< PreviousOrganic Social Media Campaigns • Wander Wednesday: A series which highlights businesses in Tuolumne County that were new or adapting to COVID-19 guidelines in innovative ways and transitioned to include highlights of hidden gems in the spring. There have been 23 business owners interviewed and even more businesses covered through roundups and videos. This was created to encourage locals to support local businesses and explore our own backyard while travel was limited. It continues to be an extremely popular series with locals. • Gift Card Giveaways: Gift cards from local businesses were awarded to local residents throughout the holiday season October 22nd — January 5th to coincide with the Wander Locally campaign. • Business of the Week: Highlighted over 17 businesses in the summer and fall that were members of the Tuolumne County Healthy Pledge. • Micro Itineraries: Created by local influencers, photographers and artists to show what locals could do in a couple hours in different areas of Tuolumne County by exploring their own backyard during restricted travel. Social Media Looking Forward Posts that show less crowded situations and that feature hidden gems and the outdoors to help disperse crowds and offer safety messaging is a trend that came out of COVID-19 and will continue. Looking forward, VTC will highlight the businesses of Tuolumne County even more through interviews, photos and video. The idea is to support and highlight Tuolumne County’s resiliency to visitors all over the world through social media. Another emerging trend is videos and “story” platforms, like TikTok, which are continuing to grow and gain traction. Followers across all social media and especially travel, are searching for authentic content. VTC is in a great position and has an extremely engaged audience who trusts our content. It is expected that traditional platforms like Facebook and Instagram will have to make some big changes to keep up with emerging platforms like TikTok and ClubHouse. Through professional development opportunities such as conferences, webinars, and research, VTC remains on the forefront of trends and all things social media. 20 MARKETING PROGRAMSDigital Content Blogs and Itineraries: 20 new blogs and many updated from previous years. NEW Platforms for 2020/2021: • Spotify: Playlists 13 • Podcast: Launched in May for California Travel and Tourism Month, 2 episodes to date. • Visit California Travel Stories: Platform released in March 2021. VTC has created 13 stories. They have a 74.9% interaction rate. CrowdRiff VTC signed onto the CrowdRiff platform in February through a Visit California co-op. This makes it significantly easier to source UGC (User Generated Content) and gain and store the rights to them. It also provides access to a CrowdRiff gallery on VTC’s website (which has an average engagement of 70.2%), Visit California Travel Stories, and a Collector to use for photo contests or for followers to submit photos for VTC to use. 21 MARKETING PROGRAMSSocial Media and Digital Highlights • Growing VTC Pinterest from ~10k impressions per year to over 700K impressions for the year. • On Instagram Stories we often have a view rate of +15% which is incredibly high. And VTC’s average Instagram post engagement rate is 6.74% while the industry standard for 2020 was 1.48%. • VTC’s Instagram account was verified, which provides a blue check mark establishing the account as the official source of information for its field. With that comes a higher level of trust from followers and potential followers. Other perks include the account displaying higher when people search for similar accounts or themes and early access to special features. 22 MARKETING PROGRAMSMedia Relations & Travel Trade Visit Tuolumne County had to lay off a full-time Communications and Tourism Manager who handled media relations. During her lay off she took another position across the country and when it was time to start revamping and re-engaging with media, VTC hired Augustine Agency to help with domestic public relations. The contract with Black Diamond, VTC media representative in the UK, was put on hold for most of the year although media coverage on Tuolumne County still circulated in the UK keeping Tuolumne County top of mind. The Black Diamond contract was reactivated in November 2020. Augustine Summary Augustine began public relations efforts for VTC in November 2020 with a goal of increasing awareness of the region as a safe, desirable, affordable and adventurous year-round destination. PR tactics were adjusted throughout the year based on everchanging COVID-19 developments, which included shifting from promoting inspirational content to encouraging safe travel as businesses were able to reopen. Media Relations Prior to taking on all public relation efforts, Augustine developed and distributed a press release announcing the launch of the Wander Freely campaign on June 23, 2020. The campaign garnered national media attention leading to a feature on Travel+Leisure as well as an interview on KFBK radio in Sacramento. Proactive pitches were developed to focus on travel trends including ways visitors could support Tuolumne County businesses from afar as well as story ideas to inspire visitors to plan a future trip to the region once leisure travel reopened. As the destination continued to welcome back travelers in 2021, focus shifted toward encouraging visitation by highlighting things to do, new businesses and supporting overall Wander Freely campaign efforts. Media announcements throughout the fiscal year included a press release highlighting new businesses in Tuolumne County distributed on March 23, 2021, and a media alert distributed on April 28, 2021, followed by a post-event press release distributed on May 6, 2021, highlighting a partnership with Pinecrest Expedition Academy. A press release announcing the launch of the Trail Heads program was also distributed on May 18, 2021. Overall proactive pitches throughout the year ran the gamut and highlighted outdoor experiences, wellness offerings, history, lodging, weddings and outdoor meeting spaces. To generate pitching content, Augustine collaborated with the VTC team on sending out regular calls for content to members, as well as facilitating meetings with businesses within the destination. Targeted outlets included a diverse list, such as travel/tourism, lifestyle, wedding and entertainment as well as drive-market media. Augustine also continued to partner with Visit California’s media relations team for relevant opportunities. 