vintners, Brewers, Distillers • Chocolate/Cheesemakers • Fishermen • Ranchers

2012 Spring Campaign Oregon Adventurecation

Overall: 50% TV / 50% Online Domestic TV Markets:

–  local broadcast networks in Spokane, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland

–  limited national buy through select channels on Dish Network’s partnership with Google TV

Canada TV: –  Vancouver B.C., local network buy

Spring 2012 Advertising

Online Plan

Local Sites •  4.9MM imps

World Expansion •  4.1MM imps

Enthusiast Sites •  6.6MM imps

Travel Inspiration •  9.3MM imps

Online Banner Ads

Travel Oregon Facebook Tab

Partner Pages on Facebook

Full On Oregon Weekend

Coverage Debra Smith, Smith Bites

Gwen Pratesi, Bunky Cooks

Award Winning Food.TravelOregon.com

Outline

•  Evolving role of DMOs •  Our approach to destination content

management •  How we partner with statewide

partners

Online trip experience is crowded, clinical & intimidating ~ Forrester

–  28% of leisure travelers in the U.S. who booked their trips online said they'd be interested in going to a good traditional travel agent*

– Customer enjoyment in online planning/booking

dropped to 46% in 2009 vs. 53% in 2007*

– Travelers want “local information” from travel brand social media accounts** •  Forrester Research - Travel Booking Satisfaction Report, 2009

•  USA Today. What Do You Tweet to you Hotel, April 18, 2011

The Facts

INSPIRATION We tell, curate & facilitate storytelling—stories, blog posts, photos, videos, trip experiences—that evokes an emotional response and ignites the desire to travel.

We facilitate the gathering of personal and relevant Oregon experiences to create successful trips that are highly anticipated and fondly remembered

We provide Oregon’s tourism industry myriad opportunities to build a relationship with travelers to Oregon and translate their interest into a sale

INSPIRATION INFORM CONNECT

Integrated Marketing (Digital + Content)

DMOs Still Influence Travelers…

….Provide Useful Info

Things Have Changed for DMOs

(Source: PhoCusWright. “Loco Over Local: Four Trends That Are Reshaping Tourism”)

And Can Do It On-the-Ground.

DMOs are

Destination Curators

(i.e. creators +

curators of amazing content that tells the story of our city, region,

state and/or country)

Content Creates Audience

(Source: MilesMedia, Content Marketing”)

(Source: PhoCusWright. “Loco Over Local: Four Trends That Are Reshaping Tourism”)

INSPIRATION We tell, curate & facilitate storytelling—stories, blog posts, photos, videos, trip experiences—that evokes an emotional response and ignites the desire to travel.

We facilitate the gathering of personal and relevant Oregon experiences to create successful trips that are highly anticipated and fondly remembered

We provide Oregon’s tourism industry myriad opportunities to build a relationship with travelers to Oregon and translate their interest into a sale

INSPIRATION INFORM CONNECT

Integrated Marketing (Digital + Content)

Other 3rd Parties

The Orb – Comprehensive Destination Management

TravelOregon.com Media Sites

Niche/Micro sites

VisitSouthernOregon Mobile Apps

Wider & Deeper. (Print)

Digital Content – Seasonal Stories

5 stories per season

Digital Content –Feature Stories

At least 5 stories per month

Digital Content – Grant’s Getaways

1 story per week

Itineraries

Ongoing; as needed

Digital Content –Blogger Stories

-At least 5 stories per month -20 bloggers -Free + open (writer guide avail.)

Digital Content – Email Newsletters

Social Media Outposts

“Big Daddy” Editorial Tracking

Online Business Listings

•  Goal: Provide travelers a view of all there is to see and do in a particular city or region and allow them to plan their trip.

•  Listings include text, photo, links, location

map & things near by

•  Contact: Bryant Marban, Bryant@traveloregon.com or 503-378-4577

Listings Available

•  Attractions •  Events •  Eat/Drink: Restaurants, Wineries,

Breweries etc. •  Trails •  Lodging •  Deals

Advertising Opportunities •  Print – Oregon Visitor Guide •  Travel Oregon Ad Network

–  TravelOregon.com –  E-Newsletters

•  General •  Culinary •  Outdoor

•  Travel Oregon Digital Magazine •  Contact Betsy Hand for more information

–  betsyh@mediamerica.net, 503-445-8809

www.mediamerica.net/media-kit.html

Travel Oregon Online Leads

•  Database of people who want more information about Oregon

•  You can search by where they’re from, where they want to go and what they want to do –  E.g.: People from Arizona looking to come to

Willamette Valley for a family experience •  Cost: $5 to sign up, 7.5 cents per name •  Tool.TravelOregon.com

•  Amy Nyberg (Amy@TravelOregon.com)

Ask Oregon

A strategy to deliver visitor information by connecting passionate Oregonians to travelers….using multiple touch points

(Web, Call Center, Twitter, Trip Advisor, Visitor Centers etc.)

