THE MARKETOUR
A MARKETING GUIDE FROM THE
WISCONSIN
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
August-September 2002
In this issue:
Getting Involved -- Partnering with the Department on Promotions
Every season, the Department of Tourism works with media outlets on promotional efforts. These promotions may be giveaways publicized on Web sites, in newspapers and magazines or on television or radio stations. Regardless of the specific details of the promotion, all require an appealing prize, and that's where Department/industry partnerships come into play. Often, the Department turns to industry contacts to put together a prize package that includes lodging, meals, attraction tickets or other elements that make for a great getaway. The package value varies based on the promotion; generally, the larger the audience and the more coverage the media outlet commits to the promotion, the higher the value of the prize package requested.
What benefits do industry members reap from partnering with the Department on promotions? Here are a few:
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Greater general awareness of your business - Obviously, letting potential customers know that your destination/property exists is the first step in building loyalty. Donating a prize package can be an effective marketing tool and one that's accessible even if you don't have a large budget for advertising or other marketing strategies.
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A positive association between your business and other complementary tourism-related businesses - Since prizes often come in the form of packages, a promotion may help form a particular association in a consumer's mind. For example, perhaps you'd like potential customers to see your lodging property as an ideal place to stay for a golf getaway. By offering a prize package that includes your property as well as a nearby top-notch golf course, you promote that image to anyone who sees the promotion. The package possibilities are endless - from groupings that appeal to cyclists, snowmobilers and anglers to those that draw visitors interested in family travel, heritage tourism or romantic getaways.
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Increased traffic to your Web site - Often, promotions that are publicized via a Web site (whether it's the Department's site, a particular media outlet's site or both) include links to the destinations/businesses providing the prize.
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Ability to reach a desired market segment - The Department does promotions with a variety of media outlets, each of which offers the opportunity to reach a certain audience. Perhaps you're working on getting more customers from the Twin Cities; if so, a Department promotion with an outlet such as the Star Tribune may be a valuable tool for you. Or maybe you'd like to broaden the reach of your marketing efforts to a more regional audience. If so, a promotion with a publication such as Midwest Living or Home & Away might fit the bill.
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Opportunity to stretch your marketing dollars - The advertising equivalency value of promotional coverage can equal double, triple or several times the value of the prize package. You can get more exposure for less money by donating a promotional prize than you would if you strictly purchased advertising. In some cases, you might not have a large enough budget to purchase advertising with a particular media outlet whereas you may be able to provide a prize package and take advantage of a Department promotion with that same outlet.
As the executive director of the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, Connie Heeg has had the opportunity to get involved in Department efforts. In winter 2001-2002, he put together a snowmobiling getaway package for a Department promotion with Home & Away magazine. The time, effort and monetary investment contributed were well worth the results, he said.
"You have to look at it as a very cost-effective marketing tool," Heeg noted. "The exposure you get in return for the out-of-pocket expenditures is tremendous."
In approaching chamber members to participate, Heeg explained that even if they took the profits that they would have made on the donated rooms or services and bought advertising with that money, they still wouldn't get nearly the amount of exposure that the promotion offered. And since snowmobiling is Eagle River's second biggest tourism draw, Heeg emphasized that it was worth promoting.
He published the results of the promotion, which garnered 6,254 entries, in the chamber's newsletter. As a result, other chamber members have expressed interest in getting involved the next time such an opportunity arises. To get even more mileage out of the promotion, he plans to line up an interview for the prize-winners with the local paper when they come to Eagle River next winter.
His advice to other industry members? "Roll up your sleeves and find a way to do it," he said.
For more information about getting involved in Department promotions, contact the Tourism Consultant for your region.
Ruth Goetz, Northern WI: 715/682-4591, Ext. 3149
Debbie Skinner, Southern WI: 608/267-0752
Kit Sorenson, Eastern WI: 920/722-0507
Coming in the next issue: How to get involved in Department PR efforts by using the Extranet and participating in media trips.
Who's Visiting Wisconsin's Historic Sites?
According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), travelers who love history and culture spend more and stay longer than average tourists. Clearly, restaurants, retail shops, attractions and other area businesses have a vested interest in promoting a nearby historic site since many historic visitors stay overnight and supplement their visit with shopping, dining and trips to area attractions.
In conjunction with the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), the Department of Tourism conducted an extensive study of more than 3,000 visitors at eight Wisconsin historic sites during 2001. Here are highlights from the study:
Who is Wisconsin's Historic Visitor?
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The top five leisure activities of Wisconsin's historic travelers included traveling, reading, camping, sightseeing and hiking.
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Eighty-five percent of the historic visitors come from the Midwest: Wisconsin (57 percent), Illinois (13 percent), Minnesota (seven percent), Iowa (six percent), Michigan (two percent) and Indiana (one percent).
