10 Pound Gorilla has worked with the Colorado Cross Country Ski Association since 2007 with minimal involvement until 2014. In 2014, we pitched a campaign that increased the Association’s annual funding by $60,000 and changed the organization overnight. This year, the CCCSA expects to bring in more than $75,000 through its annual fundraising campaign.
10 Pound Gorilla developed a social media strategy to promote CCCSA members and introduce new enthusiasts to the sport. In 2016, the campaign raised over $47,000 in revenue and attracted roughly 2,800 visitors, of whom 2,380 were new to the participating resorts. In just 4 months, the campaign generated roughly 4,567,800 impressions for the CCCSA.
During the 2016/2017 season, we implemented an e-newsletter sign-up offer, which increased subscribers by roughly 1500 in less than three months. The newly redesigned website increased website visits by 67% in less than one year.
10 Pound Gorilla conceived and implemented a Season Punch Pass program and a Colorado Nordic race series. The Punch Pass launched in November 2016 and earned the CCCSA more than $10,000 with roughly $25,000 in paid ad value from a single press release. The race series opened relationships with Nordic clubs and sports shops and created sponsorship conversations with industry partners. PR efforts led to an internationally syndicated radio interview with an audience of over 10.5 million.
Due to our successful marketing efforts and a hands-on push to attract new members, we increased membership by 73% in 2016. Additionally, we succeeded at getting more members actively involved in the Association’s efforts and missions. Our program revitalized members and energized visitors.
Just last season, 10 Pound Gorilla performed a website overhaul for the CCCSA. We considered what our visitors were wanting based on years of analytics. Second, we considered the goals of the CCCSA and the needs of members. During our review and audit phase, we conceived the “Discover Your Next Adventure” tool that became the focus of the home page.
This tool allows visitors to discover new resorts based on their needs and desires and gives members equal opportunity to showcase their products and events to the most qualified visitors. Additionally, an interactive map was implemented based on user behavior from previous site analytics. This map allows the user to get a quick overview of all locations and easily understand the proximity between members.
A Blog, Race & Get Social pages were conceived to help increase CCCSA’s position in becoming a key informational resource for Nordic enthusiasts.