Maximise bookings throughout autumn and winter with practical tips and free marketing assets
Exciting content for Instagram and Facebook
Social media calendar for autumn and winter
Simple, creative ways to promote your business
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Drive more bookings this shoulder season
Imagery for shoulder season
Social shareables and frames
Assets for shoulder season
Inspiring visitors with video
Reach more visitors on DiscoverIreland.ie and VisitDublin.com
your event
Keep Discovering Industry Assets - Our Terms and Conditions of Use
By using our Keep Discovering suite of assets and the Discovering Begins Here logo, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions of use. You must be a tourism business to be permitted to use these assets and you must only use them in accordance with the guidelines we have outlined in this Keep Discovering Industry Toolkit. The assets may be used in print and digital marketing materials, provided they follow the guidelines outlined in this Toolkit. The assets may not be used in signage, vehicular branding or packaging or merchandising of any kind including clothing and uniforms. Fáilte Ireland (who are the owners of these assets) reserves the right to withdraw the use of the assets from any ineligible business or a business that is using the assets in an inappropriate manner.
Welcome to the Shoulder Season Toolkit
Over the summer months, Fáilte Ireland’s Keep Discovering marketing campaign has been inspiring Irish holidaymakers to discover more of what’s on their doorstep. As summer draws to a close, our campaign will continue to encourage domestic visitors to keep exploring our beautiful country and experience the joy of an autumn and winter break.
Our Shoulder Season Toolkit will give you all the resources and advice you need to leverage this campaign and attract more visitors during autumn and winter.
Leveraging a campaign like Keep Discovering means using it to maximum advantage for your business. With the help of this toolkit, you can experience the benefits of being part of a national campaign that runs across TV, radio, print, digital and social media.
To help your business get the most out of the shoulder season, we have included free marketing assets inside the toolkit. You’ll find festive frames for Halloween, Christmas and New Year, ready-to-go campaign assets to promote your region on Instagram and Facebook, and sample copy to refresh your newsletter and website for the upcoming season. You’ll also find handy tutorial videos to help you optimise your marketing and create engaging content that drives bookings.
Let’s get started!
Niall Tracey, Director of Demand Development
Ireland
How to use this guide
This is a digital toolkit. Throughout this guide where you see the download symbol, you can access assets and resources from the Marketing Toolbox Log in with your Ireland’s Content Pool credentials or register to create a new account. Turn to page 5 for more information.
Fáilte
Drive more bookings this shoulder season
Throughout the summer, our Keep Discovering marketing campaign inspired people to seek adventure and experience the joy of a home holiday, while simultaneously driving more bookings for tourism businesses across Ireland.
Although the upcoming shoulder season can traditionally be quieter, domestic visitors are still keen to explore, and we’re providing even more support to help your business secure bookings.
In this toolkit, we have assets and resources that you can use in your own marketing activities to help you attract even more visitors.
Let’s extend the visitor season and continue the success of Keep Discovering throughout autumn and winter.
GOOD TO KNOW
Our Keep Discovering marketing campaign aims to drive more domestic holidays. It encourages the people of Ireland to get out and explore what's on their doorstep. Learn more about the campaign on page 4 of our industry toolkit.
Our industry partner logo
This is our Keep Discovering industry partner logo. You can use it in your own marketing communications throughout the shoulder season. It's a great way to leverage our national Keep Discovering marketing campaign.
Imagery for the shoulder season
To help you make the most of our Keep Discovering campaign during the shoulder season, we've curated a collection of imagery you can use for free in your marketing activities.
Find lots of inspiring autumn and winter content on our Marketing Toolbox which is stocked with campaign assets to help you promote your business. Follow the steps outlined in the video below to access the platform.
Don't forget, you can also access free stock imagery on Ireland’s Content Pool. There you will find over 50,000 videos and images captured in Ireland. Click here to browse and download some fantastic imagery for your shoulder season campaigns.
GOOD TO KNOW
You can use your Ireland’s Content Pool login details to access the Marketing Toolbox for free. Click here to log in.
How to use the Marketing Toolbox
Check out this video for a step-bystep guide on how to search for and download free images, videos and more on the Marketing Toolbox. Remember, you can also check out Ireland’s Content Pool for even more images and video clips.
GOOD TO KNOW
Download our user guide for more helpful tips on how to use the Marketing Toolbox.
Social shareables and frames
Use Our Official Hashtags
#KeepDiscovering
#DiscoverIreland
#WildAtlanticWay
#LoveDublin
#IrelandsAncientEast
#IrelandsHiddenHeartlands
Tell your audience exactly why they should visit your business during the autumn and winter season with our collection of social shareables and frames that you can use on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Give people an incentive to book using the value frames or encourage holidaymakers to plan an autumn or winter adventure with inspirational posts. You’ll also find ready-to-go assets for a selection of counties. Make your own social media posts with this
As part of this toolkit, you can download lots of editable frames to use on social media. Check out this video for a step-by-step guide on how to customise these frames using your own images. GOOD TO KNOW Check out our how-to guide for helpful tips on how to find assets for your county on the Marketing Toolbox.
Value social media posts and frames
Check out the following social media posts and frames designed for autumn and winter. You can also download frames for your local regional experience brand.
