How to Improve Your Tourism Business’s Social Media

How to Improve Your Tourism Business’s Social Media

Social media can play a crucial role in your tourism business’s marketing strategy. This is seen through the many ways a person can research a hotel, activity, or restaurant before going on a trip. In recent years, we’ve seen social media become an integral part in digital marketing, forever transforming the way people decide and consume.

In the tourism industry especially, social media can account for a considerable portion of your business’s marketing strategy. With that being said, it is crucial to leverage your social media presence and to begin utilizing your platforms to convert leads. If your business is still not on Instagram or Facebook, it is time to level up and start creating.

Here is a list of the most effective social media strategies to improve your tourism business’s online presence:

1. Create engaging content.

Your goal when creating a piece of content should not just be to rank highly on search engines. Instead, you should aim to connect with your target audience. Creating content that your ideal customer can relate to may be the most important thing you can do to attract more buyers.

Try to invest in your visuals. Tourism is undoubtedly a visual experience. Posting high-quality photos that spread a fun and enjoyable message is a sure way to capture the hearts of potential customers.

Lastly, focus on sharing user-generated content . This will help to establish your company’s legitimacy and to build a better relationship with your audience.

2. Increase your visibility.

Increasing your visibility also increases your authority. It is important to stay active on all your social media platforms. Engage with your customers by answering questions, responding to comments, and addressing negative reviews.

Also, be aware of your company’s peak seasons. The tourism industry is oftentimes seasonal, so try to figure out the best times of the year to increase your visibility and when to be more active on your social channels.

3. Organize contests and promotions.

Giveaways are not new, but they are still just as relevant and as effective today as when they debuted. Organizing giveaways, contests, and promotions is an excellent strategy to engage with users and to attract more customers. This is a fun way to entertain your visitors while increasing your reach and gaining more exposure. Contests and giveaways are also a great way to promote your business during peak seasons.

4. Incorporate videos into your content.

In the tourism industry, the power of a visual experience is limitless. It is highly beneficial to incorporate videos and footage from real customers into your content. These videos are not only entertaining, but they can help make your business seem more reliable and trustworthy.

Additionally, recent surveys have revealed that users who watched videos from a business were more likely to purchase something from what they watched, thus increasing purchasing intent and decreasing buyer anxiety.

5. Use effective hashtags.

Hashtags have been useful since the birth of social media, but only relevant hashtags will help your business increase its visibility and guarantee a real return on investment. Take the time to learn how to properly conduct hashtag research, and then create a list of the most effective hashtags for your niche. Be wise and use relevant hashtags wherever appropriate.

Leverage Your Online Presence With Our Help

Social media has transformed how we market our businesses, removing the need for traditional methods such as billboards and other paper materials. If you’d like to take your social media to the next level and begin leveraging your online presence, reach out to us for a consultation. Here at AAMP Agency , we’ve got the team, knowledge, and experience to cover all your digital marketing needs. Reach out to us today for more info!

To Promote Their Destination During The COVID-19 Pandemic, “Dear Belize” Offers A Free Trip for Two

To Promote Their Destination During The COVID-19 Pandemic, “Dear Belize” Offers A Free Trip for Two

“Dear Belize” Campaign Offers A Free Trip for Two To Promote Their Destination During The COVID-19 Pandemic

On May 6th, 2020, the Belize Tourism Board had announced a giveaway as part of their “Dear Belize” campaign. The virtual postcard campaign’s goal is to inspire future traveling to Belize, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next few weeks, those entering must submit a video to win a free trip to Belize once it is safe to travel again.

For anyone wanting an amazing getaway to Belize, participants must create a short video explaining why they love the Central American/Caribbean destination, and a winner will be selected at random. The Dear Belize team will be taking advantage of the user-generated content, and sharing their favorite submissions across all of their social media platforms!

