Photo credit: Death to Stock
The original version of this post was published on May 13, 2014.
We’ve often heard the phrase “Build it and they will come”.
But how will they come if they don’t know you’ve built it? And when they do show up, how can you get them to return?
To successfully attract travelers and boost revenue, you must answer those key questions. Luckily, the solutions are simple. Here are three of them.
- Blog! Even though I touched on the importance of having a blog in this previous post, it’s a vital tip that I’ll repeat often. When you share posts about the wine tastings you host, refurbishments on your property, or new attractions in your area, you highlight more reasons for past and future guests to visit. In addition, when you work in tandem with other travel partners in your area, it benefits everyone. For best results, you should be posting at least twice a month. If your busy schedule prohibits you from taking time to write quality, relevant blogs, hiring a professional copywriter is an ideal solution.
- Check your photos. Are the photos on your website high quality? Do they accurately depict your property, destination, or attraction? Outdated, grainy, or too small photos are a deterrent. And fewer, bolder photos are better than lots of smaller photos. Make sure each photo is significant. Visual content drives engagement. Amanda Sibley over at HubSpot wrote a compelling article on the importance of visual content. Check it out here.
- Nurture relationships. This article by Neil Patel from QuickSprout sums up the importance of this nicely. He includes a helpful infographic to explain how to best appeal to your customers’ emotional triggers. Are you active on social media outlets like Facebook, and Twitter? If not, you should be!
Aruba Tourism does a phenomenal job engaging past and future visitors. Heck, I want to return to Aruba every time I read one of their tweets! Also, consistent and genuine dialog is critical. Being inactive on Twitter is actually worse than not having an account at all.
Recent Twitter feed from @Aruba
In addition to social media outlets, be proactive on review sites like Trip Advisor. Responding to both positive and negative reviews of your property, restaurant, or excursion boosts your credibility and wins the trust of those reading said reviews. St. Lucia’s Fond Doux Holiday Plantation really gets it. In a resolution-minded way, the owner responds to every review posted – good or bad – respectfully and tactfully.
Helpful tips are only helpful if you follow through with them, yes? Don’t let your busy schedule of running your travel business keep you from growing it. If writing and maintaining your blog or managing social media for your travel or tourism business seem daunting, I’m happy to help. Give me a call!
