It’s encouraging to see Western Australians being able to return to travel in their own backyard and restrictions easing. Traffic to the ‘What’s Open’ page on margaretriver.com is still trending well, with many users finding the page through a google search, so we will continue to share messaging with consumers that affirms that we are open for business and that some mid-week opening hours may vary. Promoting the region as the best winter holiday destination has also been the focus for our team, with blog content supporting winter experiences, cosy accommodation, and rainy day fun. Tourism WA’s #wanderoutyonder campaign can also be leveraged in your own marketing efforts over winter.
Quick snapshot from the month of June below. Any questions, please contact Acting Marketing & Communications Manager, Sophie Mathewson [email protected]
Media
- Network 10 and GWN7 coverage: With restrictions easing and the region once again open for business, West Australian news coverage was strong. Catch up on channel 10 and channel 7 footage.
- New Marriot Hotel planned for Gnarabup in Margaret River was mentioned in Tourism Australia’s monthly newsletter
- Scoop Magazine: The region’s caves featured in a dedicated article from Scoop
Web
Traffic on margaretriver.com continues to track very well, with page views up 48.7% from the same time last year. Time spent on pages was also up by 5% and bounce rates and exit rates had both reduced significantly which demonstrates that visitors are engaging with the content.
Popular search terms were ‘leavers’, ‘wineries’, and ‘dog friendly’.
Consumer EDM
A consumer EDM was sent to a targeted audience of 33k recipients, promoting the region as the Ultimate Mid Year Getaway. The EDM was opened by 25% of recipients, and of those, 15% clicked a link taking them to margaretriver.com.
7 New Blogs Shared on the home page
- 5 New Winter Experiences
- Rainy Day Fun for Kids
- A Connection to Redgate
- 10 Places to Stay with Amazing Winter Views
- Spotlight On: Redgate Forest Retreat
- Best Playgrounds of the Margaret River Region
- Your Ultimate Mid-Year Getaway
YMRR Magazine
The winter and spring magazines remain paused. We will keep members informed on whether the publication will resume for summer.
Social Media
Social media was a great indicator across June of the increased interest in travel to the region.
Engagement, impressions and reach across Your Margaret River Region’s Facebook had all increased compared to the same period last year. Instagram held steady. Popular images included iconic locations such as Sugarloaf Rock, the Busselton Jetty, and the Margaret River.
Whale Watching
A homepage banner on margaretriver.com was featured, reminding visitors of whale season and will continue to be promoted across winter
Ongoing Activity
We are still in the process of building our evolved consumer website. To retain our position as an industry leader and the number one destination authority, margaretriver.com requires a significant upgrade to improve performance and user experience. With a mobile-first approach to design, the new site will focus on:
- Simplified site architecture
- Contemporary design
- Pre-determined templates for content types (articles, itineraries, landing pages)
The project will provide the opportunity to remain competitive in the digital space and improve brand reputation.
Other work underway in the coming month will include:
- Continued work growing our new asset library HIVO
- We are busy planning a Winter Instameet (or winstermeet) to encourage Perth visitation over winter, build on our image asset library and promote mid-week visitation.