Launch Ambassadors

•  Zach Collier (NW Rafting) – Rafting

•  Kim Cooper Findling (Freelance) – Family Travel & Central Oregon

•  Ryan Reichert (NW Whites) – Wine

•  Jeff Alworth (Beervanah) – Beer

Launch Ambassadors

•  John Chilson (Lost Oregon) – Oregon History

•  Dave Johnson (DJ Fishing) – Fishing

•  Noel Lucky (Golf Digest) – Golf

•  Otis Rubottom (Freelance) – Bicycling

Launch Ambassadors

•  Lynne Curry Sampson (Freelance) – Eastern Oregon & Food

•  Niki Price (Oregon Coast Today) – Oregon Coast

•  Cari Gesch (Blogger + Photographer) – Hood/Gorge

•  Debbie Lusk (B+B Owner & blogger) – Willamette Valley

•  Dave Strom (Dave Knows Portland) – Portland

Sample Questions

Sample Questions

Moving Forward

– Travelers to Oregon love the personal recommendations from ambassadors

– Oregonians want to be ambassadors – Expanding program to new

TravelOregon.com

How You Can Help

– Set a twitter search for #AskOR

– Monitor TO Facebook page

– Respond if/when appropriate

– How do we expand scope of program to visitor centers (e.g. Adventure Center, Eugene) and your visitor center experts?

Public Relations

Targeted Pitching The right story

to the right contact at the right time

E-news Outreach ‘What’s New’

Freelancers Foster relationships, host preferred writers

Oregon Bounty, Adventurecation

Monitor Conversations Word cloud

trending

Core Program:

PR Campaigns:

New York media tour, culinary focus

Special event:

Public Relations

•  PR program allows you to proactively keep Oregon top of mind with media

•  Tell your DMO/RDMO what’s new, unusual, unique or what you’re promoting

•  Connect with Travel Oregon PR@TravelOregon.com

Thank you!

Lunch

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Understanding Your Markets

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Understanding Your Market

§  Geographic markets

§  Local

§  Instate

§  Region of the U.S.

§  Entire U.S.

§  International – specific countries

§  Demographic, Psychographic Research

§  Demographics (age and income, education)

§  Psychographics (lifestyles, behaviors, interests)

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Understanding Your Market

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Understanding Your Market

Overnight Travel Study

•  Where visitors come from and how many

•  What visitors look like – age, sex, party size, education, employed, income, etc.

•  How they plan their trips to Oregon – timing, info sources, web use, etc.

•  What they do on their trips

•  How they rate their experiences

•  Trends over time

•  Sometimes called the Longwoods Study GDS

Understanding Your Market

A Regional Version of the Oregon Overnight Travel Study is Available

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Overnight Visitor Profile Highlights (Oregon Coast)

Origin of Overnight Visitors

Source: 2009 Longwoods Overnight Visitor Study (Oregon Coast) GDS

Overnight Visitor Profile Highlights (Oregon Coast)

Other Places Visited

Source: 2009 Longwoods Overnight Visitor Study (Oregon Coast) GDS

Overnight Visitor Profile Highlights (Oregon Coast)

Main Purpose of Marketable Trip

Source: 2009 Longwoods Overnight Visitor Study (Oregon Coast)

Understanding Your Market

Examples of Other Research

•  Tourism & Hospitality Indicators

•  Lodging Tax Survey

•  Oregon Travel Impacts

•  Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife Viewing and Shellfishing

•  Oregon Cyclist Visitor Analysis

•  Oregon Bounty

•  Importance of Cultural Tourism

•  Go to website: www.industry.traveloregon.com GDS

Travel Oregon’s Target Audience

Travel Oregon’s advertising campaigns primarily target’s the following high-yield consumers:

Primary

•  Adults 25-64

•  who spend at least $1,000 per year on travel

•  and live in Oregon, Washington, Northern California, and Idaho

Secondary

•  Southern California and New York

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Understanding Your Market

Who are your target markets? – Page 12

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Marketing Strategies & Action

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Marketing Objective – A goal that your organization or business attempts to achieve, usually focused on a target market.

