CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council heard a presentation Thursday during its regular meeting at Clearlake City Hall regarding the Lake County Marketing Plan.
Jill Ruzicka, administrative analyst with the county of Lake, gave the presentation at the request of the council, which was seeking clarification detailing the city's annual contribution to the program.
“I'm glad to see we are doing something a little different than we had in the past,” Councilwoman Joyce Overton said following the presentation, which highlighted new ideas to improve local economies.
City Manager Joan Phillipe said throughout the last few years the city has mulled over a $10,000 contribution made to the county by contract to help fund its marketing program.
She said because there is a contractual obligation, the city did eventually determine this past year to continue the funding but, at the same time, expressed interest in a presentation as to exactly what the plan entails and how it benefits the city.
Ruzicka, who is relatively new to county staff, described revisions being made to the Lake County Economic Development Marketing Strategy Plan to help strengthen and improve it.
The primary focus is to attract visitors to the area for the purpose of enhancing the local economy through purchase of room nights, food and beverage, retail items, transportation, visitor services and more, she said.
“Our job is to get people from outside Lake County to come spend some money and enhance our economy,” she said.
Phillipe said the presentation was timely as the council moves forward with adoption of the Fiscal Year 2014-15 budget.
She said the city's contribution, which is fixed by contract at $10,000, is included in the proposed budget that the council publicly reviewed on June 5.
Should the council want to discontinue participation, it would require termination of the contract, she said.
Ruzicka said revisions to the plan include those to improve contact with cities, chambers of commerce and commercial and governmental partnerships, including those in neighboring counties.
She said relationships are being established with the North Coast Tourism Council and free promotion with the “Visit California” state marketing campaign will be utilized.
New ideas aim to increase outreach through Internet and social media plans that create a bold online presence. She said currently there is at least one post per day to the “Visit Lake County” Facebook page, however, the county is looking to hire someone to enhance social media presence .
“Social media is only as good as the engagement,” she said, “We can share all we want, but if no one is looking at it, it doesn't really mean anything.”
Ruzicka said other new visual marketing techniques include promotional videos helping to brand Lake County as a vacation designation.
She shared three different videos with the council, each highlighting area activities such a local farmers' market, wine and ranch getaways, and more.
Ruzicka also highlighted planned Web site improvements, which include photo galleries of local landscapes, wildlife and recreation, ideally accompanied by stories of people's experiences in the county.
“Lake County is so beautiful, let's sell the county with unique visuals,” she said.
Ambassador programs and courtesy service trainings, she said, are aimed at improving the county's “word-of-mouth” promotion.
“Your brand is not what you say you are. It's what other people say we are,” Ruzicka said.
The marketing budget for the next fiscal year shows a significant shift in funds from visitor services to advertising and promotion.
The intention is to direct more funds into getting people to the area than spending that money on people who have already arrived, Ruzicka said.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
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