Buzz Builder

Advertising and Circulation Declines Continue at Newspapers

In the last few weeks, leading newspapers have released their February advertising statistics which show significant declines  in spending according to this article in the New York Times on March 26.

At USA Today, the nation’s biggest newspaper, ad revenue was down 14 percent this February, compared with February last year. Ad revenue at The New York Times Company fell 6 percent overall, declining 7.5 percent at The New York Times; ad revenue at the company’s New England Media Group, which includes The Boston Globe, was down 4 percent. At The Wall Street Journal, published by Dow Jones, it was off 10 percent. The Tribune Company, whose papers include The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun, reported losses of more than 5 percent. So did McClatchy, whose papers include The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and The Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky.

The New York Times quoted Mark Fratrik, an economist at BIA Financial Network, who said the February results were “not a blip on the screen.”

He continued, “It’s fundamental, what’s going on with newspapers,” he said. “The younger groups, the most desired demographics, are just not reading them. They aren’t listening to traditional radio either, but I tell radio broadcasters that they’re lucky not to be in newspapers.”

In addition to sliding ad revenue, circulation has been in a long slow decline.  According to The Ne York Times, newspaper circulation nationally reached its peak in 1984, when there were 1,600 morning and afternoon paid dailies with a circulation of 63 million. With the rise of cable television and, later, the Internet, newspaper circulation began to decline. Today there are 1,450 paid dailies with a circulation of 53 million. The losses have accelerated over the last two years.

It's not wonder that desperate advertisers are turning to word of mouth marketing as they search for alternative ways to reach consumers.

Casa Amorita in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Manages Word of Mouth Effectively

The last few weeks, I've taken a vacation from this blog. My wife and I had a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were glad that we stayed in the old part of Puerto Vallarta which still feels like Mexico with its cobblestone streets, simple stucco houses, small stores, and neighborhood restaurants. The newer parts of Puerto Vallarta are much more reminiscent of Miami. Why travel to a foreign country if you're go to stay somewhere that looks just like the United States?

We stayed at a charming little bed & breakfast called Casa Amorita which  Rita Love, a friendly and energetic American, built ten years ago on a hill behind the Cathedral with a stunning view of Banderas Bay. Our favorite activity was enjoying the killer views from a lovely rooftop patio sipping homemade margaritas made with El Jimador tequila from the honor bar (click on the picture to the left to see an enlarged version of one of the amazing sunsets).

Rita is doing a great job building her business through word of mouth marketing. She understands that the cornerstone of positive buzz is delivering a stellar experience. From initial email communication to checkout, we felt as if she treated us as family. When we arrived, Rita offered us complimentary drinks and spent 30 minutes to explaining all the nearby restaurants, sights, and excursions. Our room was spotless and delivered the amazing ocean and town views that were promised. The common areas were immaculately swept and the pool was cleaned every day. Most importantly, her team of young employees delivered stellar service better than some luxury hotels where we've stayed.

When we checked out, Rita made a point of saying goodbye to us personally. She reminded us that Casa Amorita depends upon referrals from satisfied guests and reminded us to put a review of her site on Trip Advisor . Good for her! Too many hoteliers don't direct their guests to the most important online sources of buzz building. In February 2006, I wrote a post explaining how we depend on online reviews to select where we'll stay. We've been doing this for about three years, and we have never stayed in a bad hotel. Online hotel reviews are better than travel books since they are much more up-to-date (many travel books are not updated regularly) and reliable (multiple opinions are more reliable than the views of one author).

Where can you direct your customers to post reviews about your business online? The answers will vary greatly but it's worth looking into this since it's one of the best ways to grow your business.

Buzz Building Tips from the Cascadia Educational Conference 2007

On Monday, March 5, I gave a keynote address at the Cascadia Educational Conference 2007 on "Galvanizing Your Business with Buzz" at the lovely Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. The conference, which the Oregon  and Washington  Chapters of Meeting Professionals International organized, is the largest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest - and one of the most respected regional conferences in the meetings industry.

