Little Red's Big Ideas

What's the Big Deal with Twitter?

Never heard of it? 

Twitter is the latest Social Networking craze that allows users to keep in touch with "followers" using almost every type of electronic communication tool -- email, web posts, instant messaging (IM), text message, voice recognition software and through integrated applications on Facebook, blogs, MySpace and more.  Twitter is a microblogging application that is totally text based.  Twitter posts or "tweets" are very, very brief (no more than 140 characters) and are meant to share quick tidbits of information for anyone who cares what you're doing. 

Twitter has some incredible applications for public agencies including the parks and recreation world.  For example --

1. In about 60 seconds you can create a Twitter account for you softball league.
2. Players, coaches and fans can sign up to follow the account.
3. The field is flooded unexpectedly on a game day. What can you do?
4. You send a Tweet letting followers know that the game has been moved to a neighboring park.

Pretty cool, huh?  And how much is this service?     Nothing!  Free.  Nada. Zilch. 

If you still don't really get it -- read this USA Today story from earlier this week.  The article does a good job explaining the rising popularity of this tiny (but powerful) tool.  AND you can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Park Leaders Plan for the Next Century - How 'bout you?

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune titled, "Park Leaders Plan for the Next Century" really got me thinking about how well the parks and recreation movement serves diverse populations.  

Always, when I'm traveling around the country doing marketing workshops, we spend a good amount of time talking about targeting groups.  Not just groups that look like you; but targeting all members of your changing community.  What was once a predominantly white, middle class town, might now be rich with cultural diversity.  Are you doing enough to reach out to people who speak different languages, eat different foods, worship differently or celebrate different holidays?  America is no longer a melting pot where immigrants conform and blend into communities.  Rather, today's America is like a really unique salad in which each person brings a special kind of  flavor to the bowl and together the flavors mix and mingle in new and, often delicious ways.

So, back to the article which reported: "National Parks Director Mary Bomar laid out ambitious plans for the 100-year birthday of the America's national parks including more attention to a new swath of citizens - that is everyone who isn't a middle-class white."  In a speech to more than 500 national park leaders and directors she said, "We can not provide for enjoyment if we do not engage and encourage all Americans to enjoy their parks," National Parks Director Mary Bomar said [on July 16]."

Surveys have found Latinos and blacks are far less likely to visit the 391 parks and monuments and far more likely to describe them as uncomfortable places, according to a recent Associated Press report.

You can read the entire article here, but before you do -- here's a question to ponder...

What are you doing to meet the changing needs of your community?  What specific ways are you working to engage, attract and delight people who are different that you?  Share you comments below -- please -- I need to know there's hope!

Further, if you are or have developed your own plan for the next century, decade or year -- make sure you tell your local news outlets.  They want to report to their readers that their community is staying on top of trends, too.

Also, as you're looking for staff motivators look to items which remind your team that diversity is a proud part of your community and culture.  Click on the picture at the right to see a entire colection of promotional products that celebrate diversity.  If you see something you like, email andy@advisorsmarketing.com for a FREE SAMPLE, pricing or to place and order. 

Ice Cream, You Scream We all Scream for... Parks

Breyer's Ice Cream truly understands the value of parks and recreation and is luring people to their website by offering the chance to win a FREE trip for four to one of America's treasures.  No I'm not talking about Disneyland -- I'm talking about our spectacular parks. 

The grand prize winner of the Breyer's Ice Cream contest can choose from the following four destinations -- Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Central Park in New York City or Park City, Utah. The trip includes airfare, hotel, and a $1,000 gift card to be used for meals or other travel expenses. 20 first-prize winners will each receive a Naturally Cool Family Pack, which includes a picnic basket filled with board games, printed Breyers all-natural ice cream recipes, and printed family activity ideas, worth $75. Entry is open to US residents aged 21 or above. It only takes 30 seconds to enter when you visit the contest link.  But hurry, thee sweepstakes expires on August 5, 2008.

Contest Link

Two Ideas to Steal- First, I love that Breyer's lures visitors to their site with the sweepstakes prize and then gets people to share simple contact information on the first page of the entry and asks brief marketing research questions on the second page of the entry.  The questions help them determine which coupons to send to which people.  You have spectacular parks in your system, that if packaged with a gourmet picnic (find a sponsor for the food -- sandwich shop, caterer, supermarket, etc) would make a great prize to motivate visitors to share information with you, too.

