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Digital Passport Launch Kit for Destination Marketers
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The Digital Passport Launch Kit is the ultimate resource to boost engagement and maximize the success of your digital passport campaigns. This kit gives Destination Marketers the tools they need for supercharged campaign results.
What’s Inside
Complete Campaign Checklist
Ensure nothing is missed in your campaign planning
31 customizable templates
Easily tailor marketing copy to align your brand voice and target audience
Step-by-step instructions
A clear guide to launching your digital passport
Digital Passport Case Studies
Learn how forward-thinking destinations and associations are using Explore’s digital passport technology to drive real impact.
Kickstart Your Campaign with the Digital Passport Launch Kit
A digital passport is an integral part of any destination marketing strategy. It’s a gamified check-in challenge typically built on a Visitor Experience Platform such as Explore. Encouraging visitors and locals to check in at various locations within your destination by offering incentives, it provides valuable first-party data while creating a fun and interactive experience for participants.
By leveraging digital passports, you can promote local businesses, decrease congestion by spreading foot (or vehicle) traffic beyond popular spots, and increase visitor retention. Plus, you'll be gathering crucial insights that can help you improve your Destination Marketing Organization’s (DMO) marketing strategy and combat seasonality with summer adventures, spring events, winter activities, and fall experiences.
Before you can start promoting your digital passport program, you’ll need to choose a digital passport technology. Be sure to select a solution that is user-friendly and leverages gamification. Look for features such as photo check-ins, digital badges, and leaderboards. Explore Challenges is a turn-key digital passport technology with built-in gamification and first-party data collection.
Once you select a technology, you are ready to build your program. For a successful digital passport launch, you'll need to coordinate with local businesses while marketing directly to participants. To facilitate this, we created the Digital Passport Launch Kit, complete with checklists, templates, and swipe copy you can use to speak with local businesses and market to consumers.
Supercharge Your Digital Passport Program
Creating a digital passport for your destination is both fun and easy. With the right tools, you can deploy it within days. Once your passport is ready, the next step is to develop a marketing campaign to ensure a successful launch. Focus on coordinating the three key groups essential for a successful launch: organizers, businesses, and visitors.
Organizers
Organizers need to create a marketing campaign that leverages various channels, making the process exciting and accessible for everyone.
Businesses
Businesses play a crucial role by offering unique experiences and rewards. Clear communication and fun onboarding make it easy for them to get involved.
Visitors
Visitors, the heart of the experience, will be thrilled to discover and engage with the destination if the digital passport is simple and rewarding.
Step 1: Build the Marketing Campaign
To ensure your digital passport reaches a wide audience and generates excitement, it's essential to create a comprehensive marketing campaign. The Digital Passport Launch Kit includes copy templates for social media, email, and a landing page. It also provides copy for signage, as well as a website announcement bar and CTA button. These tools will help you create a cohesive and engaging campaign that attracts and informs participants.
Create a Dedicated Landing Page
The first step in promoting your digital passport is to create a landing page. Key elements to include are:
Compelling Header and Subheader: Capture your audience's attention immediately.
Introduction: Provide an engaging overview of the digital passport.
Clear Instructions: Explain how participants can get involved and earn rewards.
Prizes and Rewards: Highlight rewards, including redemption instructions and rules.
Business Partners: Showcase the local businesses participating in the program.
Call to Action: Encourage visitors to join with an engaging CTA button.
Promote Your Passport Throughout Your Website
Promoting your digital passport throughout your website not only increases visibility but also improves search engine ranking. A few key places to include your digital passport landing page are:
Website Header and Homepage - Using a Call-to-Action button or an Announcement Bar provides the most visibility as these are displayed on nearly every page. They also emphasize the relevancy of the digital passport by utilizing key real estate on your site. The Digital Passport Launch Kit includes copy templates for Announcement Bars and CTA buttons to ensure effective online promotion.
Blog and Related Content - Consider embedding the digital passport on related blogs and content for seamless access. With Explore, you can embed your passport using our no-code widgets.
Create Physical Signage
Promoting your digital passport with physical signage is essential to capturing visitor interest. Key places to display signs include tourism offices, event entrances, town centers, and participating business locations. The Digital Passport Launch Kit provides copy templates for large, small, and digital signage to ensure consistent and effective messaging.
