Tourism and Marketing Specialist

About the position

Under the general direction of the Communications & Tourism Manager, the Tourism and Marketing Specialist is responsible for developing and executing Town, Tourism and Lakefront creative initiatives to uphold the professional image of the Town and Tourism & Communications Department. This position will imagine design and produce the visual and audio materials and media used for advertising, broadcast, and web communications. This includes creating, planning, organizing, and managing marketing programs, website information content, social media, and other marketing related materials. Creates original art, print, photo, video, and layout design. Establishes and implements design and format standards and processes to produce consistent and high-quality results. Works with outside or contract vendors and approves and coordinates projects. Ensures that project and department milestones and goals are met. Works closely with the Tourism, Events, Lakefront and Cove teams. The Tourism and Marketing Specialist will have an opportunity to work in a community that is one of the fastest growing and most exciting suburbs in the USA. The candidate must be highly motivated and strive for success by demonstrating Little Elm's Core Values of Integrity, Customer Service, Efficiency, and Innovation.

Responsibilities

• Originating and developing creative, engaging, shareable, content-driven stories, posts and live shots for social media, website, blogs, newsletters, and other media platforms to promote Little Elm as a tourism destination.
• Monitor and engage with the audience, responding to comments and messages promptly.
• Schedule and post content at optimal times to maximize reach and engagement.
• Maintain strong creative and engaging community presence to engage readers and viewers, driving readership and viewership.
• Create visually appealing and engaging content, including graphics, videos, and written content for social media platforms.
• Create and maintain a content calendar to ensure an engaging consistent and relevant content flow.
• Creates and produces original content for a wide variety of printed and digital marketing, which may include: writing copy for print, web and television; designing, editing, and overseeing production of collateral materials; attending project meetings and working as part of a team; and/or, performing other related activities.
• Collaborate with local businesses, attractions, and community partners to maximize tourism opportunities and enhance visitor experience.
• Conduct market research and analysis to identify tourism trends, opportunities, and target demographics.
• Produces art with creative tools, such as Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.
• Execute daily assignments utilizing knowledge of marketing principles and practices, and event planning methods.
• Develop and implement strategies to increase followers, likes, shares, and engagement on social media.
• Participates in media relations activities, which may include: responding to inquiries, drafting, editing, and distributing news releases; alerting the media of photo opportunities; identifying and communicating newsworthy stories; working on-call during emergencies; and/or, performing other related activities.
• Using creative photographic techniques to capture stories through photographs and video.
• Participates in/on a variety of meetings, committees, teams, and/or other related groups to provide advice and guidance regarding marketing opportunities and options.
• Also participates in face-to-face communications with community stakeholders.
• Operating autonomously and without constant supervision, subject to occasional check-ins and final editorial review for post, print, and broadcast.
• Maintaining composure and professionalism while continuing to execute their duties as a Marketing Specialist and Journalist, without direction, during live events and briefings.
• Identifying, researching, and interviewing business owners, staff, and the public.
• Stay up-to-date on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to continuously improve tourism marketing efforts.
• Active member of The Lakefront Merchants Association.
• Work closely with The Elm hotel to drive occupancy rate up and curate joint marketing campaign to visitors of The Elm to ensure all visiting guests are aware of the amenities of The Lakefront District.
• Leads on-site promotional activations.
• Performs a variety of administrative activities in support of departmental operations and goals.
• Creates/Imagines and produces content for a wide variety of printed and digital communications, which may include: writing copy for print, web and television; designing, editing, and overseeing production of collateral materials; attending project meetings and working as part of a team; and/or, performing other related activities.
• Create, manage, and monitor all tourism social media for the department and Town and ensure that all content and messaging align with the Towns voice, guidelines, and overall marketing strategy.
• Consults with staff to create, update, revise and manage web content; perform regular reviews of web site pages to ensure accuracy, timeliness and relevance.
• Participates in media relations activities, which may include: responding to routine inquiries, drafting, editing, and distributing news releases; serving as back-up to the Public Information Officer; alerting the media of photo opportunities; identifying and communicating newsworthy stories; working on-call during emergencies; and/or, performing other related activities.
• Participates in the planning, coordination, execution, and evaluation of major special events; as well as other departmental events.
• Participates in/on a variety of meetings, committees, teams, and/or other related groups to provide advice and guidance.
• Assist in event execution for Lakefront and Town events.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Assists other divisions as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Graphic Design, Communication, Public Relations, Tourism, Business Administration, or related field, or three (3) years of related experience.
• Social Media strategy experience desired.
• Must be bondable.
• Valid Texas Driver's License.
• Ability to read, write, and speak English fluently.

Nice-to-haves

• Knowledge of social media marketing and strategies.
• Skilled in developing marketing and communication materials.
• Knowledge of creative tools, such as Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.
• Knowledge of marketing principles and practices, and event planning methods.
• Knowledge of policy and procedure development practices.
• Knowledge of public relations principles.
• Skilled in video and photo editing.
• Skilled in shooting video productions with various equipment.
• Skilled in prioritizing, organizing, and managing multiple simultaneous projects.
• Skilled in preparing clear and concise reports, including oral, written, and audio/visual presentations.
• Skilled in applying independent judgment, personal discretion, and resourcefulness in interpreting and applying guidelines.
• Skilled in gathering and analyzing information and making recommendations based on findings and in support of organizational goals.
• Skilled in prioritizing work.
• Skilled in developing, evaluating, recommending, and implementing processes and procedures.
• Skilled in adapting to rapidly changing environments.
• Skilled in recognizing problems, identifying alternative solutions, and making appropriate recommendations.
• Skilled in building consensus.
• Skilled in maintaining sensitive and confidential information.
• Skilled in operating a computer and related software applications.
• Skilled in communicating effectively with a variety of individuals.