Inside Our Travel Oregon Governor's Conference Session | Optimizing Your Digital Marketing: Practical Strategies for Small Teams
TL;DR: The goal isn't to do more marketing, but ultimately to do the right marketing. In our Travel Oregon Governor's Conference session, we shared how small teams can maximize impact by focusing on clear goals, strengthening their website foundation, creating helpful content, and adapting to the growing role of AI in search. Less chasing trends. More focusing on what moves the needle.
If you've ever looked at your marketing to-do list and thought, "There's no way we're getting through all of this”, you're not alone.
That was one of the biggest themes of our team’s session at the 2026 Travel Oregon Governor's Conference, where our team had the opportunity to speak with tourism professionals, destination organizations, and small marketing teams from across Oregon about how to maximize impact without burning out.
The conference, hosted by Travel Oregon, brings together tourism leaders from around the state to share ideas, resources, and strategies that help strengthen Oregon's visitor economy and communities. Travel Oregon plays a significant role in supporting the state's tourism industry through destination development, research, grants, and statewide marketing initiatives.
Our session was "Optimizing Your Digital Marketing: Practical Marketing Strategies for Small Teams”, and while we covered a lot, the core takeaway was simple:
The goal isn't to do more marketing. The goal is to do the right marketing.
The Home Renovation Lesson
One of our favorite moments from the presentation came from a story our Founder & CEO, Anna Madill, shared about renovating her home.
Like many marketing teams, they started with a long wish list. They could have tackled everything at once. New floors. New layout. New finishes. The whole house.
Instead, they focused on the area that would create the biggest impact for their family: the kitchen. That idea set the foundation for the session.
Too often, marketing teams feel pressure to be everywhere, doing everything, all at once. Launching new social platforms. Chasing trends. Creating more content. Testing every shiny new tool that appears in their LinkedIn feed. But more activity doesn't automatically create more results.
Sometimes the smartest move is identifying the one or two areas that will move the needle the most and investing your limited time and resources there.
Where Small Teams Lose Energy
During the presentation, we talked about some of the most common places we see organizations unintentionally drain their resources:
Chasing trends
Constantly starting new platforms
Ignoring website clarity
Creating content without a distribution plan
Overposting on social media
The challenge isn't a lack of effort, but most small teams are already working incredibly hard and wearing multiple hats. The challenge is prioritization.
Before adding another marketing initiative, we encouraged attendees to reflect on a few simple questions:
Does this support our primary goal?
Do we realistically have time to maintain it?
Will it provide value long-term?
Is it something we actually control?
If the answer isn't "yes" to most of those questions, it may not deserve a spot at the top of your list.
Start With the Goal, Not the Channel
One of the biggest mindset shifts we discussed was moving away from questions like: "What social platforms should we be on?" Or "What marketing channel should we invest in next?"
Instead, start by asking:
What are we trying to achieve?
What actions move our organization forward?
What does success look like?
This may seem like a small change, but it completely reframes how you prioritize your marketing efforts. When your goals are clear, your marketing decisions become much easier.
Your Website Is Still Your Most Important Marketing Asset
Your website is one of the few digital assets you actually own and control. While algorithms change constantly, your website remains your digital home base.
For tourism organizations, destination marketing organizations, and purpose-driven brands, a strong website should quickly answer four questions:
What do you offer?
Can visitors immediately understand the experience, destination, or organization?
Who is it for?
Can they quickly determine whether it's relevant to them?
What can they explore?
Is key information easy to find?
What should they do next?
Are there clear calls-to-action that guide the next step?
Before investing heavily in amplification, make sure your foundation is solid.
Because no amount of marketing can consistently overcome a confusing website.
SEO Has Changed. Again.
One of the most talked-about portions of our session centered on AI and search.
Our message was straightforward: Google is no longer just ranking pages, but AI is increasingly summarizing them.
Travelers are still searching. They're still researching. They're still planning trips online. What's changing is how information is being surfaced.
AI-powered search experiences are pulling answers directly from website content. That means organizations need to think beyond traditional rankings and focus on creating content that is:
Clear
Structured
Helpful
Easy to understand
In other words, many of the same best practices that create a better experience for humans also help AI understand your content.
A Few Quick SEO Wins
We also shared several practical recommendations that organizations could implement immediately to improve their SEO and AI visibility.
Add FAQ Sections
First, think about the questions visitors ask before planning a trip, attending an event, or exploring a destination.
Then answer those questions directly on your website.
Even adding 3-5 FAQs to important pages can improve clarity for users while also helping search engines and AI systems better understand your content.
Use Question-Based Headings
Instead of generic section titles, structure content around real questions people are searching for.
For example: "What are the best things to do in Bend?" or "When is the best time to visit the Oregon Coast?"
Question-based headings help align your content with actual search behavior while making pages easier to navigate.
The Big Takeaway
If there was one message we hoped attendees left with, it was this:
You don’t need to do everything.
You don’t need to be on every platform.
You don’t need to chase every trend.
The organizations that consistently win are often the ones that focus on the fundamentals, build a strong foundation, and stay relentlessly focused on what matters most.
Thanks to Travel Oregon for including us to be part of this year's conference, and to everyone who attended, shared ideas, and participated in the conversation. We left inspired by the incredible work happening across Oregon's tourism industry and are excited about what’s ahead.
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