By Brian Willms
The Coloradoan - Loveland Connection
03/28/2011
Thanks to the Community Marketing Commission, our community has been spending a lot of time talking about branding. I find this discussion to be exciting because it demonstrates a community that is focused on growing our economy by marketing to prospective Loveland visitors.
The challenge becomes finding the most effective method for marketing Loveland to those considering a vacation or a location to host a conference or an event.
For many, that means growing an identity around our moniker, "The Sweetheart City." For others, it means showcasing the arts and developing an association around our many artistic compositions, programs and events. And for many others, Loveland should be recognized for its great outdoor recreational opportunities. Although each of these assets may be appealing to us, the question is how appealing are they to the visitor?
Every one of us has quality reasons why we live, work and/or play in Loveland. Those same reasons may or may not be attractive to the person visiting Loveland. For example, one of the reasons my wife and I chose Loveland as our home was the quality of schools for our daughter. As important as that feature was to us, it is likely not a concern for the prospective visitor to our community.
I understand the quality of our schools could certainly have indirect impact on the quality of our visitors' experiences in our community, but when was the last time you considered the quality of schools when selecting your vacation destination? If you are like me, the quality of schools has never influenced a decision about where to spend a vacation.
Although our reasons for choosing to be in Loveland have great value, we need to look beyond ourselves to learn why a visitor may select our community as a location to vacation or to host a conference. To understand this particular "why" better, we need to gather and study data on visitors. This is one reason why the Community Marketing Commission was wise in its decision to hire a professional branding and marketing firm, Toolbox Creative.
Conducting research, compiling data and, more importantly, analyzing the data to develop an effective strategy is time consuming and requires expertise. Although our outstanding volunteers for the Community Marketing Commission give their time and share their expertise, as volunteers they don't have the capacity needed to assure the final outcome is an effective one. Toolbox Creative provides professionals needed to assure our investment in promoting our community is a worthy one that creates a growing return.
Just as important as knowing what visitors want is knowing what visitors Loveland wants to attract. As mentioned previously, what is attractive to one isn't necessarily attractive to another. Through the process of collecting data and looking at best practices, Toolbox Creative will be able to assist the Community Marketing Commission in identify target-market visitors for our community.
The data Toolbox Creative gathers about Loveland and visitors (for both vacations and group visits) will help them define our brand. Our brand will be our identity.
Brand is much more than a name, logo or slogan; brand is association that influences a decision to purchase, select or utilize a specific product, service or entity. According to marketing extraordinaire and New York Times bestselling author, Seth Godin, often these associations are tied to memories and stories that create an expectation.
If Loveland is branded successfully, then Loveland will have developed an identity that aligns with the expectations of the visitors we are trying to attract. That brand may include art, hearts and plenty of outdoor activities. Then again, it may be something more or even something different.
Regardless, let's let the experts help us to assure we are utilizing the best strategies and tools for recruiting visitors to our community. The brand and strategy developed will have a significant impact on our ability to attract visitors, which, in turn, will lead to more job creation and provide more income to our community.
It's important that we (Toolbox Creative and our community) get it right!
Brian Willms is president/CEO of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.