EAGLEVAIL — We all want to learn from good teachers. People interested in digital marketing have that chance Nov. 6 at the Vail Daily’s latest Digital Marketing Seminar.
The free seminar at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon will be led by Vail Daily Director of Digital Marketing and Magazines Jim O’Rourke and Vail Daily Digital Marketing Manager Melanie Wittenborn, as well as representatives from the Vail Daily’s new digital partner, Denver-based Adcellerant.
New to the Daily, O’Rourke and Wittenborn are longtime specialists in marketing of all kinds, including print and digital.
Vail Daily Advertising Director Holli Snyder said she hopes people who come leave with an understanding of the digital marketing arena.
“The Vail Daily has been the (valley’s) leading media group with print and magazines,” Snyder said, adding that the Daily wants people to know it has the ability to serve clients within multiple digital channels.
Wittenborn said digital advertising is a way to reach the primary audiences of locals, second-home owners and visitors. Digital advertising reaches out to potential customers before they arrive, she said. Locals also tend to spend a lot of time online, as do visitors when they’ve arrived as they search and browse sites.
While Wittenborn is relatively new to the valley as a full-time resident, she’s spent a lot of time here. Originally from Chicago, Wittenborn’s parents owned a place in Beaver Creek.
Wittenborn worked at an agency in Denver for a number of years with a variety of clients and moved to the valley earlier this year.
Wittenborn worked with small, medium and large clients including 505 Southwest, a food producer, Carpet Mill and Texas-based retailer HEB.
O’Rourke also came to the Vail Valley from the Denver area, and has nearly 30 years of experience in the marketing business, including stints at top-level agencies the Richards Group in Dallas and Integer in Denver.
O’Rourke said when he and his wife were looking for opportunities outside of Denver, he saw the Vail Daily’s job opening and decided to learn more about it.
Snyder said landing both Wittenborn and O’Rourke was a coup for the Vail Daily.
“The knowledge (O’Rourke and Wittenborn) bring to this valley is unparalleled,” Snyder said. “They’re as good as anybody (anywhere).”
In addition to recruiting and hiring O’Rourke and Wittenborn, Vail Daily parent company Swift Communications recently partnered with Adcellerant, a digital agency in Denver. Adcellerant is a leading digital company focused on making quality digital marketing accessible to local businesses. Adcellerant’s team executes more than 20,000 marketing campaigns per year, including programmatic, native, geo-fencing, email and search.
Ultimately, though, why should a Vail Valley business consider a digital marketing strategy in addition to other channels?
“With time spent online growing, so is the importance of being in front of the 1.5 million (Vail Daily page views every month),” Wittenborn said.
O’Rourke noted that the average person’s time spent on digital devices is now double that of daily TV viewership.
Snyder said the impact of digital marketing is its ability to target and follow customers.
Snyder noted that she’s been looking online at a particular pair of boots. That search led to offers on the same boots from other sellers. The right strategy can help businesses participate in putting offers in front of customers’ eyes.
You can learn more about being in the right space, at the right time, at the Nov. 6 seminar.
Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at [email protected] or 970-748-2930.