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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOLD - VLMDAC November Meeting PresentationVLMDAC BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 17, 2022 Agenda I. MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT II. APPROVALS •VLMDAC October 20 Minute Approval •Action Requested of Council III. INFORMATION & DISCUSSION UPDATES •Board Orientation & Training, Matt Mire, Town of Vail •Year to Date Recap & Learnings, All Partners •CRM and Analytics Update BAAG •Travel Classics Recap Kristin Yantis, MYPR •2023 Loyalty Program/Bucket List, BAAG, Cactus •Video Film Episodes, Steep •Town of Vail Updates, Mia Vlaar & Jeremy Gross, Town of Vail •Other Business •Appendix MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT VLMDAC NEW BOARD TRAINING Town of Vail –Colorado Home Rule •Colorado cities and towns operate under provisions of Colorado state statutes unless voters adopt a municipal charter to become a “Home Rule” city or town. •Town of Vail’s charter was adopted on September 12, 1972 and most recently updated on November 6, 2012. The Role of Boards and Commissions •Town Council appoints members and service is at the direction of the council. •Boards, commissions and citizen committees provide governing body with a great deal of assistance by recommending public policy and transforming policy decisions into action. •Boards and commissions can be identified as an advisory body or decision-making body. •Serving on a board means serving in a new role –You are not serving as a resident or individual •You are part of a group in action not an individual acting on your own behalf; please “stay in the group lane” HI patty! The Role of VLMDAC Board Member •The Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council is appointed by the VLMD (Vail town council). •You serve in an advisory role to the VLMD; you are not the VLMD member •VLMDAC makes recommendations about marketing policy, programming and funding to VLMD. •No ex parte communication; remain fair in decision making and do not be lobbied or swayed by special interest groups/individuals including paid vendors. Conversations with paid vendors regarding VLMD should be conducted together with town staff member Meetings & Quorum •Quorum –A quorum is a majority of all the members of the body and it is a number that, if present, is sufficient to transact most governmental business. –The only action that may be taken by a board or commission in the absence of a quorum is a motion to adjourn. –VLMDAC quorum: 5 board members •Voting –Unless specific legal provisions require a super majority, a simple majority is all that is needed to pass a motion. Motions in a nutshell •The Basic Motion –The basic motion is the one that puts forward a decision for consideration. A basic motion might be: “I move that we create a five -member committee to plan our annual fundraiser”. •The motion to amend –If a member wants to change a basic motion under discussion he or she would move to amend it. A motion to amend might be: “I move that we amend the motion to have a 10-member subcommittee”. •The substitute motion –If a member wants to completely do away with the basic motion under discussion and put a new motion before the governing body, that member would “move a substitute motions”. A substitute motion might be: “ I move a substitute motion that we cancel the annual fundraiser this year”. Colorado Open Meeting Law – Sunshine Law •The open meetings law declares that whenever three or more members (or a quorum of the members if fewer than three) of the local public body get together and public business is discussed or formal action may be taken, the gathering is a meeting and must be posted and open to the public. 2022 YEAR TO DATE RECAP & LEARNINGS SPRING CAMPAIGN Paid Media Results (4/1-5/31) Though the VLMD media budget decreased YOY, impacting Spring media impressions, we still saw total clicks increase and cost-per-click decrease YOY. These improvements were driven by a 248% increase in Paid Social spend (+$26K) which was primarily applied to the Destination market, and a more efficient Paid Search setup, which saw a 72% decrease in Cost-Per-Click after removing competitive lodging terms. Net Digital Spend Impressions Clicks Cost-Per-Click $156K 9.4M 114K $1.37 -10% YOY -21% YOY 71% YOY -47% YOY Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega @GoAnnieWhere -Macro •No. of