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CTO TOURISM MARKETING MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FY2022 ??Program OverviewEligibility RequirementsApplicationSelection CriteriaProject RequirementsGrant Funds DisbursementAppendix 1: MetricsProgram Overview The Colorado Tourism Office Tourism Marketing Matching Grant program provides support to nonprofit organizations, and local city and county governments in the State of Colorado for the purpose of marketing and promoting the state as a tourism destination. PROGRAM GOALS ? Increase traveler spending and economic benefit for Colorado through effective marketing and promotion ? Leverage funds to maximize marketing impact? Support industry collaboration and align industry marketing efforts to enhance Colorado's competitiveness PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO PROPOSALS THAT: ? Demonstrate industry collaboration with two or more destinations ? Reinforce and strengthen the Colorado brand? Contribute to a key statewide marketing initiative? Inspire destination experiences founded upon a common theme ? Support better management of a destination The maximum grant is $40,000. For every $1 the qualifying grantee allocates to the program, the Colorado Tourism Office will provide $2 in matching funds. Up to 20% of the match may be in-kind, which may include services such as staff time or donated services relevant to the project. Eligibility Requirements GRANTEE ELIGIBILITY Applicants must be either: ? A nonprofit organization responsible for promoting tourism on behalf of a destination or tourism industry sector such as a Destination Marketing Organization, lodging tax board, Chamber of Commerce, or ? A Colorado city or county government engaged in tourism promotion? Each submitting lead applicant is limited to one Marketing Matching Grant project per fiscal year unless prior approval is provided. Note: Lead applicants can be a partner in a separate grant application. GRANT ENTITY INELIGIBILITY Ineligible applicants include those listed below: ? Entities that failed to fulfill CTO grant award requirements within the past fiscal year (includes: project completion, submission of required reporting, proper use of grant funds, lack of acknowledgment, changes to the proposal without approval) ? For-profit organizations ? Individual attractions, museums, or businesses PROJECT ELIGIBILITY Eligible projects must seek to advance a new marketing initiative and should allow for strong measurement capabilities. Grants will not be awarded to fund existing marketing efforts unless the funds are to be used to implement a new set of initiatives or outcomes or the program is being expanded into new markets or media. The list of eligible and ineligible uses of funds applies to both CTO grant funds and the applicant’s matching funds. ELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS: creative executions specific to your advertising campaigncreative advertising production (print, digital, out-of-home, video, social, and radio) content development (written, video, or audio)PhotographyVideography and post-production video editingaudio development (radio, etc.)print and collateral (brochures, visitor guides, posters, and maps)fulfillment costsmarketing executions specific to your advertising campaignmedia placement (print, digital, out-of-home, television, social, and radio)social media initiatives (organic)public relations initiativessearch engine marketing (SEM) initiatives (SEO/paid search)Crowdriff StoriesTrade show registration and booth rental fees (Only 10% of grant dollars are eligible for airfare or lodging fees associated with a trade show. Food and beverage are not eligible expenses.)website development, refresh or restructureother approved projectsINELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS:general administrative costs such as employee salaries, personnel costs, and office suppliesgrant writing or grant management costsretainer feesitems for resale or promotional items, including gift cardstravel expenses, except for trade show attendance, as specified abovepurchase or rentals of equipment or suppliesfood or alcoholic beveragesgateway finding or informational signageApplication ONLINE APPLICATION SUBMISSION Only online applications will be accepted. Apply at https:// oedit.secure.oedit. Log in to your account or create a new account. The application can be found under the Tourism Programs tab. NOTE: It takes at least 48 hours for a new user account to be activated. Do not wait until the deadline week to create an account. All questions will be inputted into the online application, and all support materials will be uploaded into the online system. It is recommended that users prepare answers in a word processing document, check character count, and then cut and paste into the application. All narrative questions have a 5,000 character limit including spaces and punctuation.APPLICATION QUESTIONS Organization Name and Contact InformationPlease provide all requested contact information for the applicant organization below. The organization name listed must be the legal entity that will be assuming financial and reporting responsibilities for the application.The listed grant recipient contact will be the primary point of contact for the project if awarded and must be an employee, board member or appointed panel member of the applying organization.Enter the applicant organization's state house and state senate district numbers. To determine