CC 2017-05-23_09c AGTBID Annual Report and Reso of Intent
MEMORANDUM
TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JIM BERGMAN, CITY MANAGER
BY: DEBBIE MALICOAT, ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF
RESOLUTION OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL
ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
DATE: MAY 23, 2017
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the City Council: 1) receive and approve the annual report of
the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District (AGTBID) Advisory
Board; 2) adopt a Resolution of Intention to levy and collect assessments within
the AGTBID area for Fiscal Year 2017-18 at the same rate as in Fiscal Year
2016-17; and 3) set the date for the public hearing for June 27, 2017.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Based on the anticipated year-end results for 2016-17, the total assessment
expected to be collected totals approximately $195,000. The AGTBID budget
provides $3,000 to the City to cover the City’s administrative costs associated
with collecting and disbursing the assessment. The City has also budgeted
$5,000 to contribute toward the tourism efforts. Therefore, it results in a net cost
of $2,000 to the City.
BACKGROUND:
In May 2013, the City Council adopted an Ordinance establishing the Arroyo
Grande Tourism Business Improvement District. The District was formed under
the Parking and Business Improvement Law of 1989, Sections 36500 et seq. of
the Streets and Highways Code and incorporated into the Arroyo Grande
Municipal Code (AGMC) in Title 3, Chapter 3.46.
The purpose of forming the District was to provide revenue to defray the costs of
services, activities and programs promoting lodging businesses in the District
Item 9.c. - Page 1
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO
GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
MAY 23, 2017
PAGE 2
through the promotion of scenic, recreational, cultural and other attractions in the
District as a tourist destination. An assessment is levied on all lodging
businesses within the AGTBID boundaries and is based upon two percent of
the rent charged by the operator per occupied room per night for all transient
occupancies.
In December 2014, the City Council adopted an Ordinance amending Chapter
3.46 of the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code to provide that the same exemptions
that apply to the Transient Occupancy Tax apply to Arroyo Grande Tourism
Business Improvement District (AGTBID) assessments and amended the
definition of "lodging" to include vacation rentals and homestays.
In accordance with the provisions in the Streets and Highways Code and AGMC
Section 3.46.100, the City Council appointed an Advisory Board. Pursuant to
Streets and Highways Code Section 36533, the Advisory Board is to prepare an
annual report, which is to be submitted to the City Council for its review and
approval. Accordingly, the AGTBID Advisory Board has submitted the attached
annual report.
AGMC Section 3.46.060 also provides that the assessments for the AGTBID are
to be reviewed annually by the City Council based upon the annual report of the
Advisory Board, and after approval of the annual report, the City Council is to
follow the hearing process outlined in Streets and Highways Code Section 36535
for the annual assessment for the upcoming fiscal year. Section 36534 provides
for the adoption of a Resolution of Intention to levy an annual assessment for that
fiscal year. The Resolution also sets a public hearing in order to receive any
written or oral protests against the continuation of the District as required by the
applicable statute.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
The AGTBID has been in effect for almost four years and has been very
successful. A tourism website and other marketing efforts have been developed
and implemented. The efforts are coordinated by a Chamber of Commerce
Tourism Committee and approved by the AGTBID Advisory Board. The
Chamber of Commerce administers the program; therefore minimal staff time has
been required by the City. The AGTBID Advisory Board recommends extending
the assessment and continuing the program.
After the City Council approves the AGTBID Advisory Board’s annual report and
adopts the Resolution of Intention, a public hearing will be noticed for June 27,
2017. The public hearing will allow lodging businesses subject to the assessment
to submit comments, voice concerns, and protest the assessment. As set forth in
Item 9.c. - Page 2
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO
GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
MAY 23, 2017
PAGE 3
Sections 36524 and 36525 of the California Streets and Highways Code, the City
Council has the ability to continue the proposed citywide AGTBID at this public
hearing, unless written protests are received from lodging businesses that pay
50% or more of the proposed assessments. In that event, the Council cannot
consider continuation of the AGTBID for at least one year.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration:
1. Approve staff’s recommendations;
2. Request changes or clarification to the Annual Report;
3. Do not approve staff’s recommendations; or
4. Provide staff other direction.
ADVANTAGES:
The recommendations will enable the City to extend the AGTBID, which provides
a mechanism to generate funding to promote hotel stays and tourism in the City,
which increases transient occupancy tax revenue and supports local businesses.
