Pure Michigan Raises the Bar with Statewide Educational Program
Client: Pure Michigan
The Scope
In partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), TwoSix Digital developed and ran one of the first statewide tourism educational initiatives in the country in May, 2016.
This comprehensive program began with 5 regional seminars located throughout the state. These events brought together various elements of the tourism economy in the state of Michigan. CVBs, Chambers of Commerce, non-profits, small business and many other organizations attended these full-day events.
In addition to the regional workshops, DMO or Chamber of Commerce attendees were each also provided with a one hour coaching session. These allowed for specific, tactical questions relating to digital marketing efforts to be asked on a one-on-one basis.
These all-day sessions featured the most pertinent topics today in digital marketing. They were designed to help DMOs inspire, educate and collaborate with their local partners like never before in conjunction with the ongoing marketing efforts of Pure Michigan. This plan was designed to be a “rising tides lift all boats” approach to destination marketing.
The Strategy
TwoSix Digital made great efforts to ensure all attendees, regardless of experience, left with valuable takeaways and action items.
Attendees were encouraged to utilize an online self-assessment tool prior to the seminars to determine their “social media savviness” and gain an idea of how well they integrated best practices into their marketing efforts. This information also provided TwoSix Digital with a framework to build an entire day’s worth of content to cover.
We then crafted a number of sessions covering the following topics:
- Trends in social media
- Content development in social media
- Social media best practices by network
- Content marketing strategies
- Data and promotional distribution
- Exploring opportunities with the statewide tourism brand
To further enhance educational efforts, an online Learning Library was also created with useful articles, infographics and data that was available for attendees.
358
Participating Organizations
474
Total Statewide Attendees
2,276
Learning Library Pageviews
The Results
Upon completion of the program, TwoSix Digital recorded the following:
- 474 total statewide attendees from 358 organizations
- The online Learning Library registered 2,276 pageviews between May and October
- Additionally, 23 organizations set up one-on-one coaching sessions with a TwoSix Digital strategist.
- More than 94% of respondents indicated that they’d attend another event in the future if one were offered.
A post-seminar survey recorded overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees and showed the educational seminars elevated the digital marketing efforts and overall understanding of those in attendance.