Followers -137K •No. of Posts -33 •Engagements -3.7K •Engagement Rate -2.7% •Page Views -922 •Exit Rate -82.76% •Completed Forms -390 (.28%) •New Database Entries -379 (.28%) •Cost -$3,000 plus travel @Jess.Wandering -Mega •No. of Followers -916K •No. of Posts -9 •Engagements -15.3K •Engagement Rate -1.6% •Page Views -1,325 •Exit Rate -79.67% •Completed Forms -819 (.09%) •New Database Entries -799 (.09%) •Cost -$10,000 plus travel Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega Dream Trip Influencer Test -Macro vs. Mega Giveaway Campaign Observations •Overall, bounce rate was lower for this campaign vs. previous giveaways. •Exit rate was higher. Aligns with the journey since people were coming to DiscoverVail.com to solely enter the trip giveaway. •Average time on page was longer over 1 minute for influencers. •Form completions were nearly double for influencers vs. general giveaways. Mega vs. Macro Observations •Macro influencer had higher engagement rate and more percentage of followers completed entry forms. •Macro influencer posted 3.6 times more than mega (33 vs. 9) -both contracted to post 5 times. •Mega influencer cost 3x more than macro. •Macro exit rate higher. Dream Trip Media Coverage •394 placements •195M audience reach •Outlets –Peak Magazine –HotelInteractive.com –Luxury Travel Magazine –AP –Fox 31 Denver Dream Email Content and Results •Dream Trip and LIBAD campaign promoted within 7 emails in April & May •Drove a total of 1,198 clicks to the Dream Trip page •We received 337 entries from existing contacts •226 of existing entries provided new customer data Website Results -DT General Page Objective: Embrace the ‘Life is But a Dream’ campaign via curated, experiential trip offers and an opportunity to win one of 3 trips (Golf, 10th Mountain, or Photography). Deliverables: (1) General ‘Dream Trips’ landing page for content consumption and (1) giveaway page for entries Time on site 1 minute, 11 seconds Bounce Rate 79.93% Unique Page Views 1,879 Website Results -DT Giveaway Time on site 1 minute, 4 seconds Bounce Rate 90.70% Unique Page Views 5,434 SUMMER CAMPAIGN Paid Media Results (6/1-8/14) The Summer campaign represented 56% of the VLMD media spend, which resulted in a large YOY increase in both impressions and clicks. Net new tactics launching throughout the Summer aided this large increase in performance. These new tactics included Digital OOH, YouTube, and digital tests with Adara, Epsilon & Trip Advisor. Net Digital Spend Impressions Clicks Cost-Per-Click $453K 37.7M 290K $1.56 +149% YOY +168% YOY 225% YOY -23% YOY Mid Week Email Content •Mid Week in Vail promoted within both June and July Newsletters •Newsletters sent to ~120k •Drove a total of 507 clicks to the mid week in vail landing page Website Results -Midweek Objective: Promote traveling to Vail during Midweek by explaining the benefits of visiting at this time of year. Deliverables: Updated homepage component, promotion of a blog post, and inclusion of Midweek as a ‘related story’ on our LIBAD-specific blog post. Time on site 37 seconds Bounce Rate 75.58% Unique Page Views 32,074 FALL CAMPAIGN Paid Media Results (8/15-10/30) The decrease in total media budget YOY primarily impacted the late season time frame, where spend was down 45%. Throughout the Fall, Paid Search remained the top traffic driver, representing over 60% of clicks. Spend shifted to focus on the Front Range, which accounted for 40% of Fall media spend. Net Digital Spend Impressions Clicks Cost-Per-Click $193K 13.5M 94K $2.07 -45% YOY -31% YOY -15% YOY -35% YOY Adara Results (4/1-10/31) For the 2022 season, Cactus aimed to increase trip consideration, average daily rate,, and length of stay by focusing on HNW individuals in affluent Destination markets. As a result, we saw increases in all key Adara Impact metrics YOY. Hotel Revenue Hotel Searches Hotel Bookings $14M 646K 12.6K ADR LOS Total Media ROI $414 5.0 $14 Up from $8.5M Up from 295K Up from 5.5K Up from $7.55Up from 4.4Up from $411 Fall Email Content •Targeted content sent within 16 versions of Newsletter and 1 off emails in August and September •A total of 282,513 sends •4,668 total clicks on fall specific content •Top 3 clicked links: 1.Fall Itinerary 1,698 clicks 2.Fall Events (ft. Oktoberfest) 1,460 clicks 3.Fall Lodging Specials 651 clicks Website Results -Fall Fall 2022 Homepage Metrics Time on site 1 minute, 25 seconds Bounce Rate 72.75% Unique Page Views 22,353 RESULTS & IMPLICATIONS Website Average Session Duration ●Increasing session duration (time spent on site) over time ●Pushing closer to benchmark goal of 1:30. Website Sessions & Page Views ●Not surprising we drive more page views and sessions during the summer months. Website Average Pages per Session ●Over the course of the summer number of pages visited has increased. ●Just shy of our 2.0 pages goal Book Direct Clicks ●Total Book Direct clicks from the website to the Book Direct page are in line with seasonality Implications •Trip Giveaways •Giveaways conducted by influencers are a more effective tool than other promotional means. •Discontinue supporting giveaways with paid media •Influencer Program •Recommend focusing more on macro vs. mega influencers in 2023 campaign. •Website •CTAs •Limit the number of CTAs used on our articles and focus primary on the main action we want users to take. This may help increase lodging searches, and ultimately, bookings. •Provide additional CTA’s on our giveaway pages once someone has entered to encourage continued exploration on the site.Continue using the homepage to promote content as it’s more impactful than leveraging a ‘Related Article’ on other pages or posts for visibility. •Leverage clear and pointed calls to action (CTAs) to encourage additional pages per session / help visitors find what they’re looking for. Implications •Website: •Continue: •Continue using the homepage to promote content as it’s more impactful than leveraging a ‘Related Article’ on other pages or posts for visibility. •Continue using paid social as a source to drive traffic to the site for time - based travel. •Continue leaning into paid social and organic search opportunities to improve conversions and decrease overall bounce rate. •Continue leveraging display ads for more qualified and converting traffic. •Work to promote new content, events, etc. at the end of August to keep site traffic up as September begins / continues •Consider decreasing the length of forms to encourage a higher conversion rate. •Promote more heavily on the website via pop-ups, additional components or banners for added engagement. •Keep giveaway pages lean with quick access to and understanding of entry. •Influencer support increases engagement and conversions among our audience. ANALYTICS UPDATE Email Database Growth Over 700% database growth since September 2020 Email Database Growth in 2022 Consistent monthly growth this year, with database +115% YTD (+34% since January) Database Size by Source The vast majority (67%) of our contacts still come from WiFi Contact Mix by Source The mix of new contacts is still primarily driven by WiFi, followed by events and newsletters Database Growth for Newsletter & WiFi Signups Focus on Newsletter signups is driving faster growth there but Newsletter is still a small portion of total Contact Data Quality Of our 171K contacts, we are able to obtain zip and age during signup for many records. Epsilon data is able to supplement additional pieces of information: Analytics Accomplishments Standardization of monthly email metric reporting with Tableau •We have moved email metrics reports from Excel to Tableau, which allows for better quality, easier maintenance, and better visualization of the data Analytics Accomplishments Creation of contact source and demographic reporting with Tableau •As we explored the available ActiveCampaign data, we were able to start creating reports that showed demographics and insights regarding our contacts, including where they are from and how they come to our database Analytics Accomplishments Ownership of VLMD Dashboard (Destimetrics, paid media, ADARA, lodging, etc.) •The thorough VLMD Dashboard, built by Cactus, is now owned by Brown Analytics and will be posted to the new VLMD Tableau Online in Q4 Analytics Accomplishments Introduction of hypothesis process for Brown Analytics and Cactus marketing campaigns •We have introduced a process for developing hypotheses for each campaign, and measuring results to benchmark against those expectations Analytics Q4 Focus •Assist CRM efforts analytically with expanding segmentation options, including: –Engagement –Lifecycle engagement scoring –Epsilon demographic and interest data •Roll out hypothesis process to all marketing partners •Evolve analytics to understand email activity by contact demographics and engagement •Roll out Tableau reports broadly using Tableau Online CRM UPDATE Email