MARKETING
WCT Launches Interactive Beach Map:
The Walton County Tourism Department has implemented an awareness campaign to provide our residents and visitors a better understanding of the dynamics along our beaches.
At the center of the campaign is an easy-to-navigate interactive map, complete with geolocation technology, that will help distinguish between county-owned public beach and privately managed beach. By typing in a physical address, a user can find the nearest beach access, as well as details on how and when these areas may be enjoyed.
Additionally, we are placing signage along beach areas that not only designate the usage at that specific site, but also includes a QR code that links back to the interactive map.
We ask all our partners to share this map, whether through social channels, linking on your website or any materials you provide customers — to spread awareness and ensure visitors enjoy the best possible experience during their time on our beautiful beaches.
As we navigate the upcoming beach season together, the WCT team is here to help. If you have any further questions about our campaign, please reach out to our staff.
Tourism Staff Attends Travel and Adventure Shows:
The Walton County Tourism Development Event Grant Program is intended to support, grow and promote local special events that have the ability to generate overnight stays, strengthen the South Walton/Authentic Walton brands and enhance the Walton County visitor experience. Applicants whose events are accepted into the program will receive a combination of marketing support and reimbursable funds that are intended to achieve the listed objectives above.
The FY 2025 application is open and will close on Friday, March 29. Please click HERE for the application. The program guidelines can be found HERE.
Contact Marketing Coordinator Rebekah Walden at Rebekah@WCFLTourism.com with any questions.
Book>Direct Accommodations Search Engine:
The Walton County Tourism Department has partnered with Book>Direct to provide accommodation partners with the ability to display real-time rates and availability on visitsouthwalton.com. We especially would like all bed tax collectors to review their rental property listing(s) to ensure we have the most current details in our database.
February Website Stats
Users & Page Views:
- The number of sessions on the website decreased in February.
- There were 226,925 pageviews and 109,945 new users on the website in February.
- Users who visited the site in February were mostly female (66.9%) and were over the age of 45 (66.2%).
- The traffic coming to the website in February mostly came from Display, Organic Search, Paid Search, and Paid Social which combined to account for 81% off all traffic coming to the site.
- Six of the top nine traffic sources decreased in February, with Email, Organic Social, and Paid Social experiencing the largest decreases.
Devices:
- Mobile devices were the primary driver of traffic to the website, making up 69.7% of total sessions. Desktops continued to account for the most engagement in average engagement duration (1:00), the highest number of pages per session (2.1), and the highest engagement rate (62.4%).
Geography:
- Top Cities: Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and Miami.
- In February, users from Texas, Florida and Georgia were responsible for the most sessions.
Most viewed pages:
- The most viewed pages on the site in February, after the Home page, were the Where Chefs Eat When They Are Off The Clock blog, the Culinary Experiences Listings page, and the Beach and Bay Access Locations page.
- Of the top 10 most viewed pages, the Beach and Bay Access Locations page and the Santa Rosa Beach Neighborhood page had the longest average engagement duration.
Online Visitor Guide Data:
- Travel Guide pageviews were up slightly in February, as they increased by 5.1% from their mark in January. Engagements on the Travel Guide page were down as Average Engagement Duration and Engagement Rate both decreased.
- In February, there were a total of 245 Visitor Guide requests, which is 14 more than there were in January.
February Social Media Stats – VSW
- Total Followers – 331,082
- Total Monthly Reach – 2,136,195
- Total Monthly Engagements – 9,071
- Total Monthly Post Reactions – 8,357
- Total Monthly Link Clicks – 152
- Top Performing Post – facebook.com/244572334372229/posts/765375655625225
- Content: “Looks like Vincent Scully has the best seat in the house tonight 🌅📸:@thewilltochoose on Instagram”
- Impressions: 18,692
- Twitter/X
- Total Followers – 18,198
- Total Monthly Impressions – 43,475
- Total Monthly Engagements – 1,593
- Total Monthly Retweets – 121
- Total Monthly Mentions – 28
- Top Tweet – twitter.com/SouthWalton/status/1760726810654826697
- Content: “just 🌊crashing🌊 into your feed to say... HAPPY THURSDAY!”
- Engagement Rate: 7.22%
- Followers – 57,593
- Post Impressions – 2,689,359
- Total Monthly Engagement – 3,821
- Total Monthly Organic Reach – 709,859
- Top Performing Post – A post shared by South Walton (@southwalton)
- Content: “✅ take nothing but pictures
- ✅ leave nothing but footprints”
- Reach: 9,381
- LinkedIn
- Followers – 1,542
- Post Reactions – 96
- Top Performing Post – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7159214775090954241/
- Content: “We're ready for warmer days, Punxsutawney Phil. 😉Happy #GroundhogDay from #SouthWalton!”
- Reactions: 14
February Social Media Stats – WCT
- Facebook
- Total Followers – 196
- Total Monthly Reach – 5,746
- Total Monthly Engagements – 340
- Total Monthly Post Reactions – 278
- Total Monthly Link Clicks – 16
- Top Performing Post – Walton County Tourism
- Content: “Following his unexpected passing last year, long-time Beach Operations employee and valued community member, Jimmy Frank, was memorialized with the naming of the entry road to the Beach Operations facility in his honor – “Jimmy Frank Way.” 💙After over 20 years of service with Walton County Tourism’s Beach Operations, we are proud to honor Jimmy’s legacy. “Jimmy was an all-around great person; husband, father, son, brother, and most certainly – fellow employee," said Director of Beach Operations Brian Kellenberger.”
- Impressions: 3,294
- Followers – 205
- Post Reactions – 128
- Top Performing Post – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7166899856152731648/
- Content: “#ICYMI: We launched a 🆕 website! 💻 The new Walton County Tourism website provides an insider’s look at what it takes to keep everything running smoothly for the county’s number one economic driver. Find insight into all the diverse efforts of the county’s tourism department, including ongoing programs, beach maintenance projects and more on our new site. Learn more: Walton County Tourism Department Launches New Website ”
- Reactions: 24
February Social Media Stats – AW
- Facebook
- Total Followers – 3,138
- Total Monthly Reach – 29,312
- Total Monthly Engagements – 502
- Total Monthly Post Reactions – 421
- Total Monthly Link Clicks – 59
- Top Performing Post – Authentic Walton
- Content: “We 💙 you, Walton County. Happy #ValentinesDay!”
- Impressions: 16,940
- Followers – 329
- Post Impressions – 1,717
- Total Monthly Engagement – 54
- Total Monthly Organic Reach – 383
- Top Performing Post – A post shared by Authentic Walton (@authenticwalton)
- Content: “pov: you finally booked your #WaltonCounty getaway and this is your lunch view 🧺 start planning your next trip at the 🔗 in our bio!”
- Reach: 183
Social in Walton County:
Through our targeted approach, we can 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:
For current beach conditions and flag updates, text "FLAG" to 31279*
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