2013 DCBA Strategic Plan - Destination Cape Breton Association

The microsite should also have a “Buy Now” button for specific events, such as theconcert series, that will direct the visitor to the ticket booking engine that has beenarranged by the Fortress of Louisbourg Association.Measuring ResultsTo measure the ongoing results of the plan, a system should be put in place to track indicatorsand evaluate the effectiveness of the various channels and tactics. This information can providevaluable data to illustrate which marketing tactics are working and which ones are not, how thecelebrations are being received by visitors, etc. The information captured can provide evidencefor the need to make adjustments in the marketing effort. It is vital to ensure the success of thecampaign in meetings its goals and objectives. The following measurement tactics arerecommended:Indicator TrackingIndicators of success should be identified and tracked to measure the effectiveness ofthe program. Indicators should include top-line (e.g. marketing results) and bottom-lineindicators (e.g. tourism revenues), including: Visits to the microsite Social media Likes and Followers to the Parks Canada – Cape Breton Field Unitand Fortress of Louisbourg Association accounts Email subscribers Travel intention surveys completed Monthly visits to the Fortress of Louisbourg Attendance at specific events within Louisbourg 300 Monthly room nights sold in Cape Breton Number of experiences, packages and event tickets soldFor the specific goals and objectives, these indicators should be compared to thebenchmarks of the previous year to track progress in achieving the targets.Travel Intention SurveyDestination Cape Breton currently employs a Travel Intention Survey on its website;however, it is recommended that a specific version be developed for the Louisbourg 300microsite. This would allow a visitor to indicate specifically which channel(s) directedthem to the site, so that the specific advertising channels may be evaluated.Conversion SurveyA conversion survey is an excellent way to determine the effectiveness of the campaignto convert interest to visits. The survey asked questions to engaged members of theprogram (email database, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, etc.) to determine their travelplans, characteristics, demographic information, etc.70