The travel industry is a constantly evolving whirlwind of emerging trends, shifting consumer behaviours, and technological innovations that keep brands on their toes. Gone are the days where physical brochures and walk-in, high street travel agencies dominated the industry. And out of its ashes has emerged a dynamic digital landscape where the right marketing can showcase your travel brand effectively in this highly competitive avenue.
With a simple click, consumers can find themselves transported off their sofa, scrolling through a browser of potential travel companies to the sandy beaches of Bali. But how do you ensure your brand stands out as a top contender?
Whether you’re a boutique travel agency or a global tour operator, updating your digital marketing for the travel sector is a necessity. In this blog, we’ll be unlocking the different areas of digital marketing for the travel industry and how you can harness its power to navigate the ever-evolving world of travel.
Why Brands Need to Embrace Digital Marketing for the Travel Industry
Put yourself in the shoes of a customer planning their next trip away from home. Where did you initially get inspired for a holiday, was it social media after seeing someone’s post in Iceland and now you’re imagining yourself with a cocktail in hand bathing in the Blue Lagoon.
Or maybe you’re a little more ahead in the planning stage. You know you need a ‘city break away in Paris’ so you’re placing those exact words into Google and going with the first option that comes up.
Believe it or not, all of these consumer stages can be captured strategically thorough digital marketing for the travel sector. From SEO to social media, the digital world of travel marketing offers an array of tools to connect with potential travellers at every stage of their journey.
Digital Marketing in the Travel Sector
Navigating SEO – Making Your Destination Discoverable
Search Engine Optimisation (commonly abbreviated to SEO) is all about making your travel brand more visible in search engines. But to break this down into simpler terms, it’s about making sure your website ranks for important keywords relevant to your business. Around 70% of people say they use search engines to plan their travel. Which means you need to ensure your travel SEO is up to scratch on to capture these consumers.
By optimising your landing pages with the right keywords, improving your site’s speed, enhancing your local-search presence and obtaining high-quality backlinks; you can boost your website’s authority, improve its search engine ranking, and drive more organic traffic. This in turn, increases the chances of your