Like a 1960s Nancy Claster calling out to all of her viewership through her magic mirror, I’m looking out:

“I see Johnny, and Suzie, and Veronica, and Bobby, and Martin…….”

Regardless of your name or your game, if you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, you’ve come to the right place.

• Do you want to enhance the creative aspects of your Destination Marketing Organization and save money?
• Are you a creative person, or do you employ a creative person?
• Do you get excited when you read the words “Bonus Tips?”

Strange Times…Bring Strange Measures
The pandemic has a lot of individuals in unique positions where they may be handling more creative aspects of the company than they’re used to. If you happen to be that potato, or you’re someone that works in a creative capacity in the (destination) marketing world, these are tips that will serve to keep your creative process buttoned up—and with money left over to buy a tie.

If you’re none of the above, this is the perfect time to copy, paste and send this article to “Suzie over in Creative.” (Hey, “Suzie over in Creative!”)

Get Your Assets in Order and Get Them Organized

It can be a pain upfront, but it will save you an untold amount of time in the long run. You’ll be able to quickly retrieve the files that you need for your own creative and send on-demand to anyone else that needs them. For the destination marketing world, we recommend the following categories as a guide for organizational structure:

• COVID-related resources and assets
• Meeting facilities, convention centers, unique venues, outdoor event opportunities and greenspaces
• Hotels
• Attractions, both indoor and outdoor, and activities for team building
• Airport/transportation
• Wellness

Tip: Separate into two branches for photo and video, and consider uploading your branding materials such as logos and fonts into respective folders for a full spectrum of access.

Upload Them to the Cloud

Living with your head in the clouds isn’t always a bad thing. This isn’t about just keeping your assets organized; it’s about saving money. In the long run, you’ll spend far less time dealing with making the process a smooth operation, not only for your internal team, but for the agencies you work with. The ease of both sharing and accessing will make the time spent organizing and uploading well worth it. Giving proper accesses and labeling each photo with proper attribution is key to rounding out a successful asset sharing system.

Choose the Right Kind

When was the last time you surveyed your asset collection? Are you showcasing what is relevant to now and beyond? Greenspaces? COVID-19 protocols in your meeting space? Socially distanced meetings? Do your assets provide all of the materials planners are naming as top priorities? If not, jump into action! Reach out to hospitality partners to see if you can get your hands on the right kind of assets. For a deeper dive into imagery for destinations, check out the eBook we wrote on the topic. Sometimes, you have to go to work in creating the photo you need from original assets and stock imagery, like these, for example:

Don’t Wait for the Dog to Bite

Train it out of the gate. The key to staying on brand doesn’t lie in catching branding atrocities as they happen, but in ensuring your brand guidelines have the right stuff from the get-go. Everyone knows logo usage belongs, but what about the rest of the treats?

• Font usage for web, print, headline, and body
• Live links for font, logo, and brand asset files
• Photo selection, usage, and attribution
• Brand tone
• Brand name rules

Tip: If you don’t have an in-house brand manager or a marketing team, designate someone as the gatekeeper (We promise it won’t be anything like this scene, gatekeeper).

Make an Impact…Be Bold

Everyone is going to market right now with everything from awareness to safety, and they’re walking the catwalk with extra pep in their step if they know what’s good. Now isn’t the time to be conservative—it’s time to be bold.

“Don’t aim for ‘better’. Aim for ‘different.”

Create something that stands out in a destination marketing world that’s filled with sameness. Need a lookbook for inspiration? Look no further: Be Diverse

Make sure your assets are representative of a diverse audience. With a social-conscious, millennial customer base, staying on point in this regard is more important than ever. When was the last time you thought about swapping out that header image or video on your homepage?

Bonus Tips
The playwright Henrik Ibsen once said, “If you put a gun in Act I, it damn well better go off by the end of the play!”

So, without further ado, the “Bonus Tips”…do with them what you will:

• Get verified on Instagram to make the most of Instagram stories: Drive more traffic by creating short videos that call attention to your great blog content and allow for linking by swiping up.
• Put the mouse down, and step away from the computer, slowly…seriously. For any creative position, it’s important to step away and get some fresh air. You’ll be shocked at how differently you’ll see a particular piece of creative once you look upon it with fresh eyes.
• Take advantage of the power of Google Slides: If you’re still using PowerPoint exclusively, you’re missing out. Cross-collaborate with team members seamlessly and bring your presentations some life.
• Be sure you’re on-trend.
• HAVE FUN…Otherwise, what’s the point?

Need some creative mojo? Whether you’re a Billy, a Bobby, a Lucinda or an Esther, we’ve got you covered!