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2010 Photo Call
We are currently accepting photography submissions for
possible inclusion in the Spring/Summer edition of CarolinaLiving
Guide and/or online at CarolinaLiving.com. Submit your best
professional quality images of a Carolina community, home, destination
or attraction, as well as any dealing with green and sustainable
building and living. Blue sky is a must! For instructions, please
email Ann Dolin.
2010 SC Governor's Conference
on Tourism & Travel
The
2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism and Travel will be held Feb. 1-3
at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes. More info.
2010 NC Governor’s Conference
on Hospitality and Tourism
The
2010 North Carolina Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism
will be held March 21-23 at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. More info. |
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Hello!
We hope all's well with you, your family and your business team these wintry days.
Our intention with this quarterly B2B eBrief is to help you and your organization sort through the good and bad news of the day, refresh your research button and encourage destination marketing best practices.
Notes from our 2009 surveys of nearly 4,000 families: Expressed preferences for green design, energy efficient and high performance homes is up 14% over 2008. Additional research says buyers are willing to pay $2-5,000 more as long as the pay back for green features is less than five years. Additionally, women will head up 30 million households this year and when relocating, most choose the location over the job.
From our team to yours, let’s circle the wagons, share, collaborate, re-invent and inspire each other as we dig our way out of this current condition.
Your reactions, feedback and corrections are welcome!
Most Recent US Travel Outlook
 as Reported by ULI:
The current state of the travel industry is mixed, although travel demand is increasing and employment is showing modest gains. The US Travel Association projects an additional 90,000 travel industry jobs in 2010, the result of slight gains in travel and tourism.
However, the US and Carolina hotel industry continued to post declines in all three performance metrics during 2009, according to Smith Travel Research (STR). 2009 US occupancy fell 9.5 percent, room rates have dropped 9 percent, and RevPAR has decreased 17.7 percent. This lack of improvement in the lodging industry has prompted STR ro now predict that hotel industry recovery will not begin until 2011.
A new survey from Deloitte reveals that many would-be travelers still have concerns about economic conditions, with 64 percent of respondents saying they are more cost-conscious when traveling. Demand for leisure travel services will continue to fill the majority of occupied seats and rooms.
In the Carolinas, we call many of these leisure travelers “Turbo-Tourists.” These travelers comprise about 6 million of the 80 million total visitors, and all are seeking relocation, jobs and new business opportunities.
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Carolina Strong!
Business Week recently announced the 40 strongest Metro areas in the
US as compiled by the Brookings Institute. Their criteria included
job growth, gross metro product and unemployment change. The
Carolinas had four areas on the list.
#14 Columbia, SC
#17 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
#23 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
#30 Raleigh-Cary, NC
Want to know more? Here’s what they said about each area.
Florida Prices Expected to Bottom Out.
 Bowden’s reports that Florida
home prices peaked in 2006, but have since dropped 46% on average.
Prognosticators suggest that home values will hit bottom in 2011.
In-migration will resume in 2011 and population growth will climb
slowly.
Now About Those Retirees ...
Another gem from Kiplinger, via Bowden’s: North Carolina is its
“favorite destination” for retirees based on its tax-friendliness
relative to those living on pensions and SS benefits. US News & World Report says Columbia, SC, is one of the top five “best affordable places to retire.” We feel those baby boomers stirring. They’re already checking us out. |
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Ideas, Trends & Possibilities:
Working with What We Have
Bowden’s Market Barometer reports that “15.4 million people plan to buy
a home during the next year.” Some of them will buy in the Carolinas.
Virtually all of them will visit first, whether simply for fun or for scouting the area. We need to make sure they find our
recreation, communities, super towns and real estate opportunities.
 With the Grand Opening of its second collection in the LifeSmart™
Series earlier this month, Hampton Lake has experienced a surge of
traffic and a jump in sales at the award-winning, private, lake
community located on Bluffton Parkway in South Carolina.
