You Can't Sell Some Things On The Internet

This afternoon I went to an open house at Stevenson Ridge, a local venue for weddings, parties, weekend getaways and the like.  I had been to their web site, I had seen their brochure, I personally know the daughter of the owner, Jennifer, who runs the place.

Nothing prepared me for what I found by going there and experiencing it for myself.

There are eight buildings in all, six of which are currently open to the public. Each building we toured (except for the old servants quarters which is too small) had a different catering vendor who supplied food and drinks for the guests.

Jennifer was flitting around from house to house, answering questions, welcoming guests, driving people around in her golf cart from place to place, and generally being her charming, lovely self.

Being an Internet Marketing Consultant, I kept thinking, "How do you capture this in a format that can be offered as an online marketing tool?"  Maybe a 3D tour done via video (very expensive)?  Maybe.

I think the answer is, you can't.  In order to see how wonderful this place is, you just have to go see it.  No Internet tool can sell this for you. I'm talking about big gala events here, not "I want a romantic weekend with my spouse and I'm just looking for a nice little place in the woods."  There are countless cabins in the woods in this area and you can't expect people to go driving around looking at places just to see if they want to spend a weekend there.

But if you're planning a wedding or corporate staff party or whatever, you want to go see these places.  There's an immersive aspect to it that Googling will not provide, no how no way.

So as a business owner who is spending time and resources on your online marketing programs, it's a good thing to remember.  It's fine, even preferable, to use your online marketing as a way to convince people to come and see you.  Your web site doesn't have to sell them, just convince them you're worth a further look.

In the case of Stevenson Ridge, I'm now in love with this place.  So what if I live only 5 miles away, I still want to spend a weekend there.

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