Frequently Asked Questions & Concerns

 

There are good reasons why 3,000 clients in 40 cities across the country consider us a staple of their marketing and outreach efforts.
And yet, what we’ve found is that some questions and concerns have come up in recent years.

So, let’s have at it…

“We’re already doing market outreach stuff.”

As well you should! We don’t see ourselves as a replacement for your current marketing efforts, but a critical part of it. And so do 3,000 clients of ours, many of whom have been relying on our wide and deep distribution channels to get on visitors’ radar for over 30 years.

“We want to go digital.”

Given how much of our time we spend online, and how dependent our lives have become on internet access and mobile phones, it’s easy to think we live in a digital world. And that’s certainly where a lot of our attention goes.

Fact is, we don’t actually “live” in a digital world. We live in the real world. And if your hospitality business, attraction, or retail shop also exists in the real world (which we’re guessing it does), then chances are you want visitors to show up there, in person.

And while, sure, your guests, clients, and customers may do their share of web browsing and Googling before they take a trip, there’s no substitute for being there, right in front of them, the moment they’re ready to make a decision—to make (or break) a plan, to do something spontaneous, something fun.

“We want to focus on social media.”

You’d be crazy NOT to! Social media is essential for building a brand in the digital age. Where social media really excels is in its ability to maintain relationships with current customers and fans.

But what if you’re not on their radar to begin with? The only way you even SEE Facebook ads in your feed is because of what you’ve liked or searched for in the past.

Being in front of a visitor the moment she’s making an on-the-spot decision about how to spend her time in your city or town is THE critical factor in whether you find new customers. And when you do, you not only reach new clients, customers, and guests—you’ll find new followers and fans for all of your social media platforms.

Put it this way: They can’t share selfies from YOUR establishment if they’re not there to begin with. #picsoritdidnthappen

“We want to go paperless because it’s cheaper.”

Ah, yes. We’ve heard this one before. And we understand that when you’re trying to cut costs, it’s easy to assume that digital is cheaper, and paper is more expensive. ]

Look, any money you spend on solutions that don’t work or don’t work hard enough, is too much money. You could spend hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars on social media campaigns, Facebook ads—and your return will vary. The point being, it’s not necessarily “cheaper” just because it was digital.

And while having digital campaigns should be part of any marketing outreach, the fact is that for the cost of producing and distributing brochures as part of your budget is not only inexpensive, but can generate a far bigger, more consistent return—especially if you’re trying to find new clients.

Want to know just how much? Contact us for a free ROI analysis.

“But isn’t paper wasteful? We want to be eco-friendly.”

In fact, the efficient use of paper distribution can be more sustainable than you think. Check out these insights from Visitor International.

“No one uses brochures anymore.”

Actually, that’s not true. In fact, last year alone, we put our 100 million pieces of our clients’ collateral into the hands of tourists and visitors. (Check out our research section for more.)

“But everyone knows us already.”

We’re sure they do! The question is: Will they remember in that critical moment when they’re making a decision about what to do next?

Your Google ranking and SEO might be amazing—but are they going to remember to search for you in that moment? Standing there in the hotel lobby, conference center, or train station, will they read through the thousands of blogs and rankings and ratings to make a choice? Probably not.

We can all search for anything at any given moment right from our phones—but not just anything can find us.

We turn search on its head: Rather than hope they’ll search for you, we let you find them.

Fargo

"Attracting tourists is an important piece of the puzzle. We rely on CTM to distribute our brochures in our region and plan to continue for many more years to come."

- Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau

"CTM is constantly deriving innovative ways to promote our business, and offers a competitive edge in today's marketing world. Our brochure distribution program is by far one of our top rated promotion avenues."

- Sawgrass Recreation Park

"CTM Media Group is an integral part of our successful marketing program. These campaigns contribute to our strategy of building awareness with tourist, visitors and local residents throughout the year."

- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Chicago Trolley

"From our brochure distribution program to the digital screen network and display headers seen around the city - CTM plays a key role in the marketing our business."

- Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co.

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