Gregg Blanchard who heads up the popular ski industry marketing blog Slopefillers contacted me regarding the recent online firestorm bestowed upon Snowbasin Resort in Utah.
One of my fav “smart guys” on the national stage is David Meerman Scott. I got a chance to hear from him in person a few years ago. This post called “what we all really want is attention” may have been the piece that coined the above phrase. It’s worth a click.
Those are your options when trying to bring eyeballs to your business. Read more
If your news releases are mostly netting you a few internet cut-and-pastes, then consider some professional help. You likely need to refine your message and timing to be more useful to media outlets. It may also be time to strip your marketing copy from your media relations.
Bonus tip: don’t oversend press releases turning your brand into more of an annoying pest rather than a trusted source. Restraint is a key component of media relations in today’s noisy news climate.
Vermont Toddler Announces LEGOS as Next Phase of Master Development Plan
New strategic direction aimed at establishing market dominance in motor skills, color identification and improving quality of construction
(December 1, 2011) Moretown, Vt. – Further establishing herself as a market leader in the toddler development industry, Kaylin Kaufman, 14 months, of Moretown, Vt. is making official her dedication to LEGO products as part of her Master Development Plan (MDP). This mutually beneficial relationship is slated to continue through at least 2014 with an option to renew based upon the parental purchase of new LEGOS.
Are you riding the new wave of opportunity effectively and in a resource smart way?
Traditional marketing agencies are great for long term projects like brochure creation/distribution, managing ad buys and re-brandings. What they do less well is help your business evolve into the new relevancy based marketing climate built upon quick thinking and ongoing multimedia communications.
What wins online is targeted listening, ongoing relevancy and speed. It’s noisy out there. Only relevant brands stay top of mind and gain market share. This requires one of two systems in place.
A capable person or team dedicated to and skilled at piloting your content initiatives and building relationships within your customer base and influencers/media.
Hiring someone to train your staff and/or do it for you.
Integrating this effort into your overall marketing strategy is modern day marketing and PR. It’s not just posting stuff to your social sites. It’s about building relationships with customers, media and influencers and growing the number of all of them. A bedrock business goal you’ve likely had since day one. It’s worth doing well. Either to catch up to your competition or get ahead of them. Having profiles and posting stuff is better than not, but it is the lowest common denominator. You’re better than that. Let’s get you a purpose and the tailored means to dominate.
I bring 10 years of content marketing and PR experience both as a freelancer and marketing manager for some of the nation’s largest ski areas. I’ll open up my brain for your business for the low cost of lunch. Maybe there will be a reason to work together, maybe not. Let’s find out.
Businesses that I work with typically select one of these services:
Half day staff training sessions on various modern marketing topics.
Social media development/management. Content, voice, advertising, updates.
Web video production.
Press release strategy and writing.
Marketing budget analysis.
SEO guidance and blogging purpose.
Crisis communications and change management consulting.
Marketing and communications solutions tailored to business.
See the “about” page for contact info and testimonials. Then let’s eat. Your business will thank you.
If you have yet to read the international coverage of the 18 year old Vermont ski racer who is (was) a member of the US Developmental Ski Team, then this post won’t make a lot of sense until you do. It hurts to read. Clearly a no win situation for the 11 year old girl, the 18 year old youth or any of the families. I do not need to recap what occurred. There are thousands of media outlets covering that. I also do not mean to condone the actions, but they deserve another look from a public relations standpoint.
Right now, the skier is being painted as an unapologetic affluent without a shade of remorse who cares little about where and upon whom he urinates. And sure, there might be lawyers advising against apologizing as it may convey guilt of some kind, but really this is about an 18 year old getting drunk and making a mistake. A mistake that while not pleasant to think about, did very little harm. We all get peed on once in a while by our dog, our baby, our grandparents, ourselves, it’s part of life. Read more
Sure, I could go out and buy this stuff on my own (to replace my beater setup) and then maybe find time and clients to use it with while also being employed full time, but where’s the fun and/or publicity in that? There was lots of interest in my recent video tips post (based on site traffic), so now seemed like an opportune time.
My goal with this challenge is to educate the curious about the tools needed to undertake video in-house (if you also have the skills/time to produce it) as well as potentially find a local business or organization that wants to have some on message video stories to share across their digital platforms for a very low time/money/brain power commitment. Read more
If you’ve been following along, you know that in each of the RV parks we have stopped at, I have produced specific videos tailored to their individual communications needs – some with local guidance – others first decline my offer – then change their mind once the product exists and is deemed valuable.
