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HOW TO: Garner Attention with WGVU Public TV & Radio Online Auction Items

I am excited to announce that I am working with WGVU Public TV/Radio in gathering exciting packages and items for their 2009 online auction – April 13-27 – at WGVUAuction.org.

Last year was the second year of the new format at WGVUAuction.org and it was a tremendous success. The most exciting part was the 10%+ increase in the return on retail value of our items. This year’s Auction is going to be better than ever for all involved.

First off, items will be posted online at WGVUAuction.org the month that they’re collected – which means the sooner you donate, the more online exposure you’ll receive. Potential bidders will be able to view the online packages 24/7 at WGVUAuction.org. Items will be promoted in an e-newsletter, which is sent out monthly to 1500 subscribers. There’s also an increased exposure of your donation during the Preview Show, which runs several times per week for nearly a month leading up to the actual Auction. Not all items will be included in the preview show…but those in by February 1 will be considered based on actual and perceived value (ie “one of a kind” items or experiences).

Many of you have contributed to the WGVU Auction in the past…but my challenge to you this year is to go above and beyond what you did last year, either in terms of the individual package itself or the number of packages. For example, if you gave one weekend stay – consider giving two this year. If you offered a round of golf for two – consider giving a foursome, with cart. The Auction will be divided up into two sections (April 13-20 and April 20-27), so your contributions could be split between the two, giving you even more exposure to this prime demographic market.

Travel- and entertainment-based items seem to do the best (which is good for me, given that’s my area of expertise). These include lodging packages, restaurant gift certificates, winery/brewery tours, concert/theater performances, casino packages, golf packages, museum memberships and things along those lines.

I’m also looking for the “one-of-a-kind” experiences – things like a day with the Brewmaster, a special vineyard tour or barrel sample with the winemaker, a private dinner with a guest chef at the home of the highest bidder, a day of fishing with a pro, a private backyard BBQ party with a local musician/band, backstage passes to a major concert or performance, a round of golf with a pro, etc.

The attached one-sheet has all the specifics about the Auction, such as number of page views, logo impressions, bids placed, registrants and items auctioned.

If you are interested in making a contribution, please complete the form attached and fax it back to me at 269-204-6232. Be sure to include as much descriptive copy as possible (feel free to email that description as a separate document). Then, email a digital photograph or two and a web site address that we may put up with your item on WGVUAuction.org. Remember…the sooner the better…to provide you with the most online exposure.

Download Auction One-Sheet Here

Download Auction Donor Form Here

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You know my long-standing promotional history in Michigan – I will not steer you wrong…and I appreciate your willingness to consider my request!

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WGVU Public Radio & TV are licensed in the Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek designated broadcast market. It is the 38th largest market in the United States, serving over 650,000 television viewers and 32,000 radio listeners weekly. WGVU broadcast stations are licensed to Grand Valley State University, operating from the Meijer Public Broadcast Center in downtown Grand Rapids campus.

__________________________________________________________________________

Dianna Stampfler (Promote Michigan)
WGVU Auction Collection Coordinator
Dianna@promotemichigan.com
269-330-4228

Written on 25 November 2008 by Dianna Stampfler under How To..., Internet Marketing, News with No Comments
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Think Myspace is for teen girls-gone-wild? Think again.

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I read recently that if Myspace were a country it would be the 14th largest in the world.

That’s a lot of people!!

It may not matter to you that millions of people are networking on Myspace but consider this…..many, many, many of them are campers.

We spend a lot of energy deciding what we can do to get more campers in our parks. I’m suggesting we flip that thought process a little and start asking where we can go to get campers?

Myspace is a great place to start.

Another option for you to consider is that you may not have to do a thing. You may already have a Myspace expert on staff. You could think about assigning one of your employees to create your Myspace profile and maintain it for you. I’m willing to bet you have someone on staff (probably several) who’s been managing their own Myspace profile for a long time. You may also be surprised to find that this employee is over 40!!!

Now I am not recommending that you just turn someone loose in creating and maintaining your profile. It is your responsibility to follow up regularly. Check the site. Have your employee keep you up to date with statistics and anything they’ve posted each week. You just won’t have to do the posting and friending and all that jazz. I know you’re busy. I also know that pre and post season can see some lag time for your staff. This is a great job to assign to that one employee who knows how and will help you get there.

Note: Myspace has a reputation for being a little spammy and can be a little vulgar. You have control over what shows up in your profile though and can hit “delete” without a second thought.

One more great reason to create a Myspace profile is that you’ll get a super-huge, fat and sassy backlink to your website. That just means that Google will notice that a high authority site *Myspace* is pointing to your website and Google will give you some love in return. You’ll show up in more places online. That can only be good. ***unless, of course, the police were involved ;-)

Here are a few links to some campground Myspace pages.

Myspace: Middle Creek Campground, Buchanan, VA

Myspace: Two Lakes Campground, Drummond, WI

Myspace: Cabin Creek Campground, Jacksonville, NC

Now. The next thing you need to do is put a link to your Myspace profile on your website. If you don’t know how to do it, let your webmaster do it for you. It’s a two minute job.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at tate@tatefishermarketing.com .  I’d love to help.

Next time we’ll talk about Youtube, having your own account and putting videos of your park on it. It’s a whole lot easier than it sounds. I’ll be writing again in a few days. Thanks for reading.

Tate

Written on 16 May 2008 by Tate Fisher under Employees, Internet Marketing, Myspace with No Comments
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