DISADVANTAGES:
No disadvantages with the recommended actions are identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
No environmental review is required for this item.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted at City Hall and on the City’s website in accordance with
Government Code Section 54954.2.
Attachment:
1. Annual Report
Item 9.c. - Page 3
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF ARROYO GRANDE DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO
CONTINUE THE ARROYO GRANDE TOURISM
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, TO CONTINUE
THE BASIS FOR AND TO LEVY THE ASSESSMENT FOR
THE DISTRICT, AND TO SET A DATE FOR THE PUBLIC
HEARING ON THE DISTRICT AND THE ASSSESSMENT
FOR THE 2017-18 FISCAL YEAR
WHEREAS, the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989 (“PBIAL”),
sections 36500 et seq. of the Streets and Highways Code, authorizes cities to establish
business improvement districts for several purposes, one of which is promotion of
tourism; and
WHEREAS, the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District was established
in May, 2013 and incorporated into the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code (“AGMC”) under
Chapter 3.46; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the requirements of Health and Safety Code Section
36530 and AGMC Section 3.46.100, the City Council appointed an Advisory Board to
provide oversight, guidance, and recommendations regarding the use of the
assessment funds; and
WHEREAS, the AGMC and the PBIAL requires the Advisory Board to prepare and
submit an annual report (“Annual Report”) stating proposed changes, improvements
and activities for the fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, on April 24, 2017, the Advisory Board approved the Annual Report; and
WHEREAS, the Advisory Board Annual Report was filed and approved by the Arroyo
Grande City Council on May 23, 2017.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Arroyo
Grande as follows:
Section 1. The City Council proposes to continue the Arroyo Grande Tourism
Business Improvement District (“District”) in accordance with AGMC
Chapter 3.46 and Streets and Highways Code Sections 36500 et seq. and
levy assessments for fiscal year 2017-18.
Section 2. The Annual Report is on file with the City Clerk and contains a full and
detailed description of the improvements and activities to be provided for
fiscal year 2017-18. No changes to the District boundaries are proposed,
and the report includes the estimated cost of providing improvements and
activities for fiscal year 2017-18. The assessment is not proposed to be
increased.
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RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 2
Section 3. The boundaries of the District are the boundaries of the City of Arroyo
Grande.
Section 4. The assessment levied by the District shall be used for activities and
programs promoting lodging businesses in the District through the
promotion of scenic, recreational, cultural and other attractions in the
District as a tourist destination, and as further set forth in AGMC Section
3.46.030.
Section 5. The assessment is proposed to be levied on all “lodging” businesses in
the District, as that term is defined in AGMC section 3.46.020, and
allocated by the City of Arroyo Grande.
Section 6. The assessment shall be based upon two percent of the rent charged by
the operator per occupied room per night for all transient occupancies and
shall be collected quarterly.
Section 7. New lodging businesses shall not be exempt from immediate
assessment.
Section 8. A public hearing, held pursuant to AGMC Chapter 3.46 and Streets and
Highways Code Section 36535, to allow for comments and to receive
written and oral protests on the District and proposed assessment, is
hereby set for 6:00 p.m., Tuesday June 27, 2017, before the City Council
of the City of Arroyo Grande at the City Council Chambers at 215 E.
Branch St., Arroyo Grande, CA.
Section 9. At the public hearing, the testimony of all interested persons for or against
the continuation of the District, the boundaries of the District, or the
furnishing of specified types of improvements or activities will be heard. A
protest may be made orally or in writing by any interested person.
However, only written protests will be considered in determining if
there is a majority protest. The form and manner of protests shall
comply with Streets and Highways Code Sections 36524 and 36525.
Section 10. Any protest pertaining to the regularity or sufficiency of the proceedings
shall be in writing and clearly state the irregularity or defect to which
objection is made.
Written protests must be received by the City Clerk of the City of Arroyo
Grande before the close of the public hearing scheduled herein and may
be delivered or mailed to the City Clerk, City of Arroyo Grande, 300 East
Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. A written protest may be
withdrawn in writing at any time before the conclusion of the public
hearing.
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RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 3
Each written protest shall contain a written description of the business in
which the person signing the protest is interested sufficient to identify the
business. If the person signing the protest is not shown on the official
records of the City of Arroyo Grande as the owner of the business, then
the protest shall contain or be accompanied by written evidence that the
person is the owner of the business.
