Expressions of Interest for January Content
Our full-year working content calendar can be viewed here. Expressions of interest are open for the following blogs. Blogs are free for Primary members and $99 per inclusion for Secondary members.
- What’s On January – The guide receives over 2,000 hits per month, is promoted on our social channels and included in our monthly consumer email marketing with 30,000+ subscribers. For consideration, your event must be submitted and published on margaretriver.com no later than the 15th of each month to appear in the following month.
We’ll also be refreshing the following evergreen articles.
- New Year, New Experiences
- 8 Amazing Artistic Adventures
- 6 Aquatic Adventures
- 7 Underrated Foodie Surprises
- All-Person Access: Accessible Tourism in the Margaret River Region
- Reset in Quiet Quindalup
- 10 Ways to Discover Busselton
- 10 Ways to Discover Dunsborough & Yallingup
- 10 Ways to Discover Margaret River
- 10 Ways to Discover Augusta
- Itinerary: 3 Day Family Holiday in Augusta
EOI’s must include a brief pitch explaining why your business suits the brief and a high-quality image. Send your EOI to [email protected]
Paid Advertising
Please get in touch for paid opportunities such as web ads, TV advertising in the Visitors Centres, or a top 3 listing on margaretriver.com.
MRBTA Marketing & Visitor Servicing Channels
Margaretriver.com
The new website officially launched in November, and as expected we have seen a few fluctuations in traffic as the new pages and redirects in place get settled. However, overall numbers are consistent when compared to the same period last year and in 2019, which is positive, and we expect to see incremental improvements based on the new site design and functionality.
There was a spike in people using the search term ‘leavers’, and we are also seeing keywords related to Christmas and ‘open over holidays’ which is a good reminder to ensure all business listing information is up to date for those currently planning their festive break in the region.
The top landing pages in November included Things To Do, Events & What’s On, Busselton / Dunsborough Leavers Information, and Accommodation.
The most popular blog content included 11 Best Breakfasts, Night Time Dining, A Guide To Dog-Friendly Touring, and Which Cave Is Best For Me.
Looking at the demographic data of website users there has been a subtle shift towards a younger age bracket this year compared to 2020. In November 49% of users were in the 25 – 44 years bracket, compared to 44% in 2020, and 26% were in the 45 – 64 year old bracket compared to 38% in 2020.
Member pages received 75,832 page views in November.
New Blog Stories
82 members were featured across 12 new and refreshed blogs curated by the MRBTA in November.
Visitation to blog stories increased by 35% YoY in November with 36,684k page views compared to 27,160k in 2020.
Page Break
- What’s On in November
- 6 Delicious Degustations to Indulge In
- 10 of the Best Farm Stays
- How To: Keeping Teenagers Busy in the Margaret River Region
- 17 Alternative Tours
- Local Summer Beers You Have to Try
- Guide To: The Margaret River Region’s Farmers Markets
- 10 Joyfully Nostalgic Beachside Holiday Homes
- Sustainable Travel: How To Holiday With a Light Footprint
- Ancient Oasis: The Ethereal Lake Cave
- Karnidale: A World Class Circus & Music Festival
- Itinerary: 3 Day Eco-Conscious Trail
Social Media
November saw a bounce back in the numbers, due in part to a viral whale photo by Dylan Dehaas reaching 75k people on Facebook. Expectation around the WA border announcement is also likely to have contributed to increased engagement with our content, as people in the eastern states start to think about planning and booking travel.
- Instagram: Followers grew by 599. Reach and impressions were both up 78% and 53% respectively.
- Facebook: Gained 145 new followers. Engagement increased by 64% and impressions were up 37% Month on Month.
- Most followers on our platforms are Perth-based and female, between 25-44 years of age.
Reach is the number of people who may have seen your content, while impressions are the total number of times your content was displayed to people.
The social media team recently completed four member photo shoots with nature-based tour operator; coasteering with Margaret River Adventure Co, Margaret River Mountain Bike Tours, orchid spotting with Margaret River Exposed Tours and Contos with Cape to Cape Explorer Tours. There will be more shoots like this in the new year, you can register your interest with [email protected]
Monthly EDMs
Monthly newsletters to consumers and media have maintained high engagement. The industry benchmark for Travel & Leisure is an open rate of 15.7%.
Moving forward reporting of click rates will be calculated differently in line with updates in privacy policies and as Campaign Monitor (our email platform) refines their metrics to be as accurate as possible. While previously the click rate was determined by the number of emails clicked divided by the number of emails opened (Click To Open Rate), it will now be the number of emails clicked divided by the number of emails sent (minus bounces).
You can read more about reporting of open and click rates here.
- Consumer Newsletter Sent to 27,347 subscribers. 31.9% open rate and 3% click rate (CR). There were 1,377 sessions to the website from this EDM, with the most popular link being 10 Joyfully Nostalgic Beachside Holiday Homes.
*CR= Click Rate
The most popular stories this month were:
- 10 Joyfully Nostalgic Beachside Holiday Homes
- 6 Delicious Degustations to Indulge In
- A Guide to the Margaret River Region’s Farmers Markets
- Sustainable Travel: How to Holiday with a Light Footprint
- How to Keep Teenagers Busy
Hot tip: Consider sharing these stories to your email database.
Media Coverage
A snapshot of media coverage featuring the Margaret River Region across November included:
- The West Australian – Amelia Park Winery: Margaret River winemakers Jeremy and Daniela Gordon share the story behind their success
- The West Australian – Insider Magazine: Vasse Felix winery owner Paul Holmes a Court plans sparkling venture for Margaret River
- The West Australian – WA’s top 50 best beers revealed by True Brew editor Simon Collins
- The West Australian – Margaret River experiences make the ideal Christmas present for food and wine connoisseurs (hosted by Tourism WA)
- The West Australian – Stella Bella winery in Margaret River continues to deliver with its Luminosa and Suckfizzle ranges
- The Australian – Margaret River chardonnay a medical marval
- ABC – Ngilgi Cave’s rich history includes fossils, Dreamtime and the ‘romantically adventurous’
Event Support
The MRBTA annually supports over 30 major events to drive off-peak visitation to our region.
Marketing Resources
- 2020/21 domestic market profiles: These have been recently updated and published by Tourism WA, and reveal insights into our interstate and intrastate visitor behaviour.
- Summer Image Library: Members can access our Spring / Summer image library and share inspirational visuals of the Margaret River Region. Please always credit the photographers when using images.
- How to Leverage Your Events: MRBTA regularly supports major events in the region and have noticed a growing demand from members hosting smaller events wanting to gain leverage and build their audience. In response to this, we have put together a guide with useful tips on promoting your event.
- Rediscover Videos: The regional Rediscover compilation video shares inspirational messaging for a domestic and intrastate market. Members are welcome to share the video across their channels.