This presentation will outline strategies for engaging the online influencers community, hosting a successful blogger event, and measuring success. The presentation will discuss leveraging resources, repurposing and integrating content, and how to make the most out of your user generated content.

1. Blog This Not That:
Engaging Online Influencers
Michelle Kershner
Visit Frederick
Brittany Diehl
Downtown Frederick Partnership

2. Two Case Studies
•Frederick Restaurant Week Sneak Peek Tour
•Instagram Photo Walk

3. What is Influencer Marketing?
•Focus is placed on specific key
individuals rather than the target market
as a whole.
•It identifies the individuals that have
influence over potential buyers, and
orients marketing activities around
these influencers.
-Wikipedia
Examples:
Bloggers, consultants, industry
analysts, celebrities, active community
members, social media enthusiasts —
people who influence your buyers’
decisions.
A Word on Journalism “Usually if it's newsworthy, I'll cover it. But it's not a favor, or in exchange for
anything (such as money or a gift). It's because I'm a journalist and it's my job
to cover newsworthy information.”
– Journalist, 2013 Frederick Restaurant Week Tour

4. Go Ahead, Talk About Us!
Twitter
@TourFrederickMD
@DwntwnFrederick
@FredRestWK
Instagram
@VisitFrederickMD
@DwntwnFrederick
@FredRestWK

6. What IS Instagram?
“Instagram is an online photo-sharing, video-sharing and social
networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos,
apply digital filters to them, and share them on a variety of social
networking services, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. A
distinctive feature is that it confines photos to a square shape, similar to
Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid images, in contrast to the 16:9 aspect
ratio now typically used by mobile device cameras. Users are also able
to record and share short videos lasting for up to 15 seconds.”
-Wikipedia
“When it’s hard to communicate in words, sometimes photos
make the task easier, especially when you're bumping up against
Twitter character limitations or struggling with self-consciousness
as you attempt to express yourself fully on Facebook, where
everyone and your distant aunt is on your friends list.”
-Zohra Ashpari, PC World

7. Instagram: The Basics
•
•
•
•
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150 million active users
16 Billion photos shared
1.2 Billion likes daily
55 Million photos shared daily
Mobile platform- available via Apple App Store, Windows
Phone Store & Google Play
thephoblographer.com
Nitrogram, 2014
MediaBistro, 2014

8. Enhance, Optimize
& Share
•
•
Enhance & adjust
with filters, extra
darkness & frames
Create catchy
captions & make
photos searchable by
using hashtags
What’s a hashtag?
Fun Fact: The most popular hashtag on Instagram is #nofilter
(TrackMaven)
The # symbol, called a
hashtag, is used to mark
keywords or topics in a
Tweet. It was created
organically by Twitter users
as a way to categorize
messages.
-Twitter

9. Instagram
Handle, AKA,
username
Instagram can be accessed on a phone, tablet or
computer, however photos can only be posted using a
mobile device.

10. Measuring Results on Instagram
•
•
Trial & Error: what does your
audience respond to? Observe
likes, comments & gained
followers to help determine the
types of photos your audience
is interested in.
Track statistics with Statigram

11. Instawalks, Instagram Meet Ups & More!
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•
•
Instagram events are everywhere - some are formal,
some are informal; some large, some small.
The concept has gotten so popular that Instagram
has paired up with Meetup to help facilitate
Instagram Meetup’s all over the world
Most are organized casually and with just a few
steps- why not host your own?

12. Instagram Walk Tips from
•
•
•
•
Meet at a bar or park: Start casually and discuss your favorite filters and photo techniques with
other Instagrammers
Photowalk: Pick a route in your city and spend an hour or two snapping photos with other
Instagrammers
Scavenger Hunt: The NYC Instagram crew organized a photo scavenger hunt — over 50 people
participated, snapping photos of everything from “someone eating a hot dog” to “5 or more
strangers in a conga line.”
Keep it simple: The goal is to get other Instagrammers together to meet one another, so meeting
in a bar or park is a great option for your first meetup. There’s always time to organize more
elaborate meetups!
Organized
Instagram Meetups
happen in more
than 575 cities
worldwide.
#instawalk is tagged over 44,000 times on Instagram!

