Mountain Journeys Marketing Plan

AboutUs MountainJourneysisanunconventionalmountainguidingservicethatfocuseson theconnectionsbetweenpeopleandplaces.Weseektoprovideparticipantswiththetools theyneedtoincorporateoutdoorrecreationintotheirlivesandtoliveahealthylifestyle.We believethatclimbing,skiing,mountaineering,etc.shouldnotbecompetitiveformsof recreation,butratherapersonalendeavorthatallowsonetocreateanintimatebondwith thenaturalworldandwiththemselves.Inadditiontoconventionalmountainrecreation,we incorporateelementsofyogaandmeditationintoourprogramsandbelievethesearetools thathelpparticipantsbecomephysicallyandmentallyhealthy.Althoughwewillaccept noviceclimbersandskiersintoourprograms,theprogramsaredirectedatthosewho anticipateusingtheskillstheyacquiretoparticipateintheactivitiesontheirowninthe future. ProgramsandFacilities Ourmainprogramofferingswillincludevariouslengthbackcountryoutingsthatare aimedatavidoutdoorenthusiasts.Theseoutingswillfocusonusingclimbing,skiing, mountaineering,yoga,andhikingasaformofspiritualconnectionwiththenaturalworld. Duringourfirstyear,wewilloffer1day,3day,and7dayexcursionsforclimbing,skiing, mountaineering,backpacking,oryoga.Additionally,wewillofferprivate,personalized excursionsattherequestofaclient.Thesetripswillbeofferedlocallyandsomeday internationally.Additionally,MountainJourneyswillofferyoga,meditation,andvarious outdoorworkshopsatvarioustimesthroughouttheyear. OurheadquarterswillbelocatedinJackson,Wyoming.Itwillhaveanareafor gueststoviewvariousprogramsandtalktoanemployeeaboutprogramdetails.Guests canregisterforprogramsonline,inperson,orbyphone.Ourheadquarterswillalsoinclude asmallyogastudio,aminirockwall,andaloungearea.Therewillbeanorganicgarden outbacktoprovidetheexcursionswithfreshproduceduringthesummer. PriceList EquipmentRentalsAverage$100perrental. ProductSalesAveragesellpriceperunitof$20(tshirts,etc.) 7daytrips(skiing,climbing,mountaineering)$1500pertrip 3daytrips(skiing,climbing,mountaineering)$600pertrip 7day(backpacking,yoga)$1000pertrip 3day(backpacking,yoga)$400pertrip 1dayouting$200pertrip(onaverage) Trippictures$50

OurMission MountainJourneysaimstobuildpositive,healthylifestylesthroughenlightenedmountain recreationexcursionsandworkshops. OurVision Tobuildaninternationalcommunitythatpracticespersonalwellbeingandbehavesina waythatrespectspeople,cultures,andnaturalsurroundings. OurValues Diversity Weunderstandtheimportanceofdiversitywithinagroup.Diversityallowsfordifferent perspectivesandbetterlearningopportunitiesforallgroupmembers. EnvironmentalAwareness Wevaluethenaturalenvironmentandrecognizethatnaturedoesnotonlyconsistof wildernessareasbutrathereverythingintheuniverse.Wearepartofnatureinavery profoundwayanditisourresponsibilitytoseekecologicalharmonyinourbusiness practicesaswellasinoureverydaylives. Community Weseektoimprovethelocalcommunityinwhichweoperateaswellastheinternational outdoorrecreationcommunity. Integrity Integrityisakeycomponentthatisnotoftendisplayedbymanycompanies.We understandthatbeingabusinessdoesnotmakeusexemptfromhavingethicsandmorals. Transparency Wewillbetransparentinasmanywaysaspossible.Thisincludesfulldisclosureofour supplychain,etc. OurGoals Goal#1:Enhanceparticipantsrespectfortheirnaturalenvironment. Objective:Duringeachcourse,clientswillparticipateinvariousactivitiesthatconnect themwiththeirsurroundingsincludingclimbing,skiing,yoga,andmeditation.Wewillhave

