Support that curates results: How VisitGreenvilleSC’s partners reach high-intent travelers with DTN

Overview

VisitGreenvilleSC sought a more intentional approach to helping local businesses increase exposure and access meaningful opportunities. The team turned to its travel technology provider, Granicus Destinations, to adopt Destination Travel Network (DTN), giving local businesses targeted advertising opportunities on high-traffic pages of VisitGreenvilleSC.com, along with measurable performance data and expert support. This approach expanded partner visibility and created a new revenue stream for the destination marketing organization (DMO) — all without adding administrative burden to staff.

SITUATION

Greater value for a growing community

As Greenville, South Carolina, evolved from a hidden gem into a nationally recognized destination, the team at VisitGreenvilleSC felt it needed new ways to help its hundreds of partners connect with high-intent travelers to reap the revenue benefits of the destination's growing visibility.

“As our destination evolved, so did our strategies,” explained Adam Jennings, destination experiences manager at VisitGreenvilleSC. “We wanted to create opportunities to provide stronger education around available benefits and clearer ways for partners to connect with one another, our DMO, and the visitors who look to us as a trusted resource.”

Traditional promotion through website listings, editorial content, event calendars, and destination marketing efforts provided some visibility, but partners wanted more powerful ways to draw in tourism dollars and better understand the impact of their investments.

The DMO wanted to support partner growth and engagement — but without requiring additional staff resources. “We want Greenville’s growing visibility to translate into meaningful economic prosperity opportunities for the entire community by helping visitors discover more places to stay, dine, shop, and explore,” said Jennings.
 

SOLUTION

Targeted advertising backed by the experts

VisitGreenvilleSC adopted Destination Travel Network to connect tourism partners with highly engaged travelers already visiting VisitGreenvilleSC.com. DTN enables businesses to place targeted advertisements across high-traffic pages, with always-on guidance from trusted industry experts.

DTN actively monitors campaign performance and works directly with partners to help ensure their ad placements continue to deliver value. “The DTN team understands businesses in our sector, as well as visitor motivations and how to maximize digital visibility and return on investment,” said Jennings. This hands-on approach allows VisitGreenvilleSC to offer expanded advertising opportunities without increasing operational complexity.

Through DTN, participating members gain access to a dedicated portal where they can:

• Monitor campaign performance.
• Review key performance metrics.
• Better understand the return on their advertising investment.
• Make informed decisions about increasing exposure on some of the most highly visited and relevant pages of the DMO's website.

RESULTS

Less tasks, more trust

Since implementing DTN, VisitGreenvilleSC reported satisfaction with the additional revenue stream generated by their partnership with DTN, but also greater impressions, and referrals delivered to participating partner businesses.

On average, over the last year, the DMO used DTN to deliver 17,392 direct website referrals from ad placements per month, with an average cost per click of 61 cents. The 38 partners — a boast-worthy number of participants — saw 1.5 million average impressions per month.

Beyond those numbers, DTN helped strengthen relationships and trust between the DMO, its partners, and even its staff. The team at VisitGreenvilleSC can now focus on strategic relationship-building, relying on its software provider for day-to-day support. The DMO's purposeful use of its connected travel tech stack created a comprehensive strategy for driving traveler attention at every stage of the process:

• Simpleview CRM organizes partner information and relationships.
• Simpleview CMS brings those businesses and experiences to life on VisitGreenvilleSC.com.
• The Digital Influence Report adds to the benefits of partnership by helping each business better understand its overall digital presence. It identifies where a partner is performing well and where small improvements to its website, Google Business Profile, or other digital channels could strengthen visibility and reach.

“One of the greatest benefits has been having the Granicus Destinations team serve as an extension of our own,” said Jennings. “Their support reduces the administrative and technical burden on staff and provides partners with direct access to advertising expertise. The program also creates a more streamlined experience for participating businesses — from campaign development through performance reporting. Most importantly, the consistent support has strengthened trust and helped local businesses feel more directly connected to and supported by VisitGreenvilleSC.”