Tourism director outlines 2026 marketing plan, KPI targets and AI strategy

Sean, the county’s tourism director, delivered an extensive year-end report and a plan for 2026 focused on events, digital outreach and measuring return on investment. He said the visitor committee recommended continued sponsorships and described an upcoming trade-show schedule, a truck-wrap timeline and new wayfinding work for the Western Trails Creative District.

Sean presented KPIs and digital goals. He said the office recorded an email open rate of 48.2% for 2025 and set a target of 50% for 2026, with an industry-focused push to reduce bounce rates (currently about 6%) to under 2%. The tourism office reported 583 subscribers as of Dec. 1 and set a minimum subscriber goal of 1,500 by Oct. 1, 2026, with zero acceptable variance for that target as presented. Social media growth targets include higher Instagram and TikTok engagement and a posting cadence that increases to nine posts per week in the busy season.

Sean told the board the office is preparing to optimize the county’s content so that generative AI and search engines direct users to Keith County’s resources rather than providing answers that bypass local websites. As Sean put it, the office is "figuring out how to play to what AI is looking for" so the county can remain an authoritative result for queries about local attractions. A commissioner raised a separate concern about large data centers’ water and energy use; Sean clarified the tourism office is not relying on AI to produce content but is adjusting its digital strategy to preserve local visibility.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: tourism staff will continue KPI tracking, refine ROI calculations and finalize show materials and the truck wrap so that promotional assets are ready for early-2026 events.