Accounts And Services

SM has conducted or conducts the following services for various destination clients, including the Northern Humboldt Lodging Alliance, the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau and Brand USA, and could offer its services to the Humboldt Lodging Alliance as well. They include:

Media Relations

1. EMAIL LISTS

Develop and maintain email lists to aid in distributing story queries and leads to destination partners such as hoteliers, outfitters, guides, museums, attractions, public lands contacts, arts and events, restaurants and culinary groups.

2. MEDIA ASSISTANCE

Helping media gather information, respond to media requests to visit and coordinate trip details with DMO staff and lodging providers.

a. State Releases

Submit a roundup monthly or quarterly to state and regional tourism agencies. Respond to state and regional queries, distribute them to client tourism contacts on its email lists, consolidate suggestions and report back to state and regional agencies, seeking opportunities for clients to be included in these stories.

b. Writer Queries

SM subscribes to a variety of sources that provide travel writer story queries. SM distributes story leads generated by these sources to tourism contacts through its email lists, consolidates suggestions and forwards them to querying media.

c. Story Leads

Leads resulting from media relations and media resources (In-house lists, DMO lists, Society of American

Travel Writers, Cision Help a Reporter Out) are reviewed daily and followed up on immediately. Once a lead is uncovered or developed, the story is developed and pitched.

d. Editorial Calendars

Review editorial calendars quarterly and contact media to encourage their inclusion of clients in scheduled stories.

3. MEDIA OUTREACH

Represent client at pre-packaged media events hosted by regional and state agencies, develop story ideas, meet with travel writers and editors, prepare and provide press kits and follow up with media, as necessary.

4. GLOBAL OUTREACH

Reach out to national and international media through the international media relations office of a state tourism agency and its overseas PR offices, including them on media lists to receive releases and story pitches.

5. STORY PITCHING

Each quarter, in client consultation, select media to target for custom pitches. These pitches are designed to best fit marketing communications objectives, available product (activities) and desired exposure in traditional or nontraditional, domestic or international, and consumer, trade or niche media.

6. PRESS KIT

SM prepares a digital media package that includes the following elements:

a. Client fact sheet

b. Client resources (outfitter, guides, parks, destinations, lodging, museums, public lands agencies, governmental agencies, events). c. Attractions (public lands, museums, roadside attractions, historic sites, cultural sites and centers, commercial attractions, destination shops, retail stores and restaurants, visitor centers) d. Photos and videos from the DMO or other sources as needed.

The kits are digital kit only and not printed, as the latter are no longer preferred by media. The press kit is placed on the client website and, if requested, duplicated on digital devices. However, print materials could be produced per client approval.

7. PRESS RELEASES

With the ongoing decline in traditional media, there are fewer opportunities to place press releases in newspapers and magazines. Moreover, too many press releases can be counterproductive in that editors and writers may decide to opt out.

As such, SM guidance is to send out no more than one planned release per month, along with quarterly feature releases showcasing new facilities, exhibits, programs, services and seasonal news; and news releases as events warrant.

MEDIA RELATIONS

Continued

8. NEWS RELEASES

SM issues news at it occurs and is reported.

9. PRESS TRIPS AND VISITS

Coordinate media group trips associated with state and regional tourism agencies. There are exceptions, but SM usually doesn’t recommend large group press trips for small destinations, also called familiarization or FAM trips. They are often time consuming, expensive and don’t generate enough quality return on investment.

Coordinate individual visits from single media outlets, evaluated on a case by case basis for prospects of quality ROI. Talk directly with lodging and other partners to advise of the prospects and suggest whether to discount or comp lodging or other services.

10. TRADE MEDIA

SM works with consumer and trade media to place stories for travel agents, tour operators and meeting planners that benefit the destination and its businesses.

11. SPECIAL EVENT PUBLICITY

SM frequently manages media and marketing campaigns for seasonal events to boost out of area guests.

12. ADMINISTRATION AND REPORTING

The following services are provided on a monthly and/or quarterly basis.

a. Conducts monthly conference calls to review progress and outline coming projects/work b. Attend quarterly meetings with client DMO c. Provide additional communications/reporting as needed d. Clip monitoring and related metrics reporting on a monthly and quarterly basis e. Time/job reports accompany billing. These reports detail hours and activities