Ideas for Marketing a Niche Business
Marketing a Vistor's Center
Marketing a visitor center can be a daunting task for new entrepreneurs. But with consumer demand on the rise, marketing skills are becoming increasingly important for visitor center owners and managers.
It's a misconception that small businesses can't compete with larger companies when it comes to marketing.
Messaging that relies on outdated delivery channels is often a waste of time and resources. Effective marketing now means translating market learnings into techniques and tactics that are relevant to your business.
When It's Time to Rebrand
There are many reasons why it might be time to begin a rebranding initiative - but a lack of alternative tactics is not one of them. Rebranding is an intentional marketing technique designed to deliver long term results. For a visitor center, the time to rebrand is when your current brand is outdated or no longer in sync with the needs of the marketplace. All businesses change over time and rebranding can bring your business profile in line with your current core competencies. Unless you are confident that you possess the skills necessary to rebrand your business, we advise consulting with a professional marketing firm before you introduce a new brand to your customers.
Broadcast Advertising
No doubt about it, the Internet has had a dramatic impact on TV and radio advertising. Rather than tuning in for information, many buyers now prefer to get their news and entertainment through online sources. However, it would be a mistake to discount broadcast advertising entirely. Many visitor's centers continue to find ways to attract audiences to their brand through broadcast media. It's critical to understand the limits and opportunities available in today's broadcast advertising industry. One area in which marketers continue to have success is during drive times when large numbers of listeners still tune-in to local radio. When marketing visitor's centers, local consumers may represent a sizeable portion of total revenues, making local radio and other broadcast media viable marketing channels -- but only to the extent that you match the station's audience to your customer base.
Mailings
It makes sense for visitor's centers to participate in direct mail campaigns. Direct mail has the advantage of delivering targeted messaging to qualified contacts within your company's market segment. Third-party providers have a reputation for generating accurate mailing lists that can be sorted to accommodate niches and subsections of the market. Despite the added upfront expense, premium mailing lists are a smart investment if for no other reason than their ability to generate higher conversion rates.
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