Free cancellation
Book a Christmas getaway
10% off
Spooktacular deals
... and more
Download value social posts here
Download value social frames here
Inspirational posts and frames
Check out our inspirational social media posts and templates branded for the Keep Discovering campaign.
Visit us this autumn
Make more memories
Wrap up and explore
Discover your perfect winter break
Ring in the New Year
...and more
Download inspirational social frames here
Download inspirational social posts here
DON’T FORGET
Click the sticker icon on Instagram Stories and search ‘Keep Discovering’ to find GIFs for your region and bring your stories to life.
CONTENT FOR SOCIAL
Check out inspirational and value content for social media. Download content for your local regional experience brand.
Assets for shoulder season
As we move into Autumn, now is the perfect time to update your website, newsletter and social media channels with seasonal content. Entice visitors to make a booking with your business by combining exciting copy with our customisable assets designed for shoulder season.
Website and email copy
Email marketing is an effective way to inspire your subscribers to book during autumn and winter. With an eyecatching subject line and a compelling preheader—a preview of the email's content—you can create an email that subscribers want to open.
Download sample copy to use on your website
Social media calendar
Check out our sample social media calendar to help you create engaging content on your own channels.
Edit the copy to suit your business or region before you post.
Download our social media calendar
A great email will also drive more users to your website so make sure your content is up to date for autumn and winter with enticing copy and imagery. Download our sample copy below and check out our Email Marketing Guide for more practical advice on how to optimise your newsletter.
Download sample copy to use in your newsletter
TOP TIP
Check out page 10 of our Keep Discovering Toolkit to get the inside scoop on the best times to post on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Inspiring visitors with video
If a picture paints a thousand words, video decorates the entire book. We know that visitors want to hear about all the things to see and do around your business, and video is a great way to show them.
National advertising
TV: 30 sec ad for all audiences
TV: 30 sec ad for all audiences
TV: 30 sec ad for all audiences
We love when you tag us
Don’t forget to tag us when you share the videos and use #KeepDiscovering. You can click on the social account links to follow us and feel free to share and repost content from our social channels.
GOOD TO KNOW
If you are making your own videos to promote your business, there are lots of free clips from all over the country on Ireland’s Content Pool
TOP TIP: Reshare and embed the YouTube videos of our Keep Discovering regional TV ads on your own channels!
Reach more visitors on DiscoverIreland.ie and VisitDublin.com
Make sure your business is seen by the thousands of domestic holidaymakers that visit our consumer websites every month. Get listed on DiscoverIreland.ie and VisitDublin.com for the opportunity to showcase your business to new
audiences and drive more bookings for shoulder season. Set a recurring calendar notification to review and update your listing every quarter.
What you need to create a great listing
High-quality landscape images
An engaging description Contact details
Website address Google Place ID
5 tips to create the perfect listing
We’ve created a handy tutorial to show you how to enhance your business and event listings on DiscoverIreland.ie and VisitDublin.com. Watch this video for expert tips on what makes a good listing.
Promoting your event
Have you got an upcoming event that you want everyone to know about? Promoting your event on our consumer websites is a great way to build brand awareness and ensure your event receives maximum exposure. Our ‘What’s on’ pages showcase fantastic events taking place across Ireland.
Showcase your event
From theatre, music and literature to a family-friendly festival, we welcome applications for all types of events. You can submit an event happening this year or next for promotion. Just register through our online portal.
5 THINGS YOU NEED BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR EVENT
1. A good title and description to capture readers’ attention.
2. Confirmed event dates.
3. A link to the event online so users can find out more about the event e.g. a 'Book Now' page on your website.
4. An event email address.
5. A high-quality image to promote the event.
GUINNESS CORK JAZZ FESTIVAL 2021]
10 things to do right nowshoulder season action plan
Refresh your website with incredible imagery from Ireland’s Content Pool and our Marketing Toolbox.
Update your website copy too - there’s sample text on page 8.
Make the most of your email marketing - use the sample copy on page 7 and access our best practice tips in our Email Marketing Guide
Stay social - use the #KeepDiscovering hashtag and remember to tag us (see page 11).
Download our social media calendar and find inspiring copy to share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Highlight your offers, value promotions and drive bookings with our easy-to-use social shareables
Share and embed our YouTube videos of our Keep Discovering regional TV ads on your online followers and tag #KeepDiscovering
Create or update your business listing on our consumer websites.
Review the main Keep Discovering Toolkit versus the Shoulder Season Toolkit and see if you’re making the most of all the free assets.
Check out our Irish language guide for handy phrases and top tips you can use to promote our national language and enhance the visitor experience. 1 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 9 10
Need more support for your business?
Fáilte Ireland has created an extensive range of business supports with industry experts and sector bodies. Visit Fáilte Ireland’s Business Support Hub or click a support suite below.
Our regional experience brand teams are also here to help you. Get in touch with your relevant regional team if you have specific questions.
Miriam Kennedy Head of Wild Atlantic Way waw@failteireland.ie
Paddy Mathews Head of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands ihh@failteireland.ie
Liz Halpin Head of Dublin Region dublin@failteireland.ie
Brian O’Flynn Head of Ireland’s Ancient East irelands.ancienteast@failteireland.ie
Inside Tourism Business podcast Sales and marketing Financial planning