18 Apr Top 10 Tourism Marketing Trends for 2015 – Infographic
Are you a tour operator trying to access your prospective customer base through all possible avenues? In today’s world, it has not been simpler to communicate in so many different ways and get your information to more people than ever before. When focusing your advertising strategies, it would be useful to keep these options in mind:
If people are looking for information today, they go online. If you don’t want to lose customers right off the bat, make sure that your website meets these two qualifications: have a mobile friendly app for your site, and make sure it doesn’t feel as though you’ve traveled to the dinosaur age while waiting for your content to come up on the screen. These two things can drive potential customers away before they even see what you have to offer.
Interact with your customers via all of today’s mediums. You can get through to people in informal (yet professional ways) on social connectivity sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and have your information shared and passed via photos and hashtags to a huge audience. You’ll want to think again and make that happen if you haven’t yet done this. You can also share the types of tours you offer by feature the experiences you’ve had via email or on a blog or photog. If they choose to travel with you, this allows people a glimpse of what they would get to do and see.
Be sure that all of your content is up to par. If you offer a great experience, but your photos, videos, writing or podcasts are shoddy and unprofessional, it’s expected to discredit any progress you might otherwise have made. Make sure that everything you share shows the standard of excellence you want your business to be known for.
Don’t belittle the power of your customers’ voices. Through review sites online, and also what people post about your business via social media, there are ample opportunities for your customers to share their opinions. If you pay attention to customer satisfaction, it’s likely that the reviews you get will be positive– and that others will check out it (or remember something they’ve seen) when they’re making the decision of how (and where) they’d like to travel next.
Network. Pay attention to building connections with other professionals and companies in your field. If you build a rapport with them and promote their businesses, they are likely to return the favor as well. And, as you’re advertising what your tour offers, remember to incorporate information about other available attractions. Clients are often interested in local history, sites they can visit, and recreational opportunities they can have while traveling with you, and the local businesses will appreciate the help you’re giving them by talking about their services, too.
How often do we hear the phrase “Just google it” when we are looking for information on something? Answer? All the Time. If you have the means available, you might consider using Google AdWords to have your tour operation outfit appear in the first few sites that Google brings up, thus getting you a lot of traffic that might not ever have known you existed otherwise.
By utilizing these mentioned marketing outlets, you’re going to relate to customers in new ways and reach more of them than ever before. Try something new, use the alternatives available to you, and watch your business soar!