MARKETING

New Director of Marketing:

Visit South Walton recently named Kelli Carter as its Director of Marketing. Kelli most recently served as the Film & Events Manager at VSW and has been part of the South Walton team since 2006. You can contact her at Kelli@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 267-1216. 

 

STAY Guide Updates:

We are preparing to update our annual STAY: South Walton guide—a comprehensive listing of short-term rental accommodations from Miramar Beach to Inlet Beach. Emails have already been sent to all of our lodging partners asking for verification of their business information in our database. The deadline for partners to respond is Sept. 10. If you did not receive an email from us or have not updated your contact details in the VSW partner extranet, please contact Lisa Foster at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or call (850) 333-2728. Due to tight deadlines, any requests or updates submitted after Sept. 10 will not be included in the 2022 edition of STAY. NOTE: All listings are verified through the Tourist Development Tax department. Properties that are not registered or in good standing will not be included in the publication.

 

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
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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.

 

July Website Stats:

  • Users & Page Views: 
    • This month there were a total of 230,705 page views and 116,719 unique users on the website.
    • Users who visited the site in July were mostly female (59%), between the ages 25-34 (21%), and new visitors (87%). Returning visitors saw an increase compared to June, accounting for 14% of all traffic to the website.
    • The number of sessions on the website decreased in July (12%), as did the number of unique users (10%).
    • Most of the traffic to the website in July came from organic search (32%), paid search (18%), and direct (17%).
  • Devices:
    • Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 75% of total sessions. While mobile devices brought in the most sessions, desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average session duration (1:46), the highest number of pages per session (2.4), and the lowest bounce rate (53%).
  • Geography:
    • Top Cities: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Mobile-Pensacola, and Nashville.
    • In July, users from Texas, Georgia, and Florida were responsible for the most sessions.
  • Most viewed pages:
  • Online Visitor Guide Data:
    • Travel Guide page views saw a decrease in July, but the average time on page increased to 2:38 (8%). 
    • In July, there were a total of 570 Visitor Guide requests, 2% increase.  

 

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 from this season:

  • Facebook:
    • Total Followers: 327,879
    • Total Monthly Impressions: 8,094,161
    • Total Monthly Reach: 1,781,837
    • Top Performing Post: 
      • Impressions: 40,739

 

  • Twitter:
    • Total Followers: 16,800
    • Total Monthly Impressions: 135,441
    • Profile Visits: 3,719
    • Content Shares/Mentions: 251
  • Instagram:
    • Followers: 49,500
    • Total Monthly Organic Impressions: 369,864
    • Total Monthly Engagement: 24,811
    • Total Monthly Organic Reach: 344,457
    • Top Performing Post: (Seagrove Village Market)
      • Reach: 17,969

 

Tik Tok: While we continue to grow our followers, we have the ability to share everything the destination has to offer, including state parks, business spotlights and inspirational beach content.

    • Followers: 824
    • Video Views: 9,212
    • Video Shares: 75
    • Top Performing Post: "Rosemary Beach Tour"
      • 2,490 views
      • 118 likes
      • 1 comment

 

Don’t forget to tag us (#SouthWalton and @SouthWalton) in all social media posts! Not only does this improve engagement, but also allows our social team to stay connected to you and your business's news. 

 

Beach Safety 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 TDC shares beach safety information in a variety of ways, including beach flags at our beach access points, printed materials (like our beach guides and maps, specialty travel guides/magazines, coasters at local restaurants and beach flag magnets and window clings), beach condition text messages, radio ads, and in-person interactions with beachgoers through our Beach Ambassador and Volunteer Beach Ambassador programs.

If you'd like any printed materials to share with your guests, please contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728. We'd be more than happy to deliver these items to you or arrange 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.

  • CLICK HERE to download our beach safety poster to print on your own.
  • CLICK HERE to view our online beach guide.
  • 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.

 

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 2021 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 pick up at the Visitor Center or delivery to your office or vacation rental.

 

CONTACT US

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