2020 has been a journey the travel industry won’t forget in a hurry. Throughout the past five months, we’ve seen consumer behaviour change drastically, and have had to change our e-commerce strategies to adapt.
NB: This is an article from Avvio
With this in mind, we’ve recapped what’s new for digital and have provided tried and trusted tactics that will drive the most booked revenue in August.
1) Review international targeting
Air bridges are now confirmed for the UK & Ireland, opening up a world of international travel. With such a narrow focus on the domestic audience for the past five months, it’s time to review: if your digital marketing budget can cover additional geo-targeting, if your campaign assets appeal to an international markets, what are the expected lead times of international campaigns, which offers you’ll promote, and which channels to concentrate on.
> Discover more about the impact of air bridges on travel marketing here
2) Update your Google Search Ad Copy
Google recently added a new feature to responsive search add; a countdown for flash sales and location messaging. Your campaign ad copy can now dynamically pull in the end date of a specific offer; perfect for promoting flash sales or seasonal offers. To make the most of this feature, communicate any planned offers to your digital marketing team.
> Learn more from Search Engine Land here
3) Relaunch your non-accommodation campaigns
With restrictions clearly defined for public gatherings, weddings, conferences and F&B business are beginning to resurface. With that, comes a need for marketing to support your business goals. In order to increase wedding show rounds, and restaurant reservations, it’s time to turn back on our paid campaigns across social media and Google Ads. These can work with low-level spends, from €/£100 per month, and are highly targeting to your ideal audience. Whether it’s blasting your local area with Google Display ads for your new menus, or using video campaigns to appeal to prospective brides, it’s time to resume activity.
> Follow our re-launch guide to plan your campaign creatives
4) Review your site on mobile devices
Device trends have changed drastically this summer. Mobile devices are now used to book holidays more than ever before. The cause – of course – is the large level of domestic bookings; international guests have always been more prone to book on desktop, given the perceived risk involved in international travel. Between May 1st – July 31st our Irish properties have seen a 60% increase in mobile revenue (compared to the same period last year) with mobile revenue 43% of total revenue.
5) Prepare your Q4 content
This year, organic performance has become more competitive than ever, and for good reason. When the travel sector did not have a budget for paid campaigns, content truly became king. The flip side of this; there is now a lot of high-quality content in the hospitality industry, including content on your competitors’ websites. In order to compete, you need to have quality content year-round, for each seasonal event. Your Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas content should all be readied by mid-August.
