Luxury Stat: The Umstead Hotel and Spa

According to Business North Carolina magazine:

“almost 80% of The Umstead‘s spa guests live within an hour’s drive, making the Cary hotel a popular spot for ‘staycations.'”

By the way, the magazine also shares that 13% of the property’s total revenue is generated by its spa treatments.

Who else is ready for a massage after reading these local luxury marketing statistics? I know I am!

[Image credit: The Umstead Hotel and Spa on Pinterest]

The Local Multiplier Effect

An article recently published by the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) shed light on the importance of small businesses communicating the positive impact they have on local economies. Referenced as the “local economic multiplier effect“, the effect is a result of a greater percentage of revenue circulating through a local economy when money is spent at local businesses.

Research from Civil Economics states that the impact can come from three factors: direct, indirect, and induced impact.

Direct impact occurs when money is spent by local businesses to operate the business.
Indirect impact occurs when money spent by a local business at other local businesses re-circulate.
Induced impact occurs when consumers such as employees, business owners, and others spend their money in the local economy.

Such studies have taken place in Austin, Chicago, and Grand Rapids. On average, 48% of each purchase at a local business recirculated locally while less than 14% of a purchase at a chain business recirculated.  It is important to note that percentage values do vary by the size of the local economy. The information garnered in these studies is that purchases through local business do contribute more funds towards creating jobs and wealth in a local economy as opposed to chain-operated businesses.

The Local Multiplier Effect at Retailers - click to enlarge

The Local Multiplier Effect at Retailers – click to enlarge

The Local Multiplier Effect at Restaurants - click to enlarge

The Local Multiplier Effect at Restaurants – click to enlarge

(Images via AMIBA.net)

As the “Shop Local” movement continues to gain momentum across the country and in Raleigh, it is important that local businesses should take advantage of these findings. They can calculate Raleigh’s “local economic multiplier” for various supplies to determine the amount that is returned to the economy. It is also a good idea for businesses to promote these findings in an accurate yet memorable manner so that consumers are driven to spending money locally. Using advertisements and messages that are heavily ridden with percentages and statistics and are not linked to reliable sources are less likely to remain in consumers’ minds for long.

Introducing Our Newest Team Member!

Lerato Tsotetsi has recently joined the Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group team as our summer marketing associate. She is a recent graduate of NC State University, where she obtained a degree in Fashion & Textile Management from the College of Textiles.

Lerato has previously worked for the Shelton Leadership Center where she served as a program assistant developing marketing materials and handling press. She has also interned with various non-profits, focusing on social media marketing and event planning. Lerato developed a keen interest for marketing through these experiences as well as through projects and marketing competitions during her undergraduate career. She is also interested in the fashion industry as she has been heavily involved with the NC State fashion community, volunteering and coordinating fashion shows, participating in various seminars and company visits, as well as doing a few styling projects with local businesses. She looks forward to having more experiences with both fields and is excited to work on behalf of retail, restaurant, and hospitality clients with Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group.

In her free time, Lerato enjoys keeping up with fashion trends through social media, various magazines, and bloggers. She also enjoys downtime with a good book and is an avid runner. As community service is important to her, she also participates in volunteer projects with various youth projects and local animal shelters.

In her very first week with Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group, Lerato jumped in head first to the Raleigh Food & Wine Festival, creating social media posts leading up to the event, as well as spending a full day staffing the Sunday tasting event, tackling all sorts of assignments – from entry management to photo documentation to promotional table staffing – at Raleigh’s inaugural food and wine festival!

Join Lisa Jeffries at Digital Marketing for Business and Save 50% on Registration!

Digital Marketing for Business conference in Raleigh

Digital Marketing for Business conference in Raleigh

I’m excited to be speaking at the Raleigh Digital Marketing for Business conference coming up in May. This two day event has dozens, possibly hundreds, of presentations on all sorts of topics that will help local business owners get a better handle on, and understanding of, digital marketing.

