FY 25 -Q 2 Performance Metrics & Update
October 1 - December 31, 2024
As the Town of Bluffton’s official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), we are the leader in promoting tourism to the destination. By understanding today’s travelers and adapting to the changing landscape of the industry, we are able to execute the comprehensive Town of Bluffton Marketing Plan.
The quarterly report focuses on the metrics outlined within the contract, but we also wanted to share the additional efforts and initiatives worked on during FY25 – Q2.
Town of Bluffton Marketing Plans, Reports, and Presentations
• 10/4, 11/5, and 12/5 Submitted three monthly reports to the town staff.
• 11/14/24, Submitted the Town of Bluffton FY25-Q1 report to town staff.
• 12/10/24, Attended Town of Bluffton town council meeting.
Dedicated Official Bluffton Vacation Planner
October 1 - December 31, 2024
The Official Vacation Planner is the first touchpoint visitors receive when planning their visit to the Heart of the Lowcountry™.
We receive requests for this piece from multiple platforms; online, media, and phone inquiries. In addition, we distribute the planner to all state welcome centers, hotels, airports, AAA offices, tradeshows and included in all public relations outreach.
FY25-Q2 Mail Fulfillment and Distribution
Official Bluffton Vacation Planner: 900
Official Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Daufuskie Island Vacation Planner: 4,500
We continue our efforts with the College of Charleston in collecting visitor profile surveys and understanding the demographics of those who are traveling to the Town of Bluffton. Research
FY 25 -Q 2 Bluffton Website Performance
October 1 - December 31, 2024
Website Visits
Website Sessions
37,470
-23.6% YOY
Partner Referrals/Click Throughs Made to Area Business
7,213
-37.4% YOY
Bluffton’s marketing efforts continue to drive valuable traffic despite facing headwinds in organic search visibility. While total website visits were down year-over-year, paid campaigns effectively compensated, delivering an increase in total referrals from paid efforts. We strategically shifted our focus to new campaigns designed to encourage deeper engagement with the Bluffton website and its offerings
This approach coupled with strong performance in key markets like Florida and New York, positions us well for future growth. While paid social engagement was down, Google CPC performance helped offset the impact on overall website traffic.
FY 25 -Q 2 Destination Social Report
October 1 - December 31, 2024
YOY Facebook Page Likes
Instagram Followers
12,408
Followers
695
TikTok Followers
2,328
YOY
YOY
YOY
Engagements
6,700
Instagram Engagements
13,727
Engagements
43
TikTok Engagements
197
Overall, Q2 was a good period for Bluffton’s social media presence.
YOY
YOY
YOY
We experienced follower growth across all platforms, demonstrating that our consistent storytelling and posting strategy are attracting new audiences on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
Although there were some year-over-year decreases in engagements, this reflects a broader trend we’re observing on Facebook, where organic reach is declining due to increased competition. The average engagement rate on Facebook Pages has dropped to 0.07%, which aligns with the performance on our own page. On X, the decline in engagement was due to a reduced volume of content as our strategy shifted to focus more on our primary channels, Facebook and Instagram.
Looking ahead, we’ll continue maintaining a consistent posting cadence to keep metrics stable. Additionally, we’re integrating new video content from Harden Creative into our mix to help expand reach and engagement across all channels.
We are closely monitoring the regulatory landscape and dynamics surrounding TikTok and will adjust our social media strategy accordingly to ensure we effectively reach our target audience.
FY 25 -Q 2 Destination Metrics
October 1 - December 31, 2024
As the Official DMO for the Town of Bluffton and based on our official contract, below are the quarterly metrics for the time frame October 1 - December 31, 2024. OCC: Occupancy Rates
Average Daily Rate
RevPAR: Revenue per Available Room
Occupancy rates and revenue per available room (RevPAR) saw strong gains YoY, indicating strong demand within the Bluffton market. While average daily rate (ADR) saw some modest declines, the drop was more than offset by the uptick in occupancy.
October was a particularly strong month, seeing the most gains in both occupancy and RevPAR, along with a slight uptick in ADR. This could be due to travellers seeking alternative travel locations due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.
