How we use AI

AI is a tool. It’s a powerful tool, no doubt, but this is not Terminator. ChatGPT and tools like it are simply that – tools. It cannot replace our unique human creativity and critical thinking skills. AI can be used to supplement creativity, find efficiencies and assist productivity. We always thoroughly review and edit anything produced with AI assistance.

Anything done with AI still needs a human touch – or even a heavy hand – in editing. AI can even help to edit itself, as long as a human eye has the last look. My favorite way to talk about AI is as “our digital intern.” Not an intern specializing in tech, but rather a technology tool that acts as an intern. Just as you would check anyone else’s work for accuracy, typos, style and brand voice, the same goes for your AI “assistants.”

Drafts

AI can be a tool for writing first drafts of some content. One of our favorite AI tools for marketers called Jasper, is known for its writing skills. Tell the tool your main points and other supporting information like style and tone, and it will spit out a first draft. An important point to note about AI first drafts is that they are known for being over-the-top with adjectives, overly formal or flowery.

Top tips for using AI on any draft:

• Be as specific as possible in your prompts.
• Starting small, ask it for one piece of content at a time, not a week’s worth of social posts.
• Ask for three versions and you can piece together the best parts.

Editing with AI

What AI is even better at helping with is editing content that you (or another human) already wrote. Refining and rephrasing content is the strong suit. The above tips still work in this case, and I also like to be specific in what I’m asking the AI to do when it edits.

Using AI to edit – no matter who drafted the content – is a chat-worthy process. Give your AI tool direct feedback like “that’s too salesy” or “use fewer adjectives” or “I want the tone to be friendly, not sappy.” The tool will give you a revised version. I also sometimes ask it to review or refine a version I wrote based on all of the back-and-forth.

Naming

AI comes up with fun, clever names and snappy headlines and email subject lines in seconds. So often, we spend time coming up with the “just right” name for an event or themed itinerary when we could be planning the event or mapping out the itinerary (not pieces I would totally trust AI with just yet). AI is great at these – try it out and see what you get!

Summarizing

Another fantastic use for AI tools is creating summaries. Feed in your meeting notes, research notes or long-form feedback from your audience and ask AI for a summary. It can also pull out some themes to organize your thoughts or a report.

How we don’t use AI

We never use AI to create a final version of anything without human intervention. Even those snappy headlines in the example above will need tweaking. This is where the conversation with AI comes in, giving it feedback to come up with better and better versions until you find one you like. Sometimes, it’s straight editing. One other tactic for editing AI content is to have AI draft a few versions, then weave your favorite parts together into a human-touched final version.

Privacy

Unless you have the paid version of ChatGPT and have enabled privacy settings, the recommendations we’re hearing now is to never enter proprietary information into an AI tool. So that means no client, sensitive or proprietary data goes in to AI as a chat prompt or file upload. Open-source Large Language Models are designed to learn from all the data entered, so it’s best not to feed in anything that isn’t already accessible publicly.

AI and Visuals

AI-generated imagery and other creative works – authors are very wary of AI usage – are shrouded in some controversy. When it comes to visuals and art, the concern is over how the AI tools learned to create art and copyright concerns for artists whose works were learned from. Many marketers are using AI art, images and graphics now with the understanding that just like copy drafts, the art drafted by AI needs edits. Some digital artists are embracing AI as a tool, and are creating very cool works using its power, and their own personal creativity.

There are so many AI tools for generating visuals, editing images, cutting together videos and other graphics. Dall E is the open source version put out by OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT. Adobe’s Firefly tool is another popular one for those using the Creative Suite. We have dabbled in AI-generated images and use them for creative ideas in proposals, social media graphics and ads.

AI Tools for Tourism Marketing Innovation & Creativity

Our favorite tools for content are Jasper and ChatGPT, and those are a great place to start as you are experimenting in using AI for tourism marketing purposes. They write well and take direction on the project, just as if you were delegating it to someone. You just get the result in seconds instead of hours or days! There are so many resources available right now on creative ways to use AI

There are so many tools to try out, and so many different uses. From Seamless.AI and Apollo.io for sales prospecting, to PressPal by MuckRack for PR and Yoodli speech coach. Scribe AI can write down your processes (like how you use collaboration in your organization…) and all the big names in tech are developing their own. You may have already seen that Google, Zoom and Microsoft have AI tools now available. There are even websites dedicated to finding the right AI tool, although I’m partial to just asking ChatGPT for what it suggests.

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Fundamental Tools

While many software solutions can be upgraded or added as a business grows, there are some fundamentals that need to be in place from the very beginning. It can be costly and extremely time consuming to rebuild a website, and capturing data from the beginning is essential to making the right decisions as you grow.

Website

A strong online presence is indispensable for any tourism business, and the easiest way to create a professional website is through WordPress. This platform is user-friendly, highly customizable, and boasts a plethora of plugins that can cater to your specific needs.

