10 Tips for Using FOMO Marketing in The Tourism Industry

Let’s be real here, everyone at some point in their life suffers from a case of the FOMO’s, aka the Fear Of Missing Out. It’s a normal feeling to experience in this day and age where Instagram aesthetic is important, and social media is making millennials feel as if they constantly need to be busy. A study conducted by EventBrite found that 69% millennials experience FOMO and that 60% of millennials make reactive purchases because of it. However, this doesn’t just apply to millennials, another study has shown that more than half of social networkers experience the fear of missing out. So what if we told you that you could use FOMO to your advantage in your tourism marketing tactics? Follow these 10 easy tips and you won’t be missing out!

1. Show that People are Buying

A simple way to tap into an audience’s inner FOMO is to show that other customers are making a purchase. An easy plugin for your website will create a pop-up that features the first name and product that was purchased by the recent customer.

2. Show Sold Out Opportunities

Booking.com is a perfect example of using FOMO in marketing tactics. One example we can pull from them is how they show sold out opportunities in big red letters. They also make sure to include options for when a room is available, and by doing so it adds pressure on the potential customer to make a purchase.

3. Tick-Tock, Add a Clock

The goal is to trigger FOMO in a potential customer and nudge them into making a reactive purchase or reservation. Amazon is another prime example (pun intended) of using FOMO marketing strategies. When Amazon features a special deal or offer, they add a countdown clock to show exactly how much time is left on the offer. One way to use this tactic in the tourism industry is to add the countdown timer onto a special offer on your website.

4. Trigger Competitiveness

Adding a feature to your website that highlights how many potential customers are looking at the same offer is yet another FOMO marketing strategy. It adds an underlying message to the potential customer that if they don’t take advantage of the offer fast enough, that another buyer will get it. See the below example from Booking.com.

5. Let’s Make It Exclusive

Human beings, especially millennials, love being a part of something exclusive. Offering exclusive deals is a great way to not only trigger FOMO in your audience, but it can also help with increasing your social following, email list, and spreading brand awareness. You can also create exclusivity for your tourism business by creating a rewards membership or a V.I.P offering.

6. Social Proof and User Generated Content

Social proof and user-generated content isn’t just a FOMO marketing tactic, and it is something that should always be included in your marketing strategy. Potential customers are more likely to trust the opinions and experiences of their peers than an advertisement. To utilize this in your business, encourage customers to share their experience through social media by using a specialized hashtag or tagging your business in their posts. When a customer does share their experience online, don’t just leave them hanging! Engage with them by commenting and reposting their photos. Their opinion gets recognized, and your business gets free content. One great example of capitalizing on user generated content is the Instagram of Visit Canberra, where they have a specialized hashtag, share photos and experiences of other uses, and utilize their Instagram Stories to share their content.

7. Let It Expire

If your tourism business is not already on Instagram or Snapchat, it’s time you get to posting! Snapchat and Instagram Stories are two platforms that allow a user to post content for 24 hours before it disappears. A great way to take advantage of this is to post a special offer on these two platforms. Viewers and followers who are interested will be pushed into making a reactive purchase before the 24 hours is up. Another way to implement Snapchat and Instagram Stories into your FOMO marketing strategy is to feature your tours or attraction and push out great content that will allow your audience to see what they could experience.

8. Promote the Experience Not a Product

It’s natural for your audience to seek out unique experiences, and being in the tourism industry, your business is all about the experience! Focus your advertising on selling the experience and what your potential customers will encounter, and not on a product or the pricing. You can accomplish this through videos, blogs, great content, and implementing user generated content.

9. Phrasing

When creating advertisements, every phrase or sentence you use is important. Make sure you are including phrases that can create a sense of urgency. For example, use phrases such as “limited space available” or “Book now and don’t miss out on this offer!”

10. Using FOMO During the Booking Process

Our final tidbit is less of a tip, and more of a simple three-step plan you should be implementing in your business. FOMO marketing works well in the tourism industry, so don’t be sparse with it. There is no need to sprinkle a little here or a little there, use it abundantly and throughout every step of the booking process. Here’s how:

• Before the booking journey begins, encourage your potential customers to share your offer or to invite their friends.
• During the process, allow the customer to share your attraction or offer across multiple social platforms. You could even offer a small reward to those who “check-in” to your attraction on social media to give your business a boost.
• After the booking process is complete, encourage reviews and more sharing! Take it a step even further by encouraging the customer to share photos of their experience with your company.

Having a strong marketing strategy in the tourism industry can be difficult to navigate. Implementing tactics that can trigger FOMO can help your business thrive even more and increase your brand awareness. At AAMP Agency | Adventure & Activity Marketing Pros, we eat, breathe, and sleep marketing, and we’re here to help you. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!