Metrics Overall Email Performance •Increase in # of campaigns sent -> increased segmenting, targeting, testing and frequency (also enabled by increased efficiency) •Maintained increases in engagement rates (clicks) while increasing # of sends significantly •Improved unsubscribe rate shows strength in emails while still capturing leads from varying lead sources Engagement Trend by Email Type •Increased click rates for Marketing Emails during months of increased segmenting (May, July, August) •Lower click rates in September due to testing of sending to unengaged contacts •Overall click rates trending upward for Marketing emails •Transactional emails see a spike when a contest winner announcement email is sent (January) or an in person event takes place (March and June) •3% dip in click rate for Lifecycle emails in Oct due to re- engagement campaign Email Performance by Source •Engagement rates are highest with Newsletter subscribers whose primary intention is to receive and read our emails •Other sources are a mix of event lists with "hidden opt in", contests, and quizzes -Some are very engaged bc they are in Vail or taking part in online contests or quizzes, but many unsubscribe because they don't actually want to continue hearing from us Welcome Email Performance •Expanded personalization and streamlined current welcome emails to a cohesive series •Doubled total clicks and click to open rate with more emails and opportunities to engage with our content •Created automation and documented a flow chart for efficient addition of new lead sources in the future •Click Rate has dropped slightly, but gross clicks are almost doubled and this # will come back up as we continue to optimize CRM Accomplishments •Full ActiveCampaign implementation and migration for email sending and reporting •Increased engagement segmenting leveraging ActiveCampaign automations •New Email Templates -> ~250% increase in engagement rates •Streamlined Welcome Series for all lead capture journeys -> 272% increase in # of emails sent allows more targeted emails while maintaining engagement rates •Increased split testing ->18 split tests ran YTD driving continuous optimization •Enhanced reporting, data access and analysis with data analyst collaboration •Increased data available with Epsilon data append -> enhancing segmentation strategy with early tests showing improved engagement rates! •Initial re-engagement campaign to 41k disengaged contacts -> improved list hygiene will lead to better engagement rates CRM Q4 Focus Ongoing •2-3 Newsletter emails per month with segmentation and split tests ~8 emails to be created and sent in remainder of 2022 •Update of 11 lifecycle emails for winter and holidays •Database optimization to support growth in depth and breadth of contacts New •Increased engagement segmentation: more targeted content to most engaged subscribers •Increased demographic segmentation: utilization of epsilon data to improve content personalization by demographic segment (family composition, location, etc.) •Increase frequency and tracking of tests and results •Improve CRM campaign and contact reports •Addition of lifecycle emails: re-engagement, survey reminder •Initial and ongoing database hygiene to nurture and then segment out disengaged contacts SEO/CONTENT UPDATE SEO/Content Accomplishments •In June-October, we made numerous technical fixes to the website. As a result of these fixes, the addition of a new keyword-rich site structure, better optimization of existing content and new, unique keyword-rich content, Discovervail.com is ranking higher in search results and enjoying more organic traffic. Changes that were made to the website: –Implemented new URL structure to fix meta title and meta descriptions. –Added alt tags to images that were missing them. –Corrected H1 headings issues. –Disavowed toxic backlinks. –Improved site speed. –Fixed strange video links. –Regularly optimized key existing content pages. –Worked on solution with Cactus for duplicate content. •Created 4 blog posts a month based on search terms that are driving organic traffic and new users to the website. •Recommended and created additional content for the website, including on the Homepage and Villages pages. •Developed content for three newsletters a month. SEO Year-Over-Year Results June-October 2022 vs. June- October 2021 SEO results: •Organic website traffic: 151k vs. 28k •New users: 126k vs. 25k •Sessions: 189k vs. 34k •Pageviews: 415k vs. 69k •Avg. Time on Site: 2:01 vs. 1:54 •Bounce rate increased slightly due to increase in traffic, but is well within Google’s acceptable rate. Clicks & Impressions In June-October, there were nearly 98k clicks on the website and 2.85 million impressions. Goal Completions In June-October 2022, more than 92k goals were completed including: •6,685 Book Direct clicks •83,119 clicks to Partner Sites •1,173 Sustainability Quiz completions •1,717 Email Newsletter submissions Organic Traffic by State In June-October 2022, organic website traffic came from the following states: Keyword Performance October 2022 keyword movement and ranking: •These keywords represent the associated website content that is ranking on page 1 of Google search results for that specific search term. •Keyword rankings change from month to month; winter-related keywords have been added to tracking. Blog Performance •In October, the blog page was the second most viewed section on the website with nearly 27k pageviews and an average duration of 2:09. Blog Performance •5 blog posts are ranking on page 1 of Google search results. •6 blog posts are ranking on page 2. •“How to Get in Shape for Skiing” blog post is #1 and the featured snippet. TRAVEL CLASSICS UPDATE Travel Classics West Editors •National Geographic Travel •Conde Nast Traveler •AFAR •Westways (AAA) •Hemispheres •Virtuoso, The Magazine •Marriott Bonvoy Traveler (2) •Bon Appetit •Wine Enthusiast •Shondaland •AARP Media •Fodor’s Travel •Saturday Evening Post •TripSavvy Local Partners •Grand Hyatt Vail •Four Seasons Vail •The Antlers Vail •Manor Vail •Austria Haus •Arrabelle at Vail Square •The Sebastian Vail •Sonnenalp •The Hythe •Sweet Basil •Flame •Matsuhisa •La Tour •El Segundo •La Nonna •Montauk •Swiss Chalet •Alpenrose •Slope Room •Tavern on the Square •ACCESS DMC •Colorado Snowsports Museum •Nova Guides •Paragon Guides •Dryland Fitness & Spa •Spa at Sonnenalp •Rock Resorts Spa at Arrabelle •Vail Valley Foundation •Art in Public Places •Betty Ford Alpine Gardens •Vail Stables •Vail Mountain •Vail Brewing Co. •10th Mountain Whiskey & SpiritsGore Creek Fly Fisherman •SPRI •Knapp Ranch •Todd Winslow Pierce •Venture Sports •Grazing Fox •Peak 1 Express •TOV Transportation Dept. Colorado Media Marketplace Vail Village History Tour & Taste of Vail Dinner Vail Village History Tour & Taste of Vail Dinner Pre + Post Media Visits •Theme Trips & Individual –Llama Backcountry Hut Trip –Wellness –Photography Dream Trip •More than two dozen journalists –Travel Editor, Saturday Evening Post –Destinations Editor, AFAR –Senior Editor, Virtuoso Life –Freelance writers from Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, AARP, Fodors, Time, AAA,, New York Times and others •Budget –Historic -$1,000 per day = $50+K –Approx. $30K –No travel expenses Pre + Post Media Visits Attendee Feedback -Ryan Krogh, freelance writer for GQ, The Guardian, Outside, Men’s Journal and more -Rachel Chang, freelance writer for Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more Discover Vail -TCW Newsletter Initial Results + Opportunities Follow Up •Distributed Camp Hale -Continental Divide announcement/pitch •Pitching “Where to Travel in 2023” Potential Opportunities •New York Times 36-Hours •Virtuoso, The Magazine •National Geographic Initial Coverage •USA Today 10Best.com •MSN.com •HotelScoop.com •KRON4 (Bay Area) Lessons Learned -Media Trends •First person trends inform media coverage. •Coverage is becoming hyper-localized. •They’re looking for new ways to look at old things: up and coming neighborhoods, new sports, classes etc. •For digital coverage = new and interesting. •Sustainability doesn’t get clicks. •Luxury travel audience has grown; spending more. •Supporting and recognizing underrepresenting communities. •LGBTQ travel is important to media outlets but underrepresented. •Seeking resources who are subject matter experts. 