2010 - 2011 Marketing Plan
2010 - 2011 Marketing Plan - WEBSITE ADVERTISING
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WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT & MAINTENANCE
Objective:
* The www.goMendo.com website will be redesigned in 2009-2010 to reflect the updated Visit Mendocino County, Inc. positioning and marketing materials
* Website to become a “cruise ship on land” becoming more user friendly to current and potential visitors
* Through website use, encourage visitors to visit Mendocino County more often and stay longer
Strategy:
* Visit Mendocino County, Inc. will work with a board appointed committee to implement the following recommendations:
Tactics:
*Database redesign- Redesign database with non-proprietary software to allow staff to easily update content and move it to an independent server without affecting functionality. Our current database was created by Dobay Design using proprietary software. This software limits our database’s versatility because we are dependent on a single individual to do HTML work and resolve problems
* Project manage a complete redesign of the website layout and overall design using a bidding process
* Have E-Vision develop the site map to maximize search engine optimization
* Send out an RFP for a designer to use suggested site map and current database (moved over to a more user friendly format as mentioned above) to design the site based on Marketing Study recommendations to ensure ease of use for visitor as well as functionality
* .mobi version of goMendo.com- Redesign website so it is available in an easy to use mobile device format thru .mobi technology. .mobi sites must be optimized for viewing on a mobile phone. The main advantage of .mobi, from the users' perspective, is that they are theoretically guaranteed a site optimized for usage on the go
Site specific recommendations:
* Homepage- the homepage needs to reflect the look and feel of the new fulfillment piece and its messaging. We need to clearly identify the location of Mendocino County in California and provide compelling pictures and content that invites the user to delve deeper into the website
* Content- the website should be reorganized into searchable regions. Within those regions the visitor can search accommodations, services, attractions, events and activities relevant to that region
* Website Imagery/ Design- We need to update the design of gomendo.com to reflect the new fulfillment piece and its design elements
* Photography- we need to include more photos of people having fun in Mendocino County as well as landscape shots
* Visitor testimonials- Randall recommends that we scatter visitor testimonials throughout the site
* Homepage buttons- The main menu buttons should be reorganized in the following fashion:
* Media & Press button- link to page listing PR agencies, links to press releases, press kit, story ideas, news headlines (link to database of reviews and articles) and downloadable photo gallery similar to Sonoma Valley’s at http://www.sonomavalley.com/index.php/Table/media/.
* Request Visitors Guide (RVG) button- the RVG button will link to a short survey to obtain visitor data and contact information similar to Sonoma Valley’s survey at http://www.sonomavalley.com/index.php/component/option,com_forme/Itemid,198/. Data will be analyzed annually. The RVG button should be a tile on all the Visit Mendocino results pages
* Follow Us Tile- This should be a tile that lists clickable social media logos that lead the visitor to follow pages for the various social media platforms
* Meeting & Event Planners button- should lead to a results page linked to the database that is similar to Sonoma Valley’s event planning page located at http://www.sonomavalley.com/index.php/Table/event/meetingplanning-weddings/
* Business Travel button- a directory of services available to business travelers in Mendocino County. Button would link to a directory of office supply retailers, printers, meeting spaces, etc.
* Maps button- On the homepage we will need to identify the location of Mendocino County relative to the rest of California. I recommend using a map similar to the one found on Sonoma Valley’s homepage at
http://www.sonomavalley.com/. There will be a map button in the menu as well as a link to the same page from the map tile on the homepage. The map page should have downloadable/printable maps similar to Sonoma Valley’s at http://www.sonomavalley.com/index.php/Table/map-pdfs/
Goal:
* A completely redesigned website launched by December 2009
* Maintain a bounce rate of below 20%
* 175,000 unique visitors annually up from 155,000 currently
