Colorado Distillers Guild (CDG) was approved to participate in the Restart Industry Associations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) in September 2021.
The purpose of CDG is to promote the common interests of its members and the distilling industry in Colorado. With a reach of more than 40 members, CDG developed the Colorado Spirits Trail (CST) in 2019 to increase awareness and encourage visitors to explore member distilleries in all of Colorado’s regions.
CDG was paired with Olivia Ward, a CRAFT Mentor with experience in travel and tourism social media marketing, digital advertising, and digital content strategy, to deliver 75 hours of free consulting to conduct the activities listed below.
The purpose of this project was to support CDG and their members to increase distillery awareness and visitation.
Project objectives included:
- research app development options and other software solutions to provide an easier tracking and access point for CST visitors
- develop a social media toolkit for the member distilleries to promote the CST, and a method for distilleries to easily submit content to use for CST social media channels
- produce a six-week social media advertising campaign that includes identifying key target audiences to promote the CST and encourage engagement
CDG achieved the following results with its Restart Industry Associations Mentor:
- CST app development that includes a passport stamp program, distillery check-ins, and an interactive map of participating distilleries
- website update recommendations and checklist for coloradospiritstrail.com and coloradodistillers.org to promote the CST app
- CST app toolkit to encourage CDG membership and sponsorship
- CST partner app promotional toolkit with CST branding and social media post examples
- CST social media strategy that includes a 2022 content and app notification calendar, and five app promotion social media posts
- six-week Facebook advertising campaign developed to promote CST app downloads
About Restart Industry Associations Program
The Restart Industry Associations Program supports Colorado tourism industry associations to drive faster recovery as they emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded industry associations receive 75 hours of free consulting and $10,000 in direct marketing support from the Colorado Tourism Office. This program was made possible by a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.