Digital Marketing for… Tourism Businesses

Wondering how digital marketing can help your tourism business? It can be easy to be swept up in the latest fads and fashion but at its core, the same fundamentals can be applied in 2022 as they were previously. You don’t need to jump into the latest crazes; TikTok isn’t for everyone. Your business can recover in the post-pandemic period, and we are going to help you get on track.

The pandemic has been hugely challenging for the tourism sector but now the tide is turning. With people once again booking trips domestically and internationally it is time for our local tourism industry to shine once more. Step one, get the word out! And that, we can help you with.

User-generated content

You are perfectly positioned to have a feed of user-generated content. At its heart, this includes any assets that your customers, past and present, provide you with. It can include:

• Testimonials
• Images
• Videos

You can harness user-generated content on your website and your social media feed. You can even create a dedicated hashtag for people to submit their images. For example, if you are Magnetic Hill Zoo, you could ask people to tag #MagneticManiacs to submit images of them enjoying the zoo. An occasional giveaway can give these images flowing and will provide a stack of engaging and authentic shots and reviews to promote your business.

Blogs

People are increasingly bamboozled by the growing complexities of SEO, but blogging is one of the most impactful ways to increase traffic to your site. The pieces don’t have to be excessively long (Google penalizes pieces that are inefficient lengths), they don’t need to be in-depth. By creating regular content centred around your key topics, you will rank higher in Google searches, allowing more potential visitors to find you.

You can approach blogs in a few ways:

• Outsource to a professional with SEO experience: our content writer has written more than 1,000 blogs for a large variety of businesses.
• Delegate it to a team member: you can use free tools to find SEO keywords (remember that natural text sounds better; don’t force it!) and Grammarly to tidy up your spelling and grammar.
• Hybrid approach: alternate outsourced and in-house blogs to vary topics and minimize workload.

PPC ads

Pay-per-click advertising is a great way to target specific groups of people. Platforms such as Google and Facebook are ideal for tourism businesses. If you also offer work excursions or team-building, LinkedIn ads are a fantastic way to target the B2B sector.

PPC is highly tailorable, allowing you to select micro-niches as needed, such as families in Moncton who have previously viewed your website. It can be expanded or reduced to suit your budget, stopped when you hit a goal, and complemented with social media posts in a similar vein.

Regular content and targeted posts

Social media channels require a consistent flow of posts to be successful. Posting regularly, several times a week, will build your audience over time. But you also want to take advantage of events suited to the tourism sector.

Think about times that people will be most likely to use your services, for example, the summer, national holidays, and other school holidays. Factor these events into your campaigns, increasing interest in the week or weeks beforehand and continuing throughout. Successful marketing involves thinking clearly about who you are targeting and why they would want to use your services. Get into their mindset and you will be able to produce content they want to see at effective points.

Need a hand?

If you are looking to improve your digital marketing efforts for your tourism business, we are happy to help. As members of TIANB and TIAC, we understand the unique needs of the tourism industry and are here to support your growth. Get in touch today.

Cyber PR Army Solutions Inc.. Understand where you want to be, and we’ll help you get there.