Chamber launches new marketing strategy

The Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce announced a new strategy for advertising the community last week.

For years, the chamber has had an advertising committee tasked with spending its allotted membership fees and proceeds from the Festival of Arts to advertise Bigfork, said Bruce Solberg, executive director of the chamber.

Now, the chamber intends to roll all of that into a marketing program, which will look more closely at how to effectively spend and target those funds to remind people that Bigfork is a village for all seasons and does not close down after the summer.

"We're kind of excited about it," Solberg said. "It will be a way to measure results."

In the past, budgeted dollars have been spread across radio, print and a few online advertisements without much planning, Solberg said.

"We were just spending rather than putting a plan together to get the most out of our buck," Solberg said.

And that's exactly what the intention is with the new marketing committee – to be more proactive. Solberg says the goal is to develop and implement what the group can of a plan in 2010 to lay the foundation to become effective in 2011. Though the new marketing strategy was officially announced at the Dec. 2 chamber dinner, many people had already expressed interest in getting involved prior, Solberg said.

He hopes this new approach will rejuvenate advertising efforts and get more members involved.

"It's in the best interest of everybody," he said. "We want people to come in the shoulder seasons."

The committee will collaborate with Edge Communications, which does public relations work for the chamber.

The chamber is soliciting help from as many people as possible for ideas and participation. All members are welcome to come to committee meetings, which are the Tuesday prior to the chamber's board meeting each month. For those who can't physically attend committee meetings, Solberg encourages sending suggestions to the chamber directly.

For more information, contact the chamber at 837-5888.

Also at the chamber dinner, Donna Lawson was awarded the first "Little Red Hen Society" award. The award was created in honor of Elna Darrow to recognize an outstanding volunteer. Darrow, who along with her husband George owned Kootenai Galleries on Electric Avenue for 30 years, died last February. She was involved in nearly every community group and event that Bigfork had to offer. George and other family members were present to give the award.

New board members were also announced at the dinner. Lawson, Gretchen Gates, John Lang, Rick Morris, Erica Yates and Angelia King have all joined the 15-member board of directors and will start their terms in January.