78: Stay On Target
Retargeting can help boost your direct bookings. It’s an easy way to remind your previous web visitors that they were considering your products and it gives them an opportunity to jog their memory. That customer may be looking around for the best price or experience so keep your brand in their mind at all times and remind them why you are the best. Don’t just run an ad on a tour. Entice them...
1m Nov 16, 2017
1m
77: Marketing Budget Spend
Rick Snowden asked what is the ‘right’ amount to spend on a marketing budget. Well, I always say if budget allows, spend as much as you can as long as the returns are good. However as a rule, even in my own business, I keep to a minimum 7% rule. 7% of your turnover should go directly into marketing to help generate even more sales. By using a set percentage, you can adjust to busy and slow pe...
1m Nov 15, 2017
1m
76: How to Maintain Standards
One of our Facebook members, Michael Glass, asked how he can maintain brand and service standards while the business expands. There are several areas that can help, or hinder, these standards, and far too many to mention here, however let’s focus on service standards. There are 2 areas I suggest you focus on… Customers Employees Listen to your customers and ask for feedback. This is the on...
1m Nov 14, 2017
1m
75: Automated Marketing for Tourism
On our Facebook group, Coll Maclean asked about email marketing (https://tourismmarketing.agency/tourism-marketing-services/email-campaigns)  and how to send more than one email in a sequence. One of my past videos touched on this but I will go into a little more detail. MailChimp does this with its automated options (https://tourismmarketing.agency/tourism-marketing-services/automation-manage...
1m Nov 13, 2017
1m
74: Travel Blogging Tips – Part 3
If you insist on creating blogs yourself then one rule you must follow is to create a blog calendar. This will help show who is responsible, what the content is about and when it should be published. Planning the content of your blog prevents the stress of having to come up with a fresh idea immediately. It also helps you to focus on your marketing strategy from a wider perspective. Downloa...
1m Nov 12, 2017
1m
73: Travel Blogging Tips – Part 2
One piece of advice I can give is to not write all the blogs yourself. If you are the only one creating content then this can become boring and stale and will not create the success you crave. By inviting other people to write on your blog, your company will appear more trustworthy. Approach a good marketing agency who have lots of contacts with influencers and bloggers who can also help you...
1m Nov 11, 2017
1m
72: Travel Blogging Tips – Part 1
Travel blogging can be highly rewarding however before you start you must have the basics in place first. You need a good website with good video and photos. You then need good tools so you can measure your blogs performance. You must use social media to promote and even publish blogs directly to. You will need to invest time and money, but blogging should be integrated into all aspects of y...
1m Nov 10, 2017
1m
71: User-Generated Content Crucial In Travel, Part 3
Add an incentive or a reward to create user generated content. Run a photo or video competition around your hashtag. Offer a free stay at your hotel or a free tour to the best submission. This can not only help provide you with lots of user generated content that you can use on your website and social media, but it is helping make your brand and hashtag viral across the social and the web, ra...
1m Nov 09, 2017
1m
70: User-Generated Content Crucial In Travel, Part 2
Spark up conversations with your past, present and future customers. Like, comment and share anytime someone talks about your brand. Make them feel involved. Take this a step further and leave a comment or advice and not just a simple ‘thanks’. Remember you are reaching out to a new audience of prospective customers. Use this as an opportunity to build trust.
1m Nov 08, 2017
1m
69: User-Generated Content Crucial In Travel, Part 1
Tourism is the best industry for user generated content as most travellers wish to share their experiences with friends and family. But how do you entice this? First create a branded hashtag. Be sure this is creative but specific to your brand. Place this hashtag on all your own marketing materials, including any non-digital materials like business cards and vehicles. This will help promote ...
1m Nov 07, 2017
1m
68: Why your bookings are falling Part 3
The third reason your bookings could be falling is your customers are struggling to find the right product for them. One way to assist them is to have a smart tour search available on most of your pages. This may allow them to search by destination, activity and date range. This allows them to search on specifics and hopefully find what they are looking for. One page a site search should not ...
1m Nov 06, 2017
1m
67: Why your bookings are falling Part 2
The second reason your bookings could be falling is simply, your content sucks! Today’s travellers love companies who provide interesting and informative content that is easy-to-find on your website and, more importantly, is easy-to-read on whatever device they want to read it on. Your content should confirm that you’re an expert in your niche market, and blogs, articles and videos can showca...