Here are two basic plug-ins that are great options for startup travel businesses:

• WooCommerce: Ideal for selling tickets and travel packages directly through your website. It integrates seamlessly with various payment gateways, making transactions a breeze.
• Checkfront: A powerful booking engine that allows customers to book tours, activities, and rentals. It offers real-time availability, automated confirmations, and robust reporting features.

By utilizing these tools, you can provide a seamless booking experience for your customers, manage reservations efficiently, and ensure your website remains an effective sales channel.

Google Analytics

This powerful platform allows you to track and analyze your website traffic, understand customer behavior, and measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Google Analytics cannot capture retroactive data, so it’s important to set it up as soon as possible, so you can go back and analyze the trends of your visitor demographics and behavior over time, and fine-tune your marketing strategies and maximize your results.

There are many ways of tracking and measuring digital results, including using UTM codes on your website links to bring even more data into your Google Analytics.

Marketing Tools

Marketing is what we do, and there are literally hundreds of amazing tools that we could recommend. Whether you’re just starting out or not, the variety and choice can be overwhelming, not to mention the cost! That’s why our favorites are the low-cost marketing tools that help stretch your resources further. These tools help with marketing tasks such as:

• Creating visual materials for marketing
• Collaborating your marketing efforts with other tourism businesses and organizations
• Social media marketing
• Marketing automations

Artificial Intelligence

It’s not just Chat GPT anymore – there are plenty of emerging AI tools that can be used to speed up your marketing tasks, such as copywriting and video editing. Read more about the do’s and don’ts of using AI, along with some recommended AI tools.

CRMs and Booking Engines

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and booking engines are crucial for managing client interactions, reservations, and other operational tasks. As your business grows, you may find you need more customized software to meet your needs. With a higher price point, this is one of the biggest investments you will make in your business, and it’s important to ensure whatever you choose will meet the needs of your specific business. If turnkey software does not have the options you need, you can consider custom developed software as an option to consider.

The Importance of Data Quality

The effectiveness of any platform hinges on the quality of data you input – if you put garbage in, you will get garbage out. Here are some tips to ensure that you invest in the right software:

• Comprehensive Fields: Your platform should include fields for all essential information, such as customer details, booking preferences, and special requirements.
• Filtered Reports: Make sure you can pull customizable reports filtered by essential fields such as travel destination, booking date, travel date, and any other filtering you may need.
• Integrations: Consider how your software will interact with other tools that you use, and how you can streamline your processes by integrating them together

Group Collect: A Solution for Selling Group Travel

Selling group travel can be particularly challenging when it comes to data collection, but TAP preferred partner Group Collect provides an ideal platform for this purpose. Their software allows tour operators to select all the fields that need to be collected, and send links out to group members to complete all their information and make their payments. It also has the ability to identify a group leader and give them access to see all the data submitted, so your group leader can chase down missing data and payments, without this task having to fall on the shoulders of the tour operator.

Upleveling with Additional Tools

Password Management

Security is paramount in the digital age, especially for tourism businesses handling sensitive customer information and financial transactions. Hacking poses a significant risk, and managing multiple strong passwords can be stressful for your team.

Using a password management tool like LastPass can mitigate these risks by:

• Generating Strong, Unique Passwords: Create complex passwords that are difficult to crack.
• Centralized Management: Store all passwords in a secure, encrypted vault accessible only to authorized personnel.
• Ease of Use: Enable automatic logins, reducing the time spent on password recovery and entry.

Other alternatives like 1Password and Dashlane also offer robust security features and user-friendly interfaces, ensuring your team can focus on delivering exceptional customer service without worrying about cybersecurity threats.

By integrating these technological solutions into your tourism business, you can enhance efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition. Ready to take your operations to the next level? Explore these tools and start optimizing your business today!

The post Boosting Efficiency for Tourism Businesses with Technology appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Every profession involves an element of sales, whether you’re pitching ideas, promoting a service, or selling a product. Understanding the sales funnel is crucial for driving prospects to make buying decisions. Let’s explore the four main components of an effective sales funnel: Prospecting, Cultivating, Positioning, and Closing.

1. Prospecting: Identifying Potential Clients

Prospecting is about generating leads and filling the top of your funnel with potential clients. In 2024, digital tools and platforms like LinkedIn and CRM software such as Simpleview, Sales Force and HubSpot, have made lead generation more efficient. Utilize referrals, network at industry events, and leverage data analytics to identify prospects with the authority and budget to buy. Keep your funnel consistently fed to ensure a steady flow of potential clients.

2. Cultivating: Building Strong Relationships

Cultivating involves building trust and understanding client needs. Engage with prospects through personalized communication, listen more than you talk, and ensure follow-ups are timely. Modern techniques include using social media for continuous engagement. Trust remains the cornerstone of this stage; demonstrating reliability and consistency is key.

3. Positioning: Showcasing Your Value

Positioning is about establishing your expertise and demonstrating how your solution meets the client’s needs. Share success stories and client testimonials to build credibility. Don’t shy away from discussing past challenges and how you overcame them, as this builds relatability and trust. In today’s market, creating compelling content such as case studies and video testimonials can significantly enhance your positioning.

