Hatfield McCoy Trails Builds Their Online Community and Merchandising Revenue

Industry:  Tourism 

Description: 

An innovative tourism destination consisting of 600+ miles of trails for ATV rider enthusiasts.

Challenge: 

The Hatfield McCoy Trails Authority wanted to grow annual visitors beyond the 25,000 they experienced in 2008. They wanted to build a loyal base of online community members that generated word-of-mouth and served as advocates for HMT around the country. In addition, they wanted to grow online merchandise sales to their fan base. 

Solution: 

Mythology developed a comprehensive web marketing plan, including specific traffic source and conversion goals.

In addition to leveraging social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, Mythology built a Ning-based online community specificly for HMT riders. This highly passionate group jumped at the chance to connect with each other, build personal profiles, and help welcome new HMT riders to the fold. 

Mythology also organized HMT's first "fashion shoot" to showcase new gear featuring HMT's new logo. An annual merchandising calendar was developed to highlight new gear for specific riding seasons. 

Results: 

Over 5,000 riders joined the HMT "Trail Head" riding community, and it continues to grow. Ecommerce sales grew exponentially, and visitor permit sales continue to grow.