2023 LOYALTY PROGRAM & BUCKET LIST Personalized Bucket List Campaign Goal: To create a campaign that provides engaging and unique personalized content to potential Vail visitors in exchange for in-depth customer data that can be used for future targeted marketing Campaign Approach -Delivery Campaign Approach -Enablement Campaign Approach -Measurement Schedule VIDEO / FILMS Thank you! Upcoming Meetings: VLMDAC Monthly Meeting, December 15, 2022; Grand View Room APPENDIX Website (Spring) Objective: embrace the ‘Life is But a Dream’ campaign via curated, experiential trip offers and an opportunity to win one of 3 trips (Golf, 10th Mountain, or Photography). Deliverables: (1) general ‘Dream Trips’ landing page for content consumption and (1) giveaway page for entries General ‘Dream Trips’ Analytics: •Page Visits: 2,446 visitors and 1,879 unique page views –Component on homepage accounted for 167 visits •Time on Page: 1 minute, 11 seconds •Bounce / Exit rate: 79.93% and 70.97%, respectively –Exit pages included this page, the homepage, Dream Trips Giveaway, Lodging, Thing to Do and Events •Primary Sources / Mediums: Direct, CPC and Organic search Website (Spring) Dream Trips Giveaway Analytics: •Page Visits: 6,605 visitors and 5,434 unique page views –Of these visitors, 56 came from the homepage –Most arrived directly to this page with no prior page path •Time on Page: 1 minute and 4 seconds •Bounce / Exit rate: 90.70% and 78.02%, respectively –Display had the lowest bounce rate of any medium •Primary Sources / Mediums: Direct, CPC and Organic search •Heaviest Traffic Days: –Thursday, April 7th (600 views) –Monday, May 23rd (907 views) •Form views: 4,520 –Form entries: 447 (9.9% conversion rate) Website (Summer) Dream Trips Giveaway -Influencer (Jess) Analytics: •Bounce Rate: 76.74% (page duration of 0 seconds, no interactions occurred) •Exit Rate:79.69% (how often the user exited the VLMD site from this page) •Page Views: 1,482 (total number of times the page was visited; repeats counted) –August 5th through August 9th had the largest spike in traffic and accounted for the majority of page views we captured •Unique Page Views: 1,325 •Average Time on Page: 2 minutes, 20 seconds •# of Form Completions: 819 –Most popular trip selection: Vail's 10th Mountain (441), Photography Excursion (331), Golf (48) Website (Summer) Dream Trips Giveaway -Influencer (Annie) Analytics: •Bounce Rate:79.98% (page duration of 0 seconds, no interactions occurred; ~3% higher than Jess's page) •Exit Rate: 82.76% (how often the user exited the VLMD site from this page; ~3% higher than Jess's page) •Page Views: 992 (total number of times the page was visited; repeats counted; 490 less than Jess's page) –July 11th through July 16th had the largest spike in traffic and accounted for the 40% of page views we captured •Unique Page Views: 906 •Average Time on Page: 2 minutes, 6 seconds (14 seconds less than Jess's page) •# of Form Completions:390 –Most popular trip selection: Vail's 10th Mountain (209), Photography Excursion (161), Golf (20) Website (Summer) Objective:Promote traveling to Vail during Midweek by explaining the benefits of visiting at this time of year. Deliverables:Updated homepage component, promotion of a blog post, and inclusion of Midweek as a ‘related story’ on our LIBAD-specific blog post. Midweek Article Analytics: •Page Visits: 41,428 visitors and 32,074 unique page views –Of these visitors, 652 came from the homepage –Most arrived directly to this page with no prior page path •Time on Page: 37 seconds •Bounce / Exit rate: 75.58% and 74.52%, respectively –Popular exit pages included this page, the homepage, and lodgings page •Primary Sources / Mediums: Facebook / paid social, display, YouTube •Heaviest Traffic Days: –Thursday, July 7th (1,856 views) –Monday, July 25th (1,257 views) Website (Fall) Fall 2022 Homepage Metrics •Page Visits: 26,205 visitors and 22,353 unique page views •Time on Page:1 minute and 25 seconds •Pages per session:1.75 •Bounce Rate:72.75% –Paid social had the lowest bounce rate of any medium •Primary Sources / Mediums: Organic, Direct, Facebook / Paid Social –Referral, CPC and video as secondary •Traffic: began to steadily decline from 8/30 onward Takeaways (2021 vs. 2022) •Sessions increased by 67.97% •Bounce rate went up by 17% •Pages per session went down by 21.59% •Goal completions / conversions went up by 54% Website (Fall_ Fall 2022 Additional Metrics •Popular pages: Events, Things to Do (+summer-specific sort), Welcome, Top Fall Activities, The Villages, Gondola Rides post •Time on Page:1 minute and 31 seconds •Bounce Rate:63.49% –Organic traffic to the ‘Summer’ Things to Do filtered page had the lowest bounce rate of all pages (15.77%) •Primary Sources / Mediums: CPC, Direct, Organic –Paid social and video as secondary •Traffic: declined after 8/30 Takeaways for Additional Pages (2021 vs. 2022) •Total page views increased by 31.61% •Bounce rate went down by 1.31% •Average time on page went up by 0.22%