1m Nov 05, 2017
1m
66: Why your bookings are falling Part 1
There are many factors that can lower conversion rates. One factor is your website may be out of date. Consumers are savvy. If they think your website sucks, you are never going to get a booking. Consumers are much more likely to buy from a business whose website showcases everything they have to offer in a visually appealing way. It’s also important for the right products to stand out. Larg...
1m Nov 04, 2017
1m
65: What to do about bad reviews on TripAdvisor
Ok you have a bad review, or many bad reviews. Don’t panic… yet! You obviously need to investigate where in your product that customer felt they had a bad experience. Was it a bad tour guide or did they simply get pissed off at the taxi driver taking them to your destination. If anyone leaves a bad review the worst thing you can do is ignore it. If you do it shows you are not interested in yo...
1m Nov 03, 2017
1m
64: Why Tour Operators MUST go paperless
We have all been there and know how annoying it can be. We buy a ticket to a tour online, arrive at the pick-up point to then be directed to the box office to exchange our ticket for a bus ticket to then take the tour. Really?!? In 2017! Even some airlines, which tend to be ahead technology wise, still print out a boarding pass even though you show this on a phone. Why are you making your c...
1m Nov 02, 2017
1m
63: Understand Customer Needs
Take a moment to think. Why would a potential customer buy your experience or product? What makes you stand out to those travellers in particular? What are their motivations? Travellers will base their decisions on emotions so do you want them to feel relaxed, amazed, thrilled? Understanding the needs of your travellers is the KEY to getting more bookings.
1m Nov 01, 2017
1m
62: Respect Senior Travellers
Marketing to senior travellers can come across as patronising if not done correctly. Remember, today’s seniors were brought up in the swinging sixties so they invented modern individualism and freedoms. Don’t treat seniors as if they are dead already. They also crave excitement and adventure and want to experience local cultures. Seniors want value for money, not cheap deals. Your marketing ...
1m Oct 31, 2017
1m
61: What to do about your competition
I get asked all the time about what our clients, or tourism businesses in general, should do about their competition.  Quite frankly the only thing you can do is make sure your products and the experience you offer is perceived as more valuable to the customer.  Tourism customers will pay a premium if they feel they will receive an experience they will never forget so make sure your content d...
1m Oct 30, 2017
1m
60: Are Travel Brands Listening?
Mobile makes up more than 50 percent of consumer's time so travel brands ignore this at their peril. Messaging platforms dominate much of how the modern world communicates. So, if you haven’t jumped on those platforms yet, you are missing out on the future of how people prefer to communicate both at work and at leisure. The future of messaging will become a one-stop shopping experience where ...
1m Oct 29, 2017
1m
59: Grabbing Customer’s Attention
Customers attention spans are becoming shorter. A recent study shows the average attention span is now 8 seconds, down from 12 seconds in the year 2000. This means you now have 8 seconds to grab their attention. Only 8 seconds to attract that customer towards a sale. This means your opening content needs to be short, precise and desirable. If that grabs your customers within 8 seconds then ...
1m Oct 28, 2017
1m
58: Don’t Compete On Price
Most successful tourism businesses are often more expensive than their competitors and this is because the customer perceives them to offer more value so they do not need to compete on price. By optimising your content to make sure your experience is exactly what your ideal customer is looking for, you create value. Your competitors can charge a premium because they clearly communicate what v...
1m Oct 27, 2017
1m
57: Invest In Your Website
Successful tourism businesses see their website as the centrepiece of their business success, and are willing to invest regularly to keep it updated. A website is the beating heart of your business and if you do not care and maintain it you will find that your business will flat line. Successful tourism businesses know their site is their 24/7 sales agent, their business development manager, ...
1m Oct 26, 2017
1m
56: Travellers want Authenticity
Travellers today are demanding greater authenticity in their experiences with tourism brands. The “one size fits all” approach to content is no longer acceptable. Travellers are looking not just to experience popular destinations but those off the beaten track. They want to connect with the history, culture and people of a destination. If you are a multi destination business then take a close...
1m Oct 25, 2017
1m
55: Travel Start-up Advice
If you have or are thinking of starting up a travel business, congratulations, but be prepared for a mountain of hard work. You are entering an extremely competitive market and I imagine your budget is tight so invite family, friends, bloggers and suppliers to experience your products for free so you can build up video, photo and written content as well as reviews. Then use Facebook’s adverti...
1m Oct 24, 2017
1m
54: Top hotel marketing tips part 4
Don’t jump on different ideas and experiment too often. Instead you should create and implement a plan from beginning to end for a full 12 months as this allows you to measure how successful your strategy is. Too many businesses give up on a strategy after 2-3 months because they are not getting instant results. It usually takes much longer, and much more hard work, for it to really take effe...
