Visit Yolo
Case study
Visit Yolo Case Study
Introduction
Since partnering with Visit Yolo in 2023, REBEL Media & Marketing has played a pivotal role in elevating the county’s brand as a premier destination for visitors seeking authentic experiences. Through carefully planned strategies, data-driven campaigns, polished content creation, and targeted audience engagement, REBEL has successfully positioned Yolo County as a must-visit location for farm-to-table dining, liquid tourism, and as a city escape.
Economic Impact of Travel to YOLO County
While raising awareness of Yolo County as a destination is a key part of marketing the Visit Yolo brand, it’s only the beginning. As both a strategic partner and service provider, REBEL develops and executes campaigns designed to drive tangible results, specifically, increased visitation and the tourism revenue that supports local businesses and enhances quality of life for residents. The following section highlights performance data that reflects the effectiveness of these efforts in bringing more travelers to Yolo County
2024 Key Findings
Total Visitors: 13M
- Day Visitors: 33%
- Overnight Visitors: 67%
Total Visitor Spending: $661M
- Lodging: $247.4M
- Retail: $230.8M
- Food & Beverage: $155.9M
Total Economic Impact: $2.1B
Findings in Visitor Spending (YoY)
- Overall visitor spend increased by $11M
- Domestic visitors’ spend increased 2%
- Day visitors’ spend increased by 7%
*METRICS COLLECTED THROUGH DATAFY
Visitation Trends in Yolo County
Under REBEL’s guidance, Visit Yolo has experienced a year-over-year increase in hotel stays from key target markets, demonstrating the effectiveness of paid campaigns in driving real visitation
Year over year, there has been a significant increase in the number of visitors staying between 3 and 6+ days, while there was a decrease in visitors staying both one and two nights.
This shows that Visit Yolo’s efforts of brand awareness have resonated with target audiences and campaigns have provided inspiration that makes Yolo County appeal as a destination worth more than a single night in the destination.
Additional Analytics
Website YoY Highlights (5/1/24 - 5/1/25 compared to 5/1/23 - 5/1/24) that can be attributed to website redesign:
- 85% increase in organic search traffic
- 32% increase in engaged sessions (meaningful interaction with the site)
Social Media YoY Highlights (2025 v. 2024):
- Audience Growth: +2.1%
- Follower Interaction:
Messages Sent: +367%
Messages Received: +75.7% - Video Views: +74.2%
Paid Campaigns
Paid advertising has been a major driver of Visit Yolo’s marketing success, and REBEL has played a key role in developing and executing effective strategies to maximize its impact. By deploying campaigns across platforms like Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Google, YouTube, and Datafy, REBEL has significantly increased brand awareness for the destination, generating millions of impressions and reaching highly targeted audiences.
Brand Awareness
Brand Awareness is the most important component of Visit Yolo’s marketing efforts. Overcoming the historical challenge of insufficient recognition of Yolo County, even within the state of California, is a necessary step in increasing annual visitation and allowing lowerpriority and event/theme-specific campaigns to achieve success
Total Spend: $25,000
High-level Analytics:
- 2.4M Impressions
- 3,682 Clicks
- 25,511 Trips
- 6,231 Room Nights
- $2.5M Estimated Economic Impact
Paid Campaigns
Farm to Table
The 2024 Farm to Table marketing campaign was designed to highlight Yolo County’s rich agricultural heritage and position it as a premier destination for culinary tourism. By showcasing the journey from local farms to restaurants and events through captivating visuals and compelling storytelling, the campaign aimed to attract food enthusiasts and potential visitors from target markets with a goal of increasing overnight stays.
Total Spend: $30,000
High-level Analytics (Datafy):
- Total Impressions: 1.35M
- Total Clicks: 2,293
- Total Trips: 26,107
- Est. Room Nights: 3,894
- Est. Economic Impact: $4.5M
High-level Analytics (Google/YouTube):
- Total Impressions: 1.66M
- Total Clicks: 37,024
- Click-through Rate (CTR): 2.23
- Cost per landing page view: $.30
High-level Analytics (Meta):
- Total Impressions: 1.6M
- Total Clicks: 10,319
- Click-through Rate (CTR): .64
- Cost per landing page view: $1.02
Paid Campaigns
Indulge in the Authentic Podcast
Visit Yolo invested in the development of a podcast series with Armchair Productions to increase awareness of the podcast and increase downloads, REBEL developed and managed social media campaigns which required the development of video trailers for each episode, social media ads, promotional printed materials, and a dedicated landing page on VisitYolo.com (including all elements from copy to design, to implementation).
