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Marketing District Moving Forward
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Strategy Finalized
This April, the Feather River Tourism Association Board of Directors approved the 5 year strategic marketing plan for the District and presented a summary of it to the Plumas County Board of Supervisors. Below are the highlights of this presentation.
Our plan is built around the fact that all traveling decisions are made online. People research their choices using social media, search engines, and websites. So, we have to stand out online!
There are 100’s of districts like ours in California alone, and scores of mountain communities with recreational resources like ours. Travelers have a lot to choose from. So just marketing our resources doesn’t cut it. We have to position brand and messaging around the values and desires of specific travelers who want what we have. This means we position our destination message around our culture or a cultural niche, not just around a list of recreational assets.
In January we began work with SMG consulting (who has successfully positioned dozens of California DMOs). We brought together key stakeholders in tourism: our lodging providers, the arts, recreation, restaurant and retail businesses to listen to their thoughts and ideas. We discussed our strengths and opportunities and created ideas for mitigating areas in which we are weak, or need improvement.
From these discussions it became evident that we do have a unique cultural vibe that can be marketed. Interestingly one of the things that fell out from these discussions was that, though 2020 was hard for all of us, it also opened opportunities for advancing tourism in Plumas County.
- We saw a surge in new people exploring our region
- Many were escaping the Tahoe crowds and looking for some space
- Others were finding nearby destinations that felt new and exciting
- And, others found we have opportunities here that are ideal for families as well as the hardcore mountain visitor
Capitalizing on the Trend and our Vibe.
The plan developed to capitalize on these discoveries and focus on the unique culture of our region, our vibe. This means that we market to those people who are looking for the unique cultural opportunities we offer. These people become our target audience.
Who are these people?
- Geographically: Reno and surrounding areas, Sacramento Valley, the Bay Area
- Characteristics of people who enjoy what we have to offer:
- Lover of the outdoors, rugged types, people who can tolerate a loose itinerary, not frustrated by changes in plans, like to find their own way, create their own unique experiences and people who appreciate and care for the environment.
What we offer them
- A sense of Freedom – the ruggedness of the land gives the feeling a pure experience, free from distractions and physical boundaries
- The Wild alternative – this is attractive to those who like undeveloped land, the free-spirited, who come to get away, seeking inspiration by being untethered and unbothered.
- We offer relaxation and the ability to move a bit slower through the day.
- We offer small towns and genuine communities that are unpretentious and down to earth.
- We offer communities of people who not only enjoy the nature we live close to, but are champions of it, we consider ourselves stewards of the land.
Building Experiences Around Destination Pillars
We begin to build experiences and messaging for these audiences around 4 Destination Pillars:
- Personalized outdoor adventures – hiking, biking, kayaking, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, x-country skiing
- The laid back outdoors – scenic byways, beautiful drives, accessible lakes, laid back music events, birding, fall colors, geocaching
- Art and Music – galleries and art scene, live music, breweries, craft shows and events
- History and Nostalgia – museums, history trails, gold panning, PG&E’s stairway to power, Maidu Auto Tour – World Maker Trail
Year-Round Visitation Goals
And, most importantly we do this with the intent of enhancing our year round visitation, by focusing first on shoulder months.
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First, we complete a comprehensive website, with professional photography, video, a complete brand, good messaging, and strong SEO
Then, we drive our target audience to this website through advertising, social media and public relations strategies.
If the website is visually pleasing, enticing, informative and resonates with the experience they are looking for…
Then, they link to a lodging property and book a stay
Based on how they experience their lodging and amenities and the experiences they have – they either repeat their visit, extend their stay, or fall away.
We then measure the effectiveness of this strategy through the acquisition of data
- How many website users were generated
- Online surveys to determine how people got to the website
- How many leads were provided to lodging providers, attractions or local business who might participate
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The APEX Tour at Lake Almanor
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A tour like none other. 33 Elite Anglers of the West Coast battling it out for the Apex 2021 Title come to Lake Almanor!
They pulled into Chester Thursday night in a literal parade of glittering bass boats. And, they stayed in lodging across the area, boosting the Chester/Lake Almanor April season.
The Feather River Tourism Association worked collaboratively with the Lake Almanor Area Chamber and area lodging providers, John and Deb Crotty of Quail Lodge and Todd Geer of Plumas Pines Resort, to bring Wild West Bass Trails, APEX event to Lake Almanor, boosting springtime opportunity for area lodging providers and businesses. The inaugural season of the 2021 Apex Tour Schedule includes Lake Almanor for the first time along with Lake Amador, Thermalito Afterbay in Oroville and Cal Delta in Sacramento.
Tour Organizers Randy McBride and Jeremy DeHart said, "The event has been a tremendous success with much of the thanks and support to you all within the community here. We can’t thank you enough for your hospitality."
Watch live stream of the Anglers at Lake Almanor fishing, sharing their experiences and weighing in at days end. And follow the Leader Board of the Apex Tour!
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Applications Will Be Open for FRTMD Advisory Council Until May 12.
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The 5-member Board of Directors of the Feather River Tourism Marketing District will be appointing an Advisory Council to assist in the planning and operations of the District. Advisors are to be included at each meeting of the Board of Directors, but will not hold voting rights. They may also serve on committees and will serve the District as an Advisor for a period of 1 year.
Advisors may be a representative from their place of business, location or from their service area. Those interested in participating in this exciting phase of development of the District are encouraged to apply. Three advisors will be chosen from each of the 3 FRTMD jurisdictions, Quincy & Bucks Lake, Feather River Canyon & Indian Valley and Lake Almanor Basin, for a total of 9 Advisors.
Those interested in taking part are asked to download and submit the application below to info@FeatherRiverTourism.com. The application process will be open from March 15 - May 15.
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The Feather River Tourism Association, a 501c6 corporation, is responsible for executing the Feather River Tourism Marketing District Plan. The District and the plan are in effect starting January 2021 and ending in 2015. Our task is to work to improve and develop the tourism economy of the communities of the Lake Almanor Basin, Indian Valley, Feather River Canyon, Quincy and Bucks Lake to specifically benefit the lodging providers who fund the district.
This work will directly benefit lodging and restaurants in the region by enhancing revenues, while other positive effects are expected to ripple throughout the economy. To read research on the return of investment for the dollars spent by Tourism Management Districts, got to http://featherrivertourism.com/tourism-districts.
Meetings of the Board are open to all and zoomed. Upcoming agendas and past minutes can be found at http://featherrivertourism.com/agendas
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