the applicant organization's district numbers, contact your county clerk's office. You can also find your state legislative districts by going to Organization (Identify the legal entity which will be assuming financial and reporting responsibility for the project.)Organization WebsiteBusiness AddressBusiness CityBusiness StateBusiness Zip CodeBusiness CountyBusiness PhoneWrite a brief introduction of the applicant organization’s brand and its core mission.Does your organization operate under the guidance of a Board?If you answered yes to the previous question, please list your current Board of Directors along with their affiliations as well as board title, if applicable.Grant Recipient Contact First Name (Must be an employee, board member, or appointed lodging tax panel member of of the lead organization)Grant Recipient Contact Last Name (Must be an employee, board member, or appointed lodging tax panel member of of the lead organization)Grant Recipient Contact EmailState House DistrictState Senate DistrictProject InformationProvide a general overview of your proposed project, including a project title (be creative) and grant request amount. Your request needs to have a funding ratio of 1-to-2 non-grant funding to grant funding. For example, if you request a grant of $40,000, you need to have at least $20,000 in other funding.Campaign or Project Title (250 character limit)Grant Request Amount:Recipient Match Amount:Total Project Budget:Type of ApplicantAn organization must identify what category it is applying under: Statewide Industry Sector, Destination Partnership, or County/County The definition of each category is listed below.Statewide Industry Sector Applicants - Statewide organizations, statewide destination travel groups, and statewide tourism associations in Colorado currently engaged in Colorado tourism promotion or marketing.Destination Partnership Applicants - This category is defined as two or more Colorado destinations, large or small, that are currently engaged in Colorado tourism promotion or marketing.County/Local Applicants - An individual tourism leadership organization (such as a DMO, Chamber of Commerce, lodging tax panel), or local city or county government, engaged in Colorado tourism promotion and marketing.Type of Applicant (Select one)Statewide Industry Sector ApplicantDestination Partnership ApplicantCounty/Local ApplicantIf submitting an application other than Statewide Industry Sector, please list your partners.Strength of Marketing PlanWrite a detailed description of the proposed project, including project objectives, strategy, tactics, and target audience.Using the provided Timeline worksheet, which you can download here, create a timeline with tactics and associated deliverables with the corresponding month and year to show how your project will be carried out. As a note, project deliverables will undergo a project design review by the CTO before they can be finalized. See program guidelines for more detail and please keep in mind the review time when creating your timeline. When completed, upload the document. Label timeline file in this format: Applicant Organization Name _TimelineNote: If you are encountering problems uploading a file, shorten the file name.Provide a description of the campaign idea for which funding is requested. Please include the destination(s), industry sector activity or experience being promoted. Provide a brief description of your overall marketing goals and how this campaign or project fits under those goals?List the objectives of the campaign idea or project for which funding is requested. What tactics or action steps will be employed to reach your marketing goals? Timeline: All anticipated start and end months should fall between 1/1/23 and 12/31/23. (5 MB File Size Limit) All tactics/eligible opportunities listed in the previous question should be included on the timeline.Please provide a situation analysis for your campaign idea or project. Include your target market, and brand positioning for that segment. How will you differentiate your brand from its competitors? Please specify if your campaign or project is meant to create awareness, educate visitors, compete for visitors and/or influence repeat visitation. Please specify how each tactic in the campaign will support this. Identify how this project reinforces and strengthens the Colorado brand?Evaluation: Performance MeasuresTell us how you will measure success for your proposed project. Include specific performance measures to be tracked. All metrics should be reported on in both interim and final reports. See Appendix 1: Tourism Marketing Matching Grant Application Materials for suggested performance measures to track.Describe how you will measure success for this campaign or project. Please include specific KPI goals for each tactic being employed in your project or campaign. Please be sure to also include current KPIs as a benchmark.Expected Impact The mission of the Colorado Tourism Office is to: "Drive traveler spending through promotion and development of compelling, sustainable travel experiences throughout our four-corner state." Explain how this project will impact traveler spending through increased tourism revenue; promote sustainable travel experiences, and/or differentiate the destination(s).Explain clearly how the proposed project will increase traveler spending and economic benefit to the state and your destination(s), and/or contribute to key CTO initiatives, such as sustainability or responsible