VisitAberdeenshire Presents... A Destination Marketing Update - What to expect
6 September 2023
I’m Laura Delaney, Head of Communications at VisitAberdeenshire. I’ve been with VA for four years, and in that time, tourism and the way visitors receive news or travel inspiration has significantly changed.
But one thing remains the same. The work of the Marketing and Communications team moves at pace, as we compete with other destinations to trigger the curiosity of potential visitors. Engaging audiences with vibrant marketing campaigns and reasons to visit is at the heart of what we do.
I lead our media activity, which involves working closely with journalists and freelancers on press trip opportunities. Engaging with the Marketing and Communications team is a useful exercise, I’m keen to know more about your business, what’s new and the unique in-destination experiences you can offer journalists and visitors. Feel free to drop me an email with your updates.
In the last twelve months, we’ve hosted media who write for national titles including The Daily Telegraph, Delicious and National Geographic Traveller UK. Journalists are keen to meet the people behind the businesses, to hear stories firsthand to add colour and perspective to their features.
As a direct result of a press trip, Good Housekeeping listed Aberdeenshire as its top UK holiday destination for 2023. High profile exposure puts the region in the mix when potential visitors are planning their breaks.
Once journalists are in region, they are wowed. This third-party endorsement is essential, and journalist become advocates for the area, planting the seed for future travel and influencing their readers.
Our talented marketing team, made up of Elaine Bisset (Marketing Manager) and Hayley McNab (Digital Marketing Executive) deliver predominately digital campaigns targeting domestic audiences in the rest of Scotland, and the north of England. Thorough evaluation of these campaigns provide tangible evidence that the work we do is making a considerable impact in influencing travel.
I’ll be hosting the first in a new series of webinars called ‘VisitAberdeenshire Presents’ on Wednesday 27 September at 10am. I’ll talk through some recent campaigns in depth, and how we evaluate the impact of VA’s work. I’ll update you on the free resources that are available for you to use and how you can get involved.