The entire conference was flawlessly executed - excellent speakers, interesting topics, and wonderful networking opportunities. The active participation and enthusiasm of conference attendees were highlights.

During my presentation, I asked members of the audience to write down some of their successful buzz building efforts as well as ones that they've admired.  As you can from their responses, there is a lot of creativity in the meetings industry - feel free to add your buzz building ideas for the meetings industry in the comment section below this list:

1. Our resort (Rosario Resort on Orcas Island) ran its first Green Program with Moran State Park. Three hours of work in the park cleaning up trails gave our guest a special room rate, 15% off in the spa, work gloves and hand lotion (not to mention exercise!). The program received publicity across the country, including a TV spot on Regis & Kelly, and has been a tremendous relationship builder between the resort and the park.
2. A restaurant coming into the neighborhood in West Seattle put brown paper on the windows of the space they were remodeling so nobody could see the work being done. A simple note on the window said “If you want to know what we are doing, email us at xx.” They gained a huge mailing list which was used to invite locals to the grand opening.
3. Sales managers at Starwood Hotels in the running for an incentive trip to Argentina received regular information and gifts that were specific to the event. For example, four months prior they received soccer balls; two months prior, soccer shirts; one month prior, a book of the city. Those who qualified received an iPod with “Don’t Cry for me Argentina.” It hyped us all up for the event.
4. Offered two free fresh pineapples on hotel website if potential meeting planners sent in their meeting specs and over 2,200  meeting planners responded (started slow, then the buzz got out and the response became frenetic!)
5. Organizers of a “Hooray for Hollywood” client event sent out movie reel tins with directors sign, map of stars homes, and a Hollywood paperweight. These were followed by a coffee table book and photos of the starts. The gifts were a great build-up to the trip.
6. I received a personal voice invitation from a national person – it was a total surprise and made me want to attend a conference
7. Handwritten thank-you cards are much more appreciated than something that you run through a printer.
8. I started a women’s wine group (“Woodinville Women & Wine”) that celebrated the friendship of women with wine and wine education. It created buzz for the Woodinville Wine Country, Woodinville’s wineries and venues, and my hotel (Willows Lodge).
9. I sent pre-tradeshow emails to exhibitors offering a free bouquet for their table. Eight people responded, but I brought an additional 30 bouquets and was able to get ten more people to display our rental bouquets, which are high-end artificials. I overheard many people talking about them!
10. Offering goodies (e.g., Hershey’s Miniatures) with every presentation so folks will remember our CVB.
11. Press releases that draw attention to a certain aspect of an event, e.g., “Portland Rose Festival Purchases Rain Insurance Coverage for the First Time in the History of the Event.” The local weather station began making pre-event predictions about the chances of rain, which added to the event “buzz.”
12. Creative collateral for a Hawaii conference – included a pineapple and flip-flop sandals
13. Have an open house – catered and decorated – that shows your new products and extends client relationships.
14. Always show your product in real-time on your website (using video).
15. Always offer rewards for referrals.
16. I host client events where I mix existing, loyal customers with new, prospective customers. This allows the new people to hear testimony about our services.
17. Video testimonials on website.
18. I offer to fly out to conferences and present to their members a preview of what my resort and casino will be offering them next year – it’s a good way to create buzz.
19. We add recent publicity to the home page on our website, so it’s the first thing that visitors see.
20. Although it’s not related to meetings/hotels, Sprint offers a rewards program for referrals where $25 is for you and $25 is for the new customer – both win.
21. List of “buzz-worthy” items included with mailings (items 23 to 28):
22. Seed packets (“grow your business”)
23. Puzzle pieces sent out individually over a short period of time to create a message
24. Plastic bottle with the invite rolled up inside along with sand and rocks to replicate a “message in a bottle”
25. Lucky Charms – for a St. Patrick’s Day party
26. Dice and drink umbrellas – for a Las Vegas event
27. Tiny salt & pepper shakers – for a dinner meeting
28. Chili pepper lights, piñatas & maracas – for a Mexico trip
