Objective

The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau’s social media campaign aimed to position OBX as a year-round travel destination while promoting sustainable tourism and community engagement. Instead of focusing solely on attracting high-volume visitors, we prioritized building a dedicated, conscientious audience that values the OBX’s culture, natural beauty, and environmental preservation.

Through engaging content, storytelling, and community-driven initiatives, we sought to encourage responsible travel behaviors and deepen travelers’ emotional connection to the destination. Our campaign reinforced OBX’s commitment to sustainability through initiatives like the OBX Promise, which educated visitors on environmental responsibility, voluntourism, and local conservation efforts.

By leveraging high-quality, informative content, we inspired travelers to explore OBX mindfully while ensuring long-term environmental health and economic sustainability for the region.

Strategy

To bring our vision to life, we implemented a multifaceted strategy focusing on sustainability, storytelling, and community-driven engagement.

1. Sustainability-Focused Storytelling

We crafted a content strategy that emphasized OBX’s commitment to environmental preservation and local culture. Through high-impact video storytelling—such as Behemoth Goes Home—and expert-led conservation posts, we educated visitors on the region’s unique ecosystems and history.

2. Quality Over Quantity: Attracting the Right Visitors

Rather than focusing on increasing tourist volume, we prioritized attracting mindful travelers who appreciate OBX’s local heritage and environmental significance. This shift helped build a more engaged and responsible visitor base.

3. The OBX Promise

A key pillar of the campaign, the OBX Promise encouraged travelers to respect the environment, wildlife, and local community. This initiative emphasized sustainable tourism practices such as voluntourism, eco-friendly activities, and responsible outdoor recreation.

4. Engaging & Informative Content

We created a variety of content formats to foster deeper engagement and drive meaningful conversations:

• Mini-Guides: Niche guides focused on themes like Adventure, Hidden Gems, History, and Family Fun. These not only informed visitors but also helped reduce cost per lead while expanding our reach to highly engaged travelers.
• Accessibility Content: Addressed traveler concerns by highlighting inclusive attractions and responding to audience feedback on accessibility.
• Local Non-Profit Spotlights: Showcased OBX’s vibrant community efforts and encouraged visitors to participate in conservation programs.

5. Community Engagement & Participation

We activated OBX’s passionate audience through:

• Crowdsourcing ideas for new travel guides.
• Encouraging discussions around sustainable tourism.
• Actively responding to feedback on conservation and accessibility topics.

Results

The campaign delivered outstanding results, reinforcing OBX’s identity as a premier, sustainability-focused travel destination:

• 60% increase in social media engagements, indicating heightened audience connection.
• 33% increase in website visits from social channels, demonstrating strong digital engagement.
• 62% increase in conversions year-over-year, highlighting successful audience action.
• 13M total engagements, showcasing strong interest and interaction with OBX’s content.
• 336K socially referred website visits, proving that our digital storytelling successfully drove traffic.
• 30K conversions, reinforcing that our efforts directly influenced traveler behavior.

Beyond the metrics, the campaign successfully positioned OBX as a leader in sustainable tourism while fostering a passionate, engaged travel community. By emphasizing environmental stewardship and responsible visitation, we attracted travelers who are committed to preserving the OBX for future generations.

This initiative not only strengthened OBX’s brand identity but also ensured long-term sustainability for the region, proving that tourism and conservation can go hand in hand.