Posts by Nicole
5 Ways to Keep a Forward-Thinking Mindset
I first wrote down these five steps to keeping a forward-thinking mindset in the fall of 2020. The future was uncertain, and it was hard to stay positive. This week I joined the Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel Retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine and it served as a great reminder to look back at how far…
Read MoreCommitment: Creating World-Changing Collaborations
This is the last post in a series introducing a 3-part framework for creating world-changing collaborations. This framework is based on over 5 years of podcast interviews, over a decade of conversations and first-of-its-kind research. In it, I identified three key parts to creating and maintaining successful world-changing collaborations. 3 C’s framework: Communication, Commonality and…
Read MoreCommonality: Creating World-Changing Collaborations
In the last blog, I shared a 3-part framework for creating world-changing collaborations. The 3Cs framework is a crowd-sourced framework based on over 5 years of interviews on my podcast with professionals from all parts of the travel and tourism industry. From those conversations, I identified three key parts to creating and maintaining successful world-changing…
Read MoreCommunication: Creating World-Changing Collaborations
As we start to look toward the future and recovery for our industry, we have a tremendous opportunity to rebuild smarter. We did it after 9/11 and again after the great recession and we will do it again after the COVID-19 pandemic. We need new thinking and new ideas to help create the new normal…
Read MoreBecoming More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive – Small Steps Add Up
Equitable is one of our core values and in 2020 my team decided to lean into this value. We started by evaluating how we were living up to the value and identifying where we could improve on it. What followed were a series of small steps that lead to a big shift in our company…
Read MoreThe Growing Importance of SEO In Tourism Marketing
SEO is a term we hear often in our marketing and PR circles, but what does it really mean for tourism marketing? What strategies should tourism businesses and destination marketing organizations be focusing on to achieve SEO success? Before I answer these questions, let’s first define SEO. I like the definition provided by MOZ: Search…
Read MoreCreating Your Travel and Tourism Marketing Strategy and Plan
Planning is the most critical thing that we can do for our organizations if we want to continue to grow and be successful. Our process for travel and tourism marketing strategy planning has 7 steps: Research & Discovery, Situational Analysis, Goals & Objectives, Audience & Strategy, Tactical Plan, Measurement and Action Plan. 1. Research &…
Read MoreNavigating Tourism Marketing Now: 10 Themes from 26 Leaders
In July, I attended the Destinations International annual convention in Baltimore Maryland. It was my first live conference and the first convention to take place in Baltimore since before the pandemic. The energy at the event was contagious and the team at Visit Baltimore were amazing hosts. I brought my award-winning, 5-star podcast to the…
Read More7 Steps in Creating a Marketing Plan
Creating a strong marketing plan is an important part of planning for your destination’s year-to-year growth. Writing such a plan should be a collaborative team effort, pooling your team’s knowledge and resources to make sure everyone is on the same page and everyone’s ideas are heard. Breaking down the plan into actionable steps can help…
Read More5 Key Ingredients for Marketing Campaign Success
When I started Break The Ice Media in 2009, I saw how new digital tools were causing PR and marketing to collide and decided to start an agency that would assist small businesses in bringing both disciplines together. Since then, my team and I have been constantly learning and adapting our skills to integrate PR…
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