The travel industry today is completely different from just a few decades ago. The days of relying on billboards and travel guide advertisements to attract visitors are long gone. To reach your target market, creating a strong online presence should be a top priority for your organization. A strong online presence means that you can successfully draw attention to your organization online and people can easily find information on what you offer. The internet provides travelers with an abundance of information that can help guide their decisions on where to go and what to do. As a tourist myself, a lot of times I find out about new destinations online alone and I base my decisions on the information I can find about it online. If your business is unsearchable, tourists aren't going to risk visiting your destination for fear of wasting their time and money.
The first thing you need to do is evaluate your current online presence. Below you will find a list of questions to consider before you begin to start to create a new marketing strategy.
The first thing you need to do is evaluate your current online presence. Below you will find a list of questions to consider before you begin to start to create a new marketing strategy.
- Do you have active Facebook and Twitter accounts?
- Do you have a interactive website?
- Do you advertise online?
- Do you offer special online discounts and deals?
- Can people find ratings and reviews about your organization?
- Can people easily find information about you using a search engine?
If you said no to a lot of these questions, you have an opportunity to reach thousands of potential visitors if your willing to put in the effort. If you said yes to these questions, there's still probably areas for your organization to grow even more whether it be gaining more followers or getting more customers to leave reviews.
Each week I will be writing about different aspects of online marketing for your travel destination that will help you form strategies specifically for your organization from social media tips to online advertising. Make sure to follow the blog and stay tuned for more! You can also follow me on twitter or LinkedIn!
