Before adopting CrowdRiff, Discover DuPage struggled to find enough high quality images that accurately portrayed their destination. Like many other destination marketing organizations (DMOs), they relied on photos supplied by their partners, which were often outdated and not truly reflective of the visitor experience. Discover DuPage had already turned to our partner, Simpleview, to redesign their website so it was a natural next step to utilize CrowdRiff to access user-generated content (UGC).
Discover DuPage’s goals were to:
- Better show what a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming destination it is
- Increase web traffic, photos, and social recognition
- Showcase more images on their website
- Create authenticity in its destination visuals
- Source photos outside of partners and staff
Discover DuPage encountered several challenges, primarily centered around its reliance on partner-sourced images via outdated listings that failed to capture the visitor’s perspective and the essence of DuPage. This resulted in stagnant content and posed difficulties in showcasing photos effectively on their existing website. The team wanted to invigorate its website and convey the destination’s authenticity. Even after a brief stint with Stackla during their transition to Simpleview, they found themselves hunting for a UGC platform that could help them take advantage of some of the exceptional destination-specific imagery shared on social media. The DMO’s challenge was twofold: to unearth diverse and credible sources of imagery to enhance their marketing strategies and to elevate audience engagement.
The introduction of CrowdRiff enriched Discover DuPage’s new website with stunning photos and showcased how diverse and welcoming the destination really is. CrowdRiff’s rights request feature provided the DMO access to visuals they could seamlessly integrate into their visitors’ guide and marketing campaigns.
“CrowdRiff allows us to have ever-changing photos on our website that we can use to tell real stories about people living in and visiting DuPage,” said Tiffany Geller, marketing manager at Discover DuPage. “In an influencer era when people are moved by social media messaging, CrowdRiff provides a way for us to have credibility.”
Thanks to Simpleview’s CrowdRiff integration, DuPage can now effortlessly showcase photos on its website through widgets and CrowdRiff Galleries, breathing life into its site and achieving improved web metrics.
Discover DuPage evolved from having no UGC to a library of 807 rights-approved images, including 155 wedding images and a substantial uptick in social media engagement through strategically introduced hashtags. Discover DuPage’s approach involved fostering relationships with professional photographers and reshaping its visitors guide to offer a fresh and authentic perspective of the destination.
