Case Study
Client: Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau
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Description
The Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a non-profit organization established in 1976 to create economic growth for Savannah, GA by marketing the region as a top-of-mind convention and visitor destination.
Situation
The Savannah CVB was ready for change. With an identity shift on the horizon, plans were underway for the launch of an extensive offline marketing campaign to introduce their new brand. It was imperative for the website to carry a consistent message with the new campaign.
Their existing website, built in September of 2002, was in need of a complete overhaul to take advantage of new online marketing and lead generation tactics. After soliciting proposals from the region’s best Interactive agencies, Anderson Interactive was awarded the contract to redevelop www.SavannahVisit.com and create an online marketing strategy that would ensure maximum visibility for the new site.
Strategy
In the spring of 2006, Anderson Interactive led a series of discovery meetings with key stakeholders of the Savannah CVB. The result of these discussions uncovered the needs and expectations of the project
Driving traffic ... qualified traffic
Simply getting people to the website wasn’t going to cut it. The Savannah CVB needed people with a real intent, and the means to visit Savannah. An online marketing strategy was devised to find and reach these people, and stay in regular communication with them once Savannah was on their radar.
This multifaceted marketing strategy involved an aggressive search engine optimization (SEO) campaign alongside a series of targeted "opt-in" e-mail campaigns aimed at prospective visitors, meeting and group tour planners, and the media. In addition, the CVB would lean on the experience of Anderson Interactive to consult on banner advertising and other E-Media possibilities. Performance reporting and analysis would tie it all together to ensure forward progress.
Captivating the audience
All parties were convinced that the ambitious online marketing strategy would generate qualified traffic. It was now time to make sure that the user’s experience would be so rewarding that they would quickly understand all that Savannah has to offer, and provide their contact information in exchange for specials, news and information about the city.
Anderson Interactive developed a set of new features that would engage users, encourage them to interact with the site’s content, and ultimately come back for more. The "Tour Guide" was a feature that allowed visitors to create their own custom itineraries. By establishing an online account, they could share their itinerary with friends and family, while the CVB could benefit from the contact and demographic data that would be collected.
Other features included the integration of the Travelocity booking engine, now allowing visitors to reserve accommodations and event tickets from the site. A brand-consistent design and streamlined navigation architecture would blend all of the offline and online marketing assets together, making this site the destination point for the entire campaign.
Offsetting the investment
Cost of ownership is a concern for any website, particularly one of this magnitude. Understanding this, Anderson Interactive developed a simple-to-use content management system that would allow the CVB staff to manage many aspects of the website at any time. Not having to rely on a vendor for simple updates, the CVB would have all the control they needed.
CVB members were excited to take advantage of this new website, and expressed a strong interest in promoting their businesses through it. In a collaborative effort with the CVB and its partners, Anderson Interactive developed a banner advertising strategy, management and reporting system that would facilitate the needs of both the CVB and its members. This system generated the revenue needed to fund the website and online marketing endeavors.
Results
In September of 2006, the newly redeveloped www.SavannahVisit.com was well received by the CVB, their partners and the target audiences to which the site caters to. In the first six months of operation, this site has already exceeded high expectations. Anderson Interactive continues to work closely with the Savannah CVB to pinpoint the performance of this website and the components of the online marketing campaign.
- 10% conversion of visitors to leads (industry average hovers around 2.5%)
- 41% e-mail open rate to prospects (industry average is 24%)
- 100s of first page listings in the natural/organic area of the major search engines
- 10,000+ new leads collected within six months
