By Tiffany Dowling
Sept. 1, 2011
Because our marketing and media company is based out of Lansing, Mich., we see a lot of negativity when it comes to our state. To combat this view, we put together a two-week social media road trip to give the state a much-needed PR boost. During “#MeetMichigan with @m3_group,” we visited all 83 counties in Michigan from June 21 through July 8, 2011 in an effort to spread positivity, show how social media can reach businesses and communities great and small and get the real story of tourism and business opportunities in Michigan.
Our goals were simple: promote Michigan tourism, encourage buying locally, demonstrate the power of social media to put local destinations on the map and showcase the positive economic atmosphere that is turning Michigan around.
How did we come up with this (admittedly) crazy idea and pull it off in a little more than a month? Well it wasn’t easy, and the lessons we learned from #MeetMichigan will be valuable to any small or midsized agency looking to implement big campaigns without a lot of time or funds.
Make Big Ideas Happen
Part of the magic of #MeetMichigan is that it was a big idea: 83 counties in two weeks sounds impossible, right? While some big ideas might seem unfeasible, brainstorm how to make them realistically happen. Follow through with the nuts and bolts — such as budget, timing and resources — before completely ruling out an idea. If you truly love an idea and think it might make a big impact, give it the time it deserves.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Hope for the best, plan for the worst. When prepping for a big PR campaign, it’s best to have all bases covered, especially where media is concerned. Before a plan is put into action, make sure to do your homework. #MeetMichigan required tons of backend preparation and research to make sure the idea was original, gauge interest and make connections with businesses and potential stops on our trip.
To ensure that everyone involved was on the same page and fully understood the ideas behind #MeetMichigan before contacting any potential partners or media, we put together a creative brief, complete with projected budgets, objectives and talking points. This document explained both internal and external messaging for the trip, as well as provided some relevant articles to inspire us. When the media came knocking, we were ready to answer their questions consistently and with plenty of information.