4. Closing: Sealing the Deal

Closing is about presenting a compelling proposal or itinerary that addresses the client’s needs. If the previous steps were executed well, this stage should be straightforward. Always be ready to ask for the sale confidently. Remember, the goal is a win-win outcome where both parties feel satisfied.

The Bottom Line

Mastering these four components of the sales funnel can significantly boost your ability to convert leads into clients. By staying current with modern tools and techniques, you can enhance each stage of the funnel and drive better sales outcomes.

For more insights on optimizing your sales strategies, check out:

• Marketing for Group Travel: Building Solid Relationships with Tour Operators
• Financial Benefits of Group Travel
• Destination Positioning: How to Stake Your Claim and Find Your Niche
• Email Marketing for Tourism

By integrating these practices, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the complexities of the sales process and achieve your sales goals.

The post Mastering the Sales Funnel: Essential Strategies for 2024 appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

When we build a tourism marketing and/or PR strategy for our clients, we use the PESO model. This is a model for strategy developed by Gini Dietrich, founder, author and CEO of Spin Sucks. She created it to empower PR professionals to be more and do more than the typical idea of public relations. It is also a fantastic approach to building strategy. The ‘PESO’ acronym stands for Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned Media. We use the framework to take our strategy into action, tying all tactics back to the main goals and messages for a holistic campaign.

P is for Paid

Paid media is often the first thing people think of when they want to promote an idea or service. And it definitely has a place in a robust strategic plan. But it doesn’t have to break the bank, and it really needs the support of its three companions.

Paid media needs to drive toward your goals and make the most of your budget. Google (and YouTube) and Meta (aka Facebook and Instagram) are among the most affordable, cost-effective and versatile options in the digital advertising realm. Those channels are often foundational for our paid media plans, followed by other popular or desired channels. Recently, requested and explored channels include streaming video, Pinterest and direct mail.

See how we paired paid media with owned to generate demand for a tour operator.

E is for Earned

Earned media may be mistaken as only representing public relations or media relations. It’s actually about earning third-party endorsements. Very often for destinations, this takes the form of PR as the lowest-hanging fruit. However, when working with tour operators, we turn to review management. Awards are another way of building credibility.

Earned media means the end results are not paid advertisements. With PR, the results are placements with impressions. With reviews, the results are ratings and comments. Awards are the awards themselves, but for certain arenas may also be nominations or runner-up status. This publicity helps promote your organization and tell your story through different voices and angles, including ways you may not be able to talk about yourself.

As specialists in travel PR, it’s worthwhile to note that PR does have a place for almost every organization, even if it’s not the first tactic we recommend for every client.

Our approach to earned media involves both proactive and reactive methods. We build relationships with media by seeking out relevant journalists and influencers with highly-targeted pitches. We measure earned media results using the industry-standard Barcelona Principles.

Read about strategic PR in action with a history and DEI campaign for Auburn, NY.

S is for Shared

Shared platforms – social media – were long debated. Who “owns” and takes responsibility for a brand’s social channels? I love that this model essentially ends the tug-of-war between marketing, sales and PR. Social is its own thing – a channel and a way of reaching people in its own right. Managing social media requires a unique skillset and knowledge of the digital landscape.

Another reason I love that this is called Shared Media and doesn’t fall under owned media, is because these social platforms are separate entities. Your email provider cannot take away your customers’ emails, that’s an owned channel that you control. But a social media platform has the final say in how you reach your customers on their platform. This is a concept covered really well in the book Killing Marketing by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose. Shared media is also about community and includes private social channels.

Our approach in this pillar revolves around maintaining a consistent presence across channels by recycling evergreen, key message posts to keep up with the never-ending nature of social media. This allows us the flexibility to curate trendy and timely content while ensuring a steady hum of activity.

See how this approach to social media is working for one of our tour operator clients.

O is for Owned

Owned Media are the places you can share your messages that you have full control over. It’s the channels that you own – your website, blog, email newsletters, even direct mailing lists and phone numbers. It’s wherever you can reach your audience, it’s where you are in control of how and when and what the message is.

Owned media is the most valuable marketing asset because of this full ownership. These tactics are the foundation that carry your strategic messaging to your audience in the clearest way. The basics of owned media is a website that’s up-to-date, information-rich and easy to navigate paired with a growing email list that receives frequent and relevant communications. Then we build from there.

Owned media is also where some of the most fun tactics and ideas live. Apps, contests, surveys, games are the fun, creative projects that add to – and stem from – owned media.

This example of owned media combines growing an email list using a creative contest.

Each of these elements is an important pillar of marketing and PR strategy, but it’s only when they are planned in conjunction that you reap the full benefits of a strong tourism marketing strategy.

The post Marketing and PR Strategy with the PESO Model appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Just how popular is TikTok?

TikTok has exploded so quickly in popularity that you might not be aware of just how many users it has. As of 2024, TikTok has over 1 billion active montly users. TikTok is now the 4th largest social media platform, with more monthly users than Snapchat, Pinterest and X (formerly Twitter). There is a common misconception that only teenagers are on TikTok, but in reality over 40% of the app’s users are between ages 20 and 39. As TikTok has grown in popularity, it has become widely uses across many demographics.

