SAPA Member Opportunities: Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers

COST: FREE

WHO: SAPA ENHANCED MEMBERS

DEADLINE: FIRST COME FIRST SERVED

The Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers are privately owned, family businesses run by Rebecca Cox and son Judson (tech support). Their urls are www.sandhillsvisitorcenter.com (see the Seagrove tab at the top of the page for current promotions) and www.uwharrievisitorcenter.com. They have 35,000+ subscribers in NC and surrounding states. Their monthly newsletters are well received and they garner new subscribers nearly every day. Their goal is to promote tourism and independent businesses. They believe the advantage in what they offer is that, while maintaining a website full of visitor information and resources, they also send out a newsletter to their subscribers, who then forward it on to countless others.

They would like to dedicate an entire section of their websites for the Seagrove potters (a directory) with an individual page for each potter. They would begin running a series of bios on each potter on a first come first served basis. Enhanced SAPA members will be given first priority followed by those members with basic memberships. These would be 500 - 750 word articles with 2-4 pictures and contact information. There would also be room on the pottery directory page for the potters to purchase ads for their businesses should they choose. They would feature a link to the pottery section on each of their visitor center websites.

They will offer two ad sizes for the directory page: Buying ads are optional and NOT REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION, will be contracted by the individual potter and the Cox's.

$25 = w 3" x h 1.75" (business card size - text only)

$50 = 3" x h 3.5" (double business card size, with room for logo and/or picture)

Ads will link to the advertiser's website if available. These ad rates are ½ off the regular rates as a special promotion to Seagrove Potters. There is also an additional 10% discount for advertising for 3 months at a time. You do not have to purchase an ad to be listed on the directory but it is certainly an economical way to reach 35,000+ paid subscribers. Judson, the web person is available and willing to help you develop your ad if you need assistance. He can be reached at visit@uwharrievisitorcenter.com or by phone at 828-733-9030.

They have started 4 visitor center websites (http://www.sandhillsvisitorcenter.com/, http://www.uwharrievisitorcenter.com/, http://www.appalachianvisitorcenter.com/ and http://www.brunswickislandsvisitorcenter.com/.

Due to the enormity of the project, and the constraints on time, they need to partner with SAPA for the collection of the bios. Ideally, each potter would send in their bio/article and photos of themselves and their work as soon as possible to publicity@celebrationofseagrovepotters.com. If you need to send it via regular mail please mail to: SAPA Marketing, PO Box 309, Seagrove NC 27341. SAPA marketing will then have the opportunity to utilize the material for publicity as well. The directory and bio pages would be a free service to all potters. They can post 2 potters a week as soon as we start providing the information.

If we begin on this project quickly, we should have everything in place before the Seagrove fall event, which will help promote our event as well as visits to individual shops year round.

Celebration Marketing Committee Overview

The Celebration of Seagrove potters serves as an event organizer, but also as a Destination Marketing Organization of sorts with the goal of attracting visitors to come and shop in the many shops in Seagrove. It is a difficult task because of the number of individual shops and trying to market fairly and on a widespread basis.

The overall goals are two-fold: to create a lasting impression on the visitor by maximizing their satisfaction and creating a return visitor; and to enhance the prosperity of the individual pottery shops.

The first goal is CUSTOMER based. We need the customer in order to achieve goal two. The Marketing Committee develops a marketing plan on how to attract the customer. This is done by initially creating a situation analysis in which a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is developed which will give an overall picture of the destination. Next a demographic profile of the customer is developed in order to determine what media would be most effective in attracting that customer. The message is then created to attract the customer, the media outlets are selected and an ongoing public relations campaign is created. We seek out as many on-line and printed listings sites as possible and have a committee member committed to doing that for months prior to the event. The web site is an important part of our publicity and requires attention every month. Press releases take time to write and time to send out but are important in keeping Seagrove in the customer’s mind.

The COSP Marketing Committee uses individual images in advertising and on its web site. It is difficult to promote a pottery town without showing pictures of pottery and what the customer might find here. A great deal of time is involved in managing images of all the participants and in monitoring that no one is shown preferential treatment. We try to use everyone’s images in our advertising on the web site. In listings on the web we are often limited to one image. Quality of images provided is a very important factor in this process in order to maintain the professional level expected.

It is a difficult task to market a large group of competing shops. One shop is not marketed over another, the customer is the goal and providing them with the information and incentive needed to choose to visit Seagrove and make their visit successful is key in achieving our goal. It is important to remember that all the marketing is being done by unpaid volunteers, on a limited financial basis and that it is sometimes necessary to make decisions with the customer in mind. It is the individual potter’s responsibility to provide their own marketing to draw the customer to their shop once they have reached Seagrove. We do our best to treat everyone on an equal basis all the time, but our foremost goal is to provide the customer with what they need to enjoy their visit.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF INDIVIDUAL SHOPS

In order to maximize the benefits available through the work of the marketing committee the following recommendations are suggested.

-please read the emails about the events and opportunities being offered. If a response is requested, please honor it. We do not have the resources to call everyone individually. We strive to provide all the information you need in the emails and mailings. If you do not respond then we will conclude that you are not interested in participating. The volunteers all have their own businesses to maintain but have elected to donate time and energy on your behalf to promoting everyone in Seagrove.

-deadlines are important. The work is being done by volunteers and when deadlines are not followed it creates many extra hours of follow up and having to put information together. When everything is in by the deadline it allows the information to be compiled at one time and takes a lot less time than when it comes in sporadically. Should you choose to not meet deadlines please do not expect to receive preferential treatment and realize that you may not be included in advertising, on the web etc.

-provide detailed information-if you want to be included in an event then give us all the details. Please do not expect us to look up your hours, phone number, web site etc. Our goal is to provide a professional listing for the customer and your information is your marketing tool, provide us and the customer with details and concise information.

-the more you market yourself during our marketing the more business you are apt to get. The COSP provides e-cards for you to send to your customer list. The COSP sends this card out to the database of emails that we maintain. Database management is a time consuming process as well and as the COSP database grows, everyone in Seagrove can benefit from it. Provide interesting information about your shop or event when requested. When we publish information on the COSP web site people will be drawn to the events that sound like fun and offer something interesting. You have a lot of competition at every show and event you participate in and by marketing yourself you will increase your business.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS

-image quality is very important in maintaining a professional appearance

-keep your website up to date and fresh

-blogging can draw visitors to your business

-volunteer for a committee, the more people that get involved in helping the stronger the effort becomes and it takes some of the load off those that are already volunteering their time.

-use the internet if you do not know how to write a marketing or business plan, there is a lot of useful information on line that can help you to understand how to attract more people to your business

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers

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