Section 11. If at the conclusion of the public hearing, there are of record, written
protests by the owners of lodging businesses within the District that will
pay fifty percent (50%) or more of the total assessments of the entire
District, no further proceedings to continue the District shall occur. New
proceedings to continue the District shall not be undertaken again for a
period of at least one (1) year from the date of the finding. If the majority
of written protests are only as to an improvement or activity proposed,
then that type of improvement or activity shall not be included in the
District.
Section 12. The City Clerk is instructed to provide notice as required by AGMC
Chapter 3.46 and Streets and Highways Code Section 36534. The City
Clerk shall give notice of the public hearing by causing this Resolution of
Intention to be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the
City no less than seven days before the public hearing.
On motion of Council Member _______, seconded by Council Member _______, and by
the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted this 23rd day of May 2017.
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RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 4
___________________________________
JIM HILL, MAYOR
ATTEST:
___
KELLY WETMORE, CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
___________________________________
JAMES A. BERGMAN, CITY MANAGER
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________________
HEATHER WHITHAM, CITY ATTORNEY
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ATTACHMENT 1
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Table of Contents
Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
1. AGTBID 2016–17 Highlights .................................................................................................................. 2
Visit Arroyo Grande Draws Crowds at the Bay Area and Los Angeles Travel Shows ................................ 2
Using Virtual Reality Videos to Capture Audience Attention ................................................................... 3
New Visit Arroyo Grande Tourism Videos ................................................................................................ 4
Get on the Road and Visit Arroyo Grande ................................................................................................ 5
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! – Arroyo Grande in Bakersfield Magazine .............................................. 6
Visit Arroyo Grande in USA TODAY—Summer Edition ............................................................................. 7
2. Visitor Profile – Who is viewing Visitarroyogrande.org? ...................................................................... 7
Gender ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Interests .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Where are the visitors from? .................................................................................................................... 8
Most Viewed Accommodation Pages ....................................................................................................... 8
3. Performance and Results ...................................................................................................................... 2
Targeting Customers in Each of the 5 Travel Buying Cycles ..................................................................... 2
Stage 1: Dream ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Stage 2: Plan .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Stage 3: Buy ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Stage 4: Experience ............................................................................................................................... 3
Stage 5: Share ....................................................................................................................................... 4
4. Cost Efficient Online Paid Advertising ................................................................................................... 5
Google AdWords ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Facebook Advertising ................................................................................................................................ 6
5. Website ................................................................................................................................................. 6
SEO ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Newsletter................................................................................................................................................. 6
Ongoing Website Maintenance ................................................................................................................ 7
Website UI Redesign ................................................................................................................................. 7
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Overview
The RG Pacific website and marketing team continued its efforts to position the City of Arroyo Grande as
a premier tourist destination in the Central Coast. We conveyed this brand message through social
media, search engine optimization, paid advertising on Google and Facebook as well as by improving the
website’s design and content. Additionally, we extended our marketing efforts beyond the internet with
the City’s first marketing booth at the Travel and Adventure Show in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. We
did so by representing Arroyo Grande at the Expos and introducing a new marketing method—Virtual
Reality Videos. The Virtual Reality (VR) videos attracted hundreds of people to the City’s booth and
piqued their interest of visiting Arroyo Grande.
We used both website and social media analytics data to reevaluate how we broadcast our message to
the Visit Arroyo Grande target audience. Our team found that video was the ideal marketing tool to
convey our message because research shows that after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely
to buy online and increases conversions, like filling out forms, by a staggering 80%. The use of videos
on Visit Arroyo Grande social networks and the Travel Show strengthen our message and extended our
reach to more potential tourists.
1. AGTBID 2016–17 Highlights
Visit Arroyo Grande Draws Crowds at the Bay Area and Los Angeles Travel Shows
Visit Arroyo Grande attended two Travel Shows
in California this year. The booth in Los Angeles
was located near other Central Coast cities,
and the Bay Area booth was in the California
Section next to the Ventura County booth.
However, the Visit Arroyo Grande booth had
bigger crowds than any of its surrounding
booths. Visit Arroyo Grande booth
representatives achieved this by engaging
travel enthusiasts with VR Videos and fun
giveaways. Over 1,000 people signed up at the
Trade Shows to receive more information
about the City and enter the Escape to AG
giveaway.
Booth and Online Giveaways:
• Escape to AG
o One grand prize winner receives a getaway for two with a free 2-night stay in Arroyo
Grande, one wine tasting voucher, and one $100 gift card for dining and shopping.
• Spin to Win
o Lucky contestants entered to win customized Visit Arroyo Grande VR glasses, which no
other city in California offered to its booth visitors; therefore, attracting hundreds of
visitors each day.
o Wine bottle openers with the Visit Arroyo Grande logo
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Using Virtual Reality Videos to Capture Audience Attention
Virtual Reality videos are being labeled by news and media outlets as the “next big thing.” The
technology is available now most mobile phones. According to research firm KZero, this means that
approximately 171 million people could be using VR hardware and software worldwide by 2018. Our
team filmed the Annual Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival in VR during the 2016 Memorial Day
weekend, so Visit Arroyo Grande could have a head start on this trend.
The VR videos created by the RG Pacific team included popular performers, ensembles, and point-of-
interests. Then the videos were made available to Travel Show attendees at the CA Travel and
Adventure Expo’s in Los Angeles and Bay Area. Visit Arroyo Grande was one of two booth destinations
showcasing their destination in Virtual Reality—the other booth offering VR was the Fiji Islands.
Booth visitors who were unable to experience the VR videos at the Travel Shows were directed to the
VisitArroyoGrande.org website by scanning the QR code on the custom VR headsets. Once on the
website, they could visit the Strawberry Festival page that allows users to view the videos on their
desktops, laptops or any Virtual Reality headset with sound for an immersive 360° experience.
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New Visit Arroyo Grande Tourism Videos
RG Pacific produced two promotional
videos for the city that highlighted wine
tasting in Arroyo Grande and the weekly
Farmer’s Market. The video locations
and concepts were based on analytics
data collected from the top visited pages
on the website as well as top search
engine keywords.
• The Farmers Market Experience
video highlights the tranquil and
classic California ambiance of
Arroyo Grande, with two
girlfriends enjoying the fresh
fruit and people of the AG
farmers market.
• The Wine Tasting Experience
video takes the viewer on a
Girlfriends weekend getaway at
Laetitia Winery. The video
shows the women enjoying fine
wine tasting experience with the
scenic backdrop that only
Arroyo Grande can offer.
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Video Collaboration with Visit SLOC – Matador Network
Visit San Luis Obispo County (SLOC) announced a new co-op program with the Matador Network in 2017
that promotes the county’s various destinations. Matador developed a 1:30 minute video of Arroyo
Grande for SLOC. Visit Arroyo Grande will be able to reuse the promotional video (as long as Matador is
given credit).
• Guaranteed 250,000 views per video within one month
• Video is socially optimized with text overlay to engage and inform
• Content will be hosted on Matador Network’s page indefinitely, extending the reach of the
content via social shares
Get on the Road and Visit Arroyo Grande
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The RG Pacific design team worked with Silverado Stages to produce the first ever Visit Arroyo Grande
Bus Wrap. The Motor Coach has driven throughout the entire state of California and surrounding states.
The bus wrap features some of the amazing images taken by Vivian Krug in a collage. These photos
capture classic California and some of the best that the City has to offer. The bus wrap also includes a
link back to the website where potential visitors can learn more.
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! – Arroyo Grande in Bakersfield Magazine
Bakersfield Magazine has a “Great Getaways” section in both their website and print edition that
features tourist destination and attractions for their readers. We used our public relations outreach to
get Arroyo Grande featured in the October 2016 issue of Bakersfield Magazine as a Great Getaway for
fine-dining and wine tasting. We connected with their editor to include lifestyle photos of people as well
as popular places in the City. Additionally, the article highlights key city events like the Annual
Strawberry Festival, Harvest Festival, Heritage Square Park, Lightning Joe’s Guitar Heaven and many
other local favorites.
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Visit Arroyo Grande in USA TODAY—
Summer Edition
Visit Arroyo Grande will have an ad placed
inside the USA TODAY glossy, perfectly bound
magazine and will be distributed both print
and digitally
https://www.usatoday.com/travel/
• The website targets tourists that area
looking for great deals and travel tips.
• USA TODAY Reaches readers across
multiple devices.
• Many USA TODAY print edition reaches 3.2
million people nationwide.
• USA TODAY is the country’s #1 most
circulated news source that keeps you in-
step with the nation, and the world.