The newest Lakeland homes are part of Hampton Lake’s recently launched
LifeSmart™ Series which is a collection of homes designed to save on
energy expenses by employing energy-efficient construction techniques
and materials.
The Lakelands, ranging in size from 2,370 to 2,904 sq.
ft., are priced from the upper $300s. The Cottage Imagination
Collection, the first in the Series, starts at just $315,000.
IMI, a luxury real estate sales, marketing and management firm based in
Greenville, SC, has signed an agreement with NC developer Rial
Corporation to manage the company’s Innsbrook Golf and Marina community.
Located on the Albemarle Sound in northeastern North Carolina,
Innisbrook includes an Arnold Palmer Signature 18-hole golf course plus
additional recreational amenities. Planned amenities include the completed golf course, boat basin and
marina, a golf clubhouse, kid’s adventure camp, family club retreat and
an outdoor pursuits program.
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Good News!
Lennar Homes has just reported that fourth quarter profits and new orders increased for the first time in three years. Company CEO Stuart Miller said the housing market continued to move toward stabilization during the quarter. Orders of new homes rose three percent to 2,652, the first year-over-year increase since the first quarter of 2006. Read more ... |
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 Limited Time Residential Marketing Offer:
Reach 500,000 Carolina Buyers in 2010
2010 Recovery Discount Package: Contract
any size print ad for two editions (March & Sept 2010) plus any online
program and a take a 30% discount. For contracts received by Friday,
Jan. 29th, we’ll also include:
 Editorial coverage in the form of interviews and or photo/caption
Two-For-One Compass eNews Discovery Package Directory listing ($1,295 value) taking your invitation to 50,000 families
A list of 200 targeted prospects that have recently “registered” and specifically fit your buyer profile
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A Celebration of Innovators and Their Ideas.
Ann Helms Almond, long time visitor destination marketing pro for the Rutherford County (Lake Lure) Tourism Authority in Forest City, NC, is now available and interested in continuing her career. She understands the linkage between aggressive tourism marketing and the economic impact when a “Turbo-Tourist” relocates and brings big wealth and entrepreneurial talent. Find Ann at 828.289.5475 or aa.almond@gmail.com.
Miriam Atria, celebrated destination marketing pro, won the 2009 SC Governors Cup Award for Excellence. Send kudos to Miriam at miriam@lakemurraycountry.com or 803.920.2069.
Charlie Ball, Texan developer of 450-acre, green & sustainable Whisper Mountain near Asheville, has been selected twice by Southern Living to participate in national marketing programs. The 2009 Getaway Giveaway Cottage promotion generated 1,000 visitors, 5.5 million online hits, 226,000 online registrations and 25,000 leads. Whew! We need more Carolina exposure like that! Connect with Charlie at: charlie@whispernc.com or 828.337.5955.
… and more about Veronica Brown, Wayne Cunningham, Alana Davidson,Tana Boerger, Carol Douis, Clinch Heyward, Robert Miller, Edmund H. Monteith, Jr., John Myers, John Reed, Kirk Smith and Bob Turner. |
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Meet the Team
Meet Debbie Holland, our super knowledgeable associate publisher and
national sales manager. She’s on top of the market and every way to
promote to folks planning everything from first-time visits to Sunbelt
moves. Learn more about her favorite things and contact her at DHolland@CarolinaLiving.com for great
advice and marketing ideas.
Tourism Still
Birth Mother to Relocation
Dr. Jason Draper at Clemson University surveyed about 200 relocated
families to the Carolinas. All began their search by using
CarolinaLiving.com resources and completed the 26-question Carolina
Lifestyle Survey™ outlining their preferences. Check out the results…
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Green
Happenings
2015 Green Roof Challenge: The USGBC Charlotte Region
Chapter has issued a challenge to build green, vegetative roofs to help
combat storm water runoff issues and improve our region's air quality.
