Marketing the Berkshires Through Opportunity Creation
Our goal as the marketing team at 1Berkshire is to bring people to our region to spend their dollars at your business, and we do this through opportunity creation. Each year, we reach tens of millions of potential and repeat visitors through digital advertising, influencer campaigns, public relations, lead generation, direct-to-consumer e-communications, print media, and more. As indicated by tourism impact data released each year by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, we are succeeding. Berkshire County received $616.4 million in direct visitor spending in 2021. (Data is always one year behind.)
This is very good news for our members. When you purchase marketing through 1Berkshire, you are paying a fraction of the cost to reach these millions of potential customers. Whether it’s a display ad on berkshires.org for an upcoming event, or a text ad in a 1Berkshire Happenings blast to alert the community to a new initiative, we take pride in sharing your message far and wide. Here are a few of the upcoming marketing opportunities that are available to you as 1Berkshire members.
Once again, the Berkshire Flyer rail service will resume between Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekend. This year, there are 2 extended weekends – July 4th and Columbus Day – during which visitors can spend a full 2 days in the Berkshires. If you’d like to reach these consumers, consider advertising in our Berkshire Flyer eblasts.
Reach up to 225,000 NYC residents and 95,600 Boston residents in our co-op eblasts. These communications focus on telling the story of the Berkshires by sharing all the amazing experiences just waiting to be booked.
Each season, we send an e-communication encouraging visitors to revel in spring, soak up summer, fall in love with fall, and explore winter. If you have seasonal-specific offerings, this could be a great opportunity for your business.
Our renewed Berkshires.org is performing beyond expectation. The recently refreshed site offers a variety of new ways to get in front of 1 million visitors each year. What’s really great about these new ads is that they are advertorial – they look like content to entice and engage the user and get them off our site and onto yours.
Host a Journalist
We work with professional PR experts to attract journalists for familiarization tours, otherwise known as FAMs. If you’re willing and able to host a journalist, blogger, or influencer by offering comped lodging, meals, tickets, etc., this is a great way to be featured in widely-read media outlets. Let us know if you’re interested! Also, be sure to keep current images on file with 1Berkshire and let us know what’s new with you and your business – we are asked frequently for suggestions.
Annual Packages for Maximized Ease & Reach
In the position to plan? Like to set and forget your marketing? We can build customized marketing packages to run over the course of 6 months to a year. We are often able to offer discounts on these long-term packages, so contact us today to learn more.
We Are Here to Help
Our team often sits down with members, one on one, to discuss these opportunities in detail. We’re happy to hear about your marketing needs and discuss how we can help meet them. Get started by emailing Elizabeth Nelson, Director of Marketing, at enelson@1berkshire.com.
If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please do not hesitate to reach out. Email sales@1berkshire.com. View our 2023 Media Schedule here.
As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” So too does the entire Berkshire economy and community benefit when any one of us succeeds. Whether you can afford to participate or not, whether you can directly attribute an ad to a customer or patron walking through your door, 1Berkshire’s marketing efforts support your business. We will continue doing our very best to attract visitors as well as relocators to our remarkable region and they will continue to patronize your business. Consider joining us today.
