Conference goers at Growing the North this morning heard from international tourism expert Roger Brooks.
Brooks told the crowd that 97 per cent of the marketing that is done by businesses and communities is ineffective.
“Here’s the big question you have to answer: what do you have that the people you’re trying to attract as customers for you in business or as communities? What do you have they can’t get or do closer to home if they live in Edmonton, or Calgary, or Red Deer, or Dawson Creek?”
His advice is to narrow the focus to what you can offer that no one else in the world can, and to promote that completely.
He also went through the advertisements for several Canadian cities, and pointed out that the words used could describe nearly any city in Alberta.
He argues to better market your business or community, you need to “jettison the generic”.
“I want you to look at your tag lines, I want you to look at your logos, look at your brochures, look at your website, read your introductory text, and if it can fit anyone else, anywhere else in your market, you need to toss it and start over.”
The Growing the North conference concludes this afternoon at Evergreen Park.