Know Yourself to Boost Tourism - Small Biz Survival

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Know Yourself to Boost Tourism Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:00 AM PST At the Nebraska Travel Conference, Shannon Gray of North Star Ideas presented a session on how towns and communities can better know themselves in order to better market themselves to tourists. It involves some work and some research to do properly, but it does not have to cost a lot of money. Here are some of her suggestions and ideas. Alan Weinkrantz and Jeff Pulver touring downtown Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  How big of a gap is there between what you think you are, and what your potential visitors think you are? Spend a day doing visitor intercepts. Ask people what brought them there, what they think so far. Don't take more than 5 minutes of visitors' time. A perception study means asking, "What did you think before? What do you think now?" This is qualitative research, seeking qualities. Put your qualitative research results into Wordle to get a "picture" of what visitors thought. From Twitter, @Copywrote also suggested Tagxedo. "Beyond analysis, it also makes a really effective presentation tool." Pay attention to what people from different areas think about your place. Target people in different areas differently based on this. Towns can "claim" attractions, even if locals don't feel like the attraction really is "theirs." For example, I think it was Grand Rapids, Michigan, that isn't right on Lake Michigan, so they hadn't ever promoted lake activities. But when they did perception studies, they found visitors from the south associated them with "going to the lake." (Now, I realize this can be a source of irritation for small towns, especially when bigger towns or cities start "claiming" your attractions. But do find out what people are thinking about you, even if it's not inside your own city limits.)  Think about the new and cool associations to your heritage. Claim those qualities to revitalize your image. Sit and watch your visitors. How do people act when they come out of your attraction? Where do they go next? That gave me the idea of checking Foursquare user trails, based on their public tweets. Where do they check in next? What patterns can you find? Focus groups can be as informal as inviting a group in for pizza and discussion. From Twitter, @rayhemman suggested putting the detailed notes from focus groups through Wordle (or Tagxedo) "to catch 'ahas.'" By watching search terms, you may find you have a ready market for something. Looking at searches for "Vicksburg" online revealed many people consistently searching for ghost tours, so they created some. When you talk to visitors, you pick up on patterns. Mississippi found visitors often used the phrase "The True South." To balance the good and bad associations, Mississippi used "Find your True South." If you have some negative history, don't ignore it. Embrace it, and let visitors make up their own minds. Muriel Clark said, "plus, embracing negative history can help others learn from your mistakes, and show that you have learned as well." Dublin, Ohio, found people expected an Irish heritage. So they went with "Irish is an attitude" campaign. Businesses got involved and picked up on the Irish theme. Irish food started appearing on menues. Irish culture, like dancing and cooking, started to be included in events and tourism offerings. Five years later, 65% of Dublin, OH, residents know the brand. (very impressive) Also, they've seen a big increase in visitors. Thanks to Muriel Clark, aka @NebraskaOutback, who sat next to me in the session and provided valuable feedback and discussion. And thanks to Twitter friends who listened in and added their feedback as well. New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

You are not your target market Part 1 Posted: 07 Nov 2011 10:58 AM PST You are not your target market. This simple sentence is powerful. It is my best advice for recruiting volunteers. And on the plane ride home from BlogWorld, it inspired three more stories. Here's the first one: Quit hanging around with your own people. Go find the customers. Are you hanging around with peers, or customers?  I see many business owners or freelancers talking to their peers online and not talking to their target market. For example, I hear photographers saying they are hanging around online photography forums. Unless other photographers are your target market, that's not marketing. (It might be research or networking, but those are different goals.) Think about (better yet, track) where you spend your time online. Are you talking mostly with peers? Do you spend your time talking with others who do the same thing? That time does not count as marketing. Redirect your marketing time to listening to and interacting with your target market. How do you find your target market online? You ask them. Sounds simple, but few businesses actually do it. Another way to find your target market online is to use a tool like Gist.com. Gather up email addresses for a small sample of your target. Go to Gist and look at their public profiles. That will give you a quick feel for your target. Next week in part 2, we'll look at why what you like doesn't matter as much as what customers like. New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

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