The Power of Vertical Video: How Authentic Storytelling Drives Destination Marketing Success

I grabbed a couple of friends and headed to Hocking Hills State Park for a few nights of camping and hiking in April. As a digital media lover, I was excited to use this as an opportunity to capture some photo and video content. The trails, waterfalls, and caves were certainly a huge photo-op! When camping, efficient packing is key. Lugging around photo and video gear can be very cumbersome. So, I’ve been working on building a lightweight and powerful travel setup for capturing content. There are some extremely convenient (and affordable) tools out there that would be a huge help for destination marketers heading out on a quest to refresh their media archives.

First, let’s get one thing straight. You don’t need fancy equipment or polished, professional services to create content that resonates (especially on social networks). Authentic and relatable content is winning on social media. According to Hubspot’s 2025 Social Trends Report, 76% of marketers say that authentic, low-production videos outperform highly produced content. People crave brands and experiences that feel human. Picture-perfect, overly produced content is no longer the gold standard.

To achieve this in Destination Marketing, focus on story-telling, document human experiences, speak directly to your audience, and above all, keep it real. 

Michigan folks, you’ve probably heard of MI Playground. I have to give creators Nick and Andy Behling a shoutout because they demonstrate a great example of content production that focuses on real, authentic experiences and highlights everything a prospective visitor may need to know. Now don’t get me wrong, they travel with some neat pieces of equipment, but their real seller is their story-telling ability. They’re real, relatable, and get on the user’s level with narrative about the experience they are filming. If you haven’t, check out some of their work!

MI Playground has been creating content for the Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau for several years, and we are fortunate to be able to use this content for advertising purposes. Working first-hand with Sault Ste. Marie this past year, I was consistently blown away by the performance of MI Playground’s work, specifically their videos.

I examined the performance of 130 single image ads and 50 video ads that were run on the Meta network for Sault Ste. Marie in 2024 (most of the video ads being MI Playground creations), and the results are pretty interesting!

In terms of driving traffic to Sault Ste. Marie’s website, video ads averaged a link click-through rate of 4.15%, nearly a 100% increase from the average image link click-through rate of 2.09%. Just 50 video ads drove over 98,000 link clicks – nearly matching the amount of link clicks driven by 130 image ads (just over 100,000). If we break this down into averages, we’re looking at videos averaging about 1,976 link clicks per ad and images averaging about 774 link clicks per ad.

When looking at ad engagements such as likes, comments and shares, videos were also more effective. Analyzing my same sample, videos averaged about 34 shares and 15 comments per ad, while images averaged about 25 shares and 13 comments per ad. Shares, comments and likes can go a long way, boosting your reach and increasing the algorithm’s likeliness of showing your content.

Of course, a lot of these numbers are just averages. Not every video is going to produce consistent results. Some images will outperform some videos and vice versa. However, videos are stronger performers overall and have a lot of potential to take off or “go viral.”

For example, this video drove over 300,000 impressions, 22,000 link clicks, and 135 shares alone. With an average watch time of 16 seconds, it was effective at capturing users’ attention, and you can probably see how that supports my point regarding the importance of including some narration and storytelling in your video content – this video did just that!

If your destination’s video archives are looking a little sad, you’re not alone. The great thing is that you don’t need to spend a ton of dollars to begin capturing some content yourself. If you or someone on your team is able to venture out into your destination for a few hours, here are some budget-friendly, portable, and easy-to-use tools that are sure to level up your mobile content game!

1. A Smart Phone – Oh, but you already have a nice DSLR camera? Great. It’s not always necessary. Sometimes, you need the convenience of traveling with the smart phone that is already in your back pocket anyway. I recently upgraded to the iPhone 16 Pro and the photo/video capabilities and quality are no joke! It was perfectly sufficient at grabbing quality content. In case you didn’t know, you can shoot in 4K at up to 120 frames per second on the iPhone. I encourage you to explore your smartphone’s camera settings and experiment with different quality settings. There are a ton of different options and styles there for you to customize your end product!
2. A Tripod/Selfie Stick Hybrid – I love the magnetic tripods that are designed for MagSafe cases. Of course, this also implies that you have a MagSafe case. These Quad Lock MAG cases work well too and offer a variety of attachments. The magnetic attachment eliminates the hassle of attaching your device to the tripod, and the tripod itself allows you to grab better angles, increases stability, and can allow you to shoot hands-free.
3. Wireless Microphones – Do you remember how I emphasized the importance of communicating directly to your audience? Quite literally, you should be adding vocal narration to your videos, especially those made for video-centric social media networks like Meta, YouTube and TikTok. When showcasing an experience within your destination, add some narration describing everything a visitor may want or need to know about that attraction or experience. This type of content will likely out-perform a few clips thrown together under some music. A simple wireless mic can help get the job done.
4. A Powerbank or Portable Charger – Heading out without realizing your battery is low is the ultimate dream-crusher. I’ve made this mistake too many times. Capturing video can eat up a lot of juice, so make sure you bring a back-up plan!
5. Other fun add-ons –
   1. Bluetooth Remote Shutter – for capturing hands-free
   2. Portable LED light – for brightening up dark spaces
   3. Smartphone lens attachments – for trying out different angles and perspectives such as capturing wide angles of scenic spaces
   4. Dry bag or gear case – for taking good care of your things

Now that your Amazon cart is inspired, let’s talk about editing. You should be creating content that is versatile for multiple platforms. You can opt for a more robust editor like Final Cut, or Adobe Premiere Pro, but for those without much video editing experience, those platforms come with a learning curve. You can also just edit in app. When editing in-app with an intent to share on multiple platforms, a great hack is to start your edits in YouTube Shorts. Check out Brian’s On Our Radar to see why!

I hope this inspires you to head outside, enjoy the warmer days ahead of us, and start grabbing some content for your destination. In our team’s experience with digital advertising on social networks, short-form, vertical video largely outperforms standard image ads. With a few tools, a simple process, and a bit of practice, anyone is capable of capturing more video for their content arsenal.

Emma Herrle
Digital Marketing Strategist