Marketing objectives should be:

– Results oriented

– Target market specific

– Quantitative/measurable

– Time specific

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Examples of Marketing Objectives (Page 13):

For an attraction: “To increase the number of trips sold(result) to RV visitors(target market specific) by 100 (quantified) during the summer season 2012 (time specific).”

For a small lodging establishment: “To increase the number of room nights (result) generated from the bicycle touring market (target market specific) by 100 (quantified) during the spring and summer of 2012 (time specific).

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Marketing Strategy - A course of action selected from the marketing mix to communicate to various target markets.

Marketing Mix – Activities to communicate your brand, market position, product/service features and benefits to the customer. For example:

Website

Social networks Brochures

Press releases FAM trips

Other

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Example of a marketing strategy and action plan: (Page 14)

Strategy for an attraction or tour: “Use printed brochures (collateral material) to communicate our brand, market position, product/service features, benefits to customer and pricing.”

Action plan for collateral attraction or tour: “Create 4” X 9” rack brochures to be distributed to visitor information centers throughout the county.” GDS

Marketing Strategies & Action

Key Shoestring Strategies •  Cooperative Marketing Activities

•  Interactive •  Collateral

•  Public Relations •  Advertising

•  Travel Trade •  International

•  Special Opportunities

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Marketing Strategies & Action

1. Interactive Marketing

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Interactive Travel Oregon’s Interactive Strategy:

Goal: ENGAGE in a conversation with consumers and provide them INSPIRATION, INFORMATION and TOOLS for their OREGON vacation experience. 1.   Showcase the Oregon experience 2.   Engage at every stage of the trip 3.   Improve connectivity & partnerships

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Interactive

How do you do create and Interactive Strategy? •  Creating a website

•  Using social media like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc.

•  Developing e-marketing newsletters and e-blasts

•  Creating a blog, RSS feeds

•  Developing YouTube, Vimeo videos

•  Using co-op opportunities with DMO, RDMO, TO

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Interactive

Your Website – 8 Rules: •  Hire someone to help build the website structure.

•  Content is more important than design.

•  Design for easy navigation, not for art.

•  Home page is critical – leads to other pages.

•  Understand the importance of key words.

•  Use a title tag on each page that is different. This is what shows up in searches.

•  Links and images need descriptive tags too!

•  Make a site map of your website and give it to Google.

Interactive

How Does Your Website Get Noticed?

•  Search Engine Optimization

•  Search Engine Marketing – Keyword Ads

•  Banner Ads

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Interactive

Search Engine Market Share – 2012

Source: comScore GDS

Interactive Key word ads >> SEM

<< SEO listings

SEM Key Word Ads

SEO << Listings

Interactive

Advertising on Google, Yahoo, Bing

1.  Banner ads and SEM keyword ads.

2.  Budgets are flexible by day.

3.  Experiment with key words.

4.  Pay only for visits to your site.

5.  Try different ad copy.

6.  Ask how visitors found you.

7.  Use ANALYTICS.

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Interactive

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Interactive

Social Media – Where Do I Start???

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Interactive

First of all – Why? •  Because marketing has changed from a one-way message to a two-way conversation. •  And there is no going back!!

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Interactive

You need to think about a full social media strategy. Start Here:

1.   Observe how it works

2.   Look at competition

3.   Become active

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Interactive

Most Important: 1.   Tell your story. It’s about the experience. 2.   Focus on relevant social networks.

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Interactive

= 900 million users and counting

= timely information; conversation; 300 million users

= listing and reviews

= reviews

= telling your story

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Interactive http://business.twitter.com

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Interactive

A word about BLOGGING: •  Opportunity to TELL YOUR STORY

•  Readers can comment, creates conversation •  Builds additional web traffic

BUT: •  Can be time-consuming (but it’s free!)

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Interactive

Content

Creative

Usability (navigation, search visibility,

accessibility etc.)

Sweet Spot

Balanced Communications GDS

Marketing Strategies & Action

Collateral

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Collateral

What is Collateral? – A collateral marketing strategy involves the use of various printed and online materials that communicate your brand, market position, product/service features, benefits to the customer and pricing if you are a business.