Design and Print Signs: Include information and QR codes linking to your digital passport. Explore has an integrated QR code generator to help you seamlessly create and download trackable QR codes for your passports.
Display in High Traffic Areas: Place signs strategically to attract attention and encourage participation.
Promote Your Digital Passport Using Email Marketing
Digital passports help grow your email list by collecting email addresses of all participants, ensuring each campaign builds on the last for greater success in every launch. Email marketing is crucial for any campaign, and we have developed a comprehensive set of email templates to support your efforts. Use the ones that best serve your audience.
Pre-Launch Announcement Email: Generate excitement and inform participants about the upcoming digital passport launch.
Launch Announcement Email: Announce that the digital passport is live and encourage participants to start their adventure.
Participant Highlight Email: Showcase participant stories and check-ins to inspire others and increase engagement.
Prize Announcement Email: Inform participants about the prizes they can win by joining the digital passport.
Leaderboard Email: Provide updates on movement within the leaderboard to spark competition and motivate participants.
Final Call to Action Email: Remind participants of the last chance to participate.
Campaign Wrap-Up Email: Thank participants for their involvement and share the success of the campaign.
Prize Winners Announcement Email: Announce the winners of the digital passport and celebrate their achievements.
Promote Your Digital Passport on Social Media
Promoting your digital passport on social media is essential for building excitement and engaging your audience. By leveraging social media platforms, you can create buzz before the launch, announce the start of the challenge, and keep participants motivated and engaged throughout the campaign.
Digital passports encourage user-generated content (UGC), and tagging participants in posts helps to leverage that content as they share with their own audiences.
Here are some effective strategies to promote your digital passport on social media:
Tease Pre-Launch: Build excitement by teasing the digital passport to your audience.
Announce Launch: Publicize the start of the digital passport to generate press coverage and shares.
Feature Participants: Highlight new participants and leaderboard updates to spark users' competitive spirit and boost engagement.
Share Prizes: Regularly showcase available prizes to maintain interest and motivation. Additionally, highlight bonus prizes offered by business partners throughout the challenge.
With your marketing campaign well-organized, it's time to focus on the next crucial element of your digital passport launch: onboarding your businesses.
Engaging local businesses is essential for creating a rewarding experience for participants. Step 2 will guide you through effectively recruiting and onboarding businesses to ensure their active participation and support, which will enhance the overall success of your digital passport campaign.
Step 2: Onboard Partners
Ensuring local businesses are enthusiastic and well-prepared to participate in your digital passport is crucial. The Digital Passport Launch Kit includes email onboarding templates, a benefits flyer, signage templates, and social media sharing directions to help you engage and onboard businesses effectively.
Recruiting Local Businesses
To recruit local businesses for your digital passport, select those that align with your theme and have strong reputations. Highlight these key benefits when encouraging business partners to participate:
Increased Foot Traffic: Attract more customers through an engaging challenge that encourages visits and check-ins.
Enhanced Brand Exposure: Gain visibility through social media promotion, and email campaigns.
Community Engagement: Be part of an initiative that promotes local businesses and fosters community spirit.
Incentives for Participation: Offer exclusive deals and discounts to drive more traffic.
Win Prizes: Compete for special prizes and receive additional promotion.
Onboarding Partners
Once a business signs up to participate in your digital passport, equip them with the tools for success. Consider hosting webinars with live Q&As and sending regular email communications.
Host Webinars: Provide live webinars to explain the benefits, how businesses can get involved, and answer FAQs.
Send Step-by-Step Emails: Offer detailed email instructions to guide businesses through the campaign specifics.
Highlight the Benefits: Use the “Benefits for Businesses Flier” included in the Digital Passport Launch Kit as talking points during your onboarding webinar to encourage participation by highlighting the business advantages.
Provide Marketing Materials
Ensure businesses have all the necessary marketing materials to promote their participation in the digital passport effectively.
Digital Assets: Supply businesses with social media best practices, graphics and copy for promoting the digital passport.
Physical Signage: Provide physical signs for businesses to display on location, guiding customers to discover and join the program.
Leverage Partners’ Reach
Utilize the relationships with local partners to further enhance the reach and effectiveness of your digital passport campaign.
Onsite Signage: Ask businesses to display signs with QR codes linking to the passport in prominent areas like the front door, sandwich board, or cash register.
