MARKETING

Co-Op Marketing Opportunities:

We are pleased to offer a second round of co-op marketing opportunities this year as a way to assist our tourism partners who had to halt, delay or otherwise adjust their marketing practices in response to COVID-19. The Seasonal Online Display Program is an opportunity for tourism-facing businesses in Walton County to partner with South Walton and purchase cost-effective advertising during the shoulder season as-needed. Partner businesses may opt-in any time between Oct. 1 and March 1 for a one-month promotion.

To learn more about the opportunities available, CLICK HERE or contact Courtney Wimmert, creative marketing manager, at Courtney@VisitSouthWalton.com or (850) 267-1216. 

 

Book>Direct Accommodations Search Engine: 
Visit South Walton has partnered with Book>Direct to provide accommodation partners with the ability to display real-time rates and availability on visitsouthwalton.com. Our Partner Extranet does not sync with the Book>Direct platform at this time. Please email Haley@visitsouthwalton.com to add or update a rental property listing.

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 South Walton partner, contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728.

 

COVID-19 Response:

Visit South Walton is focused on keeping potential visitors up to date on business changes and any applicable regulations related to COVID-19, including steps to ensure visitor and resident safety.

For those in market already, our focus is providing information on how to keep our community safe, as well as updates on local businesses that are offering adjusted services and are open for business. See an ad example HERE: 

Our goal is not only to inform but to also keep South Walton top of mind with our guests by providing up-to-date information, virtual experiences and pertinent news related to our community.

 

COVID-19 Travel Updates Page Stats:

The main VSW COVID-19 Travel Updates page launched on March 18 and has seen 293,423 page views (March 18-Dec. 4), 240,148 of which were unique page views, meaning the page was viewed 53,275 times by users returning to the page for another reference. Forty-seven percent of this traffic originated from organic search. Users spent an average time of 1:41 on the page. Specific sub-pages include:

 

October Website Stats:

  • Users & Page Views: 
    • Users who visited the site in October were mostly female (60.1%) between the ages of 45-64 (64%) and new visitors (69.6%). New and returning users saw decreases of 83.9% and 76.1%. Of those users, the most common age group was 55-64 (26%).
    • Traffic to the site decreased from September to October with sessions, users and pageviews down between 79-82%. However, engagement saw an increase with average session duration jumping 52%, pages/session up 14.9% and bounce rate dropping 9.9%.
    • Overall traffic was down in October but saw a single-day high of 8,000 sessions on Oct. 31. All major traffic channels saw moderate to significant decreases between 30-95%.
  • Devices:
    • Consistent with previous months, mobile devices dominated as the main source of traffic to the website — accounting for 65.5% of sessions. While mobile devices brought in the most traffic, desktop devices continued to show higher engagement metrics with the longest average session duration, highest number of pages per session and the lowest bounce rate. 
  • Geography:
    • In October, users from Texas comprised the most sessions to the website with 18,490, followed by Georgia with 12,303 and Florida with 9,101. 
    • Top Areas viewing our site: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Nashville and Mobile. 
    • The most viewed pages:
    • Online Visitor Guide Data:
      • Pageviews on the online Visitor Guide Page saw a decrease of 66.4%, after a 74.5% increase the previous month. The average time on page decreased by 13.9% and the bounce rate increased by 3.7%. 
      • Travel guide page views decreased in October, while the average time on page increased by 27.6%.
      • October saw a total of 456 Visitor Guide requests, a 31.4% decrease from the previous month.

 

Print Publications:
Visit South Walton is proud to offer a family of publications including VISIT, STAY, PERFECT, FOREVER, EXPLORE and SAVOR. CLICK HERE to see online versions of each guide. 

  • VISIT is a revamped version of our Visitor Guide, complete with features on the South Walton culinary scene, lifestyle, events and outdoor exploration.
  • STAY showcases our diverse collection of accommodations, in addition to annual events and the different ways you can "stay" in South Walton.
  • PERFECT celebrates the businesses and events that were honored as our 2020 Perfect in South Walton Award winners. 
  • FOREVER is your guide to weddings in South Walton. Learn about the variety of venues available and all of the ways you can create lasting memories on your big day. 
  • EXPLORE is exactly what you need to get out and discover South Walton's abundance of natural beauty, outdoor activities, live music and dynamic arts and culture scenes. 
  • SAVOR is our spotlight on all things culinary in South Walton, from waterfront and fine dining to coastal casual eats and full restaurant listings. 

  

We'd love for you to share these free guides with your guests. Please contact Industry Relations Specialist Lisa Foster at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728 to place an order and make arrangements for either pickup at the Visitor Center or delivery to your office or vacation rental. 

 

Beach Flag Magnets:

VSW beach flag magnets are still available in limited quantities in the Visitor Center for pickup. The Visitor Center is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com for more information. 

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Visit South Walton
25777 US Hwy 331 S | Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
VisitSouthWalton.com | (850) 267-1216