Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts to market the Sunshine State to visitors around the globe in 2013 had a significant influence on their travel planning decisions.  Results just in from the annual Return on Investment Influencer Study show that, of the surveyed respondents who had been to Florida in the past year, 38 percent were significantly influenced in their decision to visit the state by one or more VISIT FLORIDA marketing initiatives.

Of the six top direct influencers, a stop at one of VISIT FLORIDA’s five Official Florida Welcome Centers scored the highest at 24.1 percent, followed by our award-winning travel planning website VISITFLORIDA.com at 22.9 percent, the Official VISIT FLORIDA Magazine at 21.5 percent and VISIT FLORIDA paid advertising, including radio, television, magazine/newspaper and online, at 21.1 percent.  A new influencer added in 2012, VISIT FLORIDA social media, which encompasses our social media efforts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest, received 19.7 percent.

A strong focus on integrating all marketing disciplines, optimizing paid advertising, and utilizing storytelling to enhance online content were some of the keys to maximizing the impact of VISIT FLORIDA’s marketing efforts this past year.

About the study:

Conducted online by Toluna USA, Inc., the Return on Investment Influencer Study surveyed 500 domestic visitors who had been to the state in the past year asking them what items influenced their decision to choose Florida as a destination.

The survey, comprised of 19 items, gauged the respondents’ level of importance when considering Florida as a destination location.  Each item was ranked on a scale of  1 – 5, with 5 representing a “very important” factor in the decision-making process.  Those respondents ranking VISIT FLORIDA efforts with a 4 or 5 were deemed “significantly influenced.”

The six factors directly attributable to VISIT FLORIDA include our website, Welcome Centers, advertising, print publications, social media, and contests and sweepstakes.  In addition to these factors, other items considered in the survey included non-direct influencers, such as brochures at trade shows, advertising by individual Florida locations and information found on the Internet outside VISITFLORIDA.com.  Several non-marketing influencers were also factored in, including reading travel articles and extending business trips into vacations.