Working For You
Welcome to Working For You , the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau's quarterly membership newsletter from Executive Director, John Straitiff.

So much of what PAGO does to market and promote the region to encourage overnight stays is placed outside of the local market. PAGO staff and board members are made aware of the latest marketing plans and promotions, but our members are often unaware of how PAGO is working for you. We are in the middle of the busy summer travel season and fall will soon be upon us. Here are just a few recent highlights of how the PAGO staff has been working hard to attract visitors to the region.
Website/Google AdWords
To improve the web search results for VisitPAGO.com, we have started a paid Google AdWords campaign to target popular keyword searches. The campaign is running July through December.
Summer Group TV ads Co-op Program
PAGO offered members co-op funds towards television ads that will run on online streaming services (OTT) from June through August in the Pittsburgh market. See the commercials on our YouTube channel .
Beyond Your Backyard with Erik the Travel Guy
The episode of Beyond Your Backyard called “Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors.” began running in early May on Blue Ridge PBS and will be broadcast on PBS networks in the rest of Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington D.C., and parts of Kentucky and North Carolina throughout the summer months. The program will air on PBS stations across America in September and October and is also available nationwide on PBS Passport.
  • Destination Vacation is a marketing segment on the CBS 21/CW channel in the Harrisburg area. PAGO advertised over 10 weeks from mid-June through mid-August. Some of the highlights include a three-minute PAGO video, web banner ads, along with 15-second and 30-second TV commercials.

  • John Straitiff sat in as host on a 'Friends in Wild Places' episode about drift boat fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the new Sinnemahoning water trail was filmed in June and will air during 2018-19 broadcast season nationally on AT&T Sports Network and The Pursuit Channel.

  • In July, Kaleidoscope the Series ran segments on drag racing in St. Marys, fish hatchery at Domtar in Johnsonburg, a young drummer from Punxsutawney, and elk calf tagging in Benezette. These segments can be seen on YouTube.

  • The PAGO 30-second TV commercial ran twice in game 5 of the NHL Playoffs between Pittsburgh and Washington. We have also purchased time in the upcoming Steelers pre-season games in August along with NFL and NCAA Football in September and early October including Penn State at Pitt, Penn State at Ohio State, and Steelers at Falcons.
PAGO will have a full-page ad featured in the 2019 Pennsylvania State Tourism Guide "Happy Traveler." PAGO is also offering a discounted rate toward 1/2 and 1/4 page ads to our members. Click here for more info. Deadline to participate is August 10th .

PAGO participated in the lead generator program this year. Through this program, we have received 2,400 leads requesting information in our region. We will continue to participate in the lead program in 2019 along with web display ads, custom content articles running on VisitPA.com, and stories in the state newsletter in January, May, and August.
The PA Great Outdoors facebook page has more than 33,000 followers. We encourage interaction with our followers daily by posting trivia questions, contests and giveaways, attractive photos, membership shoutouts, and more.

Free Ticket Tuesday (evolved to Treat Yourself Tuesday) is a campaign that continues to grow in popularity with our members and followers. Each Tuesday, we give away anything from event passes to overnight stays. This is a great way to raise awareness to your business and/or products. Everyone loves free stuff! One giveaway reached half a million people in two days with over 50,000 clicks! If you are interested in more information, contact Jamie Popson at Jamie@VisitPAGO.com or call
(814) 299-4013.
Web Display Ads
We are now offering the opportunity to get your business seen by hundreds of thousands of potential travelers! Now through August 22nd, we are offering a discounted introductory rate to run an ad on VisitPAGO.com that links directly to your website. Click here for more information.
Group Tours: To further our efforts to attract group tours, Beth Exley was named PAGO Group Tours Coordinator in May. In June, Beth attended the Pennsylvania Bus Association convention in Williamsburg, Virginia encouraging bus tour organizers and bus companies to include our region in their future trip options. We are starting to receive requests and very pleased with these results.
Roar on the Shore: PAGO participated as a vendor at Roar on the Shore Motorcycle Rally in Erie in July. The event attracts 150,000 motorcycle enthusiasts.
Golf Giveaway Contest
A golf campaign recently ran in Ontario, Canada and Pittsburgh via our social media outlets. Five people were randomly selected to receive 2 rounds of golf with cart and one overnight lodging accommodations. We were pleased with the results. Winners from Burlington, Ontario; Hamilton, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; Orchard Park, NY; and West Mifflin, PA. Four via facebook, one via instagram.
PAGO Big Fish Contest
The 2018 contest ran April through June, and a monthly winner received a prize pack from participating PAGO members. The grand prize winner got a half-day fully guided drift boat fly-fishing trip for two in 2019 with Keystone Predator Outfitters.
PAGO Photo Contest
The Outdoor Adventures Photo Contest will run June through August with Online voting for September 13th-19th selecting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th prize winners. The Scenic Beauty contest begins in September and runs through November. This is a great opportunity to collect pictures that we can later use in promoting our region. To date, we have collected nearly 200 pictures.
GuestQuest Traveler Vacation Guide
PAGO advertised in the summer issues in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Virginia/D.C. with display ads, an online advertorial, a lead generator program, and a PAGO landing page, ad links, social networking, and more. This program is generating about 125 requests for information per week.
VisitPA Visits PAGO
In July, Carrie Lepore, Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Office of Marketing, Tourism, and Film spent some time in the PAGO region with Michael Chapaloney, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Tourism (DCED). The team toured the Coolspring Power Museum, experienced Pennsylvania's first Virtual Reality Escape Room, witnessed the construction of the new Park Office at Cook Forest State Park, and other attractions throughout the region during their two-day visit.
Magazines
Full-page ad in June issue of State College Magazine
Half-page ad in September issue of Pittsburgh Magazine
Ad and Editorial in Fall Wine Section in AAA
Ad in September issue of Road Runner Magazine
Ad and events in Where & When Magazine

35,000 copies of PAGO's Spring/Summer GO magazine arrived in early May and were distributed by mid-July. Fall/Winter is now in design and will arrive in early September.

From everyone at Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau, we hope you have a great end of summer and a fantastic fall season! Never hesitate to contact our office to maximize your membership or visit the Membership Section of the website www.VisitPAGO.com/members