1. Create strategic marketing partnerships with neighboring cities to collectively promote your region and maximize funds, i.e., the “Sunrise Coast” of Michigan, which includes Alpena, AuSable/Oscoda, AuGres, East Tawas/Tawas, Cheboygan, Harrisville and Rogers City; and “The Wilds of Michigan,” which consists of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties. Consider facilitating the effort through your state tourism group, and play around with themes that can include culinary, sports or history.
2. Market in your own backyard, to in-state travelers. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, about 50 percent of hotel stays involve in-state travelers.
3. Optimize your website for mobile and keep content current. Post videos, blogs, reviews and visuals that inspire travel.
4. Develop attractions that will be popular with locals as well as with visitors in order to diversify the tourism revenue schedule.
5. Work with leaders of local industries to identify community assets that lend themselves to tourism marketing. Example: The 2012 Super Bowl program ad purchased jointly by Holland, Mich., on the west side of the state, and the Great Lake Bay Region on the east side of the state. (bit.ly/zfzRmR)
6. Social media is a low cost way to potentially reach many people. This is especially the case when you include opportunities for engagement, like allowing visitors to share their photos or asking for visitors’ feedback on their favorite places in the area.
7. But don’t spread yourself too thin on social media. Pick the channels that you can manage and then manage them well. Once you’ve picked some platforms, make sure to listen to and engage with your audience and integrate them into the conversation instead of simply pushing out content. Establish relationships with consumers and locals who can serve as “ambassadors” for your destination.
8. Market abroad. The Brand USA initiative is a public/private partnership with the mission of promoting travel to the United States to international visitors.
9. If you haven’t already, form a relationship with your state destination marketing organization. There may be opportunities there to pool resources, i.e., Michigan’s Travel Michigan Ad Partnership Program.
10. State DMOs may also offer opportunities to cross-promote events and attractions. For example, Pure Michigan has a statewide events calendar on michigan.org and it is no cost to submit events. Pure Michigan also regularly shares and retweets posts from local communities, including photos, information about events and travel-related news.

Ideas: Illinois Office of Tourism, Michigan.org, others