How To Use Public Relations to Attract Better Website Traffic

Learn How The Quechee Club Used PR Following Hurricane Irene

A press release is an efficient way to increase awareness and tell the story of your company. If picked up, it draws new attention to your business through traditional media outlets, bloggers and on social media channels. A press release distribution service such as PR Newswire helps increase the numbers of visitors to your website by promoting the release and its links to high traffic news outlets. Public relations gives your firm exposure and helps with search engine optimization when an article is picked up and published with a link to your website. By creating a series of press releases, The Quechee Club heightened their media presence and reached out to the general public to tell the story about their renovations following destruction caused by Hurricane Irene.

Their press release attracted attention from major news outlets and the story made its way into broadcast and print publications in 11 countries. It also made its way into the organization's target market by being picked up by Boston-based news sources. Both the Boston Business Journal and Boston.com, have hundreds of thousands of visitors to their sites daily, and they ran the story.

The Green Mountain state of Vermont is well known for its abundance of attractive destinations. Among these is The Quechee Club, a private resort with amenities including golf courses, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, private ski hill, polo fields and much more.  Only a two-hour drive from Boston, the club is located in the quaint town of Quechee, Vermont. The club close to other scenic destinations including the Ottaquechee River and a nearby covered bridge. The club had amazing assets but it's known as the best secret in Vermont. 

Of all of the club’s facilities, the two golf courses on the site are ranked not only as some of the best in Vermont but also in the country. The course consists of 36 holes and two courses. The Highland course has been ranked as one of the top ten in Vermont by Golf Digest and has a combination of elevation changes making the course challenging yet scenic. The Lakeland course, which runs along the Ottaquechee River, is just as picturesque yet is known for being slightly less challenging.

People are attracted to The Quechee Club because it is quintessential Vermont including a lush landscape, full of outdoor activities, located in a beautiful small town. The Quechee Club utilizes its association with Vermont to attract consumers to their brand. When most people think of Vermont, they imagine a calm, aesthetically pleasing atmosphere with an abundance of outdoor activities. The Quechee Club offers just that on its 5,500 acres private resort.

However, during the summer of 2011 Hurricane Irene devastated these beautiful courses, as well as some of the club’s other amenities. The damaged caused by the hurricane required multiple repairs and restorations of the golf courses. The Quechee Club wasted no time and immediately set out to bring the golf course back to its original beauty.

Although devastating, Hurricane Irene led to new and innovative ideas for the club. Since the damages, the organization has made a complete recovery from its damages and even added new offerings such as paddleball courts. The damages of Hurricane Irene were well known to not only the immediate community but also the entire country and The Quechee Club used their story of recovery and public relations as a way to tell the world about their beautiful location. 

Through the use of ongoing press releases, The Quechee Club was able to spread the word about their full recovery post-Hurricane Irene. Now that repairs have been made the club is back in full swing with full use of their seasonal amenities and is attracting new visitors.

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About Michael Conway

I'm the owner and strategist at Means-of-Production. My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one marketing tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition.