GeoTour Best Practices Feb 2016

What Best Practices
Can I Learn From Other
Hosts?
webinar access code: 757-208-675
Feb 25, 2016
Agenda
Best Practices
in GeoTours
February 25, 2016
Meg
Hatch
Jenn
Seva
1. Announcements
2. Banner Ads: Hatfield
McCoy GeoTour
3. Weekly Newsletter &
Blog Post: Meg
4. Renewal: Helena GeoTour
5. Geocoin Design: Space
Coast GeoTour
6. Future Webinars
Instructions
Jenn Seva
1. We will record the webinar so we can share it with you
*and* those who could not be here.
2. Be brief and complete. Let’s use the one hour wisely!
3. Meg will act as our time-keeper.
4. Mute your phone if you are not talking.
5. Unmute your phone to speak. ;-)
6. Join Me has an optional “chat room.”
7. After each speaker, there will be a short time for 1 or 2
questions. Start with your first name. “This is Jane. My
comment is…”
23 Participants
Canada:
Oregon: Eugene, Cascades & Coast
●
Geocaching Capital of Canada
Tennessee: Jack Trail
●
Gold Country
Texas:
●
Heritage Hide’n’Seek
Germany: Paderborner Land
●
Birthplace of Texas
●
Trinity Trails Geocaching Adventure
Portugal: Ilha Verde/Green Island
Utah: Visit Utah
Scotland: Explore Royal Deeside
Washington State:
Sweden: Örebro
Colorado: Across The Divide
●
Washington State Parks
●
Visit Rainier Centennial
Washington, D.C. area:
Florida: Taking Flight
●
Star-Spangled Banner
Georgia: Columbus
●
Captain John Smith
Montana: Helena
Fast Facts
Meg Hatch
62 GeoTours live around the world!
○
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39 in the United States, 22 in other countries, 2 transnational
45 of these programs are in year 2 or beyond
Fewest caches: 9-10; Most caches: 150
○
geocaching.com/geotours
Banner Ads
Two sizes available. You can submit up to 5 versions.
Let us know if
you need a
specific
language in our
brown header.
Banner Ad Case Study
Performance:
○ 0.19% Click Thru Rate
○ 556,055 impressions (March 2015 to now)
○ Similar ad campaigns on geocaching.com average
between 0.06-0.12% CTR
Why is this ad so successful?
○
○
○
○
○
rotating gif
engaging images
geocoins are “a real click-getter”
name recognition with Hatfield McCoy
image recognition with that person
Wendy Hackney, GeoTour Host, says:
“I thought of it as a mini billboard that people would
be driving past. I only had a second to grab their
attention. Enough to cause them to click on me!”
Banner Ad Case Study
This is the
old curved
style that is
now
retired.
Weekly Newsletter
What is it?
● The geocaching email newsletter gives readers the information they need
to stay on top of the latest geocaching trends and topics. Content
features in-depth and timely articles that focus on geocaching related
news and products. The geocaching email newsletter is distributed to 7
million registered opt-in members globally (at minimum) each week.
Be smart.
● The newsletter is sent out weekly, every Monday. As a GT Host, it’s smart
to time this when you have news!
● Consider your targeting and your audience.
What we ask of you:
● One small image and short text copy (200 words), minimum of two weeks
prior to desired feature date.
○ Style Guide from Meg & Jenn
Weekly Newsletter - Example
Weekly Newsletter - Example
Old geocaching.com Blog
*NEW* geocaching.com Blog!
Check it out >> https://www.geocaching.com/blog/
Comment?
Question?
Designing a Geocoin
Dale & Barb Swinehart,
scga01@gmail.com
Space Coast GeoTour, Florida
Design considerations:
● branding: “Space Coast”
● Kennedy Space Center is
nearby 3 … 2 … 1 … liftoff!
All of our phone numbers
begin with “321” in this area.
● Overall shape: location-based
● Symbols of our region:
alligator, sandhill crane
Designing a Geocoin
Comment?
Question?
Refreshing a GeoTour
Anna Strange, astrange@helenamt.com
Helena, Montana
○ GeoTour in its third year
○ Collaborative partnership
between the
Helena Tourism Alliance and the
Capital City Cachers
○ Strategy around our passport:
■ point system
■ hotel stays
■ changing the caches
Refreshing a GeoTour
Refreshing a GeoTour
Comment?
Question?
Reminder
Meg Hatch
Small (but exciting!) facelift to GeoTour landing pages:
Before:
After:
Please submit NEW or UPDATED links so we can adjust
your page accordingly.
www.bit.ly/updatesocial
Future Webinars
Save the Date
May 26, 2016: Thursday, 8:00 to 9:00 am Pacific Time
Tell us: geotours@geocaching.com
○ Do you want to present?
○ What Best Practices would you like to discuss?
More questions?