tourism. List the counties you expect to be impacted by the project. Implementation Capacity & ManagementThis section demonstrates an organization's ability to successfully manage the proposed project and that you have adequately considered how to complete your project within the grant contract period. Using the provided Marketing Matching Grant Budget and Financial Worksheet, which you can download here, create a budget that aligns with your proposed project detailed in the Strength of Marketing Plan section. Only complete the "Budget" sheet. If awarded, you will complete the "Actual" and "Financial Report" worksheet during the grant period. (Hint: Save the file as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook format.) Label budget file in this format: Applicant Organization Name_BudgetEach file upload has a size limit of 5MB. Note: If you are encountering problems uploading a file, shorten the file name.Describe your organization’s ability and capacity to successfully manage and complete the proposed project, listing key marketing resources and partners (internal or external).Project Budget (5 MB File Size Limit)List all matching cash fund contributors as well as the amount contributed. A letter of commitment is required from all listed contributors. Any in-kind contributions listed as cash match should be broken out, i.e. hourly value and number of hours worked.Supporting DocumentsThe Colorado Certificate of Good Standing is required and must be in PDF format. Required form available here. Label file in this format: Applicant Organization_CertificateLetters of Support: Please combine all letters of support into one PDF document. This question is a REQUIREMENT for all applicants. If you are a Statewide Industry Sector applicant, general letters of support from industry sector partners/businesses can be uploaded. Label file in this format: Applicant Organization Name_LettersLetters of Commitment: Please combine all letters of commitment into one PDF document. The application must include letters of commitment from all appropriate communities, counties and organizations listed on the matching cash funds worksheet verifying the match dollars to be contributed, including the applicant organization. Label file in this format: Applicant Organization Name_CommitmentEach file upload has a size limit of 5MB. Note: If you are encountering problems uploading a file, shorten the file name.Certificate of Good Standing (5MB File Size Limit) City and county governments, and state agencies are exempt from this; however, in order to submit the application, upload a document stating that you are exempt and why. Letters of Support (5MB File Size Limit) - Combine all LOS into one PDF document.Letters of Commitment (5MB File Size Limit) - Combine all letters of commitment into one PDF document. Optional Miscellaneous Attachments (5MB File Size Limit)PROJECT BUDGET Applicants must provide a detailed budget that includes the estimated costs of each project tactic/opportunity. The grant project budget must be submitted using the Excel template provided. Grant recipients are required to keep the project budget updated throughout the lifetime of the grant. MATCHING FUNDS Applicants must demonstrate a 2:1 match. Letter(s) of commitment showing evidence of cash match and any in-kind services are required. Matching dollars may not come from the State’s General Fund. Colorado Tourism Office funds may not be used as matching funds for any other grant application submitted by the recipient. Selection CriteriaApplications will be reviewed by a committee named by the CTO. Grants will be awarded based on overall scoring and availability of grant funding. Funding priority will be given to Destination Partnership projects that demonstrate industry collaboration with two or more destinations. This is a competitive program and not all eligible applications will be funded. Applications will be scored on the following criteria: ? Strength of Marketing Plan 40% ? Expected Impact 35% ? Performance Measures 15% ? Implementation Capacity: Planning & Management 10% Applications should be clearly written and present a strong case for support. Reviewers will be instructed to share higher scores for applications that include the following elements: ? Projects that contribute to a key statewide marketing initiative.? A marketing plan that states clear objectives and attainable deliverables targeted toward increased traveler spending and economic benefit for Colorado? Applying entity with a track record of effective work, evident through strong support letters ? Well-planned project timeline and budget. ? Projects that demonstrate industry collaboration? Marketing projects that support better destination managementReinforce and strengthen the Colorado brand Project Requirements ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ? All promotional materials funded in part by the grant program must include the official CTO logo. CTO will work with grant recipients to ensure proper usage and placement of the CTO logo. Downloadable logo files are provided on the OEDIT website at: DESIGN REVIEW Grant recipients are required to submit deliverables to the CTO for review and approval. Grant recipients shall allow at least 5 days for CTO to review project deliverables prior to finalizing a published piece. CHANGES TO PROPOSAL ? Any significant refinements, clarifications, modifications, or changes to the proposal must receive prior approval from the CTO; otherwise, the organization may