ARTFEST FORT MYERS
By Design: Simple, Strategic Changes Make a Big Splash
ArtFest Fort Myers is one of the premiere juried art shows in Florida. With the event returning to an in-person format in 2022, it was an optimal time to liven up the organization’s website design and content, as well as partner with local media outlets to highlight the three-day event.
With less than 3 weeks until the event, CEL worked with organizers to increase the visibility of ArtFest Fort Myers, promote the event, provide more exposure for the juried artists and reach new audiences. We accomplished this by designing multi-use graphics that incorporated actual artist work, adding splashes of color to the website homepage and key supporting landing pages, launching a digital marketing campaign and coordinating on-site media relations.
Website Design Enhancements and Analytics
To better reflect the dynamic event. CEL developed a colorful, block-style website homepage that included call-to-action buttons and distinct sections for key messaging and event information. And refreshed storytelling reminded visitors their “picture-perfect day is just a brushstroke away.”
The CEL design team strategically incorporated elements from ArtFest Fort Myers’ 2022 Commemorative Print — a Florida-inspired painting by featured artist Leon F. Ruiz — into the updated website homepage and social media graphics.
The website and related graphics produced significant gains within this short time period. Overall website visitors increased 4.7%, website sessions increased 14.3% increase, and the average session duration increased 9.4 %. In addition, the website bounce rate decreased by nearly 14%.
Digital Marketing
CEL developed a Facebook Ad Campaign that resulted in 10,000+ post engagement, 32,000+ reach and 1,740 link clicks during the two weeks leading up to the event. Plus, Facebook was the largest website referral source – accounting for 92% of all social traffic.
Digital ads created during that time frame increased general website traffic, boosting organic search to 57 percent and producing 1,400+ link clicks. A simultaneous video campaign and event page boost produced an additional 29,000 impressions, 10,000+ reach and 250+ link clicks combined.
Event Media Relations
ArtFest Fort Myers was a fast-moving and successful media relations venture on a short timeline. With less than 3 weeks until the event, CEL prioritized earned media opportunities, gathered viable stories and interviews for the media, wrote media pitches and followed up to the target media.
As a result, ArtFest Fort Myers was featured in 54 media stories, reaching a general audience of 694,893 and a Nielsen Audience of 617,037. Based on the audience reach, the calculated publicity value was in excess of $57,650.
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Media Stories
