Destination Marketing & Small Business
May 14, 2020
Locally-owned businesses have long been the lifeblood of travel and tourism. Recently, travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have brought hard times for industries that rely on tourism dollars, causing local businesses to suffer inequitably. The crisis has served as a reminder of how vital small businesses are to our communities’ economic health and well-being. Locally-owned mom and pop shops enrich our beloved neighborhoods in both wealth and culture—attracting residents and travelers alike. As destination marketers, in conjunction with our DMO partners, we can ensure that local businesses reap the benefits of tourism while providing visitors an unforgettably authentic experience.
How Destination Marketing Can Support Local Economies
As marketers in the travel vertical, we can nourish the small business economies of towns across the US through thoughtful advertising. In collaboration with our partners, we start by identifying what makes your destination unique. Is it the quaint and colorful downtown shopping area or perhaps the mouth-watering “down-home country” Cajun restaurants that make your city stand out? By providing local treasures a platform, we can illuminate and uplift these small businesses.
Through authentic content and a thoughtful digital media strategy, we are able to amplify your destination’s eccentricities, creating a healthier and more robust local economy.
Authentic Content
A high-performing marketing campaign always starts with exceptional content. At Madden, our Content Team embodies an authoritative “insider’s perspective” view, unique to your destination. Through first-person narrative storytelling and the activation of in-market writers and influencers, we guarantee genuine and bona fide content. Information about local attractions imbued with relevant keywords on your website provides our Digital Team with excellent landing pages to drive visitors to while boosting your SEO value.
Awe-Inspiring Video
Leveraging our professional production team, we can create on-site video content featuring small businesses. These videos serve as a visual representation of your destination’s local community. Our So-Fi Videos utilize User Generated Content to give visitors an authentic view of the destination, from travelers who have actually experienced it. In today’s visual world, videos are absolutely key to your online advertising strategy. They give travelers a sneak peek into your destination and can be housed on your DMO website or utilized as advertisements on Facebook, YouTube, or elsewhere.
Thoughtful Digital Marketing
Our Digital Media Team develops an all-encompassing online advertising strategy for your destination that includes keyword bidding and targeting. By focusing on search queries and custom audience segments for local businesses, we can reach travelers lower in the marketing funnel who are searching for the things that make your destination unique. Conversely, we can reach visitors at the awareness stage of the funnel by bidding for keywords that include “local,” “family-owned,” etc., and tying them to your location through geo-modifiers and targeting. Our Digital Media Team is equipped to share your city’s local attractions with the world by meeting travelers online with information about your destination.
Travelers are inspired not by homogeneity and chains, but by the family-owned bakeries and unique vintage boutiques that light up a town.
The vast digital landscape is enhancing and expanding the ways in which we can influence travelers from near and far to experience the unique zest of your destination. By directing visitors to local attractions and businesses, Madden can help foster a thriving economy that gives cities financial autonomy while producing meaningful jobs for locals. Providing a platform to the small, local, and irreplaceable businesses in your community has never been more critical. It is just one of the ways in which Madden is focused on growing communities through tourism and economic development.
