Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce

Goal:  Total integration of marketing tools.

 

 The Mount Snow Valley Guide Book had long been a marketing tool for this tourist area, but was actually owned by a separate company.  It was expensive to produce and to mail.

Objective:  Make it a team player without losing site of its purpose of providing a comprehensive directory of the area services.

Solution:  The cover was redesigned to match the rack brochure, and co-op advertising pages (see below).   Fewer books were ordered and the mailing scheme was changed.  The book was mailed only to callers looking for lodging.  Other leads, such as those generated by the state of Vermont Department of Tourism, the Regional Marketing Organization and the website were mailed a brochure or a post card, depending on their source code.

The brochure was partially funded with the savings realized from mailing fewer guides and a new co-op advertising program. 

 

The Mount Snow Valley, home to the second largest ski resort in the eastern US, had never had an advertising presence apart from that created by the resort itself.

Objective:  Create brand identity and provide tangible results for chamber members.

Solution:  The chamber's marketing budget was never enough to do print advertising, so a co-op program was created.  The ads were designed in concert with other printed materials being generated by the chamber and highlighted the members who were willing to pay a portion of the cost.  All members benefited because the ads also featured one toll free number and one website to get more information.

 

 

Distribution of the Guide Book outside of the immediate area was costly.

Objective:  Create a printed piece which was more affordable to mail and to distribute.

Solution:  A rack brochure which folded out to 11X17, but could still be mailed with one first class stamp.  The increased cost of full-color printing was offset by the contribution of co-op advertisers.  The inside of the brochure looked identical to the 2-page magazine spread (above).

Connecting with new leads was difficult considering the competitive nature of Vermont tourism and the overwhelming number of leads.  Turning those leads into customers was key.

Objective:  Get these people to the website.

Solution:    Post cards were the perfect tool.  The chamber received hundreds of leads from VDT each week.  More than could possibly be mailed the Guide Book. Three seasonal post cards were designed and were mailed to all prospects.  Each had a designated toll free number and web portal to aid in tracking.

The website became the focal point for not only collecting leads, but also for communicating current information with customers.

Objective:  The website had to be flexible and always current without increasing staff or incurring major expense.

Solution:  A database driven website that could be updated by the staff. An event calendar, ongoing activities list and membership directory was maintained in easy to use Microsoft Accessâ files.  When the staff made routine changes to these databases.  The files were exported to the web and the website was updated as well.
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