MARKETING
Supplemental Co-Op Advertising Program:
As an extension of the annual co-op program, the Walton County Tourism Department is offering the opportunity to purchase digital paid media programs throughout the year. Partners, both Bed Tax Collectors and Non-Bed Tax Collectors can select one-month flights on Facebook/Instagram, TripAdvisor, or Programmatic Display and three-month flights on Hulu. Meetings-eligible partners will be able to select one-month flights on Programmatic Display, Dedicated Emails, and LinkedIn.
Campaigns will begin 5 weeks after the purchase date. This offers partners the opportunity to anticipate a need for additional promotion and purchase it, providing more flexibility. As with the annual program, the Walton County Tourism Department covers at least half the cost of each placement.
This program is currently available through the online signup system used for the annual program. Within this system, partners can see all opportunities to purchase as-needed and upload the needed assets with ease. This turn-key solution provides a one-stop shop for digital media purchases.
Please visit https://coop.visitsouthwalton.com/ to sign up or sign in, explore the opportunities and purchase today!
If you have questions about this program, please contact Creative Marketing Manager Courtney Malone at Courtney@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 267-1216 or Katie Campbell at our agency of record at vswpartners@z-comm.com or (504) 558-7778.
Influencer Program:
The Walton County Tourism Department is currently strategizing a new Influencer Marketing Program that will launch in 2022. Research conducted by the Walton County Tourism Department’s research firm, Downs & St. Germain, revealed that 57% of first-time visitors first heard about South Walton through word-of-mouth sources.
We are aware that many of our local partners already have successful influencer marketing programs in place, and our priority is to support your efforts however we can. Any feedback on 2022 influencer marketing initiatives and how our program could complement your efforts would be greatly appreciated. Please see questions below for your consideration:
- Would you be open to partnering with Walton County Tourism Department’s Influencer Marketing Program?
- Do you currently have an Influencer Marketing Program in place?
- If so, would you mind sharing the criteria for your program?
For program inquiries, please email Carley@VisitSouthWalton.com by Jan. 31, 2022.
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.
December Website Stats:
- Users & Page Views:
- There were a total of 148,436 page views and 86,766 unique users on the website in December.
- For December, the number of sessions increased by 22.8% over the prior month.
- Users who visited the site in December were mostly female (59.9%), between the ages 35-44 (22.3%), and new visitors (87.2%).
- Traffic to the website in December was very diverse, as organic search, social, display, paid search, organic search and direct search each accounted for between 15-24% of traffic.
- Devices:
- Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 68.3% of total sessions. While mobile devices brought in the most sessions, desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average session duration (1:22), the highest number of pages per session (2), and the lowest bounce rate (62.7%).
- Geography:
- Top Cities/Metros: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Chicago, Houston and Nashville.
- In December, users from Texas, Georgia, and Illinois were responsible for the most sessions.
- Most viewed pages:
- The most viewed pages on the site in November were the Home page, the Miramar Beach neighborhood page, and the Beach and Bay Access locations page.
- Of the top 10 most viewed pages, the Beach Safety (2:28) and the Beach and Bay Access locations page (2:12) had the longest average time on page.
- Online Visitor Guide Data:
- Travel Guide page views saw a decrease in December, and there were a total of 143 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: 327,003
- Total Monthly Reach: 1,952,052
- Top Performing Post: New Year's Eve
- Impressions: 15,676
- Twitter:
- Total Followers: 17,104
- Total Monthly Impressions: 223,000
- Profile Visits: 2,333
- Content Shares/Mentions: 109
- Instagram:
- Followers: 50,561
- Total Monthly Organic Impressions: 310,124
- Total Monthly Engagement: 20,980
- Total Monthly Organic Reach: 530,858
- Top Performing Post: "Santa's Vacay"
- Reach: 14,911
- LinkedIn:
- Followers: 861
- Post Reactions: 467
- Top Performing Post:
- "Christmas"
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.
- 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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