Strategic Marketing Plan Template for the Northeast Kingdom

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Strategic Marketing Plan Templatefor the
Northeast Kingdom

• Prepared for NVDA

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• Strategic Marketing Plan Template

Visitor Research should be conducted to collect
critical marketing information that can be used
in the marketing planning. An online survey,
based on the Burke survey design and customized
with community input, should be employed.
Visitor Research
The majority of the Burke Area marketing planning
process can be applied to other communities in
the Northeast Kingdom and to their stakeholders.
The Strategic Marketing Plan needs to apply to
both the Destination Marketing Organization and
its stakeholders.
Strategic Marketing Plan
Competitive Analysis
Marketing Variables (Destination and/or
Stakeholders)
Funding Opportunities
Destination-Specific Goals and Objectives
Weaknesses
Strengths
Opportunities
Threats
Destination Positioning / Identity
Product Visitor Experience
Target Audience(s)
Stakeholder Pricing Invent. Mgmt.
Marketing Mix (Spending Allocations)
Distribution Channels
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• Visitor Research

• Role of Visitor Research in Future Studies
• Visitor Research should precede and guide the
  development of a Strategic Marketing Plan
  developed for the balance of the Northeast
  Kingdom or for any other region within it. This
  research should
• Identify and quantify the areas demand
  generators, overall and by visitor segment
• Develop a demographic profile of visitors to the
  region
• Identify community strengths, weaknesses,
  opportunities and threats
• Identify the competitive set(s)
• Measure visitor satisfaction levels and the
  likelihood to recommend the area to others
  (loyalty), and identify perceptions about the
  area
• Test alternative positioning strategies

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• Visitor Research (cont.)

• Research Methodology
• The research methodology should closely mirror
  that used in the Burke Area study. Online
  surveying should be conducted using visitor and
  guest email lists obtained from participating
  stakeholders (hotels, inns, condo ownersetc.)
  this is the most cost effective way to conduct
  the research.
• The online survey format used in the Burke Area
  study should be replicated, with the survey
  customized for the region involved.
• Execution of Research
• The research can be executed in at least three
  ways
• By a local or regional research company that
  finalizes and fields the survey
• By Guest Research, Inc. using its proprietary
  software for survey design and online Management
  Report System
• By having Guest Research, Inc. adapt the Burke
  Area survey, but have the community field it
  using a third party provider (e.g., Survey
  Monkey, Zoomerang, etc.)

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• Strategic Marketing Plan

• A Critical Partnership Between the Destination
  Marketing Organization (DMO) and its
  Stakeholders
• With any tourism destination large or small
  effective marketing of the destination requires a
  close partnership between the Destination
  Marketing Organization and its stakeholders.
  This is particularly critical in the Northeast
  Kingdom because of a number of factors, including
  its location and the lack of large stakeholders
  with large marketing budgets to market the
  destination. Without the support of the
  stakeholders, the DMO will not be effective.
• In order to attract more visitors and strengthen
  tourism as an economic driver, it is important to
  increase the destinations share of voice,
  increase its awareness and enhance its relevance
  to its target audiences. Most individual
  stakeholders are small, have limited marketing
  funds and focus on promoting their own
  businesses. Properly funded, the DMO is best
  suited to market the destination overall and be
  the caretaker of the brand.

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• Strategic Marketing Plan (cont.)

There are many areas in which the DMO can assist
the stakeholders, in particular, the lodging
properties. These apply to any other areas of
the Kingdom.
Responsibilities Responsibilities
Stakeholders Opportunities DMO Opportunities to Assist
High guest satisfaction/loyalty Support with hospitality training
Expand distribution Support with destination website internet connectivity
Increase reservations sales effectiveness Support with sales skills training
Enhance pricing revenue management Provide pricing revenue management training and STR hotel data
New demand generators Develop coordinate special events/festivals
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• Strategic Marketing Plan (cont.)

• Destination Marketing Priorities for the DMO
• The destination marketing priorities recommended
  for the BATTC apply to any other area within the
  Kingdom or to the Kingdom overall. These include
  the following in support of the destination
• Website and Search Engine Optimization
• Email marketing
• Social media (including Facebook, Twitter,
  YouTube, etc.)
• Publicity
• Pay-per-click advertising (as appropriate)
• Work with the community to create a new
  promotional event

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• Strategic Marketing Plan (cont.)

• Funding Opportunities
• The various funding opportunities discussed in
  the Burke Area plan apply to the balance of the
  Northeast Kingdom. These funding opportunities
  include
• State and local government allocations
• Grants (can be good in the short-term, but often
  not sustainable)
• Vermont Local Option Tax on rooms and restaurant
  meals
• Tourism Improvement Districts
• Voluntary Tourism Assessment Fees
• Ideally the destination marketing organization
  would be the Northeast Kingdom. It has name
  recognition, clearer borders and the potential
  for greater funding.