More and less people go to travel agents or travel agents to choose a travel package. The internet has changed a lot of things. The way kits do things today is very different from when the internet was popular. The way we communicate, the way we enjoy entertainment, the way we search for information, the way we shop, including the way we prepare for holidays such as buying tickets and booking accommodation. Now many people prefer to search and order themselves and pay directly from various sources. In this way, apart from being able to find an experience that suits their preferences, costs can also be reduced.
This does not mean that the gap in the travel agent business has been completely closed, but now consumers are wiser because they can get information about anything, anytime, easily and quickly. They know better what they want and how to achieve it effectively, aka fast and cheap. In this situation, if the travel agent still wants to survive, they have to change again.
On the other hand, service providers and resources can easily connect directly with their consumers without going through a travel agent intermediary. Hotels, airlines, car rentals, and others must of course take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest. Without being “notified” to the travel agent, they can enjoy a situation where the marketing and sales environment is healthier and more profitable.
Here are 10 tips for players in the travel industry to use digital marketing more effectively.
Website Should be Simple and Intuitive
We are often lulled by design jargon, wanting to be different but instead make the website extraordinary. For example, many people think that simple is good, which is why the home page of a website contains only a box where you write your goal, and then the corresponding offer appears. It might make sense, but don’t forget, some people haven’t even decided where to go on vacation yet. If you wanna build simple website in Surabaya Sidoarjo just click >> Landing Page Development Services in Surabaya Sidoarjo.
Focus on the Long Tail Keyword
With SEO, you are not chasing short keywords with the highest level of competition while the traffic generated, although it can be large, is not concentrated. Instead of chasing the first page for the keyword “hotel”, think about “cheap hotels in Bali” for example. The traffic generated may not be that much, but the conversions are definitely better.
Building Relationships Is More Important Than Just Selling
Travel reservations are definitely booked in advance, usually months to a year in advance. In contrast to items that are seen and tried before being purchased, travel bookers also don’t know exactly what they will get from what they order. This is why trust is so important. Whatever you do, no matter how big of a discount you offer, if they doubt whether your company will still be around to enjoy the vacation they booked, they will definitely think twice.
So if you want to take advantage of digital marketing for travel or a similar business that you run, don’t forget to maintain good relations with your customers. Personally for example via email or openly for example through social media.
Persuading Them to Give a Review
Don’t forget, nowadays people often look for information on their own instead of listening to what travel agents have to say. Googling, reading blogs, forums and social media channels. Reviews from those who have experienced it are very important when making a decision.
So don’t forget to politely invite your customers to write reviews.
Being open is very important, the way to deal with negative reviews is to not delete them or respond in the same negative tone. Instead, show that you care about customer complaints, that way you can really turn things around, negative reviews can be turned into “showing” you care about what customers want.
Encourage Anyone to Share Content
Clients, bloggers and anyone else, encourage them to share “updates” through their digital channels, websites, blogs, forums, social media. Pictures and videos are like words of wisdom, more real than words. And believe it or not, amateur photos taken by customers and other visitors are often more trustworthy than photos taken by photographers that you can rent out on purpose and pay a fortune to get great photos.
Manage Travel Blog
No matter what type of business you are in, as long as it is related to the travel industry, managing a travel blog is very important. Don’t just focus on your business, because traveling is often a multi-tasking experience.
If you run a hotel, for example, don’t just talk about your hotel, available properties, and regular events. Turn your blog into a real travel blog. Show information about tourist attractions around you, for example maybe other tourist attractions that are easily accessible from your location.
Don’t forget the importance of material things. Show pictures and videos
on your blog will really help attract attention.
Don’t ignore Affiliate Marketing
Does your website rank well on Google? Got a big PPC budget? Have you joined many OTAs (Online Travel Agencies)? Don’t forget affiliate marketing, for example travel bloggers whose websites have high traffic.
Manage Your PPC Budget in Balance
Most companies allocate budget evenly every month. For many companies, this approach may be appropriate, but not for travel PPC and certain types of businesses. Travel, which makes up a large part of the travel business, is strongly influenced by the seasons. You need to learn when most people start planning their trip, definitely not during the holidays but maybe months in advance.
Business and work-related travel may also be slightly affected, for example, business travel may decline towards the end of the year when many companies “close the books” during the holidays.
Show Care in the Digital World
One of the simplest but most effective things is to package information that fits your customer profile. For example, say you run a hotel and try to sell, providing travel information to customers who book rooms. Instead of sending the same email or newsletter to everyone, pay attention to their profile and make relevant offers. For example, for guests who book a room for 2 adults and 2 children, there is no mention of evening entertainment.
Combine Online and Offline Marketing
Many people think that now is the time for online marketing, so focus more on online marketing and forget about offline marketing. Both complement each other, instead of online replacing offline, online is a new side channel.
So if possible, the combination of the two will actually give a powerful effect.