Over 45% of TikTok users are Gen Z. As this generation continues to age, their spending power is increasing rapidly. Destinations and attractions not marketing to Gen Z are missing out on a huge group of people who are planning trips every day. TikTok is one of the best ways to reach this generation.

TikTok also stands out as having the highest average session length of all social media apps. The average users spends 11 minutes on TikTok per session and 52 minutes on TikTok per day. TikTok provides marketers with an amazing opportunity to capture people’s attention and keep them engaged.

What makes it so popular?

There are a few aspects that really separate TikTok from other social media apps.

The FYP 

Unlike Facebook where you see the posts of your friends and family, TikTok automatically greets you with a “for-you-page” (FYP) which is customized by your interests and past likes. This means that every single user has a unique experience on the app and is only shown what they want to see.  

Anyone can be an influencer

Originally just a dance and lip-syncing app, many of the most -followed users are teenagers and young adults. Anyone can be an “influencer,” but to reach that number of followers, they have to post enough to keep attention on themselves.

Unlimited Possibilities 

The possibilities for content are endless. Just scrolling through your FYP for five minutes, you could see a variety of creative media from livestream debates between content creators, to a 2-minute crime video, to someone marketing themself with a “video resume”, and many videos of people dancing along to the latest dance trend.  

Trends

A “trend” on TikTok refers to any specific sound being used repeatedly by users, a new dance move that everyone is attempting to perfect, or a specific format of a video. Users are quick to recognize new and exciting trends, which is why it is especially important for your business or organization to take part. They make your page more personal, relatable, and noticeable. The thing about trends, however, are that they come and go very quickly. You need to be on the lookout for what is new. Watching other videos and paying attention to what is appearing on your FYP can inspire new content ideas that will help your company gain traction.

How companies use the app as a marketing tool

As there is so much room for creativity and so many users to appeal to, some companies are ahead of the game when it comes to getting their name out on TikTok and following the latest trends. For example, Duolingo, the language learning platform, consistently posts creative videos of their owl mascot working in the office. Chipotle shows off workers creating special bowls or videos of relatable moments like the “when-your-best-friend-doesn’t- know-your-Chipotle-order” moment. Sports teams, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, use the app to make fun videos of their players and will often comment on other videos or respond to fans.

TikTok as a search engine

In recent years, TikTok has transcended its origins as a platform for entertainment to become a powerful search engine. With its algorithm finely tuned to user preferences and behaviors, destinations and attractions can harness TikTok to reach potential visitors in unique and engaging ways. As of 2024, 74% of Gen Z use TikTok as their go-to search engine. By optimizing content with relevant hashtags, engaging titles, and captivating visuals, destinations and attractions can improve their visibility on TikTok’s search results, making it easier for travelers to discover them. Creating informative and inspiring TikTok content that highlights the distinctive features of a destination can spark interest and inspire travel decisions. This shift towards using TikTok as a search engine represents an exciting opportunity for tourism marketers to connect with a generation of travelers who prefer authentic, visually driven content to plan their next adventure.

TikTok and the tourism industry

So, all this knowledge now leads us to the topic of the hour: how to use TikTok to promote tourism. With over 1 billion users, this is a perfect marketing tool for the tourism industry. Tourism sells a product, just like Duolingo or Chipotle. The amount exposure you can create, followed by people being inspired to buy products and visit places is incredible. For starters, one of the most followed destination on TikTok is Palm Beaches Florida with 126.3k followers! 

If you scroll through travel or tourism hashtags, you’ll see lots of individual influencers promoting traveling through brand deals. Destinations and other travel-centered organizations are showing off their products through a wide array of trends or creative points of view. For example, hotels and resorts will often show the behind-the-scenes, or the different rooms and amenities they have to offer. If we are looking at a smaller company, the manager might do a “day-in-the-life” of their work routine. People, especially the younger generation, LOVE to see how other people spend their time at work. This also makes it more personal.  

Is it time to add a new social media channel? Here’s how you know 

The future of TikTok

TikTok’s rapid rise to success has not come without it’s challenges. Currently, the future of TikTok is very uncertain. TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance. Due to concerns over the security of U.S. user’s data, the House of Representatives created a bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok, or the app would be banned in the U.S. The bill was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden.

Before you get ready to abandon all your plans for TikTok marketing, let’s take a look at what this really means. Is TikTok definitely going away? The answer is no. As of May 2024, ByteDance has nine months to divest the app. TikTok has stated that the plan to challenge this bill in court, as they have deemed it unconstitutional.

You might be wondering if it is worth putting time and money into a TikTok startegy when the app’s future is so unclear. It boils down to this: TikTok is not going anywhere anytime soon. The bill gives the app nine months to sort out a deal, and the recent legal retaliation means the whole process could take even longer. It could be months or even years before a resolution is reached. The reality is, every day you are not marketing to users on TikTok is a day wasted. We recommend you continue to utilize the platform, but never put all your eggs in one basket. Social media changes rapidly, but right now, TikTok is where people are spending their time.

