Social Media
Our social media platforms are currently shared between tourism and investment. To drive investment engagement, we share continuous investment updates, specifically around the Buy Local digital presence. All updates on the tourism destination website consequently feed through to the investment website.
The new update to the database also allowed us to increase our reach to relevant businesses that fuel the Buy Local campaign. This particular section also references members who have supported the Buy Local membership, to access the membership benefits. Information can also be found by visiting South Coast Tourism on Facebook; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on YouTube; @infosouthcoast on Twitter or @infosouthcoast on Instagram; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on LinkedIn.
Website
We have continued to maintain a 100% uptime across our websites with user-friendly access to information. We have updated relevant information such as the board members, investment opportunities, and other relevant content to increase potential investors and unearth investment opportunities. The backend of the www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za and www.sctie.co.za websites are continuously updated through software, plug-ins, and other technical features. New investment press releases were loaded onto the website for international access to local information. These links were further marketed through other digital platforms to increase the exposure of investment opportunities and to create awareness around our constantly updated archives.
Explore the KZN South Coast app
The destination website and app share one Content Management System (CMS), allowing us to cost-effectively update information across the app on a daily and weekly basis. In this quarter, we completed the long-term solutions for the app with changes to the map functionality in the navigation bar, improving the usability and responsiveness of the map functionality. The GPS pins which were static became interactive or clickable, while the ‘show info’ and image of location have enhanced the user experience. The updated version is now available on Google Play and Apple App Store.
These changes are essential for marketing operator listings that appear on this easy-to-use platform, which has interactive contact details and other information relevant to travellers on the go. The aim was to improve user engagement for increased user retention, positive user feedback, higher conversion rates, and to create a competitive advantage for the KZN South Coast and its operators.
Database
We updated our internal, POPI Act-compliant database for tourism and investment, and have been growing it to include other sectors and community heads who will benefit. In this quarter, our communication focus has been digital links and resources to our Buy Local campaign and communication about digital assets, tourism and investment filming opportunities for members to participate in promotional videos, and requests for social media promotional material and blogs. We aim to provide information in real-time where possible, to promote tourism and investment, attract visitors and investors, support local businesses, and improve the overall economic and social well-being of the community.