discussionsabouthowtheseideasrelatetosocietyandoureverydaylives. Objective:LeaveNoTraceprincipalswillbetaughtandparticipantsareexpected practicethemthroughoutallofourtripsandexcursions. Goal#2:EnhanceParticipantsqualityoflife Objective:Aftereachworkshopparticipantswillreflectontheirexperiencesanddefine waystolivepositivelifestylesandshowrespectforpeopleandnature. Objective:Witheachrecreationactivity,participantswillfeelimprovementsintheabilities oftheirphysicalbody. SWOTAnalysis Strengths: Althoughtherearemanybusinessesthatoffermountainguideservices,thereare nobusinessesthatofferthesameexperiencesthatMountainJourneysprovides. Theultimategoalofeachtripistobecomemoreenlightenedandachieveabetter lifestyle.Ourbusinessisuniquebecauseofthisgoal.MountainJourneysdoesnot onlywanttomakeprofitforourbusinessbutalsocreateapositiveimpacton societyandtheenvironment. OurabilitytoadapttothedifferentseasonsoftheyearallowsMountainJourneysto continueoperatingonayearroundbasis. Weaknesses: AsastartupbusinessesMountainJourneyswillhavelimitedassetstodealwith foreseeableandunforeseeablebarriers. ThereisunawarenessofourbusinessandtheservicesthatMountainJourney provides. AsasmallbusinessMountainJourneyshaslimitedincometoincreasetheoverall size(staff,guides,building,etc.)ofthebusiness.Thismightleadtoconflictswhen tryingtoprovideexcellentservicetoourcustomers. Opportunities: Ourabilitytoincreaseourtargetmarketandserveavarietyofdifferenttypesof peoplewillhelpusincreasetherevenueofourbusiness. Buildingrelationshipswithnewcustomerssothatwecanestablishareconstantand reliablesourceofincome. Creatingincentivesforreturningcustomerswillhelpusestablishrelationshipswith ourcustomers. Threats:

 FailuretobuildrelationshipswithourcustomerscouldbedetrimentaltoMountain Journeys. Alackinthenumberofguidesthatprovideoutingexperiences. Losingbusinesstoanotherguidingcompanythatprovidesthesimilarservices. Failingtocapitalizeongrowingcustomerbasebynothavingincentivesfornew customerstoreturnagain. PESTAnalysis PoliticalandLegalClimate Thepoliticalandlegalclimateisacrucialaspectforabusinessthatwishesto operateonfederallands.CurrentlyintheU.S.,itcanbeveryhardtogetapermitto operateaguideserviceinmanyofthemorecrowdedareas.Thecurrentsystemfor allowingcommercialguidingonpubliclandsisbymeansofconcessions.Aconcession allowsacompanytocommerciallyguideintheareaforwhichtheyhaveaconcession. Someareas,suchasmostBLMlands,areeasytoobtainconcessionsfor.Someareas suchasGrandTetonNationalPark,however,areextremelydifficulttoobtainconcessions for.Thereislittleorganizationinhowtheseconcessionsareobtainedandoftentheyare impossibletogetunlesspurchasedfromacompanythathasone.Itisveryimportantto establishpositiverelationshipswiththefederallandmanagersinhopethattheywillhelp yourcompanyobtainaconcession. EconomicClimate Theeconomicclimategreatlyimpactsthecommercialrecreationindustry.Our servicesareaimedtowardsthelowtomediumincomecategory.Wehopetoattractavid outdoorenthusiastsratherthantypicaltourists.Ourtargetpopulationispeoplewhowishto pursueoutdoorrecreationasanintegralpartoftheirlives.Itisimportantthattheeconomic climateisstable,asthistargetpopulationwouldnothavethemeanstotravelintimesof pooreconomicclimate.Furthermore,wehopetobeabletoprovidescholarshipstothose whocannotaffordourservicesandcandemonstratehowparticipationinoneofprograms wouldimprovetheirlives. SocialandCulturalClimate MountainJourneysaimstoincludeallsocialandculturalgroupsinourprograms. This,however,islargelydependentonthesocialandculturalclimatesurroundingour industry.Traditionally,themostdominantgroupparticipatinginmountainguidinghasbeen whitemales.Althoughthisischanging,thereisstilladisconnectbetweenthe demographicsoftheU.S.populationandthosethatparticipateinoutdoorrecreation.

