BID discusses their plan for marketing and advertising
The BID (Business Improvement District) Board discussed marketing at Thursday's meeting.One great idea that Marshall Steingold (shown above at left with David Collins and Lalo Durazo, board members) spoke about, was doubling the marketing and advertising budget of the BID through co-op money. With the extra money, they can do more than just the main billboard on US1 and 27th Avenue, which they would like to keep forever, if possible. It's almost an entrance sign for the Grove at this point.
The co-op money would come from Grove Merchants and it doesn't have to be cash, they could use "in kind" items like meals from restaurants and hotel rooms, etc. to "pay" for their side of the co-op. Ron Jakubisin, board member (above right, with Mia Stierheim and Frank Couzo), also was very knowledgeable on the subject and spoke of his experiences with other towns and their co-op programs.
I would like to do that myself, with Grapevine ads, you know, an "in kind" trade of advertising for advertising, but I heard from a few reliable sources that the Grapevine is forbidden to be a link from any Coconut Grove official websites, so I assume, we are persona non grata on billboards and magazines, too. I guess I don't always tow the line of the BID or Chamber. They never know what I'll say.
The ironic thing is that I probably bring more out of town visitors to the Grove than any advertising or marketing they could do. People read the Grapevine and see Coconut Grove as a quirky little village and they want to visit and "meet the characters." I can't tell you how many people have come to the Grove, pointed to people and said, "I saw you in the Grapevine!"
Another thing the BID may do regarding the internet is buy search engine placement, in the form of click-thru ads. They would pay up to $1000.00 per month for that, to purchase phrases and get to the top of the search engines.
Photos by AnnaMaria Windisch Hunt
posted by Tom Falco at 11:30 AM
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14 Comments:
I really hope they do their research before blindly dumping a grand a month on PPC/search ads. They can be highly effective, but its easy to burn through a grand on google. They need to make sure the merchants have their sites setup, and the sites they point these search ads to are effective to convert traffic.
If the Grove is to attract more visitors, we need a billboard on I95.
It should be placed on the southbound side between downtown and N. Miami.
If you are not in the BID area or a member of the Chamber, there's no reason either organization should link to your site. On the other hand, since you bring more visitors to the Grove than anything they do, why should you care?
Because I am a free volunteer on every project that comes through the Grove, I link to them, I promote their events daily, they pick my brain in person daily and it is petty for them not to.
That's why.
Grape is at every meeting in town participating and Grape brings more people to the Grove than the Chamber and BID combined. I think they should sit up and take notice and not act like the Grapevine doesn't exist if that is the case.
Nothing is FREE so if there is to be an in kind who gets the other half = cash. Could it be the same person who happens to be VP of the company that has first dibbies on the Sign on 27th and Dixie. Grape deserves to be remunerated for all the pr and social media. This is where it's at. Brian Breslin, social media expert commenting on this blog knows that too. Watch out this is a new world. Forget doing business as usual.
Also Grape is a great investigative reporter. He has scooped the majors on some stories.
Google is best used for online stores that wish to create online sales. Period. To use Google for "branding" the Grove would be, as BB notes, a waste of $$$. I run an ad agency here in Miami, and my first suggestion would be FaceBook, not Google for online.
A couple of us who do this for a living tried to explain this at the meeting, but they shut us down fast.
It is obvious the Grape knows more about what's happening in C. Grove that all other entities combined and it's equally obvious that he cares about our community. I tried to hand the Grape a $100.00 bill once but he refused it. It was my way of stating a sincere thank you for keeping me informed about my community. I operate two business from the Grove and I now feel I have a personal obligation to support the Grape by placing advertising in the C.G. Grapevine and I would like anyone who does business in the Grove to consider running advertising in the Grape to not only help yourself, but to help the Grape remain in our community.
I worked in advertising and branding for quite some time as well and I agree that Google ad words would be a waste of $$$. I like the suggestion of Facebook and better promoting of Grove events thru other forms of social and print/onlne media would be a good idea too.
As for branding of the Grove, I think you have to look at what makes the Grove unique. Things like the Grove Harbor/Marina with sailing, the parks, the very walkable "downtown" area, art galleries, one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, and the laid back lifestyle. Its a shorts, t-shirts, flip flops section in the CITY of Miami. I think when the majority of out-of-towners think of Miami, they think South Beach, glitz and glam, kinda in the same way people think about Las Vegas. The Grove is very different. Its almost more like Fort Lauderdale in the sense that its more toned down and slower paced than Miami but the Grove has more spice to it than Ft Lauderdale. Finding a way to convey the essence of the Grove to locals and tourists is the challenge.
Grape, exactly who is this petty "they" that picks your brains in person (daily, even) from the Chamber?
I'm from the Chamber and in 2 event committees with you, and I do not recall picking your brain any more than you pick mine. I also see no evidence of Chamber board member or staff doing any brain picking.
It may interest you to know that many of us are among the biggest fans of your blog, regularly read it and recommend it to others, and continue to wish it and you much success.
Best regards, L
The Chamber and BID websites are great if you want be told every day that the sun is shining and all is great with the world. If you want the real news and pulse of the Grove the Grapevine is the only way to go.
I was a copywriter back at crispin in the early nineties. We used to buy that billboard on 27th (campaign for the florida panthers, headline "Just regular guys who walk on water") It is one of the most visible pieces of advertising real estate in miami dade. Find the right message, execute it brilliantly, and you'll at least get people talking about the grove. Which is the first step to getting people going to the grove.
Who is doing the creative for that board anyway?
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