Davis County Tourism Issues Marketing RFP

Davis County seeks proposals from qualified organizations with expertise and knowledge in Tourism Marketing Services to maintain and enhance the County’s current marketing and advertising plan, and to maximize tourism opportunities and increase customer engagement within the County.

Background:

Davis County formed an in-house tourism office in 2014 to promote and market Davis County as a regional destination location and generate increased visitor spending in Davis County and increased tourism tax dollars. In January 2014, Davis County hired Penna Powers to perform a Tourism Audit and Market Study and created an overall marketing plan that included a new branding campaign for Davis County tourism. Davis County repositioned itself as a regional destination location which included Utah and surrounding states within a 300 mile radius. These states were identified as the primary marketing area to attract visitors to the County. They also appeal to local residents. This 300- mile radius was defined as the distance a family would drive to vacation or staycation away from home without going to a tier-one destination point.

During the first year of the marketing plan, the primary focus was to develop a robust website that was informational, engaging, and built on a platform that was compatible on all mobile devices. Today, the tourism website (playindavis.com) has become the central point for all calls to action. Thus, it is paramount that the recipient of this RFP have in-depth knowledge and experience in website development and a proven ability to provide fresh, relevant content, produce landing pages and other webpage expansion, implement online tools to improve website efficiencies, such as SEO, keyword research, bounce rate reduction, website speed, and provide regular web analytics. Other key marketing strategies include social media, blogging, email marketing, retargeting, PPC, and native content creation. The current brand needs to be maintained and implemented throughout all media platforms.

Scope of Work:

1. Support Davis Conference Center (DCC) marketing efforts by developing campaigns that will produce an increase in local and regional corporate meetings and events. This includes lead generation programs (i.e., PPC, trade publication ads, outdoor, etc. ) that will attract business from groups such as associations, corporations, religious groups, government, and retail expo-type accounts.
2. Support Legacy Event Center’s (LEC) marketing efforts in securing more profitable clientele in the areas of sporting events, consumer shows, and hobby expos. Assist in providing event planners and attendees with promotions and incentive materials for broader County offerings.
3. Support Antelope Island State Park marketing plans to increase visitors and time spent on the Island. Create and implement promotions to keep park visitors in Davis County and increase visitor spending in Davis County.
4. Focus marketing efforts to a regional audience. Limit marketing expenditures outside the 300-mile range due to tourism market study findings and budget limitations.

4. Invest in additional market research. Conduct quantitative and qualitative market research in each of the four target audience segments; namely, 1.) DCC meetings and conventions; 2.) LEC events audience—sports/hobby markets; 3.) Regional Tourism—recreational visitors; 4.) Davis County residents.
5. Maintain the current brand of the County. Build greater awareness of Davis County among each target audience making them more aware of Davis County’s venues, attractions, and other offerings. Build community pride in Davis County among residents. Develop strategic marketing campaigns to encourage regional visits and local use of tourism-related assets, such as restaurants, hotels, and attractions.
6. Plan for seasonal factors. Each target audience segment has its own peak and slow season. Tourism-related businesses will seek less support during peak seasons, and more help during slower seasons. For example, hotels experience a slow period after Christmas until March, so a marketing plan to boost visitors to County hotels during the ski season is a key focal point.
7. Create and improve unified digital marketing tools. Each target audience segment is likely to use online or mobile devices to research and plan events and trips before they arrive. The three main purposes of the tourism website are to:
8. Promote Davis County venues with focus on meetings and conventions
9. Promote Davis County tourism-related businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and attractions, etc.
10. Promote Davis County arts, culture and community events through a comprehensive seasonal events listings webpage.
11. Improve and maintain an online “deals & promotions” program that will utilize mobile devices for ordering packages, hotel reservations, redemptions, sales notifications, etc. Online/mobile deals could include:
12. Motivating local audiences to visit attractions, restaurants, etc. at a discounted rate.
13. Reaching out with offerings to visitors who attend group meetings, conventions, and other events in Davis County.
14. Help develop public and private partnerships to further enhance Davis County’s offerings. Study the feasibility of enhancing outdoor recreation that would provide new experiences.

Due Date:

December 29, 2017

Address:

Davis County Tourism Office

PO Box 618

61 South Main Street Farmington, UT 84025

Strong tourism PR firms include Coyne PR and Hunter PR.