1m Oct 23, 2017
1m
53: Top hotel marketing tips part 3
Social Media is great for providing content from an insider’s point of view and it has been proven that your customers will love this too. Employees are rarely involved in marketing strategies but they can help provide a unique take on your business, providing behind the scenes stories and insights. Also look at it from your customers point of view. They have watched a video story by ‘Tom’, o...
1m Oct 22, 2017
1m
52: Top hotel marketing tips part 2
Today’s travellers are looking for more than just a bed and room. This is why the likes of AirBNB are now providing local tours. Hotels need to offer more so think about what you can add to the experience.  This could be guest meet-and-greets, hotel treasure hunts for kids and big kids, a Champagne hour for guests.  Also look at local businesses. What deals can you strike with them to create...
1m Oct 21, 2017
1m
51: Top hotel marketing tips part 1
Does your hotel cater for weddings? If so, offer packages that combine different elements of the happy couple’s special day. Your packages can include transport, catering, wedding planner, photographer, make-up artist and of course the function room and honeymoon suite. By offering a one stop shop you are not only making it easy for your potential guests, but creating strong links with other ...
1m Oct 20, 2017
1m
50: Tell customers what to do
There is nothing worse than visiting a website, falling in love with the information and imagining the experience you can have to then have the customer think… what next? Far too many tourism websites have inadequate or even no call to action.  Don’t leave your customers hanging around looking for what to do next. Be it to subscribe to a newsletter or to make a booking, it should be presented...
1m Oct 19, 2017
1m
49: The VIP Factor
Your guests are your company’s best friends. Make them feel loved by sharing important news with them first, not with the media or the general public. Offer them a discount or reward them every time they return or recommend your business to someone else. The more they recommend the more they get in return, but what you get is loyalty and a lifetime of free sales and marketing.
1m Oct 18, 2017
1m
48: Social Media Battleground
Don’t just take old content created for one platform and throw it aimlessly at another.  An idea that worked on Facebook may not be as effective on Twitter. Take the time to understand the individuality of each platform, and adopt a long-term approach to developing your community. An effective way of winning the small battles on social media is to create frequent, high-quality and interesting...
1m Oct 17, 2017
1m
47: Target Existing Customers
Too many tourism businesses don’t target existing customers nearly enough.  Existing customers are ten times more likely to buy from you again compared to a new customer, and it costs up to ten times less to do so. You have already earned their trust so focus some of your marketing on them with Facebook custom audience advertising and watch repeat and referral business increase your bookings ...
1m Oct 16, 2017
1m
46: Social Media Buzz
Things move very fast on social media, and you don’t want to miss the buzz. To make sure you keep up with the latest trends without needing to spend hours scanning all social media platforms, use tools like Buzzsumo. Buzzsumo displays the most shared content about your industry in the last two, four, eight, 12 or 24 hours across Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. It also all...
1m Oct 15, 2017
1m
45: Should You Take Deposits?
Should you take deposits? Well that is a tricky question.  This all comes down to the amount you take upfront. Reason being if your attendance has a high dropout rate it may mean you are not charging enough so your customer does not feel as committed. By increasing the deposit, or doing away with it all together, you are creating more of a commitment in their minds. It can be good to offer v...
1m Oct 14, 2017
1m
44: Selling Your Destination
Remember, when a customer books one of your products, there is a strong possibility they have never visited your destination before, therefore will not know the area. Create something valuable and create an easy to read and understandable guide of the area.  Include lots of ideas for things to do and places to see, as well as any other information you feel is important to know about your area...
1m Oct 13, 2017
1m
43: Prioritise Your Marketing Activities
When promoting your tours on the web, you need to prioritise your marketing activities wisely to maximise your return on investment. First, identify your most profitable tours and focus on them instead of adopting a ‘scattergun’ approach.  Secondly, be specific, draw a profile of your “ideal customer’, find out where he is likely to be found on the web and create tailored content according to...
1m Oct 12, 2017
1m
42: Choosing the right booking engine Part 3
Look at how active their community and support is. This is a good indication of how popular the booking platform is and how fast they react to issues. However, don’t expect support for free. If paid support is an option, pay for it. This normally brings with it priority support over free requests, a dedicated team for your business and 24/7 support. The booking platform is the beating heart o...