The second idea is the soothing nature sounds that play from their website.  I've been listening to it the entire time I've been writing and am feeling all "ohm-like."  Sound is a nice addition to a website as long as it's not intrusive and the visitor can control or mute the sound.  (Notice the little wind chime on Breyer's site, bottom right allowing you to control the audio). Children laughing, birds chirping, waves gently crashing, crowds cheering, pool splashin -- could all be a fun way to bring your parks to someone's desktop. 

 

Pre-Show & At-Show Promotions: Advice From Trade Show Experts

The importance of promotions in the trade show marketing mix has risen dramatically over the past few years.  As we saw in the spending survey in the last issue of Trade Show Tips (see graph on the right), 14% of the trade show budget goes to promotions – that’s double compared to four years ago.  To help you get started toward evaluating your own promotions, here are some tips  from people who offer their seeds for success.

Pre-Show Promotions
The best pre-show promotions lead directly into at-show activities as these examples demonstrate:

§         Creating pre-conference newsletters and mailings to attendees brings us more booth traffic than any other method of pre-conference advertising.
— Kari Parker, EBSCO Information Services

§         Don't overlook opportunities to be a sponsor.  We have added a lot of value to our trade show experience by enhancing our presence as a sponsor. 
— Barb Wirth, Satellite Logistics Group

§         Pre-set appointments with prospects you know will be attending, and sit down with as many prospects as possible.  Others will notice when you are "sitting down" with people, and it creates a greater sense of value to your time.  People will want to talk to you just to see what the buzz is about. 
— Joe Smalley, Pantograms Manufacturing Co., Inc.

§         Send special pre-show invitations to your current clients. This enhances your credibility with people you already know, lets them see you in a different environment. Consider offering them an appreciation gift for visiting your booth. This is an opportunity for your clients to bring their own guests to introduce to you – very effective relationship marketing.
— Laura Hunt, Total Spectrum

At-Show Promotions
Although the concept of “giveaways” continues to dominate much of the thinking in trade show promotions, the true power lies in bringing an integrated promotion strategy to your program.  The most effective promotions are themed to support the marketing message that you have selected to use with the target audience within a specific show.  But don’t neglect the basics:

§         As we all know, giveaways are common in trade shows.  It is important to have a theme or game associated with the giveaways.  A game that makes noise or has lights will draw a crowd.  As people wait to participate in the game, it is an ideal time to pitch your product or service.
— Charley Dowlearn, MKT Fastening

§         If you're going to give something away at your booth, make sure it's appropriate to your company, your show message, and your audience. I've found the best results come from giving a nicer logo item to a qualified prospect after a meeting in (or near) your booth, as a 'thank you' gift. This way, they feel special, and they (hopefully) remember you and your company better because it was a gift, rather than just something they scooped off a table in passing. And you can be more confident that your promo dollars have made an impact that could improve your ROI, and not just someone's kids' toy collection. -- Cindi Smith, Cluster Resources, Inc.

All-in-all the promotions that you choose to employ can become a significant factor in differentiating your company from the crowd in an environment where standing out is considerably more of a challenge than ever before.

Used by permission of Skyline Exhibits. For more information about Skyline’s wide range of trade show services, products and free resources go to www.skyline.com.

How to Roast a Hotdog in the Digital Age

Time Magazine's Editor-at-Large, Nancy Gibbs, wrote a beautiful tribute to camps titled, "The Meaning of Summer Camp" which you can read by following this link.  In it she says, "I never went away to camp, even though--or maybe because--my father became president of the American Camping Association (ACA) when I was a kid. He liked to joke that my idea of camping was room service. I might have resented this had it been any less true."

The editorial made me think, applaud and laugh out loud, especially when Gibbs explained her rationale for sending her own daughter to camp this summer.  She writes, "I suspected it was time to send my daughter off to camp even before the day the power went out in our neighborhood and she and a hungry friend tried to roast a hot dog over a candle. Absent electricity, they spent the days making ankle bracelets and playing board games and writing a play together because no power means no screens, no iChat, no Sims. So I wasn't looking for some fancy culinary camp or robotics camp or whatever is fashionable now, just for someplace that teaches the appropriate interactions of sticks, weenies and flame. With no plugs."

"Summer Camps.  Unplugged and Proud of it!"

 Maybe that's the slogan we should be promoting.

After you read the article, take a minute to write Nancy (just click on her name under the headline) letting her know what you thought of her article or sharing a relevant story from your camp.  Letters to the editor are one of the most effective (and FREE) ways to get into print.  And TIME Magazine is read by millions. 

