Tourism Tips: Pro Tips for Marketing Your Events & Historic Sites

History Means Business

Marketing Ideas from the Experts at SC Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Marketing Department:

1. Create an inventory of Revolutionary Era sites and points of interest in your area and build out a guide/map with short descriptions of each.  This can also be deployed on the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO)'s tourism website.
2. Use your local welcome center/visitor center to market American Revolution sites through the use of window clings, brochures, and rack cards.
3. Make sure you have collateral in your closest SC Welcome Center.
4. Develop a catalog of visual assets about American Revolution sites in your area to include photography and video clips.  
5. Consider short-form videos with a “local expert” to share the history of the area that highlight the points of interest. 
6. Using your visual assets, build out a Social Media plan that includes a regular posting schedule.  Keep the posts fun and entertaining. 
7. Create content for your website related to Revolutionary War events in your area, tell the stories in relatable, easy-to-digest vignettes. 
8. Use available travel statistics/data to help develop marketing campaigns large or small to target potential travelers with interest in Revolutionary War sites.
9. Develop a plan for local events recognizing the Revolutionary War’s Sestercentennial (1770-1783), coordinating with America250, the SC Battleground Preservation Trust, and the SC American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission.
10. Create multiple itineraries for your area based around American Revolution sites, but providing a full user experience in your area, incorporating lodging, dining, and other experiential opportunities.

Press Releases

• Best Practices:
  • Reverse Pyramid – put the most important information upfront in case they cut the press release and for readers who only get into the first paragraph.
  • Write in third person – never us I, us, we unless in a quote.
  • Include a photo and cutline (photo caption with names – check spelling)
  • Break it up into sections and short paragraphs.
  • Always provide a contact for more information.
  • Keep it on the short side.
  • Turn them into blog posts and share the link on social media and in local email groups, Chamber news, etc.
  • Did we say check spelling and grammar? We also know that you can't proof your own material.
  • Click Here for a sample press release.

Use Those Social Media Hashtags

• Hashtags:
  • #SC250
  • #Amercia250
  • #[County Name]County250
  • You can make up more, just remember to: Be Consistent. Advertise Them. Ask people to use them at events.

Calendars of Events

• A lot of entities allow you to advertise community events through their calendars. This is a great intern project, just remember that while it is tedious the person entering the info needs to be meticulous
• Don’t forget to tell us. We would love to share.
• Other Calendar Examples:
  • ETV: https://www.scetv.org/submit-your-event
  • The State
  • Greenville News https://www.greenvilleonline.com/things-to-do/events/
  • Post & Courier https://www.postandcourier.com/calendar/#!/
  • Free Times owned by Post & Courier
  • SC Living (Coop Magazine) https://www.scliving.coop/events/submit.html
• Best Practices:
  • Event truly needs to be community-oriented to be eligible for many of these sites.
  • Get them in early – at least a month & a half before the event.
  • Don’t forget to update the event on each calendar if you have to cancel or change the event for any reason.

Measuring Metrics

• When possible, try to capture metrics for your events, zip codes, and how you heard about it questions are great.

Make Sure Your Local Businesses Are Ready

• Work with your local Business Associations to produce events so they are in on the event from the beginning.
• Add local restaurants, shops, places to stay to your sample day trips.
• Get businesses signed up for email updates.
• Nothing is a good substitute for walking around your towns and visiting with business influencers.

SC250 Logos & Citation

• Make sure to cite SC250. Thanks for sharing the love!
• Contact us for high res logos, etc. at info@SouthCarolina250.com.

Graphic Design Standards

• Best Practices:
  • Be consistent. Create a “style sheet” that everyone uses.
  • Using a graphic designer is best, but your group can simply decide on standard typefaces (one serif and one non-serif) that are easy to read, colors, etc.
  • Remember to keep in mind typefaces that are easy to use on the web.

Share Your Ideas & Updates

• This is just another reminder to share your creative ideas and marketing tools with SC250 so we can share with other County Committees.
• As a small staff, we also ask your help if you see updates or changes we need to make to our materials. Contact us with changes or suggested updates at info@SouthCarolina250.com.
• Don't forget to like us on SC250 Social Media, follow, and share. #SC250 #America250

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