Frankenmuth

152,114 Page Likes on Facebook Over 3,000,000 people reached through our social media pages 18,181 Instagram followers When referencing "social," we're usually talking about socializing with friends, cocktail socials, or social networks. In 2020, however, the most common use of the word "social" was followed by "distancing." Suddenly, as schools closed and people stayed home, social media became more important than ever to stay connected. From the onset of the pandemic, Frankenmuth was ahead of the curve when it came to communicating with both our guests and members. We utilized our Facebook page heavily to relay information about changing restrictions, business closures, and event cancellations, while also offering messages of hope and optimism. We created several "feel good" videos providing a positive outlook to the time past the pandemic and were one of the first bureaus in Michigan to release a video like this. We also worked with the teams at Travel Michigan and TICOM to produce a state-wide video sharing the "Spirit of Travel" in Michigan and promoting travel locally. Partnerships like this were important during the uncertainty that 2020 brought to many destinations. To keep that momentum going, we developed a campaign called #ThroughMIWindow which brought together over 20 Michigan destinations on social media. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the month of May in celebration of National Travel and Tourism week, each destination would share a photo and caption about another destination on their page. This allowed smaller bureaus to benefit from the larger followings from the big cities and also get each destinations messaging in front of an audience they might not usually interact with. The campaign ended with a multi-winner giveaway to dozens of essential workers, from hotel vouchers to gift baskets. Overall, the campaign was very successful, garnering over 2,500 shares and 21,000 engagements. We also utilized our social media pages for fun, as always – sharing newly developed coloring pages and children's activities for those at home and virtual Frankenmuth backgrounds for the endless number of video calls those working from home had to endure. While many of our guests offered support and care during this trying time, we understandably experienced our fair share of frustrations from visitors as businesses closed, events canceled, and plans had to change – most notably was in reaction to the unfortunate cancellation of the July 3rd fireworks show, which ended up being our most viewed post to date with 247,239 people reached. It was both moving and sad to see so many people passionately sharing their stories of Frankenmuth and their desires to return once again. No one can predict the future, but what we can say with certainty is that we will continue to keep our guests informed until they can return again. Social M E D I A According to Frankenmuth Facebook Page Data, 2019-2020 9

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