The prize includes a free eight-day trip for two Belize, which includes roundtrip airfare, luxury accommodations, and an opportunity to experience rainforests, stunning waterfalls, historic Mayan ruins, and more. Belize is also home to the largest Barrier Reef in the Northern Hemisphere and has an incredibly wide range of eco-activities, lodgings, and cultural offerings.

The requirements for participants are simple and can be found here!

Why (and How) Your Attraction Should Be Using Pinterest

Why (and How) Your Attraction Should Be Using Pinterest

Pinterest

When you hear “social media marketing” do you automatically jump to Facebook and Twitter? While these platforms are beasts when it comes to marketing, don’t forget about Pinterest! Yes, it is full of DIY projects people never actually finish and gross zucchini noodle recipes, but it is also a perfect platform for businesses that are in the tourism industry. According to a study conducted by Ahalogy, 67% of Pinterest users are under the age of 40 and 35% of users have a household income over 100k, meaning these households most likely have disposable income. Also, nearly 25% of pins are travel and trip planning related! If those numbers alone don’t convince you to get on Pinterest, let’s dive a little deeper into why and how you should be pinning.

Why Your Attraction Should Be On Pinterest

Longer Shelf Life and Shared Content

Your content on Pinterest will have found the fountain of eternal youth and will live on forever! Ok, maybe it's not exactly like that. However, produce high-quality, evergreen content and it will have a longer shelf life than it would on other social platforms. With the search and discovery powers of Pinterest, ideally, your pins will be shared continuously.

Referral Traffic

According to Shareaholic, around 5% of referral traffic to websites comes from Pinterest. Meaning businesses with great content on Pinterest have the ability to drive conversions and visits to their websites. To accomplish this, we highly suggest ensuring all of your pins and your website is optimized.

Planned Trips

As stated earlier, nearly 25% of pins are travel related. The days of using a travel agency are over, and Pinterest has stepped in to be everyone's personal travel agent. Pinterest has grown to be a site that is most used for trip planning, so it only makes sense that your tourism business is posting your content to the site.

How To Get Pinning

Step One – Create Your Account

Make sure all of your information is filled out correctly, and that your profile picture accurately depicts your business or is your company's logo.

Step Two – Get On Board!

After you have added your profile photo and account information, it’s time for you to start creating your Pinterest boards. We suggest creating at least three boards, and these boards will depend on your company and what you offer. Some ideas for your boards could be your tours, products or places your company loves, and blogs. One of our favorite accounts to look at for inspiration is Expedia.

Expedia's Pinterest Profile

Step Three – Put a Pin In It

When adding a “pin” make sure to use a high-quality image that has a text overlay. There are multiple dimensions that work on Pinterest, but the most suggested one is 736 x 1102 pixels. Once you load your image, make sure your post is optimized by adding a title, description, and link. Ensure there is a keyword or two in the pin, and get to posting! Remember when pinning to ensure you are using high-quality photos, and studies show that users respond more to photos without any faces in them. Also, take some time to engage with other users by commenting on highly shared pins, responding to messages, and re-pinning other users and influences.

An example of a "Pin" from Expedia

Pinterest is still a relatively new platform when it comes to digital marketing, and now is a great time to get your tourism business on it. It's perfect for spreading brand awareness, interacting with influencers, and sharing your content. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at AAMP Agency!

Why & How You Should Market Your Destination or Attraction to Millennials

Why & How You Should Market Your Destination or Attraction to Millennials

As I reached the top of Helvellyn from the Striding Edge approach, I took a photo of my friends posing by the summit. As I smiled and checked the photo, I noticed another group. Their arms locked together, they smiled at small jokes they made as they all stared at the lakes below us. I took this photo and then approached them to ask if they would like a copy. They were three sisters with their mother. The mother is the lady in green who's glasses you can just make out. The way they face the view as she clings fondly to her daughters; this image will always remind me of family.
Photographer: Matt Heaton | Source: Unsplash

According to Pew, those born between 1981 and 1997 are now the largest generation (75.4 million people), and they travel more for both business and leisure than older generations. Traditional advertising campaigns had worked previously with older generations, but millennials are often leery of destination marketers, forcing businesses to adapt to non-traditional methods. While millennials might take more persuasion, it is not impossible. Keep reading to learn Why & How You Should Market Your Destination or Attraction to Millennials.

