Helping Conway, SC Tell Its Story

The class was divided into seven teams, each consisting of three to five students.  These teams offered many findings, some obscure and others quite helpful.  Let's take a look the most interesting points.

Billboards Get First Place. This was based on polls of people who lived in or were visiting Myrtle Beach, yet had never visited Downtown Conway.  It appeared that visitors were inconsistent in their viewing of other media such as print, Internet, TV, and radio.  They all drive on basically the same roads containing the same signs which reportedly did influence their decisions.

Conway is Best Received by "Old People". I had to laugh a little when one team, who had polled a mix of CCU students and locals, presented this little bit of info.  They found that the vast majority of people under 35 viewed Conway as "boring".  While those over 35, the "old people"(their words, not mine) enjoyed the downtown area.  I'm 36 and found it slightly disturbing to be grouped with the rest of you "old people".

Open on Sundays. This one came up again and again.  You at least have to give them credit for offering the same recommendation as the state tourism commission and other industry professionals.  People can't be expected to spend the weekend in Conway if they have nowhere to go from 4pm Saturday through to 9am Monday.  I informed them that while open Sundays were a viable business opportunity, they are unlikely to occur due to locally held traditions.  I tend to agree with the merchants, that until Saturdays are more profitable it does not make much sense to start openning on Sunday.  I guess we will remain a day-trip destination for now.

Word-of -Mouth Works Best for Students. Students polled said that they are unlikely to respond to print, radio, or TV advertising.  However a majority said that they often make decisions to go places based on a word-of-mouth recommendations.  I draw from this two ideas.  One is that social media has become the digital word-of-mouth for younger demographics, so businesses may want to consider how to get some of those facebook posts in front of a younger audience.  Secondly, you can buy word of mouth.  Consider a $300 valued prize/s contest instead of a traditional advertisement, the right promotion could generate a lot of buzz around campus.

Conway Main Street's Website is BAD.  One group surprised me with a power-point slide of familiar images from CMSUSA's website.  The team said that an early search for information about visiting Conway displyed the website at the top of the list.  A light chuckle spread across the classroom, as the students suggested that the site may be doing more harm than good.  The concern was that a person may decide not to visit based on the poor representation of the website.  It instantly reminded me of when the previous director Gail had rebuked my polite criticism of the site.  She was quick to inform me that it had actually won an award.  The offending items were the dated pictures of shoppers and a restaurant place-setting.  Never fear, new director Hillary is aware that the site is lacking and I'm sure is planning to rectify the situation.  Actually, I've got a hunch that the wheels of Internet progress are turning as I type.  Look for improvement in 2011. And no, I do not have inside info and have not been asked to assist. 

Students Spending on Food, Entertainment, and Clothing are Worth Consideration. Polled students said that they spend most of their money eating and going out for entertainment.  Spending on clothing and accessories was also decent.  Restaurants specializing in affordable dining, jewelry, and apparel  may want to consider that word of-mouth advertising that was mentioned earlier.

Work Together to Cross Promote.  Almost every team suggested that stores help promote each other to existing customers.  This is done in some form, by some businesses, some of the time.  One specific example that they gave was that the Crafty Rooster could give patrons coupons to the Bodega.  I think a better fit would be the Crafty Rooster to work with the Greek Store, but you get the idea.  It would be a good idea to design a strategy for complimenting business to work together.  And of course there is that idea of a monthly sales flier for D-town businesses to share and distribute in digital and print forms, which has yet to be embraced.

Shopping and Dining is the Hook, Riverwalk is the Bait. One poll asked tourists what would lure them into Conway.  The presence of a marina/park/riverwalk was by far the greatest motivator.  Special events came in second, ahead of shopping and dining.  While we only benefit if these visitors spend money, it is the riverwalk that will most likely bring the into town.

If you would like to read the actual reports stop by Conway Main Street and ask Hillary.  I'll be dropping off copies to her later this week.

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