13. The Art of Marketing: Artomatic @ Frederick

14. Inside Artomatic
•
•
•
•
•
Month-long exhibit
Over 300 artists occupying more than
40,000 square feet
Featuring art of all kinds using every
medium imaginable (including silkworms!)
Live performances
Tourism Council & Downtown Frederick
Partnership charged with marketing the
event
Artomatic@Frederick creates community, builds audience and expands economic
development by transforming available space into a playground for artistic expression. Unjuried
events showcase creative work in visual art, performing art, music, dance and film.

15. Why Host an Artomatic Photo Walk?
• Bring recognition to Artomatic. What better way to showcase
40,000 square feet of unique artwork than with a platform like
Instagram?
• Create lasting (& “in real life!”) connections. By inviting our
Instagram connections, we were able to establish connections
that go beyond ‘liking’ each other’s photos.
• No-cost marketing. Because we were able to leverage our
relationship with an organization who had already organized a
sneak-peak event and we used social media and email
marketing to target possible participants, our event budget
ended up $0.

16. Implementation
•
•
•
•
Step 1: Engaged Frederick Gorilla, who was
already planning to host a sneak-peak, VIP
event to kick off Artomatic
Step 2: Invite influencers- we identified
Instagrammers who had large followings and
were very active and sent them personalized
invitations. We also reached out to our
followers and invited them to attend.
Step 3: Collect RSVPs. By requiring
attendees to pre-register, we had an idea of
how many participants to expect on event day.
Step 4: Hold event!
Make it exclusive: by giving your participants a sneakpeak, behind-the-scenes look, or VIP access, you’re
adding an extra level of enticement to participate in your
event. Make your attendees feel like they’re getting
something really special.

17. The Rules
• Encouraged to have a public account. Photos from open accounts
are trackable. Since only public photos were viewable to us, only
those with public accounts were eligible to win a prize.
• Use these hashtags:
• #FPWartomatic
• #artomaticfrederick
• #downtownfrederick
• #visitfrederick
• We also encouraged participants to tag and followour own handles.
This not only help us track photos, but also broadened our everyday Instagram audience and helped us start lasting connections
with our participants.
Hashtags helped us to easily track participation.
Photos tagged with the above hashtags
appeared before our eyes as the event began.

18. Challenges
• A user can’t be forced to have an open
account, meaning we couldn’t track
EVERY photo taken
• Photos did not belong to us, so unless
we asked participants to send us their
photos, we could not easily save them
for our own use.
Why might someone not have an open
account?

19. Results
•
•
•
168 photos tagged within an hour- photos
showed unique perspectives and featured
many different aspects of Artomatic
50 participants
GREAT feedback- in an informal poll of
participants, feedback came back positive.
Our attendees had a great time while helping
us to promote Artomatic.
"I had a great time learning the
social aspects of Instagram
and the #Hashtag. I felt it
made me and my wife more
engaged during the event, as
we were seeking out more
creative ways to capture the
exhibits and share with others"
-Hunter, #FPW Participant

20. A Delicious Love Story:
Frederick Restaurant Week
#FredRestWK

21. Frederick Restaurant Week Goals
Encourage local community to participate
in Frederick Restaurant Week
Entice DC and Baltimore residents to drive
less than one hour to Frederick to
participate
Establish Frederick as a dining destination
#FredRestWK
March 3-9, 2014
Fixed-Price Meals at
Mouth-Watering Prices
Get some buzz on Restaurant Week
Build positive relationships
#FredRestWK

22. The Plan
“Sneak Peek Frederick Restaurant Week”
We provide a sneak peek of
Frederick Restaurant Week
menu items.
Writers tweet, Facebook,
Instagram and post to give
the scoop to their audiences.
Just finished 3rd Sneak Peak
Tour.
First Sneak Peek tour partnered with GM to bring DC-area
food bloggers to Frederick via GM cars.
#FredRestWK