The park in Napa had no visual representation on their website and a simple message, so a broad visual documentation of the park, while also giving it some ownership as the location of choice in Napa was in order. This will be their prime online calling card for prospective guests.
Next we stopped in Pismo Beach and produced two videos in trade for two weeks of RV camping at the lovely Pismo Coast Village. The park decided to contract me for a third too! They had just launched a new website and needed content for the testimonials section, a highlight reel of their amenities and something to explain/link them to the local butterfly attraction. Done.
Now we are in Malibu at the Malibu Beach RV Park. It is one of the most unique spots to camp we have ever seen. I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a bummer that the park suffers from an overwhelming amount of negative online reviews, which can dissuade many travellers. Most of these reviews focus on distaste for the local rules. This park is in a highly desirable (close to LA) spot, has limited land on which to host guests, and has challenges with erosion on the steep slopes which can impact the entire camping equation. There are good reasons for the rules and the enforcement of them in this popular spot. As a reasonably experienced RVer now, they are not out of the question.
Rather than try to refute a flood of online negativity, the better bet is to put it into perspective and explain the situation on your own turf. With that scenario in mind, I produced this video for the Malibu Beach RV Park. Hopefully they elect to own it to help rebuild their online reputation and better set guest expectations for years to come. Once it resides on their website, potential guests will put much less weight onto the folks moaning about rules. I produced a first draft of the video and showed it to onsite management, got their tips and then added other topics before rendering the final. I have been unable to meet with ownership (onsite management passed along – thanks) to discuss our typical trade deal (which was a lock in prior locales), but I am hopeful that we’ll get together in some way (by Monday). Our “working trip” will carry on and they’ll start turning the electronic tide. It will equal more visitors and better educated visitors. Check it out.
The “kicker file” is one of the most mutually accessible ways of getting national or international media attention, even if you generally don’t deserve it. At the end of most newscasts is a lighthearted look at something funny happening around the world. These sections also exist in large circulation newspapers and magazines. Your business or cause may not be able to penetrate the front page with hard news that you can control, but you may be able to shine a friendly light if you are willing to be a bit goofy and use a commonly popular topic to your advantage.
Take the World’s Largest Snowwoman for example. Bethel, Maine had already set the world record (as deemed by Guinness) for world’s largest Snowman and simply beating their old record might not get past the editorial desk, so what to do? Capitalize on the interest in gender issues and build a snowwoman instead! Yes it’s kind of ridiculous, but still rallies the community, gets people to talk, and interests editors all over the globe. Give it lipstick, eyelashes, wider hips (I guess) and bam – you’ve got a snowwoman. Along the way the region is highlighted as a top winter destination and people from far and wide come to see it.
The majority of the resources to build it were donated. I was lucky enough to help out and also represented the local ski area at the unveiling. Got to hang out with Senator Olympia Snowe too. Yes, that’s her name. Check the video.
There are many steps involved, but setting a world record is a sure route to making a big splash. It’s not as simple as just declaring yourself the greatest on earth. You need to submit for approval from Guinness, which can take around 4 weeks to get an answer. In the end you will be subject to their opinion on whether or not you are setting a valid and quantifiable record. It’s also not free. More information is on the Guinness website.
Want to improve your marketing in Vermont? Let’s get lunch.
Getting attention for your product or service used to be simple. There were customers you could reach and some you could not, based mostly on geography. You had a sign out front and maybe bought some ads in the mainstream media. If your business model was sound, that system worked out. Now that consumers have been empowered by ease of research via the internet, wearing the two hats of operator and advertiser is nowhere near enough to remain viable among your competitors.
Geography is much less of a barrier, costumer reviews and content driven business websites are paramount, and the business toolbox requires a nimble plan and diverse skill set. Sure – Nike, Pepsi, Kleenex and Carl’s Jr, etc can pay huge marketing shops or multiple boutiques gobbs of money to drive their SEO, SEM, social, display ads, print, tv, radio, merchadising, and outdoor.
But what about the local hardware store, hairdresser, B&B, golf course, vineyard, RV park, bike shop and the like? They need to wear many hats or work with a someone who does to assess their needs, solve some challenges, teach some tricks and not break the bank.
In our upcoming trip I look forward to taking my experience in SEO, PR, digital marketing, social media, video production, advertising, promotions, tourism, and events to folks who need a little help, without all the hype and overhead of large marketing firms that require large commitments or time and resources.
Speaking of many hats – check out Baby Kaylin wearing many hats a few nights ago as we pack for the trip. We hit the road Jan 4thish. Napa Valley, CA region is first destination. If the weather is decent, we’ll stay a few weeks.
