MARKETING

Unique Emotional Positioning Research:
 
In March, Downs and St. Germain Research along with members of the tourism leadership team conducted “Unique Emotional Positioning Research” in three key markets: Dallas, Atlanta and St. Louis. This study was conducted to explore past visitor’s perceptions of Walton County and identify emotions and feelings associated with a vacation in Walton County. It is the first of a two-part process to re-assess the unique emotional positioning for the destination, which will become the foundation for all future marketing tactics. 
 
At this time the in-person focus groups have been completed and the final recommendations will be offered after a follow-up internet survey. We are excited to see these results and craft a new campaign that will meet the needs of our visitors.
 
To view our most recent research studies, including visitor tracking by season, please click HERE.
 
The Outdoor Adventure Show in Montreal:
 
In March, the tourism department joined with seven other Florida destinations to attend the Outdoor Adventure Show in Montreal, Canada as the Northwest Florida Beaches Coalition. Our exhibit was part of Québec's largest showcase of outdoor gear and travel experiences. 
 
 
Representing the Northwest Florida Beaches Coalition pictured from left: Stacy Young from Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Kaya Man from Visit Pensacola, Summer Padgett from Walton County Tourism and Helen Adami from Visit Panama City.
 

Book>Direct Accommodations Search Engine: 
 
The Walton County Tourism Department has partnered with Book>Direct to provide accommodation partners with the ability to display real-time rates and availability on visitsouthwalton.com. If you would like to add or update a rental property listing, please fill out the new partner registration form and email to Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com. To view the Book>Direct user interface and its functionality, please visit the STAY page of our website. If you need more information about Book>Direct or signing up as a Walton County accommodations partner, please contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728.
 
Website Stats Users & Page Views: 
  • The number of sessions on the website increased in March (+5.9%).
  • There were 183,441 pageviews and 98,713 unique users on the website in March. 
  • Users who visited the site in March were mostly female (59.4%), between the ages 35-54 (42.1%), and new visitors (88.3%). 
  • The traffic coming to the website in March mostly came from Organic Search and Social, which combined to account for 56.9% off all traffic coming to the site. Paid Search, Direct, Display and Referral were also strong contributors, accounting for an additional 41.3% of the site’s traffic in March.
Devices:
  • Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 71.5% of total sessions.
  • Desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average session duration (1:41), the highest number of pages per session (2.2), and the lowest bounce rate (58.3%).
Geography:
  • Top Metros: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Nashville, and Panama City.
  • In March, users from Texas, Georgia, and Florida were responsible for the most sessions.
Most viewed pages:
Online Visitor Guide Data:
  • Travel Guide pageviews were up slightly in March, as they increased by 2.4% from their mark in February. Engagements on the Travel Guide page were down as Average Time on Page (-16.5%) was down, while Bounce Rate (+2.0%). Overall, Bounce Rate was at 62.3%, which is just above the targeted 60% goal.
  • In March, there were a total of 289 Visitor Guide requests, which is 17 less than there were in February.
Social in South Walton:
 
Through our targeted approach, we are able to share the destination’s story and network to specifically targeted markets, while providing informational and inspirational content to motivate future visitation.
Check out some of the highlights from our channels:
  • Facebook
    • Total Followers – 328,137 (+804)
    • Total Monthly Reach – 3,088,772
    • Total Monthly Engagements – 85,360
    • Total Monthly Post Reactions – 73,705
    • Total Monthly Link Clicks – 228
    • Top Performing Post – Visit South Walton
    • Content: Living for soft sunset skies in #SouthWalton🧡 📸: @chasingfloridasunsets on Instagram
    • Impressions:136,960
 
  • Twitter
 

 

 

 
 
 
Don’t forget to tag us:
 
(#SouthWalton and @SouthWalton) in all social media posts! Not only does this improve engagement, but it also allows our social team to stay connected to you and your business' news.  
 
Beach Safety Toolkit and Promotional Items:
 
The safety of South Walton's beachgoers is a priority. In addition to funding the South Walton Fire District's beach lifeguards, the Walton County Tourism Department shares beach safety information in a variety of ways, including beach flags and signs at our beach access points, printed materials (like our beach guides and maps, specialty travel guides/magazines, coasters at local restaurants, beach flag magnets and window clings), beach condition text messages, social media posts, and radio ads.
 
We've also created a Beach Safety Toolkit page on our website, where partners and local businesses can download a variety of useful information related to beach safety or schedule a delivery or pickup of promo items. 
 
 
If you'd like any printed beach safety materials to share with your guests or customers, please contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728. We can make arrangements for you to pick them up at the Visitor Center, which is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For current beach conditions and flag updates, text "FLAG" to 31279*

*South Walton Beach Conditions: Message and Data Rates May Apply. Periodic Messaging. For help, text HELP, text STOP to end.
 
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Visit South Walton
25777 US Hwy 331 S | Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
VisitSouthWalton.com | (850) 267-1216