23. The Plan
How did we discover and
identify influencers?
Year 1:
Chevy Partnership/DC Only
Year 2:
Local/regional bloggers,
publications’ digital outreach
designees, attendees from year
before
Year 3:
All those invited in past, referrals
from past attendees, traditional
media, additional research
What did we look for?
•Good fit!!
•Credibility
•Quality Content
•Frequency of Engagement
•Professionalism
•Passion
•Reach
•Long-Term/Future Potential
•New Market?
“I am very picky about choosing other brands that I want to represent. I only ever promote or
work with brands that I would personally buy or believe in and have the same ethical
standards as.” – Anonymous
#FredRestWK

24. Party of 3
Courting the Influencers: What they bring to the table
•Geographically Targeted Demographic - DC
•Targeted Audience - Food
•Y1: 42,925 - Cumulative Unique Monthly Views (UMV)
•Y2: 12,880 - Cumulative Twitter Followers
Look at Year One Attendees
UMV: 13,484
1,813 followers
UMV: 1,429
UMV:
555
1,042 followers
3,409 followers
UMV: 506
UMV:
1,210
1,230 followers
UMV: 25,000
3,364 followers
409 followers
UMV: 741
1613
followers
#FredRestWK

25. The Details: Setting the Mood
•Restaurant participation
•Invitation
•Dine at 3-5 restaurants
•Limited Spots
•Swag Bag
•Prize: 2 $50 Gift Cards
#FredRestWK
Adjusting Over Time
Divided groups after first
year to have diverse
posts and experiences.
Gathered at beginning
and end as a group.

26. Wooing the Writers
4-5 Restaurants ● Eat ● Drink ● Tweet ● Post ● Blog ● Video
“All journeys have secret destinations
of which the traveler is unaware.”
-Martin Buber
Goal: To become that secret destination. We are worth the drive.

27. Wooing the Writers– What Worked
4-5 Restaurants ● Eat ● Drink ● Tweet ● Post ● Blog ● Video
“Everything about the tour
was great! We were all
treated like rockstars and
made to feel very special.
“Everything was great, from
the way the schedule
was organized, to the
small groups trying a
selection of restaurants, to
everyone gathering at the
end to eat together.”
I loved that each chef came
out to tell us about the history
of the restaurant, the menu
and the dishes we were
tasting.
There was a lot of attention to
detail and we were
pampered!”

28. Wooing the Writers– What Worked
4-5 Restaurants ● Eat ● Drink ● Tweet ● Post ● Blog ● Video
Detail-oriented
Advanced Information
Access to Chefs
Chance to network IRL
Build Relationships: With
Us, With Each Other, With
Restaurants.
Fun!
Year 2 Group

29. All fun at first…but where is this going?
Type
Results
Impressions
Original Tweets
44
124,515
Re-Tweets
13
26,458
Blog Posts
14
70,564
Online News
1
985,062
TOTAL
72
1,206,599
Results: Feel the Love (Year 1)
•Over 1.2 Million Impressions
•Over 14,000 visitors to the Restaurant Week website
•Facebook #3 referrer to website
•Strong blogger referrals
Content• Relationships• Marketing Goals

30. Year 2 Results
Year 2 Results:
•102 #FredRestWK on #Instagram Feed
•10 Blog Posts
•Reached 5,539 organically via FB during RW
(120% increase)
•Twitter Reach: 410,949 / @FredRestWK
mentions

31. Year 3 Results
Year 3 Results (Short Term):
•59 #FredRestWK tags on Instagram in less than 72 hours
•800 “likes” on Instagram
•Reach=5,352 followers on Instagram
•FB Page likes up 7.5% (one week stats)
•2,887 Weekly Total Reach via Facebook (one week stats)

32. “Say That You Love Me”
“…the culinary offerings are well worth the
40 mile drive. In fact, Frederick has
become one of my favorite dining
destinations.”
“I left Frederick Restaurant Week with
thoughts of returning at least on an annual
basis.”
“Frederick, Maryland - a beautiful little
hidden treasure an hour outside of D.C.”
“Frederick has a super cute downtown
and some intriguing restaurants, I
definitely want to corral a car and head up
there again this summer.”