Becauseweareanontraditionalguidingservicethathopestoimprovepeopleslives throughclimbing,skiing,andhikingaswellasyogaandmeditation,wecanhopefullydraw amorediversepopulationthanmosttraditionalguideservices.Inourmarketingefforts,we willattempttodrawparticipantsfromallcultures,ethnicities,andsocialcontexts.Oneway todothisisthroughourscholarshipprogram.Wecanseekoutunderprivileged populationsandprovidethemwithpositiveoutdoorexperiences.Diversitynotonlyhelps theunderrepresentedpopulations,butimprovestheexperienceforallparticipants. Bringingindifferentperspectivesandopinionswillenrichtheoverallexperiencefor everyone. Technological Althoughweareanoutdoorrecreationcompany,technologywillhaveimpactson ourbusiness.Asoutdoorequipmentimproves,theoverallexperienceforthecustomerwill improve.Thisincludesthingssuchaslighterandbetterclimbingequipment,better skis/snowboards,bettertentsandcampinggear,andanyotheroutdoorgearthatimproves recreation.Furthermore,ascomputertechnologyadvances,wewillbeabletomanage reservations,waivers,andmarketingmoreeasilythroughmeansoftheInternet.While advancementsintechnologywillimprovesomeaspectsofthebusiness,itwillalsomake otheraspectsmoredifficult.Ourexperiencedependsonanintimateconnectionwithnature andotherpeople,andmoderntechnologycanofteninterferewiththisconnection.Wewill thereforeinstituteapolicythatpreventsparticipantsfromusingcellphones,iPods,andany otherformsofelectronicsduringaprogram.Webelievethiswillenhancetheoverall experienceandpreventunnecessarydistractions.Wewill,however,bringasatellitephone incaseofanemergency. DirectCompetition: EXUMMountainGuides: Offerfamilyfunprogramsaswellasseriousalpineadventures EXUMguidesareamongthemostexperiencesintheworld SummerPrograms: RockClimbingInstructionandcamps GuidedMountainClimbinginGrandTetonNationalPark GuidedMountainClimbinginadjacentareas WinterPrograms: BackcountrySkiingadventures JacksonHoleMountainGuides: OurPhilosophyissimple:enrichpeople'slivesbyprovidingexceptional

serviceandunforgettableexperiences Offerprogramsforkids,teens,andadults AccreditedbytheAmericanMountainGuidesAssociation Summerprograms: RockclimbingInstruction(offeredinvariouslocationsinsurroundingstates) Kidssummercamps Kidsclimbinginstruction TeenAlpineAdventures WinterPrograms: Avalancheeducation($310) Backcountryskiingandsnowboarding($160$695) Climbs/expeditions($175$595/day) Iceclimbing($150$425) Skimountaineering($175$395/day) IndirectCompetition: BrushBuckGuideServices:Wildlifetours MagisFishingGuideServices:fishingtripsandinstruction MadRiverBoatTrips:Whitewaterrafting Lewis&ClarkExpeditions RockyMountainSnowcoachtours:Snowmobiletours WyomingAdventures:Snowmobiletoursandrentals WorldCastAnglers:FlyFishingAdventures TetonMountainBikeTours:Mountainbiketours

MarketingResearch Wehavesegmentedourcustomersintothreesegments.Geographic,demographic,and benefitsdesired.Webelievethatthesesegmentswillhelpusgainabetterunderstanding ofourcustomers.Withahigherknowledgeofourcustomerswewilltoprovidebetter serviceandexperiences. Geographic Regional(IntermountainWest) Moderatedrawingpowerfromotherareasinthecountry Demographic Age1830(Although,anyoneover18iswelcome) Gender:Equalpartsmaleandfemale

Education:Highschoollevelorhigher Income:LowMedium(Scholarshipsavailable) Ethnicity/Nationality/ReligionWeanticipateallwalksoflife! Psychographics: Searchingformorelifefulfillment Adventurous/activelifestyle DiversePersonalities Interestintheenvironmentandthenaturalworld Allocentricprofiles Opentonewideasandexperiences Valuenontraditionaltouristexperience Promotion Ourcompanywillactonaverycheapandeffectiveonlineadvertisementopportunity withoutdoorbasedwebsitesrangingfromblogstodailyvideos.Wewillofferthese websiteslimiteddiscountsanddealswithMountainJourneysinexchangeforthemposting ouradvertisementormentioningusintextwithalink.Witharewardsystembasedonhits receivedthroughspecificwebsitesURL's,websiteoperatorsandbusinessownersreceive incentivetoadvertiseforMountainJourneysfortheirownbenefit.Wewillcontactwebsites andbusiness'suchasTheBridgerTetonNationalForestAvalancheCenterand UnofficialNetworks.com,askiandsnowboardvideobasedforum.Byimplementingour advertisementsonthesewebsitesinanawardsbasedmanner,websitesandbusiness' areenticedtoenlistfuturecustomersforMountainJourneys,Thisformofadvertisementis verylowcosttoourbusinessandonlyresultsindirectcostwhenbringinginnewcustomers whoareenlistinginexpeditions.WewillalsoutilizesocialmediaandhaveaFacebook pageandanInstagram.Thesewillbeperiodicallyupdatedbyvariousmembersofour staff. Additionally,wewilloccasionallyhavepressreleasearticlestopromotevarious workshopsandevents.Anexampleofoneofthesemightbe:
CombiningOutdoorAdventureandSpiritualEnlightenment: NewCompanySeekstoEnrichtheLivesofOutdoorEnthusiasts Jackson,WY,March6,2013MountainJourneysisanewcompanybasedoutof Jacksonthatputsatwistonthetraditionalmountainguideindustry.Thegoalofthe companyistoprovideavidoutdoorenthusiastswithawaytobetteruseoutdooractivities asaformofconnectionwiththenaturalworld.MountainJourneyswillhostavarietyof excursionsthatfocusonclimbing,skiing,mountaineering,yoga,andmeditation. TheheadquartersgrandopeningwilltakeplaceonMay20,2013at10:00a.m.andwill featurefreeyogasessionsaswellasachancetowinatripfor2onanyoftheupcoming excursions.Additionally,MountainJourneysoffersfreeyogaandmeditationclasses everySaturdaystartingat4:00p.m.Foralistofupcomingexcursions,classes,and

