Surf Steps key activity was to develop a more engaging and mobile friendly website, to make sure it was SEO optimised, and to ensure that social media activity focused in the right direction. The projected helped them to assess social media impact v awareness raising and highlight key next steps around customer engagement and user generated content.

1. DIGITAL DESTINATIONS
Dr Philip Alford
Bournemouth University
www.digitalhub.co.uk
www.pinterest.com/digitaldest
www.slideshare.net/DigitalHub
ddp@bournemouth.ac.uk
@schooloftourism | @philipalford
#DDBU

2. Digital Destinations project is an ESRC funded research project,
delivered by Bournemouth University,
with an overarching aim to:
‘capture change in the adoption and use of digital technologies
and to develop a strong, competitive local tourism economy.
Through increased understanding and use of emerging digital
technologies, visitor economy businesses will be in a position to
increase their marketing and management effectiveness, and
develop new products and services that will provide an
enhanced experience for visitors to their destinations’

3. The businesses benefited from 4 workshops which covered:
 Background to on line marketing
 Individual Business objectives
 Developing the strategy
 Measuring impact
 Reporting outcomes via case studies
All course material can be found at http://www.slideshare.net/DigitalHub
All business outcomes and blogs can be found at http://www.budigitalhub.co.uk/

4. The following presentation is the case study provided by Surf Steps
Surf Steps key activity was to develop a more engaging and mobile friendly website,
to make sure it was SEO optimised, and to ensure that social media activity focused in
the right direction. The projected helped them to assess social media impact v
awareness raising and highlight key next steps around customer engagement and
user generated content.

5. Digital Destinations Project

8. Based on analysis, suggestions and opportunities:
1. Launch new mobile-friendly website.
2. Generate user added content onto website.
Target: Create new website that fulfils action points 1 and
2.
3. Introduce linking between social media and website
(Agreed that student report would be based on using SM to increase hits website hits).
Target: To get FB and Twitter into top 10 referrals to our
site.
Actions monitored by Google analytics and goal set up to
see conversions success (leading to our contact page).

9. • Traffic increased from 100 to 160 hits on the day we
used SM to communicate that we had a new site! (22nd
May-23rd May.)
• In addition SM feedback has been positive and helps
to identify possible amends and errors

10. Source Visits
bournemouth.co.uk 64
magicseaweed.com 50
letsgoout-bournemouthandpoole.co.uk 40
coastwiththemost.com 24
surfinggb.com 20
twitter.com 18
facebook.com 18
google.co.uk 11
visitbournemouth.com 9
Referral sources taken from Google Analytics between the
dates of 20 January and March 6:

14. • SM referrals are only 3% of total traffic!
(91 of 2820, 28 April-28 May 2013)
• Although feel SM creates a personality and a
fun aspect for the company.
Because of this reflection and analysis we have
decided to change priorities………….

15. 1. More blogging, share these on SM, people to
go then to website blog, then sign up to blog
feeds.
2. Fine tune new website based on Market grader
report (e.g. sharing buttons, user generated
content)
3. Monitor Email opening rates and blog feed sign
up.
4. Monitor goal conversions based on action 1.
5. Base targets on this monitoring.
6. New report from Market Grader, end of June.

16. For more information on DIGITAL DESTINATIONS contact:
Dr Philip Alford, Bournemouth University
ddp@bournemouth.ac.uk
@schooloftourism | @philipalford
#DDBU