29. I called a radio station and told them to check out the helicopter landing at the convention center (for an aviation show I coordinated). They spent the rest of the morning telling people about the helicopter and giving the show free publicity.
30. Complimentary drinks – at a recent conference, the sponsoring hotel set martini glasses with a note card saying “please bring to the bar for a complimentary drink on us.”
31. Partnering with another hi-caliber (but non-competing) property – mountain resort versus coastal resort.
32. The Snowman Festival – over 1,000 snowmen were built overnight at Whistler. When the busy resort woke up, there were snowmen filling the streets…got a lot of media attention.
33. An interactive conference website. Everyone who registers can log-in before, during and after the conference. They can interact with other attendees through IM (instant messaging), blogs, see maps of where things are located, etc.
34. Princess Cruise Lines sends welcoming emails, special deal alerts, and an introductory cruise packet to get people excited.
35. To promote our client party in conjunction with the streetcar opening, we sent out wooden trains with the invites.
36. Hand-delivering invitations in costume (can use a paid actor) to go along with the theme of the event or holiday.
37. The Seattle CVB presentation to promote the 2007 PCMA Conference. The video used a director of the CVG as the main actor and incorporated a “Grey’s Anatomy” type scene.
38. Produce videos using executives to promote meetings or events – I’ve seen ‘Tour De France,’ ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ “Treasure Island,’ etc.
39. Vibrating soap – a definite ‘Purple Cow’ for the conference!
40. Fun email reminders for upcoming events.
41. Unique postcard mailings – I use www.amazingmail.com.
42. Food Lifeline (which is Washington's largest hunger relief agency) sent out letters and cards mailed in small paper bags to let people know how they could help.
43. Email to potential participants with link to conference site and weekly quiz questions with good prizes.
44. For a non-profit event, we did a yard sign campaign.
45. Send out a “teaser,” e.g., earphones for an iPod that attendees get with attendance.
46. The Inn at Cannon Beach called a few days before our arrival to let us know they were excited to have us – a nice personal touch.
47. Our website has a video of a wedding taking place at our venue.
48. Our hotel had a new bedding package, so we sent pillowcases with the hotel logo to our clients.
49. We sent “forget me not” flower seed to clients asking them to keep us in mind for future meetings, and bags of popcorn (“look what’s popping’) to keep them informed about our new renovations.
50. Partnering with radio stations for public events gives us a much larger client base than we would normally have access to.
51. Create a MySpace page for your company.
52. I try to create a positive “buzz” for our property whenever the subject of my work comes up in my personal relationships. I talk about all the new exciting programs, promotions, etc.
53. At a tradeshow I attended, vendors were using each other’s products to promote one another. So, the caterer’s booth looked great (“décor done by ____”) and the décor company had great food (“food provided by _____”).
54. Send a series of sequential emails promoting a certain feature of an event or conference (e.g., keynote speaker, industry panel, etc.) to encourage potential attendees to register. This is done as a supplement to the traditional printed registration flyer and website.
55. I got a Viewfinder with photos from a marketing company – so fun!
56. At a board retreat, the convention service manager invited attendees to walk in the morning. She arrived at 6:30 AM and greeted guests with ear warmers and headbands because it was chilly.
57. Free airline tickets to city where conference was being held for early registers.
58. In preparation for the Windows Vista launch, a live stunt was organized in NYC where acrobats and contortionists hung off the side of a large building and formed the Vista button with their bodies and flags. It drew a large crowd and the video was posted online.
59. Use the signature line of an email to promote an event or get referrals (e.g., “Oh by the way, I build my business based on referrals. If you know someone that can use my services, please let me know.”)
60. A trade show with “We Treasure Your Business” theme mailed out keys to attendees. The trade show was decorated like a pirate ship, and attendees whose key opened the treasure chest received a prize.
61. Use a catchy tagline when going around the room and introducing yourself – make people remember you!
62. The best buzz comes from excellent customer service, active participation in networking group, and writing or contributing to articles in industry publications.
63. A beach hotel always sends clever Christmas items. One year they sent an ornament ball filled with sand and seashells. I keep it on my desk and dream of the beach.