Examples

Here are some inventive examples of travel, tourism and hospitality companies that are already using TikTok: 

Expedia

This 59-second video explaining the Expedia Rewards Status with a few graphics and captions has 3.6 million views: 

Visit London

Visit London made this walk-through “Explore Westminster Abbey with us” video to highlight the iconic landmark with some pop-up facts about the church. This 15-second video has over 135,900 views:  

EF Tours

Education First, a company that specializes in travel tours and studying abroad, has a TikTok account that highlights all the perks of traveling to a different destination with people your age. Recently this account has been highlighting different destinations through a trend with eccentric music and pictures that flash before your eyes. Take a look: 

Hilton

Hilton Hotels and Resorts show off the perks of their pet friendly hotels with this adorable video that encourages people to travel with their dogs:  

Palm Beaches

Finally, let’s see what our friends at Palm Beaches, the most followed destination on TikTok, are doing to attract followers. This video is a day trip itinerary, in video form:

What all these companies have in common is that they are focusing on what their audience wants to see, and they participate in trends, no matter how silly they may seem.  

Tips for using TikTok to your advantage

1. Create brief 20-60-second videos that appeal to short attention spans.
2. Work to translate your brand into this new channel in a way that is consistent with your company yet is able to be recognized by TikTok users, such as the Duolingo owl workplace videos.
3. Find influencers to show off your product and company.
4. Have fun with it! Pay attention to trends and challenges that you could apply to your business or organization.

The post TikTok for Tourism Marketing appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Taking the time for tracking

Everyone always wants to know the numbers. I don’t think I’ve met a tourism marketer who didn’t want to know their stats. Whether they are the Tourism Director at a DMO, Marketing Director of a museum, Owner of a Tour Operator company or anyone in-between. When things feel rushed, it can be difficult to get campaigns up and running with the proper tracking in place. Measurement can take time to set up properly. Sometimes we have to choose between setting up detailed tracking, and launching a campaign on time. In our strategic planning, we plan out the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure. If we can set up the KPI data quickly, we can launch in a timely manner. Then we’ll set up more detailed measurement later (if we’re pressed for time). Fall is the perfect time to start planning for next year, because it leaves extra time to set up strategy and measurement ahead of high-season launches.

The evolution of tracking

Measurement is evolving, with quite a few significant changes rolling out in recent years, and more to come. Privacy updates with Apple’s iOS 14 changed what data we can see, especially with pixels, and rumor has it that more restrictions will come out with iOS 16. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) changed what data is tracked, how it is tracked and how reporting is done. That’s not all Google is changing – within the next 6 months, it will start to disable third-party cookies for some Chrome users.

Digital tracking tools

Now, pixels and cookies are still effective tracking methods overall. Google Analytics is still one of the most powerful and accessible measurement tools, even though it may look different from before.

Google Tag Manager

GTM is a great way to track activities on your website, but you will likely need the expertise of a web developer to implement it.

Meta / Facebook Pixel

The Facebook Pixel got an upgrade in recent years with the addition of the Meta Conversions API. Again, you’ll probably need developer help to set it up. Other social media ad platforms now have their own pixels and tracking methods, and each need to be set up individually to measure ad performance.

UTM Codes

UTM codes are a universal way to bring activity from any digital place back to your Google Analytics. Meta even has a built in tool for adding the parameters, but Google also created a UTM builder tool I use all the time to easily set up these parameters to use in ads. The only exception is you don’t need to add UTM on your Google Ads urls, those are already included as long as you’ve linked your GA4 property to your Google Ad Account.

Honorable mentions in the world of tracking include link shorteners, QR codes and offline data trackers. Offline data is actually more than an honorable mention – for more on what this is and how it helps in tourism, check out Destination on the Left episode 351 with Mike Sladony of Semcasting.

Working around measurement challenges

When I think about tracking for our clients, there are commonalities between the types of organizations we work with and the challenges they face.

DMOs

DMOs are often challenged with being the go-between. Their websites and digital campaigns are doing big work to attract visitors into their destination, but they don’t usually have a direct way to track bookings and purchases. Those offline data models are popular for this reason, tracking mobile data and movement of people who saw the campaign. There are also instances where the destination takes the reins and does the bookings, like Genesee County does with their golf program, acting as the receptive agent. They also have a co-op program with one of their major accommodations that gives more conversion data since we can track the off-site clicks to the lodging partner, and see how many people used the promo code.

Attractions

Attractions, especially museums and cultural institutions, often use third-party booking tools that simply don’t have external tracking built in. How these tools are operating without that is beyond me, but here we are. Sometimes we can add Google tracking, but that’s actually been pretty rare. But we can track actions taken on the website such as form submissions, downloads and clicks. We recently ran a campaign for Plimoth Patuxet Museums to gather email signups for niche groups like homeschool parents that worked really well. Since lead generation is built right in to the platform (Meta) or the website (Google), we get to know how many people we’re adding to their audience with our campaign.