FREE Book - Creating Effective Trade Show Promotions

Are you taking advantage of your on-site summer marketing opportunities? For example, if you host high-traffic festivals, events, concerts and tournaments you likely allow sponsors to set up table-top displays or booths to promote their product, brand or services.  You may even allow on-site sales or consultation.  If you are not positioning yourself as a sponsor of your own event then you are missing a key (and no-cost) marketing opportunity. 

• Even the most primitive table top "trade show" display staffed with fun-loving, enthusiastic volunteers or professionals can shine light on upcoming events, future programs and general brand awareness.
• Often, your attendees don't even realize WHO is responsible for the event they are attending.
• Trade show booths are a great place to conduct a brief survey, too! 
• When using giveaways tie your promotion into the event, theme or target audience.  In the summer, hand-held fansare a favorite especially with these summer sale prices.  (REGUEST a FLYER/sample or place an order by emailing ANDY@advisorsmarketing.com.  The front of the fan can be your festival logo and the back can be the schedule of events OR list future events.  Always include a web address for more information.

Whether you display your services along-side vendor booths -- or set-up an area dedicated to promoting yourself and your programs -- as the HOST SPONSOR, don't miss the chance to take credit for the many benefits of community events. 

And to help get you started OR improve current "trade show effectiveness" I'm happy to pass along this link to get a FREE 76-page guide from Skyline Displays called Creating Effective Trade Show Promotions.  It it, you'll be guided through the entire trade show process from setting goals to execution to measuring results. This is the one indispensable tool you need to get the crowds into your booth.  

Request yours today!

Marketing Recruits Needed

Do you want to see a great "Save the Date" video for an upcoming training event? 

Click here to see how the very innovative Marketing and Communications Section of the Illinois Park and Recreation Associationis getting the word out about their upcoming Marketing Bootcamp.  The video uses humor, theme and action to keep viewers engaged!  As an added bonus you also get to see Matt White, IPRA's Marketing and Communication's Director, being bossed around ("On the ground and give me 20!") by a very convincing Drill Sergeant. 

Really, you've got to check it out!

Even if you are not in or near Illinois you are welcome to attend the event which takes place in the Chicagoland area from August 26 - 27 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville.  The theme, Innovative Promotions to Drive Results, is sure to jump start your creative abilities while working within tight budgets. More importantly, you'll get a chance to learn how other experts use innovative promotional ideas to capture their audience and build business.

I am proud to be both a sponsor and a speaker at the event and hope to see you there! 

But, even if you can't make it, I will continue to share campaign pieces with you, as they are sure to raise the bar for future workshop committees. 

Camping Magazine Looks at Marketing of Special Needs Camps

Camping Magazine’s July/August edition is likely in your stack of unopened mail.  But, don't wait too long to dig it out as it contains some great articles that may give you a mid summer boost.  Among them is an  interesting article based on a study completed by Gretchen Snethen and David P. Loy, Ph.D.  In it, the authors reveal marketing activities and strategies for special needs camps based on the results of an on-line survey completed by 27 camps that serve individuals with disabilities. 

The article offers valuable and statistical information and ideas for all types of camps, not just those serving those with special needs.  They address the following three areas Participants and Recruitment, Marketing Categories and Enrollment.

For the sake of the article, the authors break Marketing into Categories as illustrated in their table below.  While they don’t delve into the many emerging and non-traditional marketing tools, they do a nice job with the traditional camp tools – direct mail, web sites, email and They also reveal information about how frequently camps update website, both in and out-of-season. 

Click here to read the entire article.  And remember that marketing Little Red's definition -- Marketing is EVERYTHING YOU DO TO GET AND KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS!

You Tube Contest for Camps

Tell It Through the Tube!
Now that camp is in full swing, it’s time to take advantage of an exciting promotional opportunities available to you, your campers and your staff.  The American Camp Association is putting their money where their mouth is and is offering a $500 campership and a shot at YouTube fame.  Here’s your creative assignment…

Put your videography skills to work! Choose one or more of the following topics for your YouTube video and in a three-minute or less video, tell us the story of how your camp community . . . .

1. Links kids to nature, providing kids with real, authentic experiences with nature
2. Connects kids to authentic relationships that afford friendships, understanding, and appreciation for one another and the global community; and/or
3. Gets kids up and moving and learning about their strengths and lifestyles that advance well-being.

For contest rules and regulations and to submit your video to Peg Smith, CEO of the American

Camp

Association

, visit  http:// www.ACAcamps.org/youtube..