Learn more.
Last month, Food
Lion, LLC opened the company’s first ever GREEN grocery store in
Columbia, SC. The LEED-certified store
takes grocery shopping to a whole new level.
Be In-The-Know
ULI
South Carolina 4th Annual Statewide Meeting
February 4th-5th, 2010
Charleston, SC
USGBC NC Triangle Chapter 7th Annual Urban Design
Conference
March 6th, 2010
Raleigh, NC
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Award
Season
  In December, The Home Depot®
Foundation awarded one of its first-ever Awards of Excellence for
Sustainable Community Development to North Charleston, SC, and their
nonprofit partner The Sustainability Institute. Check out how super
GREEN, city-owned Oak Terrace Preserve has
helped to transform the area of the former Charleston Naval Base.
North Charleston & the Clemson University Restoration Institute
were also recently awarded a $45 million grant from the US Department
of Energy to research and develop ocean-based wind turbines, bringing
more jobs and national recognition to the Lowcountry.
The USGBC
recently recognized seven of its nearly 80 local chapters with its
Annual Chapter Awards of Excellence, including The South Carolina
Chapter, which was presented with the Award of Excellence in Education
for a small chapter.
The Columbia Housing Authority received the
2009 Outstanding Affordable Developer award from the USGBC for its
Rosewood Hills project in Columbia, SC.
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Small Businesses
Step Up Online
Social media
to get biggest bump
From eMarketer.com
Like their larger counterparts, small businesses will be doing even
more marketing online in 2010, according to studies from Vistaprint and
Ad-ology.
Vistaprint found that small businesses would be increasing marketing
activities in social media, online and search advertising, and e-mail
most in the next year, with e-mail marketing currently their top
tactic.
The largest group of small businesses, 19%, also rated e-mail marketing
their most important tactic, and it was also the No. 1 activity that
had been used more because of the recession, followed by social media.
Read more about eMarketing.
How Weak will the
Recovery Be?
Excerpts from a CharlotteObserver.com Article
By John Murawski
 "We all know it's going to be a weak recovery," UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton told about 1,000 business executives and others who attended the annual economic forecast forum in Raleigh on Monday [January 4th].
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told the Raleigh crowd that he thought the economy had at least hit bottom, and he predicted a long, slow recovery.
More ... |
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 Five Things About SEO
Your Business Needs To Know
By
Brian Carter
Tip #3: Expert-Chosen Keywords Determine
Your SEO Success or
Failure
Search Engine Optimization means asking: What relevant
keywords (phrases) are people Googling? And, how competitive are the
sites that rank for them? Google tells us exactly which phrases are
most popular, and these lists are often surprising. You need a target
keyword list: relevant keywords your site can most easily rank for.
Once these keywords are integrated into your Website, your rankings for
those valuable search phrases can increase, and you receive new
visitors to your site.
Look for Tip #4 in the next edition of CarolinaLiving.com eBriefs!
Brian
Carter has been in SEO for more than a decade. He is Director of SEO
for Fuel Interactive and The Brandon Agency, a well-known blogger and
frequent conference speaker. Contact brian@fuelinteractive.com
By Susan Sweeney, C.A.
Today’s real estate buyers and
sellers are Internet savvy, so make sure you’re front and center on
their online radar. This easy read provides helpful information on a
variety of topics, including search engine optimization and email
tactics. Perfect for those New Year {Website} resolutions.
By John F. Wasik
Discussion of residences viewed and used as “entrepreneurial retirement plans,” to strategies called “classic, energy-intensive spurbs” that now blanket the country with “mindless miles of shopping malls, parking lots and highways.” Interesting solutions are drawn for green building, in-fill re-development and moderating energy use tactics.
By Christopher Steiner
A fast forward read to trends of how and where Americans will live, work and play. Suggesting policy that recognizes cultural and recreational amenities as “economic assets” along with higher taxes on gasoline.
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