Tour Operators & Private Businesses

Tour Operators and private businesses have a leg up on measurement. They are typically working with several resources like CRMs and booking platforms that do allow for measurement. The tricky part here is getting several disparate systems to talk to each other. If the systems don’t talk to each other already, there are tools like Zapier and Make that will create connections. These tools are relatively easy to use, again it’s just a matter of taking the time to set them up.

Effective measurement allows tourism businesses to make informed decisions and optimize their marketing strategies for success. The advent of web3 means more privacy and more focus on the individuals. Despite the obstacles, there are still effective ways to track our efforts. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, digital tracking methods will continue to change and adapt. And we will change and adapt with them.

The post Tracking Digital Tourism Marketing Efforts appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

1. Keep it simple.

Keep your messages simple and concise. Each post should have a focus, and get right to the point. Whether you’re sharing something fun and engaging, or asking your audience to take action, the shorter the better. Of course there will be times that you need to share enough information to give context or tout all the great aspects of what you’re sharing. Make sure it’s clear and that the audience knows what to do.

Keep in mind that people don’t want to read paragraphs of text. A common misstep we see often is a social media post with a full press release or blog post text on it. It’s better to link to the full blog or press release (better yet – link to the placement you got from the release!).

2. Make it visual.

More than just eye-catching, it needs to be thumb-stopping. Shaky, lowlight, low-res photos just won’t cut it. If you don’t have the photos you want, crowd-source and repost them (but don’t forget to give credit).

Visual retention is your best bet to be memorable. It’s often cited that people remember 65% of information when text is paired with a visual, but only 10% of what they read or hear. Over and over again, the data tells us that people prefer visuals and video over written text.

In addition to high-quality photos, consider incorporating infographics, GIFs, and videos to make your content more dynamic and engaging.

3. Embrace video content

Video content has exploded in popularity, with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels becoming dominant. Incorporating video into your social media strategy can help you capture and retain your audience’s attention. Experiment with different types of video content, such as tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, answering FAQs or storytelling.

4. Know your audience.

While knowing your audience’s demographics and habits is important, it’s also essential to understand their interests and preferences. Conduct surveys, engage in conversations with your followers, and use social media analytics tools to gain insights into what your audience wants to see from you. Are they online at 7:30 am or 3:30 pm? Do they like questions or exclamations?

5. Have a call to action.

What do you want your audience to do when they see your post, Reel, or video? Don’t expect them to know what you are asking. Include a direct ask, a button (on ads) and simple instructions on how to complete the task. Make it easy for them to do what you want them to do. And ask yourself if you’re measuring those actions.

6. Monitor social media constantly.

Your posts don’t exist in a vacuum. Pay attention to the stats of your ads and posts, and make adjustments as needed. Watch your reviews for unhappy (or very happy) customers. Also watch out for spam reviews and get them taken down. Know how people are engaging with your channels and how to change or increase your content.

7. Engage whenever possible.

If people are taking the time to comment or like your post, find ways to engage with them. Like their comment, reply to a happy (or unhappy) comment and answer their questions about the product or service. Let your audience know there’s a real person on the other end of the page who cares about them.

8. Be flexible.

Having a plan is important, but don’t be afraid to deviate from that plan. Take regular stock of your most engaging posts and repeat the topics, tone, or style that is working. Your audience may surprise you from time to time, so trying variations is a great way to gauge reactions if you’re unsure.

9. Have fun!

Social media is a lot of work, and can be frustrating at times- but if you’re not having fun with it, your audience won’t either. Get creative with your posts, ads, photos, contests, and more. Social media is an opportunity to reach your audiences and consumers on their level- so don’t forget to play!

10. Watch for platform changes

Stay informed about platform changes. Social media platforms constantly evolve, introducing new features and updates. And new platforms are starting to rock the boat in terms of popularity (but Meta is still the most popular). It’s important to stay up-to-date with these changes to ensure that your strategies remain effective. Follow social media marketing blogs, participate in webinars, and join online communities to stay informed about the latest trends and updates in the industry.

The post 10 Beginner Social Media Marketing Tips appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Whether you are promoting a location, an attraction or even a hotel, the image you put out into the universe is essential. More than the vivid and imaginative words used to lure you, that first glance of an image you see, that first feeling can make all the difference. High-quality photos and video can do that. They can cause you to want to go there, be there, do that. If it’s true that, “every picture tells a story” (thank you Rod Stewart) then capturing an image that evokes a story in someone’s mind is a tourism ‘holy grail.’

Think about these elements the next time you chose or stage an alluring photo:

The Human Element 

The human element is simple- people enjoying the place. If it’s someplace that wants to attract people, then why not put people in the picture? We often live vicariously through a good photo, particularly if we can imagine ourselves in that place. The couple dining on a farm to table meal, children petting goats at a local market, lounging on a comfy-looking chair in a hotel suite after a massage, it all tells a story. It evokes a feeling.

Bonus – no need to gain photo permission if you don’t show the person’s face.

