Hello,



The regional tourism organization responsible for promoting tourism in Ontario’s cottage country has discovered a way to compete with bigger tourism promoters in other parts of the province.



Home to iconic destinations like Algonquin Park, Muskoka, Georgian Bay and more than a dozen provincial and national parks, Regional Tourism Organization 12 (RTO12) — also known as Explorers’ Edge — is blessed with stunning natural landscapes to promote, but less funding than its competitors.



So two years ago, RTO12 took a hard look at its efforts and realized it needed a new marketing approach if it was ever going to compete against the likes of Toronto, Niagara Falls and Ottawa for domestic and international visitors.



Rather than putting resources primarily into campaign-style ad buys at specific times of the year, RTO12 began investing its energy and creativity into a content marketing strategy that runs throughout the year. Developed in partnership with its agency, Toronto-based Kuration, the marketing strategy uses traditional old-school storytelling techniques to capture the imaginations of visitors, promoting the pieces on its website via social media — especially Facebook.



RTO12 generates all of its content in-house, building it around a central narrative that showcases the region’s greatest draw as “the great Canadian wilderness just two hours north of Toronto.” The strategy focuses primarily on the shoulder seasons and features differentiated experiences and regional travel products.



The results have been remarkable, allowing RT012 not only to compete against bigger destinations with bigger budgets, but also to out-perform them in many categories.



In 2013, the first year RTO12 launched its content marketing strategy, a record 300,000 unique visitors turned to its new website. Last year that number more than doubled to nearly 700,000. Even more impressive, outbound referrals to tourism stakeholders climbed from 47,000 in 2013 to 118,000 in 2014. The numbers for this year — still being finalized — are even more impressive.



If you’d like to learn more about RTO12 and its approach to marketing, I’d be glad to make arrangements for you to speak with James Murphy, RTO12 Executive Director, and Kuration President Peter Coish.



I’d also be happy to provide you a column James has written on the subject, if you’re interested.



Thank you,



Erika



Erika Navarro
Public Relations Intern

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