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In This Issue


By now it should be apparent that having a formal website is an important marketing tool for any community or business. However, this article is going to focus on other non-traditional forms of marketing available online.



Link a blog to a community, chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau’s webpage and use it to showcase a new business in the community each week.

By now it should be apparent that having a formal website is an important marketing tool for any community or business. However, this article is going to focus on other non-traditional forms of marketing available online. Today, there are hundreds of free publicity opportunities just waiting to be taken advantage of online. Are you aware Facebook accounts, MySpace pages and blogs can be generated online for free? It is also free to download a video of a community event on YouTube. All it takes is a little time and creative thinking to expand marketing efforts and begin reaching a whole new market segment. Read on to find out more about these non-traditional marketing methods that are quickly gaining popularity.

Blogging is a simple and inexpensive way to keep citizens and visitors engaged and apprised of community events all year long. Wikipedia defines a blog as “a website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.” There are many sites online devoted specifically to blogging, which is the act of writing or maintaining a blog. Reading and writing blogs has become a popular pastime and leisure activity. Worldwide, people have begun to use blogs as a tool to keep family and friends informed about their lives and to advertise businesses and events. Many sites allow users to create free blogs where thoughts, stories, pictures, and videos can be shared in a completely customizable format. Free “hit counters” keep track of how many people have visited a blog and can be downloaded from a variety of online sites.

Blogs can stand alone, but for marketing purposes would be more effective if they were linked to a community or event’s traditional webpage. Blogs can also feature links to other websites readers might find interesting. Consider using a blog to keep citizens informed of community activities. If the community has an annual festival, fair or special event, maintaining a weekly blog is a great way to keep people interested in the event year-round. Let the community know about the kinds of games and activities available, the types of food and drink served, contest information, ticket purchase locations, craft shows and vendors. Blog about the great new band that will perform and upload a few pictures or even a sound bite (make sure to get the act’s permission first). This will generate interest throughout the year and help people plan for and anticipate the event. A community blog can also keep people updated about other community events such as government meetings, volunteer needs, construction projects, road closings, and local school activities. The possibilities are endless with this non-traditional, personalized way to keep citizens involved in the community.

Above all make the blog fun to read. Use a conversational tone and avoid over formalized language and jargon. Create a blog that is unique, entertaining and engaging for readers, updating the blog on a regular basis to ensure a loyal readership. Change it up, consider using multiple authors or letting community youth write a few entries. The only cost is a small time commitment each week. To get started type “blog” into any search engine to review a list of available sites.

Facebook is a social networking tool designed to connect people online. Registration on Facebook is free and anyone can create an account. Facebook is extremely popular with the tween, teen and young professionals market segments, and it is gaining considerable popularity with older generations. The premise is that once a personal account is created, the owner of that account uses the search function to locate others that might also be on Facebook and add them as friends. When one adds a friend on Facebook they automatically become privy to the friend’s profile updates in the form of a “news feed.” There are opportunities to join and create groups as well as participate in fee-based advertising specifically targeted to certain user profile characteristics.

Instead of creating a personal profile consider creating a community profile. It may be surprising how many people want to be “friends” with the community! This is an excellent way to reach out to local youth who are away at college or military personnel away from their community. Being “friends” with their hometown gives them an opportunity to stay connected; whereas traditional methods of media, such as newspapers, would not be a feasible way for them to stay abreast of community activities. Imagine updating the community profile to include upcoming festivals or events – all of the “friends” of the community are now instantly reminded on their homepage about the event. Consider creating a “Friends of insert community’s name here” group or a group with the event name. People can join the group and read information and updates about community happenings and the most current and up-to-date event information. A Facebook profile is a way to open up marketing efforts to a whole new population segment that might not otherwise be reached. Go to http://www.facebook.com/ to create an account and start working on a community, business, event or personal profile today.

MySpace is another free online social networking tool that is similar to Facebook. Many businesses, music groups and even movies are already capitalizing on this unique way to advertise; uploading music, video and text feeds to inform their customers about the latest product, hit song or blockbuster. Like Facebook, once a user profile is created, the user searches MySpace to add people they know as friends or to add their favorite bands and businesses as friends to keep informed about the newest products and upcoming concerts. MySpace users can completely customize their profile, or home pages, whereas the profiles on Facebook are relatively uniform and difficult to differentiate. However, this option requires a bit of knowledge about web design for a successful outcome. Have a teen or college-aged friend or relative? Chances are they can help set up a fantastic looking MySpace page that will showcase the community or business. Visit http://www.myspace.com/ to take a tour of the site, view featured videos, music and user profiles.

YouTube – their slogan says it all, “broadcast yourself.” YouTube is a popular website that allows users to create an account and upload videos of virtually anything. YouTube allows users to see what other users are currently watching, promotes videos and even has a section of featured videos. New features allow users to watch YouTube videos in HD as well as on home television sets. Videos can be browsed using YouTube’s channels, video categories or with a search function. Users can comment on videos and recommend videos to others, enter video contests, look for upcoming events and join groups. Businesses, bands and communities are finally jumping onto the YouTube bandwagon, using the site to showcase product demos, music videos, and footage from community events. YouTube displays the number of times each video is watched eliminating any guesswork about the number of viewers. Consider creating a profile and filming a video tour of the best attractions in your community or uploading a video of the pie-eating contest at your local festival. It may be surprising how many times your video is played. Visit http://www.youtube.com/ today to create a user profile and start uploading videos.

About the Author: Alyssa Webb is the Communications Coordinator for AdventGX, an economic development and tourism consulting firm located in College Station, Texas. She is currently pursuing her graduate degree at Texas A&M University in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences with an emphasis on community event planning and tourism marketing. Alyssa can be reached via email at alyssawebb@adventgx.com

Start a blog that showcases local businesses:

Link a blog to a community, chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau’s webpage and use it to showcase a new business in the community each week. Take time to sit down with the owner or manager to discuss the products and services offered. Learn about the history behind the business. Chances are good that you will hear some great stories and be able to write an informative and entertaining blog post about the business. In addition to text, include pictures of the business and products, the address and contact information. Consider arranging a special printable coupon available to those who read the blog. The business can keep track of how many coupons are used, which can generate a ballpark idea of how many people are reading the blog. This is a great way to keep locals and visitors apprised of the offerings within the community. All it takes is a little time and creative thought.