The Color Element 

Don’t be afraid to take your visual content to the next level. You can certainly overdo post-processing these days but ‘touching up’ your photos to enhance their vibrancy is not cheating. A photo taken with even the best camera can dull what the eye sees. Don’t overdo it but, improve contrast, sharpen images, boost shadows for a truly unforgettable shot.

The WOW Element 

You know it when you see it. “WOW, what a photo. What a place. I just put that place on my bucket list.” Don’t be shy, show your drama! We see countless photos of waterfalls from far away- what about seeing it from below looking up? (As long as the visitor can actually see the falls from below looking up.) When they do, they tell the world. That’s the money shot.

The Obvious Element 

Lead with your best and be obvious about it. If it’s the only place for miles and miles like it, lead with it. How many photos of a kayak on the water have you seen? Plenty I’m sure. Lovely and alluring yes, but are they unique? When you have a totally unique, nowhere on earth can you see this kind of attraction, show it. Lead with it. People love a good hook.

And…The Video Element 

Video is currently the hottest form of visual content, and just about any actual movement will do. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes the best videos are purely organic. Shot on a cell phone as long as it’s clear, on topic and not too long. Professional video (drone is awesome) is fantastic and if you’ve got the time and cash, go for it! But, it’s still great to offer a glimpse into your world with someone telling the story. Again, the Human Element – talking, walking, feeling, tasting, smelling, touching.

Humanize it, touch up its true colors, add movement and let it WOW!

The post Elemental Photography in the Tourism World appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

1. Collaborative Marketing Tools

Tourism marketing is collaborative. Very often, multiple regions and assets work together on projects big and small. Working together in real time over distances doesn’t have to be difficult.

Google Drive

Google Drive is host to several tools you may have heard of. These tools make for easy sharing and even working together in real time! Our team favors Google Docs (word processing) and Google Sheets (spreadsheets) for working together. Up to 15G of storage is free, and anyone can create an account (even with a non-Gmail email address).

Microsoft Office 365

Our team uses Microsoft Office 365 internally to work collaboratively together. Tools like Sharepoint and OneDrive bridge our remote work for live editing and streamlined file sharing. If you already use Outlook for your email, you may already have access to many of these cloud-based sharing abilities. Sharepoint even allows you to create shared folders for documents with other organizations. (This one will need some IT support to put in place.)

Slack

Slack is a messaging tool that frees up your inbox from little questions and giant threads, and supports two kinds of messaging. Public “channels” can be seen by anyone on your team and private direct messages go between a group of any size. It also has lots of great tools for sharing, including link previews, drag-and-drop file sharing, playing videos and lots of integrations. The free plan only limits a few things, like searching and history past 10,000 messages (chronologically across all channels). Upgrading unlocks the full history. Our team has been using the free plan for 3 years and loves it.

Of course, everyone is familiar with the most popular tools for video calls, meetings and webinars now. Zoom, Teams and Google Meet are the ones our team sees most often, and there are many more out there.

2. Automation for Tourism

I often feel like I am championing certain concepts and lately it’s been automation. Why spend hours on things that computers can do for us? With just a little bit of forethought, we can save ourselves so much time throughout the year – especially in the busy season.

Automation goes beyond scheduling an email on Constant Contact or MailChimp. It’s about connecting all the tools you use together. This does get involved on the setup side, but once it’s set up and tested and working well, it is a huge lift for the work at hand.

Zapier

The connector tool we use for ourselves and our clients is called Zapier. It has affordable entry pricing that you can actually use. It connects with the majority of cloud-based apps and programs I’ve ever needed. And it has a guided setup tool with testing built in that makes everything go smoothly.

What do I use Zapier for? Most often, contacts are being moved from one system to another, actually. Whether they’re coming in from Facebook ads or Google ads or webinar sign ups – then they move to the email marketing channel. It can send an email or alert – our website contact form feeds directly into a Slack channel, and we also have alerts in Slack when a video is recorded in our Zoom account. Another great use is moving data from a system into a cloud-based reporting tool. I love automating as much as possible, making things easier for our clients and my coworkers.

3. Creating Visuals

Photo Libraries

One of the most important marketing tools for tourism professionals is visuals. Stunning visuals are key to inspiring travel. While you can’t get away with stock photos for everything, there are great free and royalty-free photos available for free on sites like Pixabay and Pexels.

Using a photo isn’t just about having the right one, though. It often needs to be a certain size, or you’ll need to use it for something on a website or other promotion. Very few offices have a dedicated graphic designer who has the time to make a ton of little graphics for social media on the fly. And not everyone knows how to use fancy editing software, let alone the time/energy/know-how to make it look beautiful within minutes.