SPRING 2024 META CAMPAIGN
Total Spend: $2,000
Objectives:
- Raise brand awareness
- Encourage downloads
High-level Analytics:
- 107,000 impressions
- 3,262 clicks
- 483 Total Downloads
See the Full Case Study
If you’re looking to see the complete Yolo County Case Study in detail with full analytics, please send us an email and we’ll get right back to you.
Major Accomplishments
Beyond developing and executing paid campaigns, much of REBEL’s work centers on brand development, strategic planning, and longterm positioning, which are essential elements that can’t be quantified in analytics alone. These foundational efforts are what make paid advertising more effective and impactful.
Brand Guide Development
When REBEL began working with Visit Yolo in late 2022, the county’s largest obstacle was a lack of brand awareness. This presented an opportunity for REBEL to create a comprehensive brand guide to ensure that Visit Yolo’s primary objective, increasing brand awareness, was achievable. The completion laid the groundwork needed to move forward with brand awareness efforts, paid campaigns, a website rebuild, and more — all with a cohesive look, feel, and messaging. View the Brand Guide here.
Annual Marketing Strategy
At the onset of the relationship, REBEL developed an annual marketing strategy which set forth annual goals and objectives paired with campaigns and actionable projects to lead to the achievement of those goals. This roadmap has been crucial in the development of the Visit Yolo brand, increased awareness of the brand, and consequential visitation in the destination.
Website Rebuild
The Visit Yolo website was successfully rebuilt by REBEL and relaunched on June 18, 2024, marking a major improvement in the organization’s digital presence. The updated site features cleaner, more intuitive navigation and a significantly enhanced user experience, making it easier for visitors to explore all that Yolo County has to offer. On the backend, the rebuild also simplified updates and content management, ensuring Visit Yolo staff—and any future website managers—can easily maintain.
REDESIGN LED TO (YOY - MAY 1, 2024 - MAY 1, 2025):
%
INCREASE IN ORGANIC SEARCH TRAFFIC
%
INCREASE IN ENGAGED SESSIONS
Rebel Services
As Visit Yolo’s marketing partner, REBEL Media & Marketing provides a full suite of services designed to strategically elevate Yolo County’s brand and increase visitation and overnight stays. Our expertise ensures that every campaign is goal-oriented, data-driven, visually engaging, and effectively targeted to the right audiences.
Brand Development
Developing and establishing a brand identity to be leveraged in all future creative and marketing efforts.
Strategic Planning & Campaign Development
Crafting comprehensive marketing strategies that align with Visit Yolo’s goals while ensuring consistent branding and message delivery.
Creative Design
Developing elevated, eye-catching graphics and branding materials to enhance Visit Yolo’s visual identity across all platforms and audiences.
Administrative & Marketing Support
Assisting with campaign execution, coordination, and ongoing project management to keep initiatives running smoothly both internally and with vendors/third-parties.
Social Media Management
Overseeing content creation, scheduling, engagement, and community management across Meta (Facebook & Instagram) platforms.
Website Support & Content Updates
Ensuring Visit Yolo’s website remains current, user-friendly, and optimized for both visitors and search engines.
Print/Swag
Supporting Visit Yolo’s marketing efforts, especially for in-person events through printed materials for distribution ranging from a printed “Destination Profile” to a Travel Impact Report and promotional items including tote bags, wine bottle holders, and more.
Photography & Videography
Capturing high-quality visuals that showcase Yolo County’s scenic landscapes, farm-to-table experiences, wineries, and more.
Paid Advertising & Campaign Execution
Managing and optimizing digital ad campaigns across platforms like Meta, YouTube, and Datafy to increase awareness and drive both visitation and hotel bookings.
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