CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council got a recent update on the Lake County Marketing Program and its efforts to promote the area.

Jill Ruzicka, senior analyst for the county of Lake, spoke to the council last week, highlighting successes of the program and ongoing efforts to improve tourism in Lake County.

Ruzicka said the main strategy is to market the county as a whole rather the promotion of individual business and amenities.

She referred to this concept as “marketing the cluster.”

“Lake County Marketing Program acts as the destination marketing organization” – or DMO – “for all of Lake County,” Ruzicka said.

“A DMO is an organization whose primary function is to attract visitors to its region for the purpose of enhancing the local economy through purchase of room nights, food and beverage, retail items, visitors services, etc.,” Ruzicka explained.

Ruzicka said the strategy consists of four components: creating a bold online presence, partnerships, hospitality and training, and research and statistics.

The current budget is $404,000, which she said is considerably less than those of surrounding counties.

“Our budget is small compared to everyone else. We have to be smarter and more clever to get the best deal for our money,” she said.

Included in the budget is $210,000 designated for advertising and promotion.

A monthly expense of $2,500 is being used for content marketing through a San Francisco publishing firm that provides a number of feature articles showcasing the history, beauty, recreation and other aspects of Lake County.

Ruzicka said the visitor Web site saw a 109-percent increase following the launch of the content marketing strategy.

“The point is, this is working,” she said. “Our online presence is solid.”

The new visitor Web site is expected to be complete by September, Ruzicka said.

It includes high impact visuals consisting of video interviews of residents and their local interests. “It's people enjoying Lake County, not just beauty shots,” she said.

An ambassador program also is in the making. Ruzicka said a training session is scheduled in May to “train the trainers,” who will later train those wishing to participate in the program.

Email Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .