MARKETING
Cooperative Marketing Program:
The Walton County Tourism Department is committed to supporting local visitor-facing businesses, and we have again created a robust cooperative advertising program with numerous opportunities as a cost-effective way to help extend partners' marketing message alongside the South Walton brand.
This program will be available through the online signup system beginning Monday, May 23 at 9 a.m. CDT. Within this system, partners can see all opportunities to purchase, and upload the needed assets with ease. This turn-key solution provides a one-stop-shop for you co-op purchases. The annual program will close on Friday, May 27 at 4 p.m. CDT.
Please view the sale kit at the link below, and visit coop.visitsouthwalton.com week of May 23rd to make your selections. https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/vsw-resource-center/partner-programs/
Walton County Mural Project:
The Tourist Development Council recently approved the creation of a Walton County Mural Project. This project will showcase Walton County as a destination for the arts through creative placemaking. Public Art drives tourism, stimulates the economy, and injects a sense of place and community. Creating a series of murals and public art will contribute to the beauty and culture of Walton County as well as the economic vibrancy.
These efforts will enrich our aesthetics and environment by introducing cultural tourism through public art that is easily accessible and interactive for locals and visitors to enjoy. Through the development of these displays, we will promote self-guided tours and social media sharing through hashtags, QR codes, or interactive apps. However, the benefits exceed social media presence. This program will instill a sense of civic pride, safety, boost economic growth, inspire investment in the community and so many more benefits.
For more information about the program, contact Kelli Carter, director of marketing, at Kelli@visitsouthwalton.com or call (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 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.
April Website Stats:
- Users & Page Views:
- There were a total of 179,672 page views and 96,374 unique users on the website in April.
- For April, the number of sessions decreased slightly.
- Users who visited the site were mostly female (62.2%), between the ages 35-54 (44.7%), and new visitors (86.6%).
- Traffic to the website was primarily dominated by Organic Search and Social in April, which combined to account for 50.8% of all traffic coming to the site.
- After Social saw a substantial increase in March, it was back down in April, however, it still generated 24,757 sessions, which excluding March, would have been the highest amount any one month generated since June 2021.
- Devices:
- Consistent with previous months, mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 70.2% 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 (59.5%).
- Geography:
- Top Cities/Metros: Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Chicago, Panama City, and Houston.
- In April, users from Texas, Georgia, and Florida were responsible for most sessions.
- Most viewed pages:
- The most viewed pages on the site in April, after the home page, were the Beach Safety page, the Miramar Beach neighborhood page, and the Beach and Bay Access locations page.
- Of the top 10 most viewed pages, the Beach Safety page (3:11) and the Beach and Bay Access locations page (2:29) had the longest average time on page.
- Online Visitor Guide Data:
- Travel Guide page views decreased in April, compared to the prior month.
- There were a total of 419 Visitor Guide requests in April.
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 March highlights from our channels:
- Facebook:
- Total Followers: 326,146
- Total Monthly Reach: 2,652,275
- Top Performing Post: Seaside Morning Walk
- Impressions: 19,595
- Twitter:
- Total Followers: 17,458
- Total Monthly Impressions: 82,483
- Total Monthly Engagements: 2,687
- Total Monthly Retweets: 97
- Total Monthly Mentions: 106
- Top Tweet: Wave Video
- Impressions: 1,759
- Instagram:
- Followers: 52,435
- Post Impressions: 336,027
- Total Monthly Engagement: 25,035
- Total Monthly Organic Reach: 321,387
- Top Performing Post: Rosemary Beach Sunset
- Reach: 20,492
- LinkedIn:
- Followers: 973
- Post Reactions: 212
- Top Performing Post: Seagulls
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 or customers, please contact Lisa Foster, industry relations specialist, at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728. We can make arrangements 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, 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 2022 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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