Case Studies
Digital Marketing Case Study: Island Resort & Casino
W399 Hwy. 2 & 41
Harris, MI 49845
WebRanking Client
Since 2013
Industry
Hospitality & Gaming
Overview
When Susan Harris and the Island Resort & Casino Marketing Team approached WebRanking about a digital marketing campaign, they had not previously worked with an outside online marketing agency. They knew they needed to be more engaged online and generate more traffic to their site, but they were not sure the best ways to accomplish this.
2014 » 2016
116.6%
Objective
To accomplish these goals, WebRanking put together an expansive digital marketing plan that included search engine optimization, content development, paid search ads, social media consulting, social media advertising and conversion rate optimization services, along with web development and technical SEO.
Challenges
This understanding of each department’s needs would translate into the types of conversions we could generate on the site and how best to promote them.
Another challenge was the site was under the control of their web design company, so we did not have direct access to it and all changes had to initially go through them.
Additionally, due to specific advertising laws regarding gambling, we had to ensure that our recommendations and advertising efforts did not fall outside the guidelines provided by the different ad platforms.
The site also was not mobile friendly, was slow and did not provide the best user experience.
Susan K. Harris, Marketing Director
“Our working relationship with WebRanking has exceeded our high expectations and continues to do so. The success we’ve experienced year over year has strengthened our position as the casino/resort total experience choice in a highly competitive market. The numbers speak for themselves.”
Solution
Foundation: SEO Campaign
The Island also severed their relationship with their web design firm, allowing WebRanking to set up hosting and make direct changes to the site. Using this access, we updated the site to be mobile friendly and made other changes to increase the speed of the website.
Expanded Content
Content was not limited to the new blog, as we put a concerted effort on creating better and more comprehensive copy on the main pages throughout the site. We also added new sections for the Spa, Convention Center and Golf Experience.
Building Authority Through Links, Citations and Expanded Content
Conversions
Based upon these priority conversions, we updated the site with proven Conversion Rate Optimization techniques to put more of a focus on them. We also based our Google AdWords, Facebook Advertising and social media strategies on the best ways promote them.
Getting Social
We also worked to create regular social media promotions to increase engagement, followers and online buzz.
Paid Search
We coupled this with a Facebook Ads campaign that utilized customer personas, with a focus on promoting social media promotions, headline entertainment, gaming, dining and staying at the hotel.
The Results
Since we started working with the Island in June of 2013, we have achieved the following results in total leads and conversions for the site:
Year over Year Increases in Total Leads & Conversions
2014 » 2015
75.6%
2015 » 2016
23.3%
2016 » 2017
18.9%
We’ve also seen tremendous growth in several other key performance indicators over the years:
Year over Year Increases in Total Traffic
2014 » 2015
21.3%
2015 » 2016
18.6%
2016 » 2017
8.5%
Conversion Rates
2014
5.6%
2015
8.1%
2016
8.4%
2017
10.5%
Year over Year Increases in Social Media Traffic
2014 » 2015
9.42%
2015 » 2016
14.9%
2016 » 2017
71.85%
In 2017, we turned our attention to leveraging social media channels and refined our SEO efforts to increase and improve organic search traffic. So far, this has led to the following results:
11.5%
71.9%
The Island Resort & Casino’s campaign is an example of a program that moves and adjusts to the ever-changing needs of the client, while also looking to build out a solid foundation focused on website conversions.
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Don’t fit within these listed industries? Do you have ongoing marketing needs? We believe that no campaign is the same and it’s all custom, regardless of industry. We’re happy to speak with you. Give us a call today!