Social Media Marketing
#MyFortMyers Influencer Campaign
In September 2022, Fort Myers and its surrounding islands, beaches and neighborhoods were devastated by Category 5 Hurricane Ian. Tourism messages were paused during the ensuing months of relief efforts.
In early 2023, recovery and rebuilding had progressed in the destination to the point that many parts of the area were ready to welcome back visitors. In an effort to market these available assets to potential visitors in an authentic and thoughtful way, the Lee County VCB executed two influencer campaigns as part of the integrated recovery campaign. Our overarching goal was to build awareness in a very authentic and timely manner around the destination's recovery. In addition, we wanted to drive engagements among potential visitors while obtaining ownable assets . Through these campaigns we sought to increase loyalist visitation by 5% and garner over 600,000 social media impressions and 25,000 engagements. With a significant reduction in tourism, we wanted to attain our objectives while also driving cost efficiencies per person reached in regards to ad spend.
Two influencer marketing campaigns helped us amplify our recovery message. The “My Fort Myers” influencer campaign invited local and in-state creators to enjoy unique stays throughout the area in early 2023. Their #MyFortMyers stories showcased available vacation experiences and encouraged their online audiences to chime in with their own #MyFortMyers memories.
Voluntourism proved to be a unique area of interest for our destination loyalists, so the second influencer campaign leveraged creators from outside the greater Fort Myers area who focused on sustainability and community engagement. These influencers aided in recovery efforts by planting trees, cleaning paths at nature preserves and removing debris from mangroves. This content went beyond highlighting our destination’s recovery efforts to showcasing the wonderful natural landscape Fort Myers has to offer visitors.
