Scope: Clackamas County is seeking Proposals from vendors to provide search engine marketing (“SEM”) that can work closely with Clackamas County Tourism (“CCT”) staff at the direction of the digital marketing and social media strategist to manage CCT’s SEM strategy and implementation.
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory is the brand name for Clackamas County as a destination, and CCT is its destination management organization. CCT’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for residents by optimizing the economic impacts of the tourism industry derived from the County’s Transient Room Tax. Marketing staff create web content and handle daily web updates. CCT contracts with separate vendors to manage web development and data analysis; search engine optimization (“SEO”) strategy and execution; paid social media advertising; and SEM. CCT seeks a vendor who can advance CCT’s data-driven marketing strategy through SEM. The chosen vendor will lead CCT through SEM strategy and research and planning, ad creation and management, performance tracking, reporting and optimization, project management and SEM trainings that align with the needs of the organization’s 5-year strategic priorities and accompanying priority messages.
The scope of work will include, but is not be limited to:
Strategy, Research and Planning
• Develop and execute a comprehensive, data-informed search engine marketing (SEM) strategy, maximizing the annual ad spend.
• Conduct in-depth keyword research to identify high-traffic, relevant keywords aligned with the destination’s unique selling points, prioritizing keywords that complement rather than compete with CCT partners.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to set clear goals and identify target audiences.
o Some messages will target local audiences, others will target audiences 50+ miles away.
o Typical geographic markets include Oregon, Washington, California and Vancouver, BC. (CCT considers it a drive market.) Additional DMAs include Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Dallas, Austin and Houston, TX
o CCT may suggest other geographic markets based on the ad topic’s relationship to Datafy’s (or other database) information about clusters and points of interest within the destination.
o CCT is interested in reaching traditionally underserved communities, including accessible travelers and neurodiverse, BIPOC, AAPI and LGBTQIA+ audiences, as well as potential or returning visitors who value regenerative tourism and sustainability.
Ad Creation and Management
The annual SEM advertising budget is $120,000. The vendor is expected to pay for the ads and CCT will reimburse the vendor in an agreed upon manner outlined in the final contract.
• Develop and execute effective (seasonal and evergreen) search and display ad campaigns across Google and other relevant platforms, adhering to industry best practices.
o Approximately 10 ads per season.
• Write compelling ad copy and design visually appealing ad creatives with clear, strong calls to action.
o Reformat image assets as needed.
• Continuously test and optimize ad variations, targeting and budgets.
o Selected vendor expected to review/optimize ads on a daily basis.
• Develop and implement effective bidding strategies to maximize ROI and control costs.
• Organize campaigns into well-structured ad groups to improve targeting and performance.
• Create targeted remarketing lists based on website behavior, demographics and interests.
• Employ first-party data to create target audiences. For example, CCT can provide mobile ad ID (MAID) information from Datafy.
• Stay up to date with the latest SEM trends and best practices.
• Be prepared to adapt to changing marketing conditions and adjust strategies as needed.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to:
o Gather messaging guidance, brand style guide, topics and image assets.
o Get mandatory monthly approval on ad creative, audience groups and campaign strategies.
o Share draft ads and receive feedback through a shared platform (e.g., Google Drive).
Performance Tracking and Reporting
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as clicks, impressions, CTR, conversions, ROAS, engagements and landing page performance (engagement time, conversions etc.) in a real-time online dashboard.
• Utilize GA4 to track website traffic, user behavior and conversions.
• Provide seasonal performance reports with clear insights, budget utilization and actionable recommendations.
o May include year-over-year and month-over-month comparisons.
o Must include a qualitative narrative section for each campaign/season with key takeaways for future optimization. May cover creative, ad placement, audience insights, trends etc.
Project Management
• Provide CCT with one clear point of contact and their contact information for questions and issues.
• Annual kick-off meeting at the beginning of each fiscal year in July to determine annual SEM strategy with CCT to ensure all work remains within budget.
• Organize and attend monthly or quarterly meetings with the marketing team.
o The purpose of these meetings is to review prior month or quarter’s performance, plan ahead, identify/update priority messages etc. Send staff monthly written reports outlining/recapping discussions, actions and results.
• Agency pays for ads and bills CCT. Submission of all invoices and receipts will be via email toamber@mthoodterritory.com [amber@mthoodterritory.com]
Trainings
Provide two virtual or in-person SEM trainings annually to CCT partners and/or staff, either one-on-one or in a group as needed and identified by CCT staff. CCT TO PROVIDE
• Ads access to accounts
• Images/assets
• Shareable calendar with priorities, goals, messaging direction
• Ads review/approval
Due Date: May 28, 2025 2:00 PM, Pacific Time
Contact: Thomas Candelario, tcandelario@clackamas.us