23 MEDIA RELATIONS & TRAVEL TRADEAs media relations tactics combined with VTC’s overall marketing efforts, there were 132 media clips secured or flagged by Augustine including publications in Travel+Leisure, Forbes, The Points Guy, Taste California Travel, Men’s Journal, Visit California’s media and consumer channels, and other national, regional and local outlets. Key Results: • 4 Media Announcements • 80+ Proactive Pitches • 132 Earned/Flagged Media Clips • 1.33B Potential Reach • 4.51M Coverage Views Media announcements/proactive pitches do not include a Wander Freely press release distributed in FY19/20. The number of proactive pitches excludes the number of media contacts solicited with media announcements. Potential Reach = Estimated total of monthly reach of secured coverage including digital, print circulation and broadcast views. Coverage Views = Estimated total views a specific piece of coverage will receive during its lifetime. 24 MEDIA RELATIONS & TRAVEL TRADEMarketing Partnerships for Regional, State, National & International Representation VTC partners with regional, state, national and international marketing organizations. These partnerships allow VTC to leverage funding and capture additional markets while increasing Tuolumne County’s outreach regionally and internationally. Over the years VTC team members have built strong relationships with each of these organizations. These relationships are key to Tuolumne County’s tourism industry as they keep the county top of mind with partners regionally, statewide and around the world. Brand USA Leisure VTC partners with Brand USA to produce and distribute international content through various programs. In 2019, VTC signed on to the Global Inspiration Program, the Global Road Trips campaign in partnership with Visit California, the Destination at a Glance video series, and the multi-channel Canada digital campaign. None of the programs were able to begin due to COVID-19. These programs continue to be on hold, but will begin when travel from international markets resumes. Total VTC investment: $61,000 • The Global Inspiration Program is an award-winning integrated program that generates awareness of the USA. VTC participation includes an advertorial in the printed guide (465,000 copies in nine languages distributed to 40 countries), an accompanying e-guide, and highly targeted digital content. • Visit California Global Road Trips is an itinerary-based series highlighting multiple stops and captures fun and memorable road trip ideas throughout California. Only open to 12 destinations. Market: Canada • Participation in the Destination at a Glance video series includes short, energetic and candid vignettes, each focusing on a single experience of Tuolumne County (hiking in the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, fly-fishing at Kennedy Meadows, and glamping throughout Tuolumne County). Videos were completed in January 2021 and can be viewed here. Main Market: Canada; Secondary Market: Germany • The digital media campaign is targeted for Western Canada includes a custom article on VisttheUSA.com hub, digital impressions, Facebook ads and an Expedia activation. Market: Canada Travel Trade The Brand USA Global Marketplace is a unique and innovative interactive digital platform designed for U.S. travel businesses to engage with travel trade from around the world in a 24/7 virtual setting. The platform was complete with a Main Stage for education, digital access for partners’ marketing collateral and up-to-date resources for tour operators and other travel trade. Virtual exhibitor booths even included a fishbowl that collected business cards. During the Global Marketplace VTC engaged with travel trade from the UK, Ireland, Spain, France and Italy. While there was no travel to or from those countries at the time of meetings, international travel trade plans out one-and-a-half to two years, so it is important to keep Tuolumne County at the forefront as travel agents plan their itineraries and packages. 