33. Changing Perceptions One Bite at a Time
I just wanted to say thank you so much
for hosting me this weekend in Frederick.
I must say-- I had never been and you
really changed my perception of the
quality of food the town has to offer. It
was a very well organized tour, and I had
a great time. I did go ahead and post
about it on my blog today... I hope to
nudge a few DC snobs to head out there
for Restaurant Week :)
– February, 2014

34. Residual Results & Benefits: Spillover
Frederick “reminded
me how into the
Civil War I used to
be, and motivated
me to make some
trips up to area
battlefields this
summer.”
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber

35. Residual Results & Benefits
Residual Results
• Local & regional press
•Invited to DC area foodie radio show
•Restaurant sales up 25%
5000000
4000000
3000000
2000000
1000000
0
FY11
FY12

36. Bring it home.
Implementing a blogger event.
Budget=$0
Time
Setting up Tour & Coordination
Show Me the Money
(psst…we didn’t have any for this)

37. Bring it home.
Implementing a blogger event
Determine: Does it fit into an overall plan?
Define Scope
Pull in Partners
Determine Influencers / Invitees
Plan - hashtags, photo releases, MOU, etc.
Implement
Follow up / Track

38. Bring it home.
Implementing a blogger event
Look to Other Audiences
Retail Store
Tech Products
Services
Nightlife
Families Fun
Music
History and Heritage
Festivals & Events
Sports
Comp Tickets, Behind the Scenes Tours,
New products, etc.

39. Bring it home.
Implementing a blogger event
Tips:
•Target appropriately!
•Ride the wave of success.
•Partner with those more
influential than you.
•Encourage bloggers to
disclose what you offered
to their audience.
•Be specific in your offer
Caution:
•Can speak negatively
•Choose your
representatives wisely!!
#FredRestWK
“The biggest decision comes from
whether or not the pitch fits my point of
view. I've learned to say no (even to
paying opportunities from well-known
brands) if it doesn't.”
Whether or not they appear to disclose paid relationships (either via
money or product/experience). Watch the influencer's activity
before pitching. How is the writing? What's the point of view and
voice? How is the social media etiquette, and is the influencer
*good* at creating conversation online?
There are many bloggers that will do ANYTHING for a buck. I
would be wary of bloggers that don't show brand loyalty (i.e.
will promote 10 different brands of yogurt).

40. Top 10 Tips
Top ten tips via http://econsultancy.com/
1. Get their name right
2. Know who you are talking to
3. Suitable content
4. Speak their language
5. Make it simple
“Look for bloggers that you feel fit with your brand. It
definitely pays to choose bloggers with a large
following, but they're not ALWAYS the best to
represent your brand. Make sure that they don't
contradict your brand and promote viewpoint/products
that are opposing.”

41. Top 10 Tips
6. Be flexible – bloggers have the luxury of being their
own editors - let them put their stamp on it and don’t be
too controlling.
7. Add value – Share insights, information and content.
8. Provide access – Give them something they couldn’t
have got on their own, including audience reach.
9. Listen – pay attention to what the bloggers are saying
and be attentive at all times.
10. Cultural sensitivities – be aware of cultural differences
when dealing with international markets.
“Be a real person.
Send an email that
has a catch, unique,
personal subject.
Engage in social
media. Be responsive.
Understand the
blogger/influencer's
point of view before
pitching. Don't expect
content for free.”

42. When this is done well…
Who knows where new relationships will lead?
Because that relationship lasts…
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out
over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never
break off from the journey.”
-Pat Conroy
Because New Relationships Take You Down New Roads

43. And those relationships last…
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is
played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.
The mind can never break off from the journey.”
-Pat Conroy

44. Questions?

45. Michelle Kershner
Britt Diehl
Marketing and Communication Manager
Tourism Council of Frederick County
Promotion & Social Media Manager
Downtown Frederick Partnership
301-600-4023
mkershner@fredco-md.net
www.visitfrederick.org
301-698-8118
brittany@downtownfrederick.org
www.downtownfrederick.org
@tourfrederickmd
@DwntwnFrederick
facebook.com/visitfrederickmd
facebook.com/DowntownFrederick