“I have a doozy. Our great little city in the southernmost part of Texas is on the border with Mexico, which is having terrible problems now with violence, though we’re fine on this side of the border. But that’s not what people are hearing.
“McAllen has a lot going for it. It was just ranked one of the top economies in the U.S. by the Brookings Institution. It’s right in the middle of the country’s Number One birding destination (the Rio Grande Valley). It’s a well-known winter destination because we’re so far south, and we have an active arts and entertainment culture with lots of Mexican influence.
“How can I turn this situation into something more positive—and do it with no budget? Thanks for any ideas your Hounds can share.”
My niece-in-law is an avid birding enthusiast. She goes just about anywhere to see them and I would think if you found a list of birding enthusiasts (which I am sure there is)you could develop a campaign just for them and get it out either by email, a great postcard or a terrific sales letter. When someone is that passionate about something, they will tell others and the destination will go viral.
Post a brief, open and honest letter from your city’s major about the safety record in McAllen and what law enforcement is doing to deter the Mexican violence from spilling over.
I would further include comments from area residents about how they feel secure in McAllen and invite others to come enjoy the great things it has to offer.
This addresses the challenge up-front and says what the city is doing about it. People want to hear/learn information from people they can trust.
Nancy: Who’s your target market? Has the Convention and visitors bureau in McAllen, Texas decided who you want to campaign to, i.e. senior citizens, retirees, backpackers, student on spring breaks? When you narrow that down, brainstorm with a team on the best approach to market/PR to this group on a shoe string budget. Best, PP
Nancy, once you start incorporating some of these ideas, I’d pitch a story to travel writers, travel bloggers and others who write about travel, telling them what you’re doing, and why.
If you can round up a few other sources from border towns who are doing interesting things to offset the negative publicity on the other side of the border, that could make for an interesting story.
I’d set up one or more Google Alerts on topics like “warm-weather travel spots” and even “violence in Mexico” or something like that, make the Alert “comprehensive” which means you receive all content (news articles, video, blog posts, photos, etc.) and then look for the names of journalists who have written these articles.
Once you have their names, go to the social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and see if they have profiles. If they do, follow them, watch what they’re writing about, and comment! If they have blogs, comment there too.
Blog comments, by the way, are a great way for Publicity Hounds to sneak in to somebody’s blog information that might result in a story idea or a separate blog item for that blogger.
Arrange and promote something fun in your town that will attract people from other areas to take part in the event. Try a concert with a popular entertainer or group. Try a carnival for kids. If the town is safe for kids, it is safe for anyone