Collateral marketing strategies can include the following activities:

•  Creating attractive brochures and rack cards

•  Creating posters, bookmarks and other printed materials

•  Utilizing cooperative opportunities – local DMOs, RDMO, and Travel Oregon

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Collateral

Key Tips: •  Lead with the best, leave the rest

•  Tell the story, don’t just provide lists

•  Give the details

•  Photos should be large and compelling, not amateur hour

•  Always have people in the photos, your target audience

•  State the benefit to the visitor – it is not about you.

•  Use good maps and detailed instructions on how to find you.

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Collateral

Collateral Usability •  Collateral – make it easy to carry

•  Fit into brochure racks.

•  Use quality paper especially if you use a lot of photos

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Collateral

Ways to Distribute Collateral

•  Visitor information centers

•  Kiosks

•  Online

•  Direct mailing

•  Trade shows

•  Fulfillment of requests from interactive, PR, advertising

•  Other

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Public Relations

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Public Relations Public Relations – Activities designed to generate

and maintain awareness of your product, service or destination among your target markets and other organizations through nonpaid communication and information about what you have to offer.

Why Public Relations?

•  Important because it is “third party” coverage but more controlled than social media.

•  More credible than paid advertising.

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Public Relations

Public Relations Activities

•  Develop a website media or press area

• Develop a hard copy press kit, press information, photo library

• Create and distribute press releases

• Provide media assistance for story writers and editors

• Utilize cooperative opportunities – Local DMO, RDMO and Travel Oregon

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Advertising

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Advertising

Advertising – Any paid form of promotion of your product, service or destination.

Types of Media •  Newspapers •  Magazines •  Broadcast •  Direct mail •  Outdoor •  Internet •  Coop opportunities

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Marketing Strategies & Action

Travel Trade

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Travel Trade

Travel Trade – Travel agents, tour wholesalers and operators, corporate travel managers, incentive travel planners, and convention/meeting planners.

Travel Trade Marketing Activities: •  Advertising in travel trade publications •  Attending travel trade shows •  Providing Familiarization (FAM) trips •  Brochure distribution •  Public Relations •  Cooperative opportunities

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Marketing Strategies & Action

International Opportunities

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International

International Opportunities – The key international markets for Oregon:

–  Germany, U.K. France, Benelux –  Japan, Korea, China –  Canada, Mexico –  Scandinavian Countries –  Australia

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International

International Marketing Activities:

•  Media & Travel Trade Research Trips

•  Trade Shows

•  Sales Missions

•  Partnering With Regions

•  In-country Marketing Reps

•  Printed Media

•  Social Media – Twitter, Facebook

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Budgets & Timelines

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Establishing Budgets & Timelines

Budgeting Methods

1.  Historical – spending is same as previous years.

2.  Percentage of sales – industry average % of total revenues.

3.  Competitive – match spending of your competitors.

4.  Task-oriented – consider each activity and what needs to be spent to meet marketing objectives.

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Establishing Budgets & Timelines

The Reality of Budgeting

1.  Allocate a tentative, overall budget for marketing.

2.  Determine your marketing objectives and strategies.

3.  Tentatively split the budget between strategies.

4.  Then split the budget between actions within the strategies.

5.  Develop and refine the activities.

6.  Reallocate budget to determine final budget allocations.

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Establishing Budgets & Timelines

Establishing Realistic Timelines

1.  Establish a full-year marketing calendar cycle. 2.  Understand steps and time involved in producing

collateral and advertising material.

3.  Research key deadlines for advertising insertion dates.

4.  Work closely with partners and service providers.

5.  Stay connected to your local DMO, RDMO, and Travel Oregon.

6.  Create and overall TO DO list that covers the marketing cycle and includes details of who needs to do what and when.

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Measuring Your Success

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Measuring Your Success

How to you measure your success?

•  Establish your measurement criteria.

•  Establish marketing controls – monitoring and adjust activities.

•  Analyze the results of efforts – both at the activity level and the overall objective level.

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Measuring Your Success

Overall Evaluation

•  Ask visitors how they heard about you.

•  Total number of room nights for the year/season

•  Total income for the year/season

•  Total visitors and/or visitors by target market

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Measuring Your Success

Examples of Specific Measures •  Website – unique visitors, page views, origin of traffic, time

spent on site, engagement

•  Collateral – number of brochures distributed, bookings generated from brochures

•  Public relations – number of stories generated through press releases, FAM trips

•  Advertising – number of impressions, responses, bookings from specific ads or ad campaigns

•  Travel trade and International – number of leads/bookings generated though various activities

•  Special promotions – number of inquiries/bookings generated

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Sharing

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Evaluation & Wrap-up

Thank you ! from the teams at