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SALEM – The tourism advisory board renewed its tourism marketing contract in its March meeting.
The contract with Sourballpython includes the visitsalemohio.com website, social media and marketing management, digital advertising and all relevant third-party fees, and has an annual cost of $15,333. The board ultimately voted unanimously to approve the contract with a modification to the bid for payments to be issued quarterly rather than as a lump sum.
Board Member Shane Franks said that he felt the board needed to centralize its efforts in increasing awareness, and use of the tourism website, which allows business owners and event organizers to not only submit events to a communal calendar, but to maintain a page including information about their business for visitors.
"The way I look at it our job as a board is to really get this out and get as many people as possible to get an account set up for the website to add their events," said Franks.
Franks also felt it was important the board increase awareness of the website and the useful information it contains, including the business profiles, event calendar, and popular places to visit when in the city.
"We need to let the public know that the Salem Tourism Board has funded a website, and you should know how to get to it and access it," said Franks.
The website also accepts email submissions for the calendar, and messages through its built-in contact feature.
Regarding the website, Board Member William Dawes suggested that the board come together as a group to highlight potential improvements and updates to the website.
"I think what we do is we all get together and come up with a list of changes and improvements we'd like to see, and I think the key thing is that we all sit down and are on the website together and agree the changes are beneficial together as a group rather than a bunch of one off emails," said Dawes.
Among Dawes' suggestions was easier digital access to the Downtown Salem Partnership's "downtown guide" which he said was accessible digitally through a QR code, but there was no way to access it directly from the website.
"The downtown guide is not directly linked. There's a QR code on the map that takes you to the digital version of the map, but you can't get to the downtown guide by clicking in the menu anywhere," said Dawes.
Dawes also suggested that at the board's next meeting they develop the list, and collectively go through a walkthrough on setting up and using an account on the website, including developing a profile page and submitting events, so that board members could better assist the public in doing so moving forward.
The tourism advisory board will meet next at 5 p.m. July 1.