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. If you would like to add or update a rental property listing, please email Haley@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 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 299,789 page views (March 18-Jan. 8), 244,914 of which were unique page views, meaning the page was viewed 54,875 times by users returning to the page for another reference. Forty-six percent of this traffic originated from organic search. Users spent an average time of 1:32 on the page. Specific sub-pages include:

 

November Website Stats:

  • Users & Page Views: 
    • Users who visited the site in November were mostly female (55.2%) between the ages of 55-64 (64%) and new users (79%). Users who were new visitors to the site increased by 37.9% in November compared to the prior month, while returning visitors decreased by 14.3%.
    • Traffic to the site increased considerably in November with a 20.6% increase in sessions and a 26.1% increase in users. As typically seen with significant increases in traffic from non-organic sources, engagement metrics saw a decrease: pages-per-session (-8.1%), average session duration (-30.8%) and bounce rate (5%). 
    • The majority of traffic this month came from social and media sources with social, video and display ads accounting for roughly 65% of all traffic to the site.
  • Devices:
    • Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the site, making up 74% of sessions. While mobile devices brought in the majority of sessions, desktops continued to account for more engaged users with the average session duration, highest number of pages per session and lowest bounce rate. 
  • Geography:
    • In November, users from Texas were responsible for the most sessions, as well as the largest increase in traffic (52.7%), followed by Georgia and Tennessee. 
    • Top Areas viewing our site: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Nashville and New Orleans.
    • The most viewed pages:
    • Online Visitor Guide Data:
      • Pageviews on the online Visitor Guide page saw a decrease of 6.3% early in the month, but picked up as paid media began running. 
      • Although pageviews decreased slightly, the average time on page increased by 33.3% with users staying on the page for more than a minute and a half. 
      • Travel guide pageviews decreased in November, although the average time on page increased by 17.9%. From the travel guide page, the most visited pages were the Visitor Guide page, our Beach Neighborhoods page and the Beach and Bay Access page.
      • In November, there were a total of 384 Visitor Guide requests, a decrease from October's 456 requests. 

 

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