25 MARKETING PARTNERSHIPSVisit California A strategic partnership with Visit California provides exposure to Tuolumne County through multiple high-level familiarization (FAM) trips, increased media and influencer visits and publications used by Visit California’s domestic and international media teams. Plus, matching- fund co-op advertising opportunities, or discounted programs for leisure markets, allow VTC to further leverage its budget. VTC took advantage of several of these opportunities that were offered as part of COVID-19 recovery. VTC sumbitted monthly media ideas to Visit California publications. For the 2020/2021 year, Visit California accepted and published 13 suggestions for Tuolumne County in its “Story Ideas” and seven suggestions in its “What’s New in California” story ideas. VTC took advantage of the advertising and promotional opportunities offered through digital partners including Sojern, Adara and TripAdvisor. VTC also leveraged the discounted buy-in to CrowdRiff, a commonly used UGC platform. Co-Op VTC Investment Visit California Investment Vendor Investment ValueImpressions CrowdRiff$8,000 $3,000 (20% discount) $11,000 TripAdvisor$25,00025% match$31,2501,488,095 Adara$10,00050% match$15,0001,875,000 Sojern$10,00033% match$13,3002,000,000 26 MARKETING PARTNERSHIPSGold Country Visitors Association (GCVA) The Gold Country Visitors Association (GCVA) is one of 12 regional marketing groups designated by Visit California. Historically Visit California has provided rural regions with matching grant funds of up to $60,000 annually. This allowed our region to engage as a group on several marketing programs. For 2020/2021 Visit California lost much of their funding as the pandemic hit but they were still able to provide $15,000 in matching funds. This helped GCVA to accomplish the following projects: • The GCVA decided to continue working with our social media coordinator to provide inspirational messaging and photos to followers during the pandemic. It was a way to keep Gold County out there in front of a smaller, California-based audience. • The GCVA also participated in a cooperative ad for the California Visitors Guide. This was a pay-to-play opportunity, but also used some VCA funds to help cover the cost. Additional projects for GCVA include: • A new map of California’s Gold Country/Highway 49 corridor • Updated website • Enlisting a public relations agency • Pay-to-play social media drive campaign targeted at Bay Area and Sacramento The funding for the GCVA comes from a Visit California grant that is applied for each year and from membership dues. VTC President & CEO, Lisa Mayo, continues to serve as President of GCVA. 27 MARKETING PARTNERSHIPSHigh Sierra Visitors Council (HSVC) The High Sierra Visitors Council (HSVC), one of 12 regional marketing groups designated by Visit California, traditionally fosters outreach in the French market, both on a travel trade and media level, however, the program was paused during COVID-19. HSVC also maintains an active online presence through its website, www.californiahighsierra.com, along with blogs and social media posts, created by “Local Freshies,” highlighting High Sierra destinations. In May 2021, VTC hosted a social media influencer @seekingthehorizon_ on Instagram, which was in conjunction with other members of the HSVC. The content gathered in his two-day stay was used as part of a social media takeover in June on HSVC’s social media accounts. The funding for the HSVC comes from a Visit California grant that is applied for each year and from membership dues. Yosemite Gateways The Yosemite Gateways, not to be confused with Yosemite Gateway Partners, is made up of one representative from each of the Destination Marketing Organizations from Yosemite National Park’s four gateways: Tuolumne, Mono, Madera and Mariposa Counties. In the past the group has collaborated on messaging that included how to visit Yosemite and how to travel responsibly. This collaboration was done in an effort to help control over tourism in the park. This past year, while Yosemite Gateways did not have funds to do specific projects, VTC continued to work closely with one another as we monitored various crisis situations. The effort is funded by Yosemite National Park. 28 MARKETING PARTNERSHIPSBlack Diamond The strategic partnership with Black Diamond gives Tuolumne County a strong presence in the UK and Ireland markets. VTC entered a third year working with Black Diamond’s public relations and travel trade teams and the fiscal year proved to be prosperous. Media Relations • 63 articles on Tuolumne County (view articles at www.visittuolumne.com/in-the-news) • Circulation: 11,539,092 • Estimated Value: $65,333 Travel Trade Throughout COVID-19, Black Diamond continued to promote Yosemite’s Tuolumne County to the UK travel trade. The destination’s wide open spaces and adventure style travel lends itself well to the UK market, especially post pandemic. Product development proved tricky with many members of tour operator staff being placed on furlough and resources not available to advance offerings. In fact, many tour operators have used this time to consolidate their product and in some cases removed destinations entirely. Thankfully with Tuolumne County, we have seen some new product features with British Airways Holidays, USAirtours/TravelPlanners and Scott Dunn adding more less-congested destinations to their portfolios. • Tour Operator Meetings: 80 • Agents Trained: 137 • Training Platform Completions: 193 • New Product Features: 3 • Trade Campaigns: 1 By being present in market throughout this fiscal year, Tuolumne County has stolen market share from those who haven’t. Going into 2021/22 VTC will see the benefits of this with new product features and further training opportunities. Yosemite’s Tuolumne County Training Portal During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Government announced a furlough scheme that would see them cover the salaries of employees while workers were unable to work. Most UK tour operators and travel agents were able to furlough staff while lockdowns were in place, but during this time they were allowed to take part in training making it the perfect time to engage agents. Black Diamond built a Yosemite’s Tuolumne County online training portal to direct agents to in order to learn more about the destination. By having an online portal, it allowed agents to complete the training at their own pace and come back to the modules when they had the time. 29 MARKETING PARTNERSHIPSNext >