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August 31st, 2016
DCVB Partner Newsletter
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Next month we will officially usher in Autumn with the Fall Equinox on September 22. Equinoxes are opposite on either side of the equator, so the autumnal (fall) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the spring (vernal) equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. Equinoxes and solstices happen twice a year. Equinoxes and solstices mark the start of astronomical seasons and autumn is by far my favorite time of the year - the colors, the aromas and anything pumpkin. It also is a time we look to the changing of the leaves and the many visitors that come to enjoy our beautiful destination. Another great fall tradition is the DCVB annual dinner. This year the dinner and annual meeting will be held Wednesday, October 26 at Alexander's in Fish Creek.
There is a great educational opportunity coming soon. The Fall Tourism Conference will be held in Eau Claire on November 3 & 4. Please see the links below in this email for more information on the agenda, accommodations and costs.
Register Today for the Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference
Paddle ahead to the Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference down by the rivers in Eau Claire, November 3 & 4, 2016. Registration is now open! Early bird registration ends on October 7, 2016. We're planning an exciting agenda that's sure to guide your organization forward, including our Destination Marketing in the Digital Age keynote by Aaron Nissen of Destination Think!. Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett will again join us and give us the latest from our Tourism Department, plus there will be breakout sessions on destination development, sports tourism, visual asset trends and management and more. WACVB members that bring the most attendees will be eligible to win a registration to the 2017 WI Governor's Conference on Tourism in Milwaukee. For every five attendees that attend the conference, we will receive an entry into a prize drawing for the WIGCOT registration. If the DCVB wins this drawing, we will then raffle off this registration to those attending the Fall Tourism Conference from Door County so, Register TODAY!
One last item to share with you. Not to rush the winter season, but the Winter Guides arrived today. They look beautiful and the staff did a tremendous job in putting the information together in them. Our sincerest thanks to all of you that had to think about winter in the middle of summer and get us all of your winter hours and information!! They will be distributed to all the information centers in the county by this weekend with full distribution planned in the county prior to Pumpkin Patch weekend. Our goal with the winter guide is to show visitors, during the busy Fall season, that there is plenty to do and see during the winter months in Door County and hopefully bring them back during this quieter time.
Best Regards,
Jack Moneypenny, President/CEO
920-818-1131
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MARKETING & SALES
Michelle Rasmusson, Director
Savor Door County
Lodging members are partnering with attractions and restaurants to highlight some of the best things to do in the county this fall. To showcase all the great foodie finds we present to you our Savor Door County video series that features local ingredients and amazing dishes. More will be rolling out in the coming weeks so check back and enjoy!
Trending: Lifestyle Branding
"Lifestyle branding embodies the interests, attitudes, and opinions of a particular group of culture of consumers" and its important if you want to stay relevant. Your message needs to inspire and motivate consumers so consumers can see that your brand supports their way of life. Read More>
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COMMUNICATIONS & PR
Jon Jarosh, Director
Media
Media assistance was provided to 22 journalists/media outlets in August by sharing, information, conducting on-air/on-camera interviews and/or support for Door County based articles and stories. A few highlights included the Chicago Tribune, USA TODAY, Men's Journal, TravelWisconsin.com, Wausau Daily Herald and Southern Boating.
Additionally, we welcomed 12 journalists to Door County on an outdoor recreation based press trip August 23-26.
Media Coverage Highlights
Door County's Peninsula State Park was included in a Chicago Tribune story headlined "Ideal escapes for leaf lovers" that ran in the Sunday August 21, 2016 travel section of the newspaper. Check out the online version of the story on ChicagoTribune.com here.
Bassmaster.com published an article about Door County Fish Boils on August 20, 2016. View the story online here.
OnMilwaukee.com Publisher Andy Tarnoff wrote about a recent Door County trip he took in a story that posted on August 22, 2016. View the story online here
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MEMBERSHIP
Phil Berndt, Director
Time to Re-write your InnLine Description for SEO!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the name of the game when it comes to driving more traffic to your business through online searches and, as a member of the DCVB, we submit your InnLine description directly to Google - to help potential customers find you faster on DoorCounty.com, Google Search, Google supported Apps and more!
One of the easiest ways you can help improve your SEO is by updating your InnLine business description. The key to making it work in your favor is to incorporate the terms most people use to find a business like yours into your descriptive text - BUT, they must be relevant AND they CANNOT be "stuffed." Incorporating lists of search terms (out of context) is called "Keyword Stuffing" and search engines like Google quickly disregard these lists as SPAM used to trick customers into visiting an irrelevant page. To prevent this disqualification, it's important to use the terms in context within your text and to use them in phrases that a customer might type into Google when looking for your products and services. If you have specific products or services that are frequently searched by name, use the brand name as well but, always in context.
This new change is so important that we have worked with Bay Lakes Information Systems to double the space you have to work with from 500 characters & spaces to 1000. Email your InnLine updates to Yvonne or Cathy.
For those of you interested in learning more about the Dos and Don'ts of writing copy for SEO, I recommend reading the blog post " How to Write an Effective Meta Description" by Ramesh Ranan. The same recommendations made for "Meta Descriptions" can be applied to the writing of your descriptive listing on DoorCounty.com and elsewhere.
And, while you are freshening your InnLine Page
Make sure you are putting your best foot forward with our
to verify that your information is correct, complete, optimized with keywords and taking full advantage of the larger photo format and social media links. Look up your InnLine Page HERE.
Membership Renewal Time
If you have been a member of the DCVB for more than 7 years, chances are good that it's time to renew your membership. You can pay your membership dues in person, by phone, mail or fax! Be sure to include your business name and contact info when mailing or faxing in your payment. If you have misplaced your invoice, let us know. yvonne@doorcounty.com
For Your Convenience
We are now able to accept American Express in addition to Visa, MasterCard and Discover for those of you who prefer to make your payment by credit card. Call 743-4456 or 800-527-3529
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Weekend Vacancies Wanted
As we head into the Labor Day Weekend, please let our Information Specialists know if you find yourself with any availability this weekend! 920-743-4456 or carolb@doorcounty.com |
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PUBLICATIONS & INNLINE
Cathy Lynch, Manager
2017 Official Visitor Guide Ad Contracts
Contracts for advertising in the 2017 Official Visitor Guide were mailed out the first week in August. If you did not receive one, you can download a copy HERE or contact Cathy Lynch at 920-818-1135 or cathy@doorcounty.com. Please be sure to read the cover letter enclosed with the contract, which describes what we have planned for this guide. The deadline for returning your contract is September 30th. Ad materials are due on October 12th.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
When you complete your Visitor Guide contract, please be sure to sign and date it, regardless of what payment choice you make. We had to sticker the signature area of the contract because our credit card requirements changed, but a signature is required for all contracts.
(The Signature section is found on the last page (page 8) of the 2017 Official Visitor Guide Contract)
2017 Events Wanted
We are currently in the process of compiling event information for the Calendar of Events featured in the 2017 Official Visitor Guide. To submit your event(s) for consideration, please email them to events@doorcounty.com by October 14th.
Please be sure to include the following details:
Date(s)
Event Name
Town/Village
Venue Name
Event Description
Time
Admission
Phone
Web Address
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