Canva

Enter Canva, or design-for-dummies as I like to call it. It’s a great tool for creating your own graphics. You start by selecting the size of your project. Use a pre-made size like a poster, Facebook post or email header – or type in a custom size. Then choose from pre-made layouts complete with fonts. The free version will take you far, they have integrations with Pixabay and Pexels, or you can upgrade for more collaboration and more stock photos. The best way to understand it, is to see it in action:

4. Social Media Marketing Tools

Creator Studio

When it comes to social media, there are a few tools that can make life easier. We outline content calendars in a spreadsheet to align messaging with strategy, and then schedule out the posts. Facebook’s algorithm penalizes posts (read: lessens the reach) scheduled through other tools, but their new Creator Studio tool has all the features we need to schedule posts in advance for Facebook and Instagram.

Tailwind

Tailwind offers scheduling for Pinterest. This channel has been left out or underrepresented in scheduling platforms, so we were thrilled to find this. It allows you to schedule posts out months in advance. Once you have posts scheduled, Tailwind automatically uploads them to Pinterest for you, taking away all the hassle and time of planning and uploading. The platform has a free forever plan that could be workable most destinations, and the next step up (Pro) is only $10 per month.

Try out some of these marketing tools for tourism to help you save time and take your marketing to the next level.

The post Low-Cost Marketing Tools for Tourism Promotion appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

1. Be the Storyteller

We need to make our brands come alive by telling the story. When someone searches a destination, they see many links and results. They don’t see the stories or explanations as to what makes your destination so thrilling. That’s for you to tackle.

As Josiah Brown, the New York Sherpa, explained in his presentation on branding that we need to be inspirational marketers. None of us own our brand. Our brand is the emotional response others have to our product, and lives within the minds of the consumers. Because of this, we need to make sure we’re telling the right story. Most brands say what they do, some explain how, but very few explain why. The consumer experience is the most important piece. They want to know why they should choose your destination over any of the others. Which is why we must not only tell, but show them.

Representatives from The Wild Center and Trampoline Design highlighted millennials’ travel behaviors in a panel presentation. Millennials (anyone born between 1981 and 1996) use their phones for almost everything. Think online banking where they can snap a picture and deposit a check right into their account. They also research travel destinations online, especially through social media, oftentimes asking friends for suggestions on food and activities before looking at a CVB’s website. In fact, 86% of millennials know where they are going to eat before picking what hotel they will stay at. Creating experiences within your content to highlight what people can expect and look forward to is key.

In a wholly different mode of storytelling, Tait Wardlaw and John Bourbonais from Adworkshop dove into how Virtual Reality (VR) is disrupting the tourism industry. Consumers want to get a real look and feel for a destination before ever deciding to travel there. In fact, 360-degree video ads earn 41% more desired actions than 2D traditional video ads. Eventually, they said, VR will be just as important as a website because consumers will want a chance to “try before they buy.” While we are still waiting for the VR and AR (augmented reality) tech trends to really take hold in the tourism space, the advent of Web3 means that the future of tourism marketing is on the horizon.

2. Be the Choreographer

It’s great to have one attraction that draws people in, but if you want them to stay and be engaged, you need to create overall experiences, not just one event. The example that Geist gave was of an owner of a candle-making studio who wasn’t getting much traffic. Eventually he partnered with a wine tasting shop down the street. Together they offered a unique and complete experience of making a candle while enjoying a wine tasting – and business boomed! In this example, creating an experience was fulfilled through collaboration.

Based on the research findings of Schireson Associates, The Wild Center and Trampoline Design understood how far millennials are willing to drive for experiences. Millennials are looking to travel 1-2 hours for a day trip, or 2-3 hours for one night with 2-3 days’ worth of opportunities. Although visitors won’t get to all activities, they want a variety of options to choose from.

A great way to present the variety of experiences is through sample itineraries. Although people are not likely to follow an itinerary from start-to-finish, they enjoy having enough information to choose from. It allows them to curate their own trip.

3. Be the Glue

Engage the attractions and visitors. Make sure you’re chatting “with” the consumers, not “at” them. You can do this by regularly checking social media (through hashtags, geo-tags, etc.) to see what people are saying about your destination. Then join the conversation. If you see a great photo that a visitor took of your destination, reach out and ask if you can use it on your own social media channels. That will both provide you with great content and get them excited that you saw and liked their photo!

Be the reason that people come to visit for one day, then come back for a weekend, and then stay for a whole week.

At the 2016 NYSTIA membership meeting and awards dinner, Elizabeth Anne Shaw, Editor in Chief of Meredith Travel Marketing’s FamilyFun, explained that we have to create experiences that last longer than just the few days a person is at our destination.

• Pre-trip: Most people start getting excited for an upcoming trip a few months in advance and begin discussing it with family, friends, and coworkers.
• During the trip: Most travelers share posts and pictures on social media. (If you didn’t post a picture of yourself on vacation, did you really even go?)
• Post-trip: Once someone returns from vacation, they continue to share their pictures and stories with family, friends, and coworkers.

Josiah Brown wrapped up his presentation by saying that people’s strongest, best childhood memories are from their family vacations. By creating experiences, you’re not only giving visitors something to look forward to; you’re giving them memories to last a lifetime.

So think beyond marketing, advertising and collaborating. Think of how much you’re investing into people’s strongest, best memories.

The post Creating Experiences to Create Memories appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.