1m Oct 11, 2017
1m
41: Choosing the right booking engine Part 2
If you plan to use an OTA then make sure the system you select fully integrates with them. Those worth their salt should integrate with the likes of Viator and Expedia at the very least. If they do, then you can automatically add your tours to these systems directly form the booking platform, saving you time and money.
30s Oct 10, 2017
30s
40: Choosing the right booking engine Part 1
There is no booking system that will cover 100% of your needs so don’t waste time looking for one. From my experience with working with many of these systems, I can offer a few pieces of advice that you must adhere to… The first is to make sure they have a well documented API. This allows web developers to fully integrate the system with your site. Some booking engines keep this behind a ‘wal...
1m Oct 09, 2017
1m
39: Plan Ahead Of Time
I have seen far too many tourism businesses leave marketing strategies for their peak seasons far too late. If your business has peak times you should have content and a strategy in place at least 6 months ahead of time. This gives you enough time to plan, tweak and act on events that happen on a day to day basis. By creating a strategy ahead of time, your whole team can get behind it and kn...
1m Oct 08, 2017
1m
38: Power of Competitions in Marketing
Social Competitions are a highly effective way to increase exposure, grow your leads, and build more “buzz” around your business. It gets your followers more engaged with your content, driving more traffic to your website. Go for a photo competition, a vote contest or a sweepstake if you have little time for community engagement. Careful though, be sure to adhere to Facebook, Instagram or Pi...
1m Oct 07, 2017
1m
37: Leverage Location Based Apps
TripAdvisor, Facebook, Yelp and Google, these all offer location based services that offer a ‘nearby’ feature that uses the GPS in a smartphone to show your customers accommodation, tours, attractions and restaurants that are near them with contact details and customer reviews. Your business needs a listing across these to allow your customers to easily find out about you when they are in your...
1m Oct 06, 2017
1m
36: Reach Millennials In Tourism
Millennials grew up with technology and have never known a world without them so any marketing you do should be where they hang out. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat… these are the channels you should be targeting. They live on their smartphones so make sure you optimise your websites and content for these devices. They are also heavily influenced by their peers. Can you find a millennial influe...
1m Oct 05, 2017
1m
35: Forget B2B or B2C In Business
Most tourism businesses put themselves into two camps, they cater for B2C or B2B. Well I am here to tell you, you should not. All businesses should cater for H2H. Human to Human. There is a human aspect behind everything and all marketing should take this into account. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People want to feel something. Business owners have Facebook a...
1m Oct 04, 2017
1m
34: Hang Out With Your Customers
We travel as we want to visit new places, see new sights and meet new people. If your business provides tour guides, organise a lunch or local bar meet-up after the tour. This not only brings more personality to your business but it also brings an opportunity to upsell new tours. Don’t hard sell though. Your tour guides can add it to conversations and talk about other experiences they love. T...
1m Oct 03, 2017
1m
33: Package Your Products
Where possible always try and create a package option for your products. This makes it super easy for your customers to make a single purchase rather than having to purchase multiple items. Say you run an adventure activity business offering white water rafting. Combine your activity with camping, a tour of your destination and even a meal at a restaurant with the guides and the others in the...
1m Oct 02, 2017
1m
32: Analyse Your Website Performance
So, before you think about re-designing your site it is always good to know how your current website is performing. There are plenty of tools out there that can help you see visually how your website is performing and one tool I recommend is HotJar.com (http://hotjar.com/) . With this tool you can view heat maps of the most popular and least popular areas of your site. It even records video o...
1m Oct 01, 2017
1m
31: Engage with YouTube Videos
With the average user watching 32 videos per month, your strategy must include YouTube. 79% of travellers search YouTube for travel ideas and 67% are unsure of where they wish to go. By 2018 it’s predicted that video will account for 84% of all internet traffic. If you are not already creating story driven and engaging videos for your business, you will soon find yourself being ignored.
1m Sep 30, 2017
1m
30: Live for Live Streaming
  One of the best ways you can engage with your customers is through live streaming on Facebook, Periscope, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram. When your customers are experiencing something live it’s just like if they were by your side. However, live streaming does require someone to be able to film and respond to comments on the fly on behalf of your business. Don’t hesitate though: Facebook'...
1m Sep 29, 2017
1m
29: Offer Live Availability
Allow your customers to book tours now and ahead of time by offering live availability. By not offering live availability you open yourself up to double booking and cancellations. This will not only annoy your customers, but damage your brands reputation. Offer a real-time calendar as part of your booking process as this also caters for impulse buys. There is nothing worse for a customer tha...
1m Sep 28, 2017
1m