In a move to consolidate promotion of local hotels and attractions, the tourism organization serving North County announced Friday it will turn over marketing duties to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The planned changeover, which has not been finalized, will result in the layoff of 12 staff members, said Jack Jacobs, chairman of the San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau. Unaffected, he said, will be the bureau’s executive director, Cami Mattson.

The move to subcontract the bureau’s marketing efforts was driven by the San Diego nonprofit that provides a large share of its funding — the Tourism Marketing District.

Formed three years ago by a coalition of hoteliers to boost tourism, the district generates funds through a 2 percent surcharge on hotel rooms within the city of San Diego.

The San Diego North Bureau, which this year is expected to receive $2.7 million from the marketing district, had been promoting tourism throughout North County, not just within northern San Diego.

“San Diego North had a number of cities represented, including Carlsbad and Escondido, some of which put some dollars into the (bureau), but so many hotels that were benefiting were not San Diego hotels,” said local hotelier Robert Rauch, who is a marketing district board member. “So the TMD wanted to make sure that our return of investment is optimized for San Diego hotels.”

Funding that goes to the San Diego North Bureau will now be transferred to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, and that money will be used to promote the roughly 40 hotels from La Jolla to Rancho Bernardo, between Highways 52 and 56, Jacobs said.

“Our area has unique attractions to offer travelers,” he said. “And we need to make sure our story gets told with the biggest bang for our buck.”

Lori Weisberg: (619) 293-2251; lori.weisberg@uniontrib.com

The “undo” button is, admittedly, one of man’s greatest inventions. When we make critical mistakes, isn’t it wonderful to have an “undo” button to erase everything but perhaps the memory of having made an error.

But it wouldn’t hold a candle to a “do” button, if one existed. What are you determined to do in 2010? Chances are you are going to want to tell people about it, advertise it, promote it, sell it and brag about it.

Jim Hance Graphic Communications is here to provide marketing power for whatever your endeavor happens to be this year. Design and writing for great business proposals, marketing brochures, PowerPoint presentations, Websites, press kits, a direct mail piece — everything you might need to push your business to the next level.

That “undo” button I mentioned at the beginning is a great invention, but nothing compared with what you will be doing when you commit to it. What you say and how you say it is critical in determining your success in 2010, and Jim Hance can help you make your point.

Electrical problems and inconveniences at your business can be eliminated with a new outlet, new lighting fixture or an updated electrical panel.
I know an excellent electrician.

Our business networking group’s business-to-business marketing “power group” seeks to add three new members: a sign company, a promotional items specialist, and a meeting planner. If you know of any of these companies in the San Diego area who would be interested in increasing their business through word-of-mouth marketing, have them contact me at 619-203-0522.

Here is a puzzle which will reveal some of the work which I do. I am presenting to a group of business people on Tuesday, and will have the answers to the Jumble in my handout. Enjoy the puzzle.

SPEAK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS

Know and address known concerns of your customers or readers, because they will be foremost on their minds when they evaluate what you are presenting. Write in the customers’ language. Tell them what they will get from your product or service. Appeal to their emotions. Tell a story, paint a picture. Tell them what the product will do for them, not what it is. An 8-megapixel camera with 10x zoom lens may mean nothing to the reader, but if you tell them this camera will let you take pictures that get you closer to the action, that’s valuable information which can make the sale.

SOLVE YOUR CUSTOMERS’ PROBLEMS

Become an expert on every benefit your product or service offers. Develop a profile of the type of customer you are selling to, what the person needs and desires, the person’s most pressing problems, and what will directly solve his problems. Address your customers with an appropriate tone, and use words and phrases the customer likely uses. Use strong, active language to describe the most appealing benefits of your product or service. Make an offer they can’t refuse, and include a call to action. You will know you addressed your customers and their problems when the orders come in.

USE ACTIVE VOICE

Use active voice to get your readers attention, and make your point clearly. The guidelines are clear on the use of passive voice:

Worst: The passive voice should be avoided.
Bad: The passive voice should be avoided by writers.
Better: Writers should avoid using passive voice.
Best: Writers should use active voice.

DON’T MAKE FALSE PRODUCT CLAIMS

Everyone has highly sensitive BS detectors these days. Readers can tell when you’re trying to sell them something. Passion and commitment for your product is a good thing, but expect that readers will spot it when you are the least bit dishonest. I was in “traffic school” a week ago, and the instructor began telling stories about how he rides his bicycle in traffic. “Forty miles per hour — that’s the speed I ride my bicycle.” Being a longtime cyclist, I had to challenge him on this. Lance Armstrong doesn’t maintain that kind of clip. Nothing that instructor had to say the rest of the class had much meaning to me, and the only thing I particularly remember from the experience is that he didn’t know what he was talking about, at least when it came to how fast he could ride a bicycle. Be aware that any false claim you make about your product or service will be spotted, and remembered. Once your reader recognizes that you have misrepresented your product or service, he will be resistant to any offer you make.

“It’s true. The early bird gets the worm. So does the late bird, and the bird in-between. Because by design, there are always more than enough worms. In fact, the only bird that doesn’t get a worm is the bird that doesn’t go out to get one.”
— Mike Dooley

One of my clients, a government contractor, has been awarded $750 million in government contracts this year with the proposals and presentations I designed. A typical proposal requires two or more binders of information covering every aspect of the proposed work including a thorough description of the scope of work, a plan for implementation, specific design approach to solving problems inherent in the work, description of the team of individuals responsible for each part of the work, description of previous experience which qualifies the team to undertake this project, and tables for all costs involved.

Well-designed proposals which feature a comprehensive assessment of the proposed project with graphics which visually support the company’s credibility are required in getting a large contract award. How well the proposal information is presented is viewed as an indication of how well the company can follow through with the actual work, even if that work may be about moving dirt or building a runway. Several copies of this set of information are delivered to the contracting agency in advance of the due date so that various decision makers each get their own copy. For one proposal project, I produced a total of 108 binders of information (54 were delivered in cartons to the agency, and a duplicate set of 54 were available to express ship in case the first set is lost in transit).

After the proposals are reviewed, my client has hopefully been selected to present an oral presentation in person to the agency. For that, I produce PowerPoint presentations, or printed marketing collateral which can be left with the interviewers to help sell the company after the interview. So far 2009 has been a successful year for my client, with the potential of adding to the list of contracts they have won.

Some companies have their own staff of engineers, designers and editors to prepare their proposals, presentations and marketing materials. I am available on a freelance basis to contractors who need to outsource their proposal design services. Call Jim Hance at 619-203-0522 to discuss your proposal project and needs.

I have belonged to a business networking group which meets in La Mesa for about three years. The benefit to small companies of belonging to a business network is the opportunity to get business referrals from other companies as though they are your sales force. This works best when you are not in competition with a similar company in the network, and your network includes companies which naturally receive a volume of business which they can refer to you. I belong to a team which includes a printer and an IT specialist. There are other companies in the network, but most of our business network referrals come from one another. The three of us constitute a “marketing power team.”

We would very much like to add the following companies to our marketing power team: a sign company, an advertising specialties company, an SEO specialist, a Web developer, a product photographer, and an event planner. Other categories of professions we would welcome include chiropractor, florist, handyman, painter, plumber and trust attorney. Anyone interested in more information on our Wealth Builders business network can call me at 619-203-0522, or visit our Website at www.bniwealthbuilders.com