Guides vs Challenges: What’s Right for My Organization?
Are you considering leveraging Explore to enhance visitor engagement but unsure whether you need a Guide or a Challenge? Let's break down the key differences between the two features to help you make an informed decision.
Guides
A Guide is a curated list of places accompanied by a corresponding map. You have the flexibility to add unlimited places to a Guide, and with our Google Places integration, all place data, including images, is automatically pulled in. Creating Guides is a breeze and can be done within minutes. Once created, Guides can be easily shared via QR codes or links. They are mobile-friendly and location-aware, allowing visitors to navigate seamlessly and explore your Guide while in-market.
Guides are the perfect tool for creating trails, itineraries, and curated maps that require very little maintenance. With our Guide Creator AI tool, you can create Guides in seconds with the power of Generative AI. Some example Guides are Go Camp’s A Road Trip From Yosemite to Death Valley and Visit Grapevine's A Day in the Christmas Capital of Texas.
Challenges
Challenges are a powerful digital passport technology that encompass all the features of Guides, but come with an added layer of gamification to boost engagement. With Challenges, visitors are incentivized to check-in at each place using a photo to unlock digital badges and other types of rewards. With an interactive leaderboard and activity feed, Challenges foster friendly competition, generate UGC and help build a sense of community among participants. Participation in Challenges not only encourages registration for deeper engagement but also inherently generates extensive data through check-ins, offering valuable insights into participant activity and engagement levels.
Challenges are the ideal tool for launching trails that have more marketing behind them. For example, a weekend beer crawl, a check-in challenge at a food festival, an event activation or even a trail that features a special aspect of your destination, like a public art selfie trail. Challenges are typically more curated and involve working directly with business partners to promote it. Examples of Challenges are: Visit Mesa’s DMA West Beer Crawl Challenge and Copper State Beer Fest 2024 Challenge.
Choosing the Right Option
So, which option is right for you? It ultimately depends on your goals and the level of engagement you want to foster among your visitors. If you're looking for a straightforward way to showcase places and provide navigation assistance, Guides are an excellent choice. On the other hand, if you aim to increase visitor interaction and create an immersive experience through gamification, Challenges may be the way to go.
Both Guides and Challenges offer unique benefits and can be powerful tools in enhancing the visitor experience for your destination marketing organization. Consider your objectives and audience preferences to determine which option aligns best with your goals. Whichever you choose, Explore provides the tools and flexibility to create engaging and memorable experiences for your visitors.
Reach out to speak to a Visitor Experience Expert to deep dive into how Guides and Challenges can elevate your destination marketing strategies and leave a lasting impression on your visitors.
