Digital Media Update
Our revamped website and active social media platforms engage existing and new followers daily. Digital marketing provides visitors with real-time information directly to their tablets or smartphones and encourages direct engagement to better inform our communication and marketing efforts.
Social Media
We’ve maintained our assertive approach to brand awareness and social media campaigns following the festive season surge. Increased frequency of published content, operator event sharing, and showcasing specials have resulted in substantial and positive cross-platform engagement. Mid-quarter, we achieved noteworthy statistics including 245 855 impressions, close to 7,000 engagements, and a 187% net audience growth bringing new followers across all platforms. We’ve also employed post-boosting strategies to target specific audiences which has enhanced our social media reach and engagement.
Website
Our ongoing commitment to our tourism website has led to more than 100 updates and two dozen software and plugin enhancements since 12 December 2023. The ‘Specials & More’ page has expanded significantly, boosting our establishments’ online presence and strengthening our social media backlinking. The VIC Portal has undergone a major overhaul and now features new operator listings and a dedicated platform for potential tourists. Consistent publication of engaging tourism blogs has amplified our online footprint, contributing to our SEO goals. In addition to this, we’ve enhanced images and content to ensure an exceptional user experience.
Push Notifications
Nearly 18 distinct Push Notifications – including multimedia, links, events, blogs, and key milestones – are consistently shared with tourism establishments, and stakeholders. We’ve more than doubled the number of Push Notifications since the previous quarter to intensify our digital communication and immediately inform stakeholders of important developments.
Explore the KZN South Coast app
Our app undergoes daily updates through a single Content Management System (CMS). This ensures continuous growth – alongside the 100 changes to the website. The app is being actively promoted on social media, with current marketing videos created to increase its visibility. This initiative has led to a rise in app usage since the last quarter on both the Google Play and iOS stores. The app has revolutionised the exploration and experience for tourists visiting the KZN South Coast, offering a user-friendly interface for easy navigation.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Our SEO efforts have significantly boosted our website traffic and engagement with our online platforms. By optimising our content with relevant articles tailored to search engine algorithms and user intent, we have seen notable improvements in our organic search rankings and visibility. We are planning to continue this positive momentum with more articles planned for this quarter. We are also introducing new backend mechanisms and software, along with exploring SEO artificial intelligence (AI) tools to further enhance our SEO strategy.
Database Management
Due to the overwhelming response we had to the last Push Notification and internal mailer sent to tourism establishments requesting their listing updates, we have opted to send out POPI-compliant communication once a month. This will ensure the database remains up-to-date, assisting us with accurate newsletter distribution, the VIC portal, and the app.
Event Guide
We continue to update our digital ‘Events’ calendar with all local happenings. This is an effective way to provide our local tourism establishments with exposure while directing our visitors to exactly what’s happening, where on the KZN South Coast at any time. Check out the Events calendar here.