Making Bozeman a National Mountain Destination with Content Marketing
The Bozeman Convention & Visitors Bureau (publicly branded as Visit Bozeman) is the destination marketing organization for Bozeman, Montana, and the surrounding Gallatin Valley. It aims to bring economic prosperity to the region by drawing visitation through marketing and supporting local businesses, hotels, and tour operators.
In 2017, Visit Bozeman’s leadership selected PRIME to design the brand’s new website, and it was the start of a flourishing full-service marketing partnership that continues today.
Services
What we’ve accomplished
NEW INSTAGRAM
FOLLOWERS
From ZERO in 2017
to 36,400+ in 2024
INCREASE IN
AIRLINE PASSENGERS
From 1.2M in 2017
to 2.3M in 2024
NEW EMAIL
SUBSCRIBERS
From ZERO in 2017
to 35,000+ in 2024
Daryl Schliem
CEO
Bozeman Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Challenge
In 2015, PRIME responded to an RFP by Visit Bozeman to create a new website. Shortly after, we were hired to take over all marketing. Our goal given by the organization was simple: “Get more heads in beds.”
But the brand was starting nearly from scratch, with no true brand identity, no content on its website beyond business listings, no social media presence, and very limited marketing strategy.
At the time, tourism was already an important industry in Montana, appealing to tourists who value wide open spaces and activities like fly fishing and skiing. But Bozeman was still a best-kept-secret on the national stage, even with its close proximity to Yellowstone National Park.
The Solution
PRIME saw the potential for Bozeman to take off as a travel destination and took strategic steps to set it up for success.
We quickly discovered significant search volume for localized keywords related to Bozeman, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park. Utilizing its new website, PRIME raced to develop a library of useful, inspiring travel content based on these keywords.
PRIME also began integrating Visit Bozeman’s organic content with its paid and social media strategies, emphasizing the lifestyle and activities Bozeman has to offer. Additionally, we utilized user-generated content from travelers to grow the destination’s reach and influence.
On top of our content marketing strategy, we consulted with the CVB to form strategic partnerships with airlines to bring new airlines and flights to Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport.
The Results
About six months after kickstarting our content marketing strategy, website traffic exploded, nearly doubling over the next year.
By connecting Bozeman and Yellowstone with our organic content – and influencing more flights to and from Bozeman – we created the demand for spending more time in Bozeman during visits to Yellowstone National Park.
Airline traffic and hotel revenues followed. Within 2 years of our start with Visit Bozeman, hotel bed tax revenues increased by $4.6M – today, annual hotel revenue has reached $130M. Over the last 6 years, the number of total airline passengers has increased 108%.
Our content marketing strategy created a strong foundation and ranking authority for the Visit Bozeman website, positioning it to capitalize on COVID-19 travel trends to outdoor-focused destinations and the popularity of cultural moments like the Yellowstone television show.
Along the way, we built an engaged audience of followers on Instagram and email, both starting at zero, now with over 36K followers on each platform.