MARKETING
Leisure Shows:
Leisure shows are now a focus of the marketing department. Leisure shows allow the team to bring awareness of the destination as a potential vacation possibility.
In October, South Walton had the opportunity to travel to Dallas and participate as a sponsor of the 48th Annual Dallas Cattle Barons Ball at the historic Gilley's venue. Since 1974 more than $86 million has been raised for cancer research and it is the largest single-night fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
In true South Walton fashion, sweet treats were provided by Dan Vargo of Fine Coastal Cuisine. Additionally, award-winning publications such as Visit, Savor, and Explore, as well as signature South Walton merchandise were provided to all guests along with meaningful conversations with those who showed an interest in learning more about South Walton as a premier vacation destination on Florida’s gulf coast.
The event hosted more than 10,000 people and South Walton was in the middle of the action. The evening culminated with a performance by star county musician Dierks Bentley.
This activation was the first in the fiscal year 2022 and is part of the Leisure Trade Show plan to increase awareness about South Walton as a premier vacation destination. New Orleans, Atlanta, Denver and Chicago are just a few of the other cities included in the plan.
For more information about this activation or others planned, please contact Kelli Carter, director of marketing, at kelli@visitsouthwalton.com
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 Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com.
Year-to-date, the Book>Direct portion of the website has received more than 35,000 visits. With Google ads, VRBO ads, and promotion on social media, more potential visitors are being funneled to book directly with our accommodations partners. Yearly visits to the Book>Direct page on VisitSouthWalton.com have increased by 231%.
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.
October Website Stats:
- Users & Page Views:
- This month there were a total of 120,154 page views and 62,682 unique users on the website.
- Users who visited the site in October were mostly female (60.5%), between the ages 25-34 (18.3%), and new visitors (88.5%).
- Most of the traffic to the website in October came from organic search (33.9%), social (21.5%), and paid search (19.1%).
- Devices:
- Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 68% of total sessions. While mobile devices brought in the most sessions, desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average session duration (1:33), the highest number of pages per session (2.1), and the lowest bounce rate (59.1%).
- Geography:
- Top Cities/Metros: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Mobile-Pensacola, Nashville, and Houston.
- In October, users from Texas, Georgia, and Florida were responsible for the most sessions.
- Most viewed pages:
- The most viewed pages on the site in October were the Home page, the 2022 Perfect in South Walton Awards page, and the Miramar Beach neighborhood page.
- Of the top 10 most viewed pages, the 2022 Perfect in South Walton Awards page (2:44) and the Beach Safety page (2:32) had the longest average time on page.
- Online Visitor Guide Data:
- Travel Guide page views saw an increase (40.6%) in October, and there were a total of 232 visitor guide requests.
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: 327,800
- Total Monthly Impressions: 566,493
- Total Monthly Reach: 2,434,447
- Top Performing Post: "Morrison Springs"
- Impressions: 32,954
- Twitter:
- Total Followers: 16,910
- Total Monthly Impressions: 105,000
- Profile Visits: 2,023
- Content Shares/Mentions: 133
- Instagram:
- Followers: 50,150
- Total Monthly Organic Impressions: 1,618,154
- Total Monthly Engagement: 26,734
- Total Monthly Organic Reach: 711,993
- Top Performing Post: "Sunset Mood Board"
- Reach: 295,762
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.
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- Followers: 937
- Video Views: 3,106
- Video Shares: 16
- Top Performing Post: "Candy Shop Tour"
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 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 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.
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 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.
- 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.
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     Visit South Walton 25777 US Hwy 331 S | Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 VisitSouthWalton.com | (850) 267-1216 |