Raible
SIDNEY — As has been its mission since inception 22 years ago, increasing the regional visibility of Sidney and Shelby County as a recreation travel option continued as the primary focus of the Sidney Visitors Bureau last year. Bureau activity in 2023 saw significant growth over previous years as both leisure and businesses travelers have returned to (or in many cases surpassed) pre-pandemic activity.
Jeff Raible, president, Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, has released the following report:
Total media reach by the bureau exceeded 11,784,000 units based on conservative estimates for both digital and print advertising impressions. Social media, eNewsletter advertising, search engine optimization, web banner advertising, outdoor advertising, and magazine ads were heavily employed to connect the travel options of Sidney and Shelby County with consumers receptive to travel messages on how best to best enjoy leisure travel time in Ohio.
The most effective promotional tool in our toolbox continues to be the Visitors Bureau website. VisitSidneyShelby.com realized a high volume of traffic and site engagement in 2023 as evidenced by data gathered using Google Analytics. Search Engine Marketing strategies using keywords and broadcast email also contributed significantly to enticing web site traffic to the site. In total, VisitSidneyShelby.com hosted nearly 38,000 site sessions this past year with nearly 62,000 page views. The bureau’s key word search marketing campaign placed an invitation to learn more about travel to west central Ohio in excess of 200,000 times over the course of a 10-month period.
Social media was also a high impact strategy for the bureau in 2023. Facebook Reach totaled more than 93,200 and the Visitors Bureau is currently followed by over 2,500 individuals. The Sidney Visitors Bureau Instagram presence is growing as well as more and more followers are cultivated each month. A very successful Facebook campaign organized in conjunction with TourismOhio last year garnered 293,500 impressions. A similar Instagram campaign realized 131,700 impressions as well.
Other successful collaborations with the state of Ohio travel division included two email campaigns to nearly 860,000 individuals with a propensity for travel to Ohio. A digital banner ad campaign with the State realized a whopping 2.4 million online impressions. Lastly, a Storytelling campaign produced in conjunction with TourismOhio yielded over 468,000 impressions.
Sidney Visitors Bureau rack card promos were distributed through highway locations in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. In addition, promotional cards were strategically displayed at select Ohio Department of Transportation Travel Information Centers along I75. Travel enthusiasts could also pick up a Sidney brochure at consumer travel shows in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Ongoing collaborations with the Shelby County Historical Society, Sidney Alive, and the Great Miami Riverway were also very successful in 2023. In addition the Bureau helped expand the promotional reach of many area events and attractions to include those of the Historic Sidney Theatre, Gateway Arts Council, Shelby County Fair, local community festivals, and more.
