evok advertising

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Clay County and the Board of County Commissioners, a government entity. I work as the director of tourism and film development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evok?

We are a small county that has never been in the marketplace as a tourism destination. We found that the best way to do that is through hiring an Agency of Record (AOR). That’s the reason why we collaborated with Evok.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with Evok on a number of projects. They built our first standalone tourism WordPress website that has several different plugins. We already knew what functions we needed, so they focused on putting a creative spin on it, especially on what our strong points were as a destination. The team has trained us on how to keep the site updated and how to perform troubleshooting whenever we face a technical issue.

They also manage our SEO including Google Ads. Moreover, they also spearhead our marketing planning and market buying efforts. Furthermore, they have a strategic relationship with another company where we receive articles and some social media push. That way, they boost our business on Instagram and Facebook too. 

We’ve also done some over-the-top (OTT) content, so there’s been a lot of digital marketing efforts. They’ve spent a couple of hours with us and our local businesses to educate them on digital marketing and what it can do for the business and destination.

When we received additional funding for marketing, we also told Evok to develop a whole new campaign. They created a new visitor’s guide, event guide, and venue guide with safety protocols in it. The team has also created a special video on how to have a safe event. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Allison (Account Executive), Chris (VP & Executive Creative Director), and Mohammed (Digital Marketing).

How did you come to work with Evok?

We went through our entire RFP process and we found out that they worked in the tourism space before. Additionally, they have a diverse portfolio which is great for an agency. Since they worked with diverse companies, we were sure that they were always forced to think outside the box. As a result, we chose Evok.

How much have you invested with them?

Initially, we spent $170,000. Then, we’ve also had special projects where we spent $160,000, and we’re talking about increasing 2% each year. Based on that, we’ll hover around $200,000 annually. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and we have an ongoing three-year contract. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We are just starting to get a baseline when it comes to metrics, but we’ve been able to tell their impact based on our hotel occupancy. When we were implementing a lot of advertising efforts, we definitely saw a difference in our business. When we stopped, our hotel occupancy also decreased. Overall, during the time when we performed campaigns, we experience more visibility and that has given us the ammunition to continue building our marketing budget.

Evok is also great at accomplishing things and finding creative ways to do our requirements. Most of all, they always meet our budget. 

How did Evok perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been very timely and provides good communication. Moreover, they are always been available to talk about enhancements we want to make. We also have a weekly call with our account executive who’s amazing and keeps everything on track. It’s refreshing to see constant movement and progress from Evok. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the ability to make something from nothing, so from a creative standpoint, they are good at pulling things outside the box. Evok really listens to us and “my crazy ideas”. This is an agency that has stellar communication skills, and they’re quick to provide solutions for any challenges that we face. Overall, they’ve been great to work with and we look forward to continuing our cooperation. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything right now. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready to share what you want to accomplish. If you share everything you know about your business, they will dive deeper and come up with creative solutions to make sure you hit your goals.