forfeit grant funds provided by the CTO. Proposal Change Forms will not be accepted 60 days or less from the end of the grant reporting period. ? Proposal Change Forms found at REPORT An interim report and updated project budget must be submitted through the online grant portal at https:// oedit.secure.oedit/. FINAL REPORT A written report and final budget are required and must be submitted within 45 days after the end of the grant cycle through the online grant portal at . PROJECT DATES Project activities may not begin until a purchase order has been executed by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade – Colorado Tourism Office. All project activities using CTO funds must be completed and all funds expended and invoices submitted by the project completion date. Timeline AUGUST 10, 2021:Online Grant Application Opens SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 AT 4:00 PM: Online Grant Application Due OCTOBER 28, 2021: Grant Application Status Notification JANUARY 1, 2022: Approximate Project Start Date (Official PO Execution Date TBD) JULY 15, 2022: Interim Report Due DECEMBER 31, 2022: Project Complete FEBRUARY 15, 2023 AT 4:00 PM: Grant Project Final Report Due Grant Funds Disbursement Following approval and execution of a purchase order, grant funds will be distributed. As in previous years, our goal is to provide grant funds upfront but this is subject to approval by the State Controller’s Office yearly, and CTO reserves the right to disburse funds on a reimbursement basis. Any grant funds not used as approved shall be returned to the Colorado Tourism Office pursuant to the grant purchase order. For additional questions, contact Elizabeth O’Rear at 303.892.3893 or elizabeth.orear@state.co.us. Appendix 1: Metrics The performance measures and industry benchmarks listed below are a reference tool and projects may identify additional metrics to track. Metrics will be used to evaluate the success of your marketing initiatives against industry benchmarks and allow you to make adjustments during the project. Please note: Benchmarks provided are a guideline and can vary depending on several factors such as approach or strategy. Where n/a appears, a benchmark is not provided as these will vary from campaign-to-campaign. Tactic Metric Purpose Industry benchmarkPaid Advertising Print Reach (number of people exposed to the ad based on subscription or listener numbers)To understand potential size of audiencen/aRadioTelevisionPaid Advertising: DigitalEmail Marketing Unique Open Rate Indicates interest (relevancy of the content and frequency of emails received)20.6%Unique Click Through Rate (CTR) 2.9%Paid Search/ Search Engine MarketingImpressions An indicator of demand (the higher the impressions, the higher the demand)n/aClick-through rate (CTR) Indicates interest in the ad 1.91%Cost per click (CPC) Indicates media efficiency $2.32Cost per action (CPA) $56.11Conversion rate Indicates the rate of which a market, keyword, etc. converts4.40%Paid Social Media Click -thru rate (CTR) Tells you the effectiveness of your content in terms of interest1.1%Cost per click (CPC) Gauges the efficiency of your campaign$0.58Conversion Rate (CVR) Shows the rate at which your audience is likely to convert9.21%Cost per Action (CPA) Efficiency of which your audience converts$18.68Engagements Number of people who have interacted with your content (likes, reactions, shares, comments or video views)n/1Cost per Engagement (CPE) Shows you how much it costs for every engagement n/aDisplay and Native AdvertisingClick-through rate (CTR) Indicates interest in the ad Display 1.12%Cost per click (CPC) Indicates media efficiency Display $0.58Conversion Rate Indicates the rate at which a market, keyword, etc. convertsDisplay 0.57%Cost per action (CPA) Depends on the definition of “action”: video view completion, comment, or shareDisplay$90.8 0 Social Media Total followers To understand the size of the audience n/aEngagement Rate Total engagements divided by reach0.70% - 4% (depends on advertising used)Reach To understand the potential size of the audiencen/aPaid Advertising MeasuresTotal impressions To measure the number of times your content is viewed on your owned channels and through paid advertisingn/aTotal referrals To understand the number of all referrals directly from your website or indirectly as a result of your advertising from your owned channels and paid advertising effortsn/aTactic Metric Purpose Industry benchmarkPrint/Online CollateralBrochures Number of pieces printed, number of pieces distributed, distributed locationsTo understand distribution/reach n/aGuidesMapsTactic Metric Purpose Industry benchmarkPhotography and Video CreationPhotography Number of Images n/aVideo Cost per video view This measures efficiency n/aVideo Completion rate What % of viewers who saw the video completed itn/aCost per engagement Depends on definition of “engagement”: video completion, comment, sharen/aTactic Metric Purpose Industry benchmarkConsumer ShowsTotal attendance at show To understand size of audience n/aNumber of inquiries at booth To understand size of number of interested consumersn/aNumber of leads generated to businessesTo understand how many consumers are moving towards the path of purchasen/aNumber of database opt-ins To continue to engage consumers in ongoing communicationn/aTactic Metric Purpose Industry benchmarkTravel Media RelationsKPIs will be project-specific n/a ................
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