Modern tourism marketing is all about being visible online. A 2014 study found that companies spend an average of 25% of their marketing budgets on digital marketing specifically. This was then expected to jump to 75% within five years, so it is important that your camping, cabin, bed and breakfast, or similar hospitality business is spending this money wisely.
If you are considering updating your hospitality company’s digital marketing strategy this summer, consider trying out the following trends.
- Use Social Media Influencers: Bloggers and other social media mavens are great resources for boosting your brand visibility. The idea is that you pay an influencer to visit your campground or attraction and then write about it on their blog or social profile. They will also link back to your website in the post, giving your SEO a little boost.
- Provide Social Customer Service: Customer service is no longer reserved for phone calls, suggestion boxes, or even emails. Your guests are now leaving feedback via customer reviews and social media posts. Be sure to monitor this content carefully, responding to posts and addressing complaints accordingly.
- Create Geotags: Location marketing is key in today’s social media landscape, especially as guests are tagging your business in their social media posts. Be sure to be registered with Facebook check-in, which will then make you available as an Instagram location, too. Also consider adding a location filter on Snapchat. Guests can add these to their photos when sharing them with their friends.
- Place Social Ads: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all have options to create promoted posts. You simply pay a sum of money to reach a certain number of people. This is generally a useful investment, as it helps you cast your net a bit further. Just be sure to monitor your analytics to see how many people are clicking on the ads and adjust accordingly.
By upping their social media presence, businesses can draw more people to their tourism websites. This can benefit your existing SEO campaigns and booking numbers, making these companies more lucrative overall. By investing just a few more hours per week on your own hospitality business’s social presence, you can keep up with the trends and turn social users into guests.