The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is a hidden gem of a place, with many people not really understanding what is there beyond walking, biking and water sports.
In order to overcome this, the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) has created five new itineraries to inspire visitors to explore the lesser known things to do and places to go.
The result? The brilliant ‘Find Your Freedom’ campaign.
(This content first appeared on the Elves of the Visitor Economy podcast. View original post on LinkedIn.)
Photos and videos © Paul Box. Thank you to ALS Marketing for sharing the image and video assets.
Why this works
It speaks to people’s current needs
No matter what’s going on for each and every one of us and against a backdrop of ongoing tumultuous world events, we are likely craving some rest and relaxation.
The last two years have been difficult and we want to be free – from the shackles of lockdown and working from home.
Several experiential experiences to appeal to a range of audiences
The FIVE itineraries showcase how it’s a great place to visit for foodies, thrill seekers, nature lovers or wild explorers.
For example, the food itinerary ‘Delicious Dean’ celebrates the fabulous flavours found across the area, whereas ‘Freedom Awaits’ connects visitors with nature.
The itineraries offer inspiring, educational and helpful content that help prospective visitors plan their trip and most importantly to direct people to local independent businesses.
Simple but effective comms
This campaign webpage helps you to ‘find your freedom’ quickly by signposting the five itineraries and the gorgeously upbeat videos by FrameDogs showcase all the fun things to do – so much so, that we want to go to the Forest, right NOW 😂
Learnable moments
Create itineraries that appeal to target market
Lots of destinations create itineraries in line with target ‘personas’ or an ideal target market. They are great for accommodation or hospitality businesses to share with their customers and guests. You might like to create your own – ‘top ten things to do’ itineraries and lists are great for SEO.
Use video to maximise reach
We all know that video is the increasingly powerful media of choice for engaging customers. How is your YouTube channel doing? If you didn’t already know, YouTube is owned by Google and as we’re sure you’ve seen recently, when you do a Google search, YouTube videos come close to the top of any search results. Just make sure the text that accompanies the videos has terms that your audience might be searching for.
Want to hear more on visitor attractions in the West of England?
Listen to the Elves of the Visitor Economy podcast for inspirational stories from people working in the visitor economy, which I produce with fellow freelance marketer Kelly Ballard.
