Visitors Bureau updated on web traffic

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SIDNEY — Members of the Sidney Visitors Bureau were updated on web traffic to the organization’s website during its January meeting.

Website traffic for November 2016 included 1,042 web sessions (1,440 web sessions in 2015); 819 unique users ( 1,186 unique users in 2015); 3,229 page views (2,273 page views in 2015); and 2,172 Facebook views (1,578 views in 2015).

The time on the site averaged 1:48 minutes, up from the 1:05 average time on site in 2015.

Website traffic for December 2016 included 695 web sessions (859 web sessions in 2015); 588 unique users (732 unique users in 2015); 2,120 page views (1,670 page views in 2015); and 2,180 Facebook views (233 views in 2015).

The time on the site averaged 1:20 minutes, which was down from the 2:00 average time on site in 2015.

Fulfillment for November 2016 included sending information to 76 individuals interested in learning more about the area after visiting the website or seeing ads in the Discover Ohio Travel Planner, Midwest Living Magazine, Country Living Magazine, and the Madden Media Regional Newspaper Insert. There were 40 reader response requests were fulfilled for the same period in 2015.

Fulfillment for December 2016 included sending information to 68 individuals interested in learning more about the area after visiting our web site or seeing our ads in the Discover Ohio Travel Planner, Midwest Living Magazine, Country Living Magazine, and the Madden Media Regional Newspaper Insert. There were 79 reader response requests were fulfilled for the same period in 2015.

Advertising and promotion reported collaboration continues with Visitors Bureaus in Miami, Darke, Auglaize, Mercer and VanWert counties to cosponsor a booth at the 2017 AAA Great Vacations Expo in Columbus on Feb. 3-5. In 2016 this consumer travel show was visited by more than 10,000 patrons. At the 2016 show, the Sidney Visitors Bureau and its partnering Visitors Bureaus handed out more than 900 goodie bags of information about travel in west central Ohio.

The group contracted with TourismOhio, the State’s Travel and Tourism Bureau, to cooperatively advertise using the following strategies: advertising in a Midwest regional newspaper insert campaign (circulation 1,000,000), execute two Spring/Summer broadcast email campaigns, orchestrate a 12 month Search Engine Marketing Campaign to boost traffic to the Visitors Bureau’s web site, a Sidney Visitors Guide distribution strategy to place guides in 4 State of Ohio operated Travel Information Centers whose locations are traveling toward Sidney. By partnering with TourismOhio, the Sidney Visitors Bureau received $7,566 in advertising match funding from the State.

They also contracted with Ad Rack and Tourist Information Services to place Sidney Visitors Guides in hotel lobbies and other well-traveled public places in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

A contract is also in place with Great Lakes Publishing to advertise in the 2017 Ohio Travel Planner (circulation 400,000), the State of Ohio’s official travel guide. Contracted with Great Lakes Publishing to advertise in the State of Ohio sponsored Mobile App promoting travel in Ohio. Also contracted with Great Lakes Publishing and Scripps Media to plan and execute an online Banner Ad campaign in May through August to retarget those who previously visited the Sidney Visitors Bureau web site as well as geotarget, contextual target, and demographic target others online likely to have an interest in travel to west central Ohio.

The group contracted with OhioTraveler.com to place four advertorials over a 12 month period in their monthly eNewsletter (circulation 150,000), distribute same advertorials to more than 1,000 media outlets that include newspaper, magazine, radio, and television, and position for 12 months a Sidney Visitors Bureau display ad with electronic link on the cover of the OhioTraveler.com eNewsletter.

The bureau also pledged sponsorship to Sidney Alive in 2017 at the Fountain level.

The North Valley CYO is again hosting their CYO State Tournament in Sidney and Shelby County the weekend of March 10-12, 2017. There are 70 teams expected with gyms being used at Lehman High School, Russia High School and Fort Loramie High School. The Hampton Inn is serving as the tournament’s host hotel however many more rooms are needed in addition to those set aside at the Hampton Inn. Tournament organizers anticipate needing 120 guest rooms each night. This same tournament was held previously in Sidney-Shelby County in 2011. The 2017 estimated economic impact for this event is forecast to be $480,900.

The Sidney Visitors Bureau is sponsoring an upcoming episode of Brushpile Fishing being taped at Lake Loramie. The Bureau recently completed production on an 80 second commercial message that will air during the program. Brushpile Fishing will be broadcast on the Pursuit channel, an outdoors themed cable TV channel. Anticipated are 20,000 direct views with a broadcast distribution to 42 million households. The episode will also air on Time Warner Sports Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina and on Sports Time Ohio. An online broadcast will also be viewable to anyone with an Internet connection.

For a complete calendar listing of upcoming events in Sidney and Shelby County, visit www.VisitSidneyShelby.com and be sure to Like Us on Facebook at Sidney Visitors Bureau.

Staff report

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