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Visitors use a variety of sources to get site information, including word-of-mouth recommendations, brochures, tourist information centers, information from other historic sites and newspapers.
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More than one-half (54 percent) of respondents indicated the purpose of the trip was to see the historic site.
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Wisconsin's historic visitors were predominately educated and affluent Baby Boomers between the ages of 35-54 with an average age of 50.
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Sixty percent of historic visitors require overnight lodging accommodations. The majority stays in a hotel or motel, however, some historic visitors also stay in RV campgrounds, in the homes of friends or relatives, or camp in a tent.
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Area businesses benefit from Wisconsin's historic travelers. In conjunction with their visit to the historic site, visitors planned to dine (53 percent), shop (41 percent), see other attractions in the area (33 percent) or visit other area museums (14 percent).
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The average per person per day expenditure of a historic visitor was $42.
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Short-term planning is the norm for Wisconsin's historic site visitors. One-fifth planned their trip the same day of the trip; 13 percent planned it the day before their trip; and 21 percent planned it within a week.
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Seventy percent of historic travelers were visiting the site for the first time. Of these first-time visitors, 23 percent "happened upon the site" as they were passing through the area.
Marketing to the Historic Visitor
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It is important that historic site employees are aware of all the tourism opportunities the area has to offer especially since a high percentage of the historic visitors are first-time visitors and rely on word-of-mouth recommendations.
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Knowing that the historic visitor likes to travel, read, camp, sightsee and hike in their leisure time presents an opportunity for a community to invite these visitors back with creative packaging and promotion.
For the full report Who's Visiting Wisconsin's Historic Sites, visit http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/Research/research.shtm or contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792.
Travel Tracker appears as a regular feature in Tourism Today and Marketour, and as a monthly electronic bulletin. Click here to subscribe.
Web Tips
First impressions make all the difference, and nowhere is that more true than on the Web. Web surfers see the Internet as the fastest form of communication available, and few things make visitors move on to the next Web site faster than being greeted by old, outdated information. A Web site that remains static will quickly become a ghost town.
This doesn't mean a Web site needs to be completely redesigned every few months, but a few simple practices can help make any site appear fresh. When it comes to travel Web sites, the first thing to look at is the calendar of events. Many visitors to a travel site are in search of information on what events are happening in the near future, and finding dates from last week, last month or even last year will send them packing. Make sure that the calendar of events is updated with the most current dates, and consider posting the dates for this year and next for large annual events. Also consider placing a list of the top events for the upcoming month on the home page.
Visual aspects can also be one of easiest and most effective ways to grab a user's attention and keep them coming back. Add items such as electronic images and borders that can be quickly changed on a monthly or seasonal basis. For example, as the seasons change, so do the images.
No aspect of a Web site's design is more important to its success than keeping content fresh and updated. You only have one shot to grab a user's attention, and few will return to a site that didn't have the information that they needed, when they needed it.
10-second writing clinic
Principal vs. Principle
Principal refers to someone or something that is first in rank, authority or importance. It can be a noun or an adjective.
Example: Spectacular weather was the principal contributor to our booming fall business. The school's principal attended the convention.
Principle is a noun meaning fundamental truth, law or motivating force.
Example: Freedom of speech is one of our nation's longstanding principles. She honored the commitment to the customer and demonstrated the principle of integrity.
Quick Tips
Media Leads: Media opportunities are only a mouse click away this month.
Eventcrazy.com and its partners, Citysearch, Lycos, Weather.com and Yahoo! are looking for nominations for the 2002 "Events of the Year" awards. Events can be nominated online at www.eventcrazy.com/nomination.cfm until September 15, 2002.
Providing entertainment information to more than 950,000 readers a month since 1995, TheCelebrityCafe.com recently launched a new travel section and is looking for travel information, story ideas and press trip invitations for new stories on the ever-changing Web site. Information can be directed to Dominick Meserandino via e-mail or by phone at 917/554-7444.
PR'S Greatest Hits
The summer has been heating up, and so has the interest in Wisconsin travel destinations at national publications.
Spring Green's American Player's Theatre was the center of attention as the Chicago Tribune headed to the open air for an article on summer theaters in the Midwest. The article, which ran on the front page of the May 19 travel section, also included information on the American Folklore Theatre, The Fireside, Big Top Chautauqua and the Peninsula Players Theatre.
Family fun was the name of the game as Boating Life magazine took to the waters of Lake Geneva in the May 2002 issue. The article treated readers to plenty of laughs and smiles as it chronicled the adventures of five teams in a photo scavenger hunt, which is now becoming an annual event.