Co-founder Lawrence Harte has offered me the opportunity to share with y’all a stunning 50% discount on registration when you use my speaker discount code, LisaJeffries, at http://DMFB.net/register.

Digital marketing training at just $50 a day? That’s a steal, folks! Don’t miss out.

Event details:
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 – Thursday, May 14, 2015
Raleigh Convention Center
500 S Salisbury St.
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

To see session and speaker list, visit the event website: http://digitalmarketingforbusiness.com/

PS: My session, 10 Things to Know About Email Marketing Now, will be taking place on Thursday, May 14, at 2:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Most Effective Times, Days to Send Email, Post Social Content

Media Post has a nice updated report, from various sources, of the most effective days and times to send marketing emails and post content to various social media networks, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Interestingly, the report shows that while the most popular time to send email is on Thursday between 11 a.m. and noon, the most effective time is actually on the same day between 2 and 5 p.m.

See the full report, and what it lists as the most effective time to post to your favorite social media network or to post blog content at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/243355/when-to-post.html

Recommendations: Twitter Counter

Looking for a quick and easy way to track follower growth on Twitter? And even your level of interaction with your community on the popular social media network? Check out TwitterCounter.com.


The free account shows you a nice graph of Twitter followers growth over time (that’s what I originally signed up for – to be able to pull nice looking graphs each month for clients), but the paid service starting at just $17/month per account also offers the same for RTs, mentions, favorites, etc.

If you’re looking for a new analytics tool for Twitter, check this one out as a great free option as well as a budget-friendly paid option with enhanced feature sets for those paying users.

What Can NC Offer Than Tax Incentives?

I loved reading this article in TBJ today about how EUE/Screen Gems’s lengthiest NC veteran, Bill Vassar, believes the film industry is here to stay, regardless of the expiration of tax incentives at the close of 2014.

TBJ: EUE/Screen Gems exec: Here’s why North Carolina’s film community will live – incentive or no incentive

According to 18-year Screen Gems veteran Vassar, the operation is thriving, adding additional stages and facilities, including on-set Wi-Fi access that Marvel called “the best Internet set up they’d ever worked with” while filming “Iron Man,” Vassar says.

It’s just my opinion, but I would think that quality Wi-Fi would be a standard on movie sets in California, so I was impressed to read that Marvel noted the Wilmington studio offered the “the best [they’d ever] worked with”.

North Carolina is undoubtedly a tech-leader, and with the promise of high-bandwidth fiber internet connections becoming a norm in the next 5-10 years, I believe that efficient access to internet is just one of the many amenities our businesses can offer.

Thinking about the last time I was left without internet when traveling, especially in the form of wi-fi, it’s certainly a high-demand, and greatly appreciated, value-add for me. It certainly doesn’t replace millions of dollars in tax benefits, but the quality of work-place experience is a great experience driver.

Save the Date: Merry Mingle

Triangle Merry Mingle

Triangle Merry Mingle – Save the date and buy your tickets for Tue., Dec. 2!

It’s the 5th Annual Merry Mingle, proudly (and jointly) hosted by AAF-RDU, AIGA Raleigh, Triangle AMA, TIMA, and Triangle UXPA and it’s your chance to network with members of the Triangle’s top advertising, marketing and communications organizations all at one time – while also contributing to a very worthy cause!

What? Festive hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and a chance to mingle with your favorite industry professionals – plus some you’ve never met but will be glad you did! All held in Downtown Raleigh at The Stockroom.

Who benefits? The Merry Mingle 2014 benefits the Triangle Spokes Group, which has been pedaling joy to the Triangle since 2006 by giving away bikes to kids in need. We’re doing our best to help them reach this year’s goal of 500 bicycles—all brand new, and all guaranteed to bring ear-to-ear grins to faces throughout the area. To find out more about this fantastic non-profit, go to www.trianglespokesgroup.org.

Cost? RSVP early online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-5th-annual-merry-mingle-tickets-13536585291 and it’s just $20 for members of hosting organizations and $25 for non-members. At the door, it’s $35 for everyone.