We can all learn new things, connect unexpected dots, and find “a-ha!” moments by seeing how our counterparts in other industries communicate.
Let’s take travel and tourism, for example. Its contribution to the global economy adds up to about US$8.3 trillion dollars and constitutes 10.4% of the world’s GDP, according to World Travel & Tourism Council statistics for 2018.
Tourism and destination marketing answer many visitor questions, including: What is in this town for me to do? What is there for my friend, spouse, or kids, who may all have totally different interests? What makes this place worth a stop? Good destination marketing answers those questions in a compelling way.
Good general marketing does something similar – it tells customers why YOUR product or service will meet THEIR needs.
What can you as a communicator learn from travel and tourism?
Stuff won’t sell itself; not travel, and not YOUR product/service
Maybe you think that travel experiences and destinations “sell themselves” because travel is kinda sexy. Particularly if you’re in B2B marketing communications, you may struggle with making your product or service seem as exciting as a consumer offering.
Tourism organizations deal with the same challenges. There is no magic solution; the competition is fierce for people’s time and travel budget.
CVBs (Convention and Visitors Bureaus) and DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations – a more umbrella term covering any organization that promotes tourism, including Chambers of Commerce in smaller towns) must convince not only leisure travelers to consider their area for a visit, but also the meeting and event planners who book lucrative conferences. Those “heads in beds” in hotel rooms generate the revenue that funds tourism promotion budgets.
The most successful destination marketers do that with:
Personality
Tourism pros have a sense of fun, wonder, and humor in telling visitors what they offer in their towns. Boring marketing – B2C or B2B – does not work.
Highlight something that only you can claim or do. It’s okay if it doesn’t appeal to everybody.
Small and remote destinations, for example, work to attract the visitors who will appreciate what they have in abundance: peace and quiet. So do destinations with niche offerings like birding, public art, gravel cycling, or craft beer. Own who you are. Don’t try to appeal to everyone.
Pay attention to pop culture. You can show personality by making interesting connections in people’s minds.
Hustle
Successful tourism organizations, like successful businesses, cannot get lazy and just expect people to show up. The best ones develop and sustain an entrepreneurial spirit. They work hard for the money!
For smaller places, it can be a blessing to be minimally-staffed and have no money; you must hustle and be imaginative because that’s how you beat the big guys.
Additionally, the most innovative CVBs and DMOs often represent destinations that have to work to overcome negative perceptions about their town, city, or region. Which U.S. state wins social media destination marketing awards all the time, and has one of the highest-trafficked tourism websites?
Not California or New York…. it is Michigan.
Experimenting
Never stop growing and trying new things to reach your market. Don’t chase every shiny object, but try to stay a step ahead of where your customers are spending time, and how they want to hear your stories.
Authenticity is big today. That’s why Columbus, Ohio tourism is all over local experiences and products with Made in CBUS. That’s why Visit Mississippi has a Spotify playlist with a song for every marker on their statewide Blues Trail.
Visuals are big today. That’s why Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana have 360 videos. That’s why Visit Stockton, California has virtual tours to put visitors in the destination. That’s why Kansas tourism shares visitor #NoPlaceLikeKS Instagram photos on their website.
How can you experiment with ways to reach more customers?
Complex and lengthy sales cycle? Play a long game.
Yes, the sales process is often complex and takes months (years!) of patience to cultivate, especially in B2B industries.
Travel and tourism deals with this all the time. They do a lot of tracking and data analysis, but “how did you hear about us” can be tricky. It’s often not a straight line from seeing something intriguing to pushing the BUY button and booking a trip, so it can be a challenge to track what works.
Lesson? Be patient. Build trust. Be findable when your time comes. Plant those seeds to get on people’s short list of possibilities.
Be where your customers are. That’s why U.S. Midwest destinations participate in online events like #MWTravel chat, and attend travel influencer conferences like the Women in Travel Summit, TBEX, and TravelCon.
Have a robust content and rich media plan – paid, earned, and owned – so you can give customers what they’re Googling for when they’re ready for what you offer.
Build a community and let it help you
“A rising tide lifts all boats….” is true in tourism and in your industry, too. Help people help you. Build your own army of champions, online and off.
When Louisville, Kentucky launched their #LouisvilleLove campaign, they found that, in addition to visitors, plenty of locals were enjoying the Visitor Center hashtag signage, taking selfies, and spreading the word about their city.
How can your customers help you? Consider offering referral codes or an affiliate program. When people give your brand, organization, or service a positive shout-out on social media, do you thank them and re-share to your followers? Acknowledge customer efforts to support you.
Build a community of those who love what you do, and they will refer business to you all day.
Have you ever been impressed by a destination’s tourism promotion? Has it changed how you thought about the place, and made you more (or less) willing to visit? Let us know down in the comments …
About the Author
Sheila Scarborough is a writer and speaker specializing in tourism, travel, and social media. Along with Leslie McLellan, she’s part of the Tourism Currents team, offering online and in-person training in social media for tourism and hospitality.
She co-founded and still writes for the award-winning Perceptive Travel blog, helps run #tourismchat on Twitter, and serves on both the Programming Committee for SXSWi – the South by Southwest Interactive tech conference – and the Education Committee for TACVB (Texas Association of CVBs.)
A U.S. Navy veteran and Navy Master Training Specialist, Sheila is an NHRA drag racing fan because there is one winner, one loser, and no whining.
