Feel Slovenia social media reaches significant milestones

Also in 2019, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) actively, innovatively and successfully presented Slovenia as a sustainable tourist destination for five-star experiences on social media and the main tourism portal slovenia.info.

Facebook Feel Slovenia reached more than 557,000 followers, Instagram Feel Slovenia 192,000 and Twitter Feel Slovenia 45,000 followers. Social media channels like LinkedIn and Twitter for Business grew by over 30 % and the website slovenia.info reached 2.6 million users. The STB achieved such excellent results also with a help of athletes, celebrities, influencers, reputable media and global brands in tourism.

Social media play an increasing role in promoting Slovenian tourism and encouraging users to visit Slovenia. When re-established as an independent organisation five years ago, the STB outlined a number of ambitious projects and adopted a key decision to take a strategic direction towards digital content marketing.

The STB performs its communications activities for digital content marketing systematically, in line with the latest trends and in cooperation with the Slovenian tourism industry. The results of a coordinated and upgraded approach to social media management, also supported by digital advertising, are excellent and reflected in the constant growth in the number of followers and user interactions across all Feel Slovenia social channels, and in multiple awards and recognitions the STB received for its effective communication.

Maja Pak, the Director of the STB stated: "In recent years, the Slovenian Tourist Board has made huge steps towards digital communications, which in addition to numerous awards, is reflected in the increasing number of followers and their interactions. Our upgraded and intensified cooperation with top Slovenian athletes and other distinguished and renowned figures who are excellent ambassadors of our country contributes significantly to our success. The posts about Slovenia on Luka Dončić's social media, recording as many as 5.3 million followers on social networks, are invaluable in raising the visibility of our country. The presentations of Slovenia are made in cooperation with journalists, influencers, renowned photographers and media giants, such as National Geographic, the BBC, the acclaimed Michelin restaurant guide and many others, which, due to their wide reach and appropriate messages, are doing an excellent job of presenting Slovenia as a destination committed to sustainability on a number of social media outlets. We have a strong story of green Slovenia, which supports the I feel Slovenia brand and which we, in cooperation with the Slovenian tourism industry and other key partners, consistently and intensively communicate and convey through social media in an efficient and innovative way."

The number of followers has increased by 15% compared to last year

In terms of digital content marketing, the STB manages and edits eleven Feel Slovenia profiles on social media, namely Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, TripAdvisor, YouTube, Vkontakte, WeChat, Weibo, LinkedIn and Twitter for Business.

Most channels are intended for communication with the general public, while the latter is suited for business communication. In 2019, an increase in the number of followers was recorded on all channels compared to the previous year.

Facebook leads with the number of followers amounting to 557,000, which is almost 2 % more than in the previous year. The most successful non-sponsored posts of the last year on this platform presented the Treetop Walk (5,021 interactions), a livestream from Lake Bohinj (4,974 interactions), 10 picturesque Slovenian lakes (4,800 interactions), a livestream from the Kurentovanje in Ptuj (4,100 interactions) and European Destination of Excellence in Slovenia (3,750 interactions).

Foto: Top posts on Facebook in 2019

Last year, our Instagram page reached 192,000 followers, which is an increase of 29 % compared to year before. The top five posts include the images of Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Bohinj and the Soča River, which received over 59,100 likes in total. Our Twitter account recorded an almost 4 % increase in the number of followers, reaching 45,000 users. The most successful posts of the last year were video content about Slovenia as a destination for active, urban and wellness experiences (738 interactions), 10 fascinating Slovenian castles (434 interactions) and the post made by National Geographic (405 interactions).

In 2019, the STB intensified its activities on Pinterest, which resulted in a 47 % increase in the number of subscribers to our posts. An even greater increase in the number of followers (almost 55 %) was recorded on the Russian social network Vkontakte. The Chinese market has also shown a keen interest in Slovenia with as many as 830,000 followers on its most popular media WeChat and Weibo.

Foto: Posts on Pinterest

Business communication through social media

The STB pays particular attention to communication with the business sector, namely in the area of B2B. The STB has created a profile on LinkedIn and a business profile on Twitter to keep the public up-to-date with news and information about Slovenian tourism, attractive announcements, tenders, awards and activities. Last year, our LinkedIn account reached more than 9,000 followers, while our Twitter For Business recorded a 34 % organic increase in the number of followers. The top posts on business networks include those that are related to our athletes, for example, Primož Roglič, the volleyball team and Slovenia as the host of sports competitions, such as the Tour of Slovenia road cycling race. The announcements about recognitions and awards received by the STB and the ambassadors of Slovenian tourism as well as the high-profile publications in prestigious media also attracted remarkable interest. 

Foto: Top posts on Twitter For Business in 2019 

Key trends and practices followed by the STB in creating successful social media posts:

1. The use and design of high-end visuals

The STB pays close attention to the choice of visuals included in its posts. In the flood of numerous impulses and information that the user is exposed to in the fast pace of everyday life, the STB seeks to attract attention with amazing images of Slovenia. Collaborations with renowned local and foreign photographers, video creators and world-famous Instagram influencers are of particular importance. With their help, the STB creates quality content shared by the STB's Media Library, in line with current trends and practices in communication on social networks in Slovenia and around the world. In 2019, the STB added 1,800 new photos and 113 new promotional videos and their shortened versions to the Media Library.

