Challenge
The Hayward Lakes Visitor & Convention Bureau (HLVCB) is the leading voice for one of Wisconsin’s most iconic Northwoods destinations—promoting its pristine lakes, expansive trails, and year-round outdoor experiences to visitors near and far.
In recent years, HLVCB took important steps to strengthen its digital presence. A redesigned website provided a more intuitive, visually compelling resource for trip planning, while a more consistent and intentional social media effort began to build a stronger, more engaged audience. These updates helped better showcase the energy, adventure, and natural beauty that define the Hayward Lakes area.
However, as their digital presence grew, so did the need for a more strategic and sustainable approach to marketing.
HLVCB recognized that to fully capitalize on this momentum, they needed to bring their marketing efforts in-house and build a strong year-round strategy. Relying on several partners previously made it difficult to maintain a consistent voice and respond quickly to seasonal opportunities.
The challenge became clear: transition to digital-focused marketing model while evolving from broad awareness campaigns to more intentional, engagement-driven strategies. HLVCB needed to focus on building a valuable digital presence—one that not only inspires travel but fosters ongoing connection, supports local businesses, and delivers measurable impact for the region.
- Marketing Strategy
- Consulting
- Website Design
- Social Media
- Content Marketing
- Photography
- Marketing Data Dashboard
solution
To support Hayward Lakes Visitor & Convention Bureau’s transition to a more strategic and cohesive marketing approach, Signalfire partnered closely with the organization to lead and execute a comprehensive, year-round marketing strategy.
Signalfire now consults on all media planning and ad buys, ensuring campaigns are not only well-targeted, but aligned with seasonal trends, audience behaviors, and regional opportunities. Signalfire and HLVCB carefully select publications and media outlets that closely align with their target travelers to ensure messaging reaches the right audience at the right time.
A key shift in approach was redefining success metrics. Rather than focusing solely on impressions or reach, the strategy prioritizes meaningful engagement, specifically driving high-quality traffic to the website and increasing engaged time on page through regional digital media outlets. This ensures that potential visitors are not just discovering Hayward Lakes, but actively exploring, planning, and connecting with the destination.
To complement this effort, Signalfire develops and executes seasonal YouTube campaigns that capture the spirit of the Northwoods through immersive, visually compelling storytelling. These campaigns play a critical role in building awareness while guiding viewers deeper into the trip-planning journey.
At the same time, a strong emphasis is placed on maintaining and growing an authentic organic social media presence. Through consistent, high-quality content and community-focused messaging, Hayward Lakes continues to build a loyal, engaged audience that interacts with and advocates for the destination year-round.
Together, these efforts create a cohesive digital ecosystem with paid and organic strategies, positioning Hayward Lakes as a must-visit destination while delivering measurable, engagement-driven results.
Our organization has been partnering with Matthew and his team at Signalfire since 2022. What started small with some newsletters and Facebook Live productions has grown into a new website and social media management.
The team at Signalfire is an absolute joy to work with. They are responsive, attentive, helpful, creative, and above all else…fun!
Mindy Simons, Hayward Lakes Visitors & Convention Bureau