World Tourism Day: Top Travel Marketing Tips
These days, the idea of the ‘holiday season’ is on the way out. More and more people are jetting off for some autumn and winter sun or taking a long weekend staycation. For hotels and leisure companies, this means marketing your business year-round is crucial.
Travel marketing needs a blend of creativity, strategy, and an in-depth understanding of evolving consumer behaviours. To celebrate World Tourism Day, we’ve compiled some top tips to improve marketing within your hotel and leisure business, from social media to SEO optimisation.
Get to Grips with Using Social Media
Social media is the cornerstone of modern travel marketing. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube have brought exotic and fascinating destinations closer than ever to the consumer. Figuring out how to apply this to your business is a crucial hotel and leisure marketing technique.
It’s all about the visuals.
High-quality images and, more importantly, videos are great ways to tell compelling stories about destinations, experiences, and your brand. Post regularly, use engaging captions, and make sure the content is consistent with your brand as well as relevant to your target audience.
We live in the age of the influencer.
Partnering with influencers can massively boost your brand’s reach. Usually, these influencers have a loyal following that trusts their recommendations. Try to work with influencers whose audience aligns with your target market.
Make use of user-generated content.
Encourage your customers to share their experiences using your services. Not only does this provide authentic content for your channels, but it also creates a sense of community and loyalty for your brand.
Video Content isn’t Limited to Social Media
Offering an immersive experience, video content allows potential customers to envision themselves in the locations you are promoting. Create destination-focused content to showcase the beauty, culture, and experiences you’re offering. Short, engaging videos that highlight key attractions, local cuisine, or unique cultural practices can inspire people to book trips.
Don’t shy away from ‘behind the scenes’ content.
People love to see what goes on behind the scenes. From tours of your luxurious villas to a day in the life of a tour guide, or a taster of your hotel’s excellent cuisine, pulling back the curtain adds a dash of flavour to your brand. Giving your customers that tantalising glimpse of what to expect is a powerful hotel and leisure marketing technique.
Once you’ve created the content, share it on your website, in email campaigns, and on paid adverts to boost your reach.
Personalisation is Non-Negotiable
We’re big advocates of personalised marketing, and the hotel and leisure industry is a sector where it can truly thrive. Today’s travellers expect more than generic travel offers. People want experiences that feel relevant to them.
Segment your audience.
Categorise your target market based on factors like demographics, travel preferences, and past behaviours. This helps you to optimise your offerings and deploy them on the right platform.
For example, if you offer clubbing holidays to Ayia Napa, then high-octane TikTok content is a great option, less so if you specialise in seniors’ tours of historic stately homes.
Then, create dynamic, targeted campaigns.
Use the content in your email campaigns, website, and social media to provide personalised recommendations. If a user has previously shown interest in a beach holiday, suggest similar destinations or activities that align with their interests. It’s important that you don’t do this in an overbearing way, though. We’re fans of an unobtrusive abandoned cart email, for example.
Harness the Potential of Email Marketing
When it comes to ways to improve marketing within hotel and leisure, email remains one of the most effective tools in your arsenal. It gives you a direct line to potential and returning customers. However, the key to successful email marketing lies in delivering value rather than simply promoting offers.
Create valuable content.
Offer more than just deals. Provide travel tips, destination guides, and insider information. A series of emails leading up to a holiday might include packing tips, cultural insights, or hidden gems in the destination in question. Position your brand as a helpful resource, and you can increase the likelihood of engagement and trust.
Capitalise on your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO might not seem like the most glamourous hotel and leisure marketing technique, but when done properly, it’s incredibly powerful. A strong SEO strategy can drive organic traffic to your site, while high-quality, optimised content converts that traffic into bookings.
Have someone conduct thorough keyword research.
Conducting keyword research helps you to understand what potential travellers are searching for. Once the top search phrases have been identified, they can be incorporated into website content and blog posts to boost your search rankings.
Develop evergreen content that remains relevant over time.
This might include handy tips like destination guides, packing tips, or travel itineraries. Evergreen content gives ongoing value to your audience and lifts your SEO rankings, too. Keep it updated to make sure it’s always fresh and accurate.
Make sure you utilise local SEO.
If your travel brand has a physical presence like a hotel or tour company, local SEO is absolutely vital. Ensure your Google My Business listing is up to date with accurate information like addresses, contact details and, crucially, opening hours. Encourage your happy customers to leave positive reviews, as these can massively impact your local search rankings.
Are You Looking for Specialist Hotel and Leisure Marketing?
A great way to improve marketing within hotel and leisure is to use a specialist digital marketing agency. Trying to balance the day-to-day running of your business and dedicate sufficient time and energy to marketing can be challenging, so let us relieve some of that pressure.
With technical SEO expertise and a creative, fresh, and tailored approach to marketing, we can boost your reach, improve search engine results, and convert attention into sales. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