1. Get Social

It's no secret that millennials love social media, in fact, a study conducted by EMarketer had shown that 90% of millennials use social media. Almost every aspect of millennial's travel is shaped by social media. Whether its gathering travels inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram, to online reviews on specific spots and tours, to sharing their experiences on their own platforms. Social media is everything, and tour operators, attractions and any business tourism-related should be capitalizing on it. So how does a business get social online? Check out these examples:

• Targeted Facebook Ads
• User-Generated Content (Read more about it here)
• Sharing engaging & relatable content which includes
– Geofilters on Snapchat
– 360-degree videos
– Virtual Reality experiences
– Blogs, articles, etc

2. Make it Instagram Worthy

While sharing your own content is amazing, finding ways to encourage millennials to post and share their own experiences is even better. Again, read more about user-generated content here to understand just how useful UGC is. Also, we've written about being an insta-worthy attraction before, so check that out here. Here's the gist:

• Offer to take their photos for your customers
• Find nice spots that will provide a good looking photo
• Remind your guests to tag your account and use your hashtag

3. Look into "Bleisure"

Baby boomers are starting to retire or are so advanced in their careers that business trips are less common. Millennialls are now the driving force in business trips, and they like to take advantage of the travel opportunity. Millennials are more likely to buy flight upgrades during a business trip, and a more likely to extend their trip by a few days to turn it into a mini-vacation. Businesses in the tourism industry should encourage this behavior by inspiring them to visit your destination or attraction, and include messaging about extending business trips, adding activities to their itinerary and upgrading their experiences.

4. Encourage Loyalty

Unlike older generations, Millennials are more open to loyalty proframs in fact Expedia has said that 51% of millennials find loyalty programs important when they are booking hotel stays. Only 30% of baby boomers found loyalty programs important. By encouraging loyalty, DMO's and businesses can keep a connection with the customer and find ways to get these visitors to return. Offer a good enough loyalty program, and they'll be telling their friends and family as well.

5. Personalization

Millennials like being able to have an experience that can be catered to their interests! They are also searching for simple, and if something is already planned out for them then that is even better! To add personalization in try updating your website and content for easy booking, support, and information. Your business can also promote suggested itineraries featuring on-location & local experiences.

6. Be Authentic

Millennials do not want to feel like the stereotypical tourist. They crave authentic and local experiences. According to the Huffington Post, 86% of millennials would rather experience a new culture, compared to 44 percent who prefer to party or 28 percent who prefer shopping. Take this into consideration when trying to provide immersive experiences.

Millennials are expected to be the largest generation, surpassing even the Baby Boomers by 2028. They also have an estimated $200 billion of spending power, making their generation one to appeal to. At AAMP Agency | Adventure & Activity Marketing Pros, we are tourism & destination marketing experts. We specialize in digital marketing an understand just how important a successful marketing strategy is for your business. Contact us today for any questions or to start growing your business today.

Top 74 Holidays in 2020 for Social Media Content

Top 74 Holidays in 2020 for Social Media Content

2020 Sparklers
Photographer: Jude Beck | Source: Unsplash

Sometimes, it can be incredibly difficult to think of new and engaging content that your followers will love. It's ok, it happens to the best of us! To break through this kind of rut, we suggest spicing things up on occasion with fun and relevant holidays! There is more than just the big ones such as Labor Day and Christmas! We're talking National Smile Day, Employee Appreciation Day, and even National Cheeseburger Day! Here are our Top 74 Holidays in 2020 for social media content.