workshopspleasevisitwww.mountainjourneys.com.

OurpromotionalcollateralisaMountainJourneysinteractivewebsite.Thefocal pointofourdesignisaphotothatdepictsanongoingrelationshipbetweenhumansand nature.Thephotosonourpagewillshowperspectiveonthetripsandexperiences MountainJourneysoffers.Theanatomyofourwebsitewillbeeasytomaneuverand portrayaverynaturalenvironmentalthoughbeingdisplayedonline.Ourhomepagewill displayourheadlineofMountainJourneysatthetopofthepage,usingleavesand mountainstofilltheletters.Belowourheaderwillbelinkstonavigatethewebsite,providing theuserwithaccesstogeneralinformation,missionandvalues,andcontactinformation. Belowtheselinkswewilldisplayourfocalpoint,whichwillbeaseriesofalternatingphotos fromMountainJourneyspasttrips.Thehomepagesmainpurposewillbetoinformour potentialcustomersofwhatMountainJourneysrepresentsasacompany.Apotential clientcanfindfurtherinformationbyclickingonthelinks.Throughoutourwebsitewewill keepaconsistentuseofearthtones.Oneverypageofourwebsite,apictureofourlogo willbeshowedontherightmargin.Wewillutilizethepotentialofourwebsitebyusing SearchEngineOptimizationtoolstomakefindingandaccessingourwebsiteeveneasier. Awebsitewouldbemostefficientwayforourcustomerstofindus.Becauseofour searchengineoptimizationcustomerswillbequicklydirectedtoourwebsite.Ourneeds assessmentsshowthatmanypeoplewhoalreadyparticipateintheseactivitiesare seekingmoreintimateexperienceswithnature.Furthermore,awebsiteisacrucial componentforstayingcompetitivewithinourmarket.Otherguidingserviceswebsites showupinsearchengineswhensearchingforsimilarkeywords.Ourneedsassessment alsoshowsthatourbusinessisfillingagapinthemarketandwethereforestandout amongstourcompetitors. OnepromotionaleventwillbeaFacebookcontest,wherebylikingourpageyou willbeenteredtowinafreetripwithourcompany.Wewillalsohavesmallerprizeslike skis,tshirts,andtripdiscounts.Wechosethiseventbecauseitwillincreasethe awarenessofourcompanyandtheservicesthatweprovide.Ourneedsassessment showsthatourtargetmarketalsousestheInternetandFacebookonafairlyfrequent basis.SinceFacebookisaverypopularsocialnetworkingsitewewillalsoreachnew potentialcustomersthatdidnothavepreviousinterestinourcompany. Wewillevaluatetheeffectivenessofourmarketingstrategiesthroughavarietyof methods.Uponregisteringforourcourses,therewillbeasectionthataskshowdidyou hearaboutus?Also,duringourtripswewillhavetheguidesaskaboutwhytheychoseto comeonourtrips.Personalcommunicationisagreatwaytounderstandourclienteleand makeimprovementstoourmarketingstrategy.Wewillalsohaveanideaofhowwide reachingourmarketingisbyusinggoogleanalyticsonoursocialmediapages.Ifweare successfulinthisaspectofourmarketing,weshouldseeanincreaseinawarenessand participationinourservices.