|
Good news This is the first of five articles, where you will
learn some simple, but highly effective marketing strategies that most
travel professionals totally overlook. Let me be your guide into the
sometimes “perilous land of promotions” for destinations, tour
packagers, lodge, resorts or anyone in the tourism industry. On this
important journey, you will learn how-to break down the critical
elements of your marketing communications into bit-sized pieces that has
more then doubled the results of travel professionals I know.
How Effective Is Your Marketing?
One of the primary ways the majority of your
prospective clients are going to find out about your tourism destination
or tour is through the written word (copy) on your web site, brochure,
ads, etc. The effectiveness of the copy used in your marketing materials
has a significant impact on your bottom line. If you don’t grab and
compel a prospect in their first exposure to your offerings, especially
on your home page, trade show banner, headlines of ads or flyers, they
are gone – and fast.
Don’t believe me? Next time you have are exhibiting
at a travel trade show, count how many seconds it takes for a prospect,
whose bags are stuffed with brochures they may never read, to pass by
your booth. Maybe 4 – 6 seconds?
How about your website visitor logs. Check them out
and you’ll find that a HUGE percentage of your prospects are not
staying or are leaving in less than a minute.
Guess what. It is the same with your brochures, print
and electronic ads, postcards, sales letters and more.
Creating clarity and quality in your marketing
communications, so that your prospective buyers quickly find what they
are looking for, is the winning combination to increased sales and
arrivals.
Your Marketing Communications Don’t Automatically
= Sales
No matter if you’re trying to put together a group
or promote a tour company, lodge, destination or even a whole state, you
have got to be able to communicate your marketing message effectively.
Unfortunately, most tourism professionals don’t know how to write
marketing and sales oriented promotional materials. They usually hire
graphic artists or web designers for this.
Bad news.
Graphic artists, designers and web technicians are not
usually sales people either. So your travel marketing and sales
investments suffer.
Creating Marketing Materials That Sell!
The tourism marketing communications tool I use to
create copy that sells is called: The Defining/Credibility Statement©(D/C).
A good D/C Statement© will help you qualify your best
prospects FAST and then speak quickly to their basic motivators; their
needs, concerns, desires and fears.
This is a core influence on their purchasing
decisions.
The D/C Statement is a four-part marketing
communication building block that quickly:
1. Defines your travel offerings
2. Provides descriptive clarity
3. Speaks to your companies level of experience &
professionalism
4. Motivates the reader to want to know more about
your business/destination.
In part II of my IV series on tourism marketing
communications, I’ll reveal step #1 – the Credibility Statement©.
This is one of the most important parts of your new promotional strategy
you cannot afford to miss.
=
|