Social Media Engagement: Tag and feature businesses on social media to expand reach.
Cross-Promotion: Encourage partners to promote the passport on their channels and offer exclusive deals for participants. Consider running a contest to reward the most engaged businesses.
Encourage Partner Participation
Join the Digital Passport: Encourage participating businesses to join your digital passport to familiarize themselves with the experience. This will make them more likely to promote it to their patrons.
Update Business Listings: Enable participating businesses to update their listings with important information, captions, descriptions, business hours, and more. This fosters greater investment in the program. Explore offers self-service tools for businesses to manage their pages and integrates with Google Places to automatically sync key business details.
Add imagery: Encourage businesses to use high-quality, relevant images to attract more participants. If your digital passport supports photo check-ins, have them check in using their best business photos to prime the passport and enhance their familiarity with the experience.
Incentivize Participation: Offer prizes for businesses with the most visitor check-ins, such as social media promotion or business-relevant rewards, to incentivize them to actively promote the program.
With local businesses onboard and equipped with the necessary tools and resources, the foundation for your digital passport campaign is solidly in place. The next critical step is to engage your visitors effectively.
Step 3 will focus on strategies and actions to captivate and motivate participants, ensuring they remain excited and committed throughout the program.
Step 3: Engage With Participants
To maximize participation, ensure that joining and engaging in the digital passport is straightforward and enjoyable. The Digital Passport Launch Kit includes customizable templates for signs, landing pages, and emails to help drive engagement.
Provide clear messaging with simple instructions on how to join and participate. Communicate the prizes and how to collect them, sparking excitement and motivation.
Promote your digital passport through multiple channels. Use social media campaigns, targeted emails, and strategic physical signage to capture visitor interest and encourage participation.
Offer incentives to keep visitors engaged. Provide attractive prizes and use gamification elements like leaderboards and digital badges. Share examples of others’ participation to inspire further involvement.
By ensuring clear messaging, multi-channel promotion, and enticing incentives, you can effectively engage your visitors and keep them excited about your digital passport campaign.
Ensuring Your Launch is a Success
Clear communication and proper coordination with all involved parties is key to maximizing participation and ensuring a successful campaign. The Digital Passport Launch Kit includes a campaign checklist to ensure you cover all essential steps for a successful launch.
By following these three steps—organizing your marketing campaign, onboarding your businesses, and engaging your visitors—and utilizing the Digital Passport Launch Kit, you'll be well on your way to a successful digital passport launch.
Are you ready to supercharge your digital passport?
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Digital Passport Campaign FAQs
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A digital passport launch refers to the introduction and implementation of a digital passport program designed to engage visitors and locals in discovering various locations within a destination. It typically involves gamified check-ins, rewards, and promotional activities.
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A digital passport launch can increase visitor engagement, promote local businesses, spread foot traffic beyond popular spots, and provide valuable first-party data to refine your destination marketing strategy.
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For a successful digital passport launch, you need a user-friendly digital passport platform like Explore, marketing assets, onboarding materials for businesses, and a comprehensive campaign plan.
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Engage local businesses by highlighting the benefits, such as increased foot traffic and brand exposure. Provide them with clear communication, onboarding processes, and marketing materials to make participation easy and rewarding.
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Promote your digital passport launch through multiple channels, including social media, email campaigns, and physical signage. Use compelling messaging, highlight rewards, and leverage gamification elements like leaderboards and digital badges to keep participants engaged.
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Measure the success of your digital passport launch by tracking metrics such as participant numbers, check-ins, views, and feedback from both visitors and local businesses. Analyzing this data will help you refine future campaigns.
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Yes, a digital passport launch can be customized to suit various destinations, events, business coalitions, downtown districts, food and beverage associations, and historical societies. Tailor the program to highlight unique attractions and experiences specific to your organization.
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Key elements include a dedicated landing page, clear instructions for participation, compelling rewards, and consistent promotion through social media, email newsletters, and on-site signage.
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With the right tools and resources, a digital passport launch can be implemented within a few days. Our Visitor Experience Platform, Explore, provides the necessary technology, templates, and checklists to streamline the process.
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You can get support for your digital passport launch from platforms like Explore and the Digital Passport Launch Kit. These resources offer comprehensive solutions, including technology, marketing assets, and expert guidance.
