Get Ahead By Mastering the Marketing Basics
Some common marketing questions are answered with this article which covers a few of the basics of marketing a tourism businesses.
How can I get my business on the first page of Google?
There are many ways! It all depends on your budget and marketing strategy. Here are a number of ways to ensure your business appears on the first page of Google results using either an organic tactic (free) or paid:
- Use thorough keyword research to create content like blogs and FAQS to boost your Search Engine Marketing
- Run Google Ads campaigns: Factors impacting which page your ad shows on include your budget and bids, keyword competition, your Ad Rank, and your account settings.
- Optimise your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business).
Why does my competitor come up in a search results and I don't?
There’s a variety of reasons why this could happen, including: your competitor may have a new, more Google and UX friendly website, they may be actively doing SEO and updating their website with fresh, value-filled content, they may be running Google ads with a higher ad rank or budget.
Our team can help you with all of these strategies to ensure you stand out in a crowded market and your potential customers can find you easily. Once they do find your website does it do a good job of enticing them to book with you?
How do I drive more bookings in the off season?
Strategies for driving off season bookings will vary depending on your business, location and audience. Here’s some that we’ve seen work in the past:
- Creating themed seasonal packages such as ‘Winter Wellness Retreats’, off season discounts, stay 3/pay 2 type offers, or early bird specials to encourage advance bookings. Make these easy to book via your online reservation system.
- Targeting your local markets with tailored packages such as ‘Gourmet Staycations’, and promote the benefits of exploring their local attractions during the quiet season.
- Collaborating with local businesses to bundle your offerings. Cross-promote through each business, and pool your marketing resources.
- Promote off season offers using paid and organic social media ads and through free local channels to increase awareness and reach new or existing audiences.
How do I know if my website is working adequately or if I need a new one?
The easiest way to know if your website is doing the best job for you is to get an SEO and UX (user experience) audit of your website. The audits can identify if it’s functioning well, or if there are technical, UX or SEO issues that need to be addressed or if indeed a new site is needed.
Our ResBook marketing experts specialise in conducting SEO and UX audits, helping you to understand the results, and then implement the remedies needed to ensure your website is the best it can be with a plan for regular updates to keep it fresh. Having a tourism themed website is a great starting point to ensure you have a site which is designed to be Google and mobile friendly while also leading visitors to book.
How important is social media for my business? I struggle to find time for it.
We understand that maintaining a social media presence can feel like a drain on your precious time, but it’s important for so many reasons!
- Social Media is the best tool for the top of the funnel / First Stage of Travel - Dreaming.
- By creating engaging content and running ad campaigns on social media, you can significantly increase your brand awareness and potential audience.
- Social media platforms, especially ones like Instagram and Pinterest, are ideal for using visual storytelling to inspire travellers during the dream stage of travel.
- Engaging directly with your current and future customers by answering comments, questions, and sharing tailored content builds trust and brand loyalty.
- The number of people using social media platforms to discover and research destinations during the dream and plan stages of travel is growing - you need to be where your audience is searching. These audiences will also use social media during the experiencing and sharing travel stages, further increasing awareness of your brand, and contributing user generated content.
- Using remarketing campaigns to reconnect with people who have engaged with your social media profile is a cost effective way of keeping your business front-of-mind when they’re ready to purchase.
We offer a suite of social media packages to fit your needs and support you while you run your business!
Fix Your Marketing Mix Webinar
Watch this insightful webinar hosted by ResBook marketing gurus Gina Paladini and Regan Northwood that shares some great tips to optimise your marketing mix!
Our website had seriously passed its use-by date and needed a significant overhaul. We are impressed with the work the team have done rebuilding our website and are incredibly pleased to see our website back, helping our guests do better business with us. They know their stuff!
John Sandford, Pakiri Beach Holiday Park
ResBook provided our business with a wonderful boost, allowing us to combine a new website and booking platform to increase sales. We are confident our guest numbers will now increase with travel agents enjoying using our new platform! The team are so friendly and easy to communicate with, and...
Charlotte & Steve, Greenhill Lodge
We turned to ResBook because the team offered both a well-proven reservation system, and an opportunity to use their skills to develop and implement an initial social media marketing plan for our small luxury lodge. Given we literally started from scratch as a brand new boutique luxury lodge...
Rob & Susie, Ranginui Retreat
The assistance provided to Earthlore Tours and Activities has been immensely valuable, enabling us to not only build an exceptional website, with effective SEO, a built-in booking system, a website CMS which is easy to use and looks professional. They have helped grow our business ten-fold!
Gordon Thompson, Earthlore Tours & Activities
I loved working with the team, their CMS is really easy to use and they are so knowledgeable. I now have two websites developed by them and have enjoyed working with them and getting the most out of my businesses. Thanks team for being so supportive and look forward to working on new ideas...
Belinda Hargreaves, The Backpacker Group
ResBook has been brilliant to deal with. From setting up our booking system and also creating our website, they have made it really easy for me, and I'm not tech savvy at all. Priyanka and Estelle especially have been an amazing help.
Amber Tyrrell, Valley Views Glamping
Admin and back office duties have been made into effortless tasks thanks to ResBook...it is easy to work with, fully functional for all parties, and most of all, fun.
Graeme Male, Marchburn Country Lodge