Hospitality marketing in Charleston for travelers who spend more per trip.

Media Spearhead is month-to-month with no long contract. Google Ads management starts at $400 per month, with ad spend paid separately to Google. Google Business Profile management starts at $300 per month per profile. A Charleston inn, restaurant or venue can weight spend toward spring and fall, when the festival calendar is busiest, and adjust any month.

Around the events that bring diners in, and in the months that need them. January has Charleston Restaurant Week, March brings Charleston Wine + Food, and late May into June is Spoleto Festival USA⁴. Dining accounts for $269 of the average adult's trip spend², so visitor-focused ads and a well-kept Google Business Profile are worth testing for most Charleston restaurants.

Possibly. The City of Charleston's first major short-term rental update since 2018, including an 8-guest cap regardless of home size, was deferred by the Planning Commission in July 2026, and owners said it could cut occupancy by 25% or more⁶. Until it is settled, keep guest limits and house rules easy to change on your site and listings, and check the city's current rules before launching ads.

Make your own site the best place to book. That means fast pages, the full price up front, a booking engine that works on a phone and Google Ads on your inn's name so an OTA does not take the top result. Charleston room rates rose 3.2% in 2025², so each commission-free booking is worth more. The calculator on this page shows the difference at your rate.

Start with the cities that already send visitors. Charlotte, Atlanta, New York, Raleigh, Orlando, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Jacksonville, Tampa and Greensboro were Charleston's top origin cities in 2025². We group them by distance and travel mode, so drive-market cities get weekend and short-notice messaging and fly-in cities get longer-lead campaigns tied to festivals.

Less than domestic ones. International tourists typically make up 5% to 10% of South Carolina's market, led by Canada and Mexico, and Canadian travel declined in 2025⁸. For most Charleston hospitality businesses, English-language campaigns aimed at U.S. cities come first. We add Spanish or French content only when your booking data shows real demand.

Charleston Harbor logged more than 50 tidal floods in 2025, and October 2025 alone had 18 tidal flood events¹⁰. When peninsula streets flood, update your Google Business Profile with hours or access notes, post a short update and pause ads that promise walk-in service that day. Clear, calm information helps guests plan around it and protects your reviews.

Very, because both are high-price, high-trust purchases made by people who cannot see the place first. Recent reviews that mention the guide, the food or the day itself do much of the selling. We set up review requests after each tour or event, reply to every review, and reuse what guests praise in ads. We never buy, filter or write reviews.

Follow the calendar. Charleston's 2026 events cluster from February through early June, with SEWE, Wine + Food, the Bridge Run, the Charleston Open and Spoleto, and pick up again in fall with MOJA and the Holiday Festival of Lights⁴. Put the most spend into spring, a second push into fall, and keep summer and January lean but active.

No. Media Spearhead is based in Jacksonville, one of Charleston's top origin cities, and serves Charleston hospitality businesses remotely. We research the market directly, including Explore Charleston data, the festival calendar and city rental rules. You work with us by phone, video and shared reports, and you own your ad accounts, Google Business Profile and website data.