Dorchester County Tourism Department Seeks Tourism Marketing Firm

The Dorchester County Tourism Department (DCT) is the county agency responsible for marketing the county to a variety of audiences including local, regional, national and international travelers about the county’s attractions, accommodations and services to increase visitor spending. This is accomplished through providing residents and out-of-area visitors with information and services to ensure a positive trip experience; and positioning Dorchester as a competitive destination. DCT oversees the operations of the Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area (HCCHA). The HCCHA’s primary responsibility is developing heritage tourism products that can then be promoted through the efforts of the tourism department.

Effective communication is critical for operations of both DCT and HCCHA. The department is currently using two brands- the Water Moves Us county wide brand for general marketing and the Harriet Tubman Byway brand in marketing efforts specifically related to Harriet Tubman. The Water Moves Us brand is a partnership with the Dorchester Economic Development and features people who have chosen Dorchester to vacation, to live and/or to work. It reflects the idea that Dorchester’s landscapes and waterscapes are interwoven in our very way of life.  Water is our strongest asset, our history and our future. Dorchester County Tourism will continue to market using this brand to promote general travel to the area. A brand specific to the Harriet Tubman Byway was developed as a part of an Interpretive Planning process for the byway as a result of the work of the HCCHA. The brand features the word FREEDOM and is used in our promotional material when we are only primarily promoting the Harriet Tubman experience. In the past year, we have used this brand in the majority of our marketing because of the opening of the Harriet Tubman Visitor Center. The Visitor Center welcomes approximately 10,000-11,000 visitors a month injecting more than 70,000 new people into the community over the last 7 months.

Scope of Work:

Services within this contract include public relations, advertising placement, graphic design, advertising creative, content development, website maintenance, social media management and stakeholder communication.

The Contractor(s) at the direction of Dorchester County Tourism shall lead a strategic planning effort to establish, define and refine the Department’s overall communication strategy. Within this strategy, the following considerations should be taken into account:

• Treatment of the FREEDOM brand in relation to the Water Moves Us brand
• Overall communication goals
• Current audience and potential audiences
• Current tourism assets
• Potential heritage tourism assets
• Evaluation of current media buys, graphics and response rates

The Contractor(s) at the direction of Dorchester County Tourism shall develop a streamlined strategy for utilizing a mix of these media components to promote both the Harriet Tubman Byway and Dorchester County Water Moves Us Brand.

• Print, Broadcast and/or Digital Advertising;
• Marketing Collateral
• Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube)
• Email marketing – consumer and industry e-newsletter
• Monitor and respond to email inquiries to info@visitdorchester.org and @harriettubmanbyway.com
• Public Relations
• Digital Assets – photography and videography
• Website design and maintenance (VisitDorchester, HarrietTubmanByway.com and IRONClub) including calendar of events, business listings and the development of specific landing pages
• Monitor web analytics for visitdorchester.org and harriettubmanbyway.com The Contractor(s) shall perform service activities to include, but not limited to:
• Media planning and purchasing;
• Campaign evaluation;
• SEO web marketing and evaluation;
• Media requests for images and press trips
• Valuation and tracking of media mentions as a result of public relations
• Scheduled and regular posts on social media outlets that deliver destination awareness and engagement.
• Develop and update brochures and printed pieces that promote Dorchester County including: Dorchester County Visitor Guide and CY 18 Events Guide
• Create fliers, posters, signage, banners, postcards, as needed for Dorchester Tourism, Tubman Byway, Heritage Area, and IRONClub Maryland.
• Develop annual report for Dorchester County Tourism and the Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area

Due Date:

November 19

Address:

Dorchester County 501
Court Lane, Room 108
Cambridge, MD 21613

Strong tourism focused PR firms include 5WPR and Hunter Public Relations.