From restaurants and resorts to states and stadiums, destination marketing can help your business attract more customers. Point Taken, a public relations and marketing firm serving brands nationwide, is often asked, “What is destination marketing?”

Destination marketing is a type of marketing that promotes a particular eatery, hotel, resort,  county, city, region or country to inspire people to visit, says Hotelmize. The goal is to expose customers to publicity about your destination, encouraging them to make a reservation, buy a ticket or plan a trip. This can be done on a large or small scale. For instance, if a company in one state is hoping to gain business from surrounding states, destination marketing could be helpful. This also can be a successful tactic on a larger scale. If a company in Colorado, a colder climate in the winter, is trying to attract people from the hotter areas like Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Florida or even as far away as the Middle East, destination marketing can help.

Revfine says destination marketing is useful if your company is trying to stand out from your competitors, especially with visitors who may not be from your area. Destination marketing can help show potential customers why your hotel is a better fit for their wedding anniversary than another lodging option in the same city. Like with any type of marketing, you want to make sure you know your target audience. Knowing who would potentially visit your area and why is key to getting started with destination marketing. So make sure you’ve defined your client personas as you begin your journey into destination marketing.

A study from the Destination and Travel Foundation showed that more tourism in an area resulted in an economic boost for the people who live and work there, helping not just your business, but your entire community (which makes for a great cause marketing effort).

Storytelling is key when it comes to successful destination marketing. You want your audience to feel a personal connection to whatever you’re trying to sell them, making them more likely to visit. That personal connection usually comes through innovative  copywriting, evoking photography and inspirational video.

Even if you feel like your company only appeals to locals, you may not be exploring all options for bringing your company more business. At Point Taken, we have worked with companies large and small, local and throughout the United States. If you want insight into how your brand can benefit from destination marketing, contact Point Taken now.