The STB creates posts through cutting edge visuals that encourage users to visit Slovenia; it uses a creative and analytical approach when communicating on social networks. Special attention is paid to storytelling, especially on Instagram Stories. Attractive video footage of famous, as well as less-known, but nevertheless attractive corners of Slovenia are posted on Instagram and Facebook. 

2. Slovenia's commitment to sustainability at the core of communication

Through its rich video and photographic content on social media, the STB presents the story of Slovenia as a land of unique natural wealth, with a central commitment to sustainability in its preservation. By using this approach to communication on social media, the STB also targets more discerning guests seeking unique experiences.

One of the main promotional videos on social media, which tell the story of a country committed to sustainability, is the promotional video "Slovenia Green: The story of green Slovenia". This video made it to the final in a notable international competition held in Madrid within the framework of FITUR, one of the world's leading tourism trade fairs. The commitment of Slovenian tourism to sustainability is also shown throughout the prominent STB digital campaigns and in particular through cooperation with media giants that put sustainability at the core of their brand and communication. For example, in two campaigns run in collaboration with the media giant National Geographic, whose content is oriented towards nature and adventure, the STB sought to raise awareness of Slovenia as a green, sustainable destination where visitors can experience extraordinary natural beauty.

3. Co-creating content with followers

The STB involves its followers on the Feel Slovenia social media accounts as much as possible, encouraging them to use the #ifeelsLOVEnia hashtag. It also publishes the best photographs of their followers, as these often inspire viewers the most with their first-person experience, exceptional views and unique adventures that follow the communication platform of I feel Slovenia. My way. The year-and-a-half long national campaign Make new memories in Slovenia and share them with us, which ended at the close of 2019 upon reaching its goal of two-million social media posts with the #ifeelsLOVEnia hashtag, also achieved excellent results on social media. The campaign highlighted known and especially less-known Slovenian tourist destinations.

4. Our way of storytelling

In its communication on social media, the STB tells the story of Slovenian tourism in its own way, with the aim of encouraging as much user interaction as possible. As a land of unique adventures, Slovenia is presented through numerous visual elements: photographs, videos, and special records – travelogues that guide the readers to a destination or experience. These storytelling posts provide unique stories about places, events, culture and cuisine of our country. 

Special attention is given to Instagram Stories on Instagram. It is an innovative approach, which was awarded The Golden City Gate Gold Award at the ITB Berlin 2019 for excellence in the use of promotional and communication tools in tourism.

5. Revealing hidden corners

By highlighting not only well-known tourist destinations (i.e. tourist icons of our country) but also less known, yet still attractive destinations (i.e. hidden corners), the STB pursues, also in its digital communication, one of the key goals of Slovenian tourism: the dispersal of tourism flows.

Although better-known destinations, such as Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, Ljubljana and the Soča Valley, appear more often among the most liked posts of the past year, the STB is responsible for the presentation of all tourist destinations and products. The most successful Facebook post about less-known "hidden corners" was a view of the forests of Rogla Mountain in the Pohorje Hills that visitors can discover by taking the Treetop Walk; the post received more than 5,021 interactions.

Foto: Top post on Facebook in 2019: The Treetop Walk, Rogla  

6. Collaborating with influencers

Collaborations with digital influencers increase the visibility of the destination and attract new followers to their social media, which is why the STB collaborates with numerous influencers on social media posts, especially those who, in addition to an extremely large number of followers, bring authenticity and a genuine enthusiasm for discovering Slovenia. In 2019, the collaboration with Alex Strohl and Jacob Riglin drew considerable attention with their social media posts resulting in the growing number of Feel Slovenia channel followers. Influencers are also an important part of the STB's digital campaigns. For example, Slovenian Olympic medal winner Sara Isaković, in collaboration with the media giant National Geographic, promoted Slovenia as a land of healthy waters.

This year, the STB has also established a collaboration with Luka Dončić, with the announcement alone reaching a record number of more than 1,900 Twitter interactions.

Foto: Digital influencers' posts on Instagram

What are visitors of the Slovenia.info website most interested in?

The year 2019 was a success also for the official Slovenian tourism portal www.slovenia.info. The portal recorded 2,612,000 users, which is 5.2% more than in 2018. On average, visitors spent two minutes on the website and visited two web pages. As much as 50 % of visitors found the portal by using search engines (i.e. organic traffic).  In terms of visitors’ location, the following key foreign markets were identified as dominant for Slovenian tourism: Italy, Germany and Austria, followed by the growing French, American, Swiss and Spanish markets.

Advertising campaigns have brought more than 846,000 visitors (32 % of all visitors) to the website from the majority of European countries and from the USA. The highest organic growth and interest in Slovenia was recorded in France (82 % growth), followed by Germany (6 3% growth), Austria (75 % growth) and Switzerland (65 % growth). 

 

Foto: Frontpage of slovenia.info.

Visitors were most attracted to the following topics: To Slovenia by Car, Bled, Soča Valley, Hiking, and Spas and health resorts.

In line with the global trend, more than 60 % of users have visited the central tourist portal via mobile devices, up 12 % from 2018.

 

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