Source: Keydata Monthly Trend Report
FY 25 -Q 2 Public Relations Overview
Bluffton Story Highlights October 1 - December 31, 2024
Source: Critical Mention / BurrellsLuce / Weber Shandwick
$584,831.14
October
Veranda Online (UVPM: 210,546):
These Are the Best Spa Resorts in the U.S. for a Relaxing Weekend Syndicated to: Yahoo Lifestyle (UVPM: 149,324,782)
HGTV Online (UVPM: 2,756,536):
Time-Lapse of HGTV Dream Home 2025
Condé Nast Traveler (UVPM: 4,696,597):
Hotel Review: Montage Palmetto Bluff
November
Daily Mail (UVPM: 41,696,041):
My stay at the South Carolina hotel where Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin got married - and discovering why it’s the goto place to tie the knot for the rich and famous
Southern Living (UVPM: 13,903,329): The 9 Best Bottles Of Bourbon, According To Southern Chefs And Bartenders
HGTV (UVPM: 6,538,681):
HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes
December
The Knot (UVPM: 18,212,395):
How to Get Married in SC—Experts Share Where You Should Start
HGTV (UVPM: 6,538,681): Tour HGTV Dream Home 2025
People Magazine (UVPM: 10,953,764): HGTV’s 2025 Dream Home is Here!
Check Out the Stunning House — and See Where It’s Located (Exclusive)
FY 25 -Q 2 Events
October 1 - December 31, 2024
For FY24-Q4 time frame, our organization’s events included:
• Leadership Alumni’s “Lessons in Leadership”
• Chamber’s 28th annual State of the Region.
• Conversation + Cocktails at Nectar Bluffton with Bluffton Self Help.
• Town of Bluffton featured on Power Hour with Victoria Smalls on an affordable housing project update, and Russell Baxley, CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, on its Bluffton workforce housing project - the Livewell Terrace Apartment.
FY 25 -Q 2 Ribbon Cuttings
October 1 - December 31, 2024
Family Focus Financial Group Uncorked
7 Brew Coffee May River Recruiting
The Elle Apartments
A Beautiful U by Salon Celeste
FY 25 -Q 2 Media Partnership - Garden & Gun
Campaign Date: September – October 31st, 2024
Publication:
Garden & Gun is a lifestyle brand that covers the best of the south including sports, culture, food, music, art, literature, people and their ideas.
Activation:
Digital branded content promoted on Garden & Gun website and social channels, along with enewsletter feature and display ads.
Destination Marketing Organization
Revenues - Town of Bluffton DMO
Town of Bluffton Special Grant - Special
Total Revenue Expenses:
Vacation Planner - Regional (estimated)
Fulfillment-Regional Vacation Planner (estimated)
Vacation Planner - Bluffton Only Guide
Fulfillment-Bluffton Only Guide
Digital Promotions - Social Media
Digital Promotions - Website/SEO
Digital Promotions - Google/Facebook
Leisure Marketing - Other
Total direct marketing expenses
Administrative (Based on 37.3% of expected annual revenues)
Salaries
Payroll taxes
Employee benefits - 401K
Employee benefits - Insurance
Operations - Other Operations - Building Expense
Total administrative
Total expenses
Excess of revenues over expenses $ 10,000 $ 4,000 $ 48,750 $ 1,824 $ 9,375 $ 15,128 $ 20,273 $ 101 $ 210,596 $$ 210,596 $ 109,450 $ 63,644 $ 4,455 $ 3,819 $ 1,825 $ 3,038 $ 1,772 $ 78,552 $ 188,002 $ 22,594
Meet Your Team
Executive
BILL MILES, IOM, CCE
President & CEO
bmiles@hiltonheadisland.org
CONNIE KILLMAR
Assistant to the President ckillmar@hiltonheadisland.org
Communications
CHARLIE CLARK
Vice President, Communications cclark@hiltonheadisland.org
HALLIE MARTIN
Director of Communications hmartin@hiltonheadisland.org
JORDAN MATTHIS
Visual Content Coordinator jmatthis@hiltonheadisland.org
DASHAE MIDDLETON
Visual Content Coordinator dmiddleton@hiltonheadisland.org
Finance & Administration
RAY DEAL
Controller rdeal@hiltonheadisland.org
KELLY MCCALLISTER
Assistant Controller kmccallister@hiltonheadisland.org
Visitor & Convention Bureau
ARIANA PERNICE
Vice President, Visitor & Convention Bureau apernice@hiltonheadisland.org
ZACK SHEDD
Multimedia Sales Manager zshedd@hiltonheadisland.org
CHASE O’DELL
Research Manager codell@hiltonheadisland.org
ROBERT OBERNIER
Website Administrator robernier@hiltonheadisland.org
KYLEIGH LEAF
Marketing Coordinator kleaf@hiltonheadisland.org
Information Specialist
KATHY WININGS
Information Specialist kwinings@hiltonheadisland.org
LAURA HIGGINS
Information Specialist lhiggins@hiltonheadisland.org
LINDA LANIER
Information Specialist llanier@hiltonheadisland.org
