It’s common practice for visitor bureaus and chambers of commerce to print and distribute an annual guide. But there are good arguments for publishing more often! Take a look at just a few of them.
Avoid Outdated Content
When a publication has a shelf life of a year, content can grow stale — especially if it’s about events, exhibitions or member anniversaries that have already passed. Publishing twice a year instead of once reduces the likelihood that customers or prospects will pick up a book with obviously outdated information.
Go With the Seasons
This is especially crucial for visitor guides. The sorts of activities visitors may want to pursue are significantly different in the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons (think garden shows in the ...
You already know that email marketing is key to reaching your customers. But do you have the right targeting system in place to reach the people who are actually most likely to buy from you?
Here are just a few targeting filters you should consider implementing to ensure you’re reaching your optimal audience:
Location: Do you want to reach only people in your city or county? Or people within a day’s drive?
Age: Is your ideal audience young and single, just starting a family or on the verge of retirement?
Income: Do you only want to reach people over a certain income threshold?
Lifestyle interests: Maybe your product or service is something that mainly appeals to, say, homeowners or hobby ...
As any business owner today likely knows, social media is a powerful tool. Whether that means setting up a strong Google Business Profile or managing a Facebook page, business professionals need to have a pulse on what their online presence looks like. Unsurprisingly, few platforms garner as much attention as Instagram. For business owners, the photo- and video-based platform can serve as a major asset to help promote products and services or get the word out about new offerings.
Here are a few tips to make the most of the platform:
1 | Craft strong captions with a consistent voice
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the caption. Instead, use the caption space ...
Every visitor and convention bureau faces the same struggle year after year: how do you promote the same sights, restaurants, shops and venues repeatedly, while still making your content seem fresh?
Luckily, we can help. Here is a list of expert tips on how to keep your travel content compelling from one year to the next.
1 | Add a multimedia component
Even if you publish a print guide (which you should), you can add interest to the guide by linking to videos via QR codes throughout the book. The videos could be behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots you did for the guide, or a quick, informal tour of a notable local place by one of your staff members.
2 | Tell a ...
A Google Business Profile is a powerful way to help your business on search — and it’s easier to manage than you think.
You know that moment when you’re searching for something on Google and you see a business profile card pop up? That’s a Google Business Profile page in action. A built-in feature on the search engine, these free profiles offer businesses the chance to develop a strong first impression online. And, since more than 83% of the global population uses Google as its primary search engine, according to Statista, chances are high that a Google Business Profile will get more than a few eyeballs on it.
So how can you set up your Google Business Profile?
1 | Google Your ...
Whether you’re a membership association, a nonprofit or an employer in the education or healthcare space, you have important messages to communicate — and stakeholders who need to hear that message.
What better way to keep potential members, donors or alumni engaged with your mission and vision than with a magazine that highlights your needs and accomplishments?
For one, the consistent publication schedule of a magazine means your stakeholders are reminded of both your existence and your value on a regular basis, whether it’s monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly.
Also remember that a beautiful magazine can be a keepsake, lending your message the kind of staying power that’s difficult to achieve in the digital age.
1 | Consider Print vs. Digital
Your magazine could be ...
Chambers of Commerce, visitor bureaus and other membership-based organizations need member dues to thrive. To recruit more members and keep the ones you already have, you need to offer perks. One great way to highlight existing members and win new ones is your annual print directory.
Here are a few strategies to consider:
1 | Feature a prominent member on the cover.
If one of your members is a major local employer or a significant supporter of your organization (e.g. via event sponsorships), you may want to consider giving them prime placement on the cover of your directory. The cover photo provides great exposure to the member, especially when paired with an article about the member inside the publication. It also elevates ...
You’ve heard the term “SEO” tossed around, but chances are you’re not 100% sure what it means. It stands for search engine optimization, and it’s a critical technique to ensure you’re taking steps to help your content perform as well as it possibly can online. Here are a few best practices to get you started on optimizing your content for websites, social media or membership directories.
1 | Consider length and structure.
Sure, you want the quality of what you’re putting onto the internet to be top-notch. What’s just as important, however, is making sure it’s optimally structured. Start by making sure your content is the right length for the platform on which it will be hosted. If it’s a social ...
Search engine marketing, often referred to by its acronym SEM, is a way for businesses to appear higher in search engine results.
While search engine optimization (SEO) is an organic digital marketing strategy (meaning it creates traffic to your business over time rather than using paid methods), SEM is a “pay-per-click” (PPC) method of advertising in search engines. PPC means that a business will pay anytime a consumer clicks on their search engine listing.
SEM involves identifying keyword phrases and trends in a target market and utilizing those keywords to show your advertisements on search engine results pages via Google Ads, Bing Ads, etc. It’s important to understand your audience and use pertinent keywords so that the most relevant consumers are ...
While consumers do turn to the internet for much of their information about travel destinations, printed guides remain relevant in the digital age.
For example, a Destination Analysts study has found that more than 50% of U.S. travelers consult printed materials before making travel decisions.
That said, you still need to find a way to help your publication (and destination) stand out from the pack. Here are three tips for doing just that.
Embrace Magazine-Style Writing
While newspapers have been losing readers, magazine readership has held strong, with the total number of magazine readers in the U.S. remaining above 220 million every year between 2016 and 2020. And when it comes to travel, research by the University of Massachusetts Amherst demonstrates that travel ...