• The USA TODAY sites had nearly 88.3
million unique visitors and 870MM page
views last summer.
2. Visitor Profile – Who is viewing Visitarroyogrande.org?
The information below reflects the data acquired from April 2016 – April 2017
Gender: 64.9% Female 35.1% Male Age: Majority 55-64 (22.77%)
Interests: Movie Lovers, News Junkies, TV Lovers, Travel Buffs, Arts & Entertainment
Geo: Nearly 15k in California
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Pages viewed: Majority of most visited pages remains for hotel accommodations, which are our ideal
target pages.
Gender
This past year, the audience has shifted from majority women to majority men, although we equally
target both. Our research shows this is a result of growing interest from three big metropolitan areas-
Los Angeles County, San Francisco County, and San Jose. This shows us that our reach is growing due to
2 main areas- increase interest in activities in Arroyo Grande, and an increase in searches for popular
terms like “microbreweries” and “restaurants in the central coast”. A great tidbit with our online
marketing efforts- the AG favorite “Ember” is now a top eating destination in the Central Coast
according to Eater.com http://la.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-central-coast-california
Interests
Interests of users still include movie lovers and travelers, but in addition there are users who also enjoy
Art & Entertainment. This could be a result of many of our social media posts involving events at the
Clark Center for Performing Arts in 2017. Because fo this, aside from the home page, the most viewed
page on the website is the Event page. We have focused on posting and spreading the word via social
media about events that reflect the interests of our audience and position Arroyo Grande as the
destination for relaxed fun and entertainment.
Where are the visitors from?
Targeted Locations:
● Bakersfield
● Fresno
● Los Angeles
● San Francisco
● San Jose
● Santa Barbara
● Sacramento
● San Diego
Top Cities in CA (Website):
● Los Angeles (20.45%)
● San Francisco (10.6%)
● Arroyo Grande (6.1%)
● Bakersfield (4.4%) *
● San Luis Obispo (3.7%)
● San Jose (3.1%) *
Social Media
● Arroyo Grande
● Bakersfield
● Los Angeles
● Ventura County
● San Luis Obispo
* There was an increase in website visitors from the San Jose and Bakersfield compared to the previous
period. This increase is because of our increased marketing efforts in these locations.
Most Viewed Accommodation Pages
The Best Western Casa Grande Inn, Hampton Inn, and the Grieb Farmhouse Inn Bed & Breakfast pages
are among the top most visited accommodations pages. They are also in the top 15 most visited pages
during the 2016-17 year.
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3. Performance and Results
Targeting Customers in Each of the 5 Travel Buying Cycles
We have continued our promotion strategy to “turn heads into beds” through social media, online
offers, online giveaways, and paid advertising on Google. The updates reflect our marketing efforts
during this 2016-17 period for each of these stages.
Stage 1: Dream
• Connect with travel enthusiasts at the Travel and Adventure Show in our target geo-location—
Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The Visit Arroyo Grande booth reached over 1,000 individuals and
families as well as thousands more who attended the expos both weekends.
• Well-time Email Campaigns—Newsletter subscribers are sent reminders of upcoming events,
and giveaway notifications to keep people engaged. The e-mail that is sent also encourages
people to book their stay and make reservations with time.
• The promotional videos play a major role during the dream stage. This is because research
states that 49% of leisure travelers reported researching online after viewing an ad.
Stage 2: Plan
• By understanding the way website visitors navigate through pages we were able to create new
content that makes it easier for them to plan their trip to Arroyo Grande.
• Analytics data shows that the new intuitive website navigation improved bounce rates and exits
by 47%. This means that website visitors found what they were looking for on the website and
stayed longer than visitors the previous year.
• Los Angeles/ San Francisco Directions pages specifically target Los Angeles and San Francisco in
the planning stages by giving directions from those major cities. Below are results from the past
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year
Page Pageviews Unique
Views
AVG Time on
Page
Entrances Bounce Rate Exit
General Directions
Page
571 164 00:00:15 39 0.00% 17.51%
Directions from LA 812 251 00:00:21 44 2.27% 16.38%
Directions form SF 418 127 00:00:17 27 0.00% 17.70%
Stage 3: Buy
• One way that our team tracks conversions is by analyzing Google AdWords data, newsletter
response, as well as Facebook paid advertising conversions on a call-to-action.
o Google—Our Google AdWords campaign account for the majority of accommodation
searches in the city of Arroyo Grande and surrounding areas. The top hotel related
terms that produced conversions were:
▪ Hotel deals in Arroyo Grande
▪ Hotels Arroyo Grande
o E-mail—Increased visits to the website and “Stay” pages occur after an e-mail is sent to
Visit Arroyo Grande subscribers.
▪ One of the most popular campaigns last year was the e-mail that contained
information on the Arroyo Grande Valley Car Sho
Stage 4: Experience
• Our giveaway efforts are often coordinated with hotel managers to ensure that booking for
winners is smooth. This makes the transition from Visit Arroyo Grande online marketing
consumers to offline consistent.
• Many of our social media posts are dedicated to events and destinations in Arroyo Grande that
followers may be interested in sharing.
o Example:
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Stage 5: Share
• Spreading the word and creating awareness is the name of the game when it comes to tourism
marketing. And the word is spreading! Arroyo Grande was featured in many media outlets this
year, including:
o Bakersfield Magazine
o USA Today
o LA Eater
• We are telling them where to share!
o On Facebook—our most important marketing tool online—our post and engagement
reached 456,000 in 12 months, a 36% increase over the same period last year. This is
due to more targeted content in posts that are ideal for our target audience.
o Over the last 30 days, when we have shared the new promotional videos, over 15,000
people viewed them—with 7,800 people viewing them more than once.
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o Additionally, people often share their love for Arroyo Grande on our posts, and they will
tag family and friends on posts to express interest in visiting.
4. Cost Efficient Online Paid Advertising
Google AdWords
There was an increase of consumers reached via paid Google ads for planning a trip to Arroyo Grande.
You can see the increase in impressions in the table below:
Ad Copy Impressions
2016 - 2017
Impressions
2015 -2016
Visit Arroyo Grande –
Discover and Plan Your Next Getaway
Book Online and Save on Lodging
87,781 79,697
Visit Arroyo Grande –
Plan Your Trip to Arroyo Grande for
Wine Tours, Hiking, and More
121,478 94,778
• Over 219,000 people have seen an Ad for Arroyo Grande this past year that leads to the website
and accommodation pages.
• The advertising campaigns are monitored daily to optimize results and reach the target
demographic—tourists.
• Google Advertising accounts for 11.2% of traffic to the site this year compared to 15.7% the
previous year. This is because more people are exposed to the website through other marketing
vehicles—YouTube, Silverado Tours Bus Wrap, Travel Show, VR Googles with QR code to the
website, and more.
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Facebook Advertising
Paid boosts and Like Campaigns our most coveted vehicle for reaching our target audience aside from
posts and organic marketing efforts on Facebook.
• Facebook Ads reached over 246,000 people in our target demographic during the year.
• There were 19,478 conversions from Facebook ad actions were recorded on the website via
Facebook ad tracking.
5. Website
The Arroyo Grande website is how we track both online and offline progress. For example, we ventured
into new marketing efforts during the 2016-17 year; such as the two Travel and Adventure shows,
Immersive Virtual Reality videos, and short video commercials for social media. Each method leads
content consumers to the website where we can offer more information about Arroyo Grande. This
year, we focused on enhancing the website and its tools to convert as many “heads into beds” as
possible. Highlights include:
SEO
During the past two years, we have focused on increasing the visibility of the Visit Arroyo Grande
website organically through strategic marketing posts, pages, optimized content, and press releases.
• We reduced the amount of errors that appeared in the site index to improve search engine
ranking.
• Improved content discoverability by adding more links to the footer, added drop-down tabs, link
to internal pages, and direct links to pages on social media.
• Ended event posts with links to related content or ticket purchasing.
• Feature past events for people to research events throughout the year, and index more content
• Use a permalink structure with easy to remember URLs. For example,
“visitarroyogrande.com/giveaway” is one of the top 5 pages visited this year.
Newsletter
Our team continues to build contact lists via contact forms, e-mail sign ups and giveaways. We were able
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to add over 1,000 new subscribers to our list thanks to the giveaway offer at the two trade shows. We
have been sending seasonal newsletters every time there is a giveaway or special Arroyo Grande event
such as the Strawberry Festival. Our most recent newsletter announcing the end of the Travel and
Adventure Show Giveaway and providing Virtual Reality Videos from the Strawberry festival received a
45% open rate which is high compared to the industry average of 16%.
Ongoing Website Maintenance
Our goal is to always keep the website as fresh and current as possible, especially since repeat visitors
has increased 28% this year. Pages like Events, To Do, Places to go, and our Blog are updated regularly.
Other tasks that were done routinely include:
• Weekly site backups and safety checks or malware and firewall breaches
• Updated website pages; such as: Clark Center and Events pages to maintain new content and
archive past events
• New Giveaways and Graphics
• The homepage banner is updated to reflect upcoming events and/or current giveaway
promotions
• Maintain an up to date site index
Website UI Redesign
RG Pacific has worked with the TBID board throughout the 2016-17 year to update the website user
interface for a more modern and visual experience. We placed content that is important and useful to
website visitors in key locations to make it easier to navigate. The most modern feature on the website
is full width page style layout that is mobile and tablet friendly, which means that the banner images
adjust based on the size of the user’s device.
The layout also features wood panel menu and footer, reminiscent of a wine cellars. The main image
now features and wide screen photo of individuals enjoying wine, with overlaying copy promoting the
many local wineries in Arroyo Grande. We wanted to bring more attention to this and remind visitors
that Arroyo Grande is an ideal destination for a wine tasting getaway. The new wooden layout also
reflects ‘Vintage California’ Arroyo Grande.
The “Stay, Dine, Play, and Sip” sections were moved to the top menu only, and the upcoming events
appear along the bottom of the home page. Social Media integration is key to increasing engagement,
so it is highlighted on the main navigation bar.
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Item 9.c. - Page 24
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Plans for July 2017 through June 2018
1. With the renewal of the TBID, continuing initiatives proposed for FY 2017-2018 include:
a. Continue the Silverado Bus wrap marketing campaign. The bus travels
throughout the United States, acting as a moving billboard.
b. Continue to develop marketing strategies and creative campaigns that leverage
the strength of traditional and non-traditional media. As more travelers’ access
information on mobile devices, marketing will continue to migrate toward the
online experience. Expanding the use of integrated marketing and utilizing
targeted advertising strategies on social channels will reflect this shift to mobile
devices. Traditional advertising that includes print and electronic media will
continue to be a part of the integrated marketing approach.
c. Participate in special events and trade shows that specifically target hotel stays
in Arroyo Grande.
d. Market Arroyo Grande through participation with Destination Marketing
Organizations (DMOs) including but not limited to Visit California, the Central
FY 2016-17 ACTIVITY
ACTUAL AS OF
4/30/17 BUDGET VARIANCE % COLLECTED
TBID Assessments 133,551$ 195,000$ 61,449$ 68%
Interest - - - 0%
Chamber contribution 5,000 5,000 - 100%
City contribution 4,170 5,000 830 83%
TOTAL REVENUE 142,721$ 205,000$ 62,279$ 70%
ACTUAL AS OF
4/30/17 BUDGET VARIANCE % USED
Advertising 114,894$ 150,000$ 35,106$ 77%
Services & Supplies 21,401 50,500 29,099 42%
Membership & Subscriptions - 5,500 5,500 0%
Public Relations - 45,000 45,000 0%
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 136,295$ 251,000$ 114,705$ 54%
Beginning Fund Balance 147,215$
Budgeted Revenues 205,000
Budgeted Expenditures 251,000
Budgeted Ending Fund Balance 101,215$
REVENUES
EXPENDITURES
Item 9.c. - Page 25
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Coast Tourism Council, the SLO Wine Association and Visit San Luis Obispo
County.
e. Sponsor events that bring visitors to the area for multiple-night stays.
FY 2017-18 BUDGET
Revenue Source Amount
TBID Assessments 202,000$
Chamber contribution 5,000
City contribution 5,000
Total Revenue 212,000$
Activity Amount Amount
Advertising 67,000$
Consultant Services 32,000 500$
Miscellaneous 10,000 5,000
Sub-total Advertising 109,000$ 5,500$
Services & Supplies
Website Maintenance 7,000$ 55,000$
City - administrative 3,000 10,000
Chamber - Contract admin.17,000 65,000$
Misc. contractual services 13,000
Supplies 2,500
Sub-total Services & Supplies 42,500$ 222,000$ Total Expenditures
Misc
Sub-total Public Relations
Events
Sponsorships
Public Relations
Sub-total Membership & Subs.
Membership & Subscriptions
Activity
EXPENDITURES
CCTC
REVENUES
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