Letter to the Editor

In response

to Irwin's letter

This is in response to Jack "Doc" Irwin's letter in the March 25 issue of The Vista.

His letter points out exactly why the POA needs a marketing/communication manager. He asked "So what does the POA have to sell?" Bella Vista needs growth to afford our current lifestyle. The POA offers seven golf courses, seven stocked private lakes, swimming pools, tennis courts, trails, parks, pavilions, recreation centers, a gun range, an RV Park and many other amenities.

It is important to market Bella Vista because it's been 15 years since Bella Vista has done any serious marketing -- that's almost an entire generation. Bella Vista has no commercial or industrial tax base and a lack of flat ground to build on.

Our city isn't seeing the kind of growth the rest of NWA is currently experiencing and that's concerning. Currently, there is only one industry in Bella Vista and that's recreation. Recreational activities, like golf, are Bella Vista's best engine to drive the growth this community desperately needs and deserves.

The POA can fuel the recreational engine by getting current residents to use the amenities, attracting others from local areas to make purchasing decisions in Bella Vista and get new people to move into our community.

The target demographics for the Plan are current residents, recreational enthusiasts, young families, baby boomers and future retirees. The city needs to reposition itself in NWA to make a positive statement.

Marketing is very different today than it was 15 years ago. Then, it was about spending a little money to produce a few print or TV ads and a lot of money on media and trade shows.

In today's environment, to reach our target, we need to develop personal opportunities for interaction on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. This new approach is more dependent on having a staff that manages the message and interacts with the public every day.

The marketing manager is responsible to develop a cohesive, integrated plan that seamlessly crosses marketing channels. This focus is why it is important to replenish the 1.5 positions in the Marketing/Communication staff .

A couple points for the record. The POA Board added marketing to the communication manager's job description in the 2015 budget. It is not a new position, rather increasing the scope of an existing one.

As part of this change, the POA is also bringing most of the outsourced marketing and advertising efforts in house, thus saving money. During the budget cycle, the Board did not entirely fund marketing in the 2015 budget; however, we did expect that a funding request would be forthcoming once the new manager was on staff.

On a final note, our residents and members are the most important and influential segment of any marketing program. Being positive about the community and Bella Vista will enhance our communication plans and will dramatically increase the reach of that message. The plan is in the early stages and will be available in the next few months. We need everyone's help in driving growth in our community.

John Nuttall

Bella Vista

Editorial on 04/01/2015