January Holidays for Social Media

1. Wednesday, January 1st – New Year's Day

2. Thursday, January 16th – Get to Know Your Customers Day

3. Monday, January 20th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

4. Friday, January 24th – National Compliment Day

5. Saturday, January 25th – Chinese New Year

February Holidays for Social Media

6. Sunday, February 2nd – Groundhog Day

7. Sunday, February 2nd – Super Bowl LIV

8. Sunday, February 9th – National Pizza Day

9. Friday, February 14th – Valentine's Day

10. Monday, February 17th – President's Day

11. Thursday, February 20th – Love Your Pet Day

March 2020 Holidays for Social Media

12 Friday, March 6th – National Employee Appreciation Day

13. Saturday, March 7th – National Be Heard Day

14. Sunday, March 8th – International Women's Day

15. Tuesday, March 17th – St. Patrick's Day

16. Thursday, March 19th -First Day of Spring

April 2020 Holidays for Social Media

17. Wednesday, April 1st – April Fools Day

18. Friday, April 10th – National Siblings Day

19. Saturday, April 11th – National Pet Day

20. Sunday, April 12th – Easter

21. Thursday, April 16 – National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

22. Thursday, April 16th – Get to Know Your Customers Day

23. Wednesday, April 22nd – Earth Day

24. Tuesday, April 28th – Pay It Forward Day

May 2020 Holidays for Social Media

25. Friday, May 1st – May Day

26. Monday, May 4th – Star Wars Day

27. Tuesday, May 5th – Cinco de Mayo

28. Wednesday, May 6th – National Nurses Day

29. Sunday, May 10th – Mother's Day

30. Monday, May 25th – Memorial Day

June 2020 Holidays for Social Media

31. Monday, June 1st – National Say Something Nice Day

32. Friday, June 5th – National Donut Day

33. Monday, June 8th – National Best Friends Day

34. Saturday, June 20th – First Day of Summer

35. Sunday, June 21st – Father's Day

36. Sunday, June 21st – National Selfie Day

37. Tuesday, June 30th – Social Media Day

July 2020 Holidays for Social Media

38. Saturday, July 4th – Independence Day

39. Tuesday, July 7th – World Chocolate Day

40. Wednesday, July 15th – Give Something Away Day

41. Friday, July 17th – World Emoji Day

42. Friday, July 31st – National Mutt Day

August 2020 Holidays for Social Media

43. Sunday, August 2nd – International Day of Friendship

44. Saturday, August 8th – International Cat Day

45. Sunday, August 9th – National Book Lovers Day

46. Monday, August 10th – National Lazy Day

47. Saturday, August 15th – National Relaxation Day

48. Sunday, August 16th – National Tell A Joke Day

49. Wednesday, August 19th – World Photo Day

50. Wednesday, August 26th – National Dog Day

September 2020 Holidays for Social Media

51. Monday, September 7th – Labor Day

52. Friday, September 11th – National Day of Service & Remembrance

53. Sunday, September 13th – National Grandparents Day

54. Monday, September 21st – International Day of Peace

55. Tuesday, September 22nd – First Day of Fall

56. Tuesday, September 29th – National Coffee Day

October 2020 Holidays for Social Media

57. Friday, October 2nd – World Smile Day

58. Sunday, October 4th – National Taco Day

59. Wednesday, October 14th – National Dessert Day

60. Friday, October 16th – Bosses Day

61. Saturday, October 31st – Halloween

November 2020 Holidays for Social Media

62. Wednesday, November 11th – Veterans Day

63. Thursday, November 19th – National Entrepreneurs Day

64. Thursday, November 26th – Thanksgiving Day

65. Friday, November 27th – Black Friday

66. Saturday, November 28th – Small Business Saturday

67. Monday, November 30th – Cyber Monday

December 2020 Holidays for Social Media

68. Tuesday, December 1st – Giving Tuesday

69. Friday, December 4th – National Cookie Day

70. Thursday, December 19th – Hanukkah Begins

71. Monday, December 21st – Winter Begins

72. Thursday, December 24th – Christmas Eve

73. Friday, December 25th – Christmas Day

74. Thursday, December 31sr – New Year's Eve