County tourism board hears year‑end marketing report showing higher engagement and modest spending gains

Sarah Jarvis, chair of the Huerfano County Tourism Board, introduced a year‑end marketing report from the board’s contractor, m2m. Steve Santucci, principal of m2m, told commissioners the firm estimates about “60,000 people really engaged with your content” from earned media and reported roughly 50,000 engaged through paid channels. He said county website traffic has nearly tripled since m2m began managing the site.

Santucci placed particular emphasis on attracting longer stays. He said industry data the firm uses counts a visitor only if they travel more than 50 miles and reported the county’s visitor spending rose about 3.5% in 2024, versus a 2.7% statewide benchmark. “We focus on those longer stays,” Santucci said, adding that two‑plus‑night visits typically bring more dollars and are a strategic priority.

Board members and residents asked how the firm measures visitation. Santucci described using mobile‑device and credit‑card data to estimate trips and spending, and said the 50‑mile cutoff is an industry standard to exclude routine regional commuters. He also described geofencing and event‑targeted advertising as tools m2m uses; the firm said it geofenced the state stock show to reach what it identified as a key audience.

Jarvis and Santucci highlighted recent earned placements and a new photo/video project intended to provide content for the county’s web and social channels. The contractor said it has produced hundreds of photos and multiple videos and will roll those out across paid, owned and earned channels.

The presentation closed with a request for ongoing feedback from county staff and commissioners and a goal to outpace state benchmarks on visitation and lodging demand. Commissioners thanked the presenters and asked staff to provide additional metrics at a later date about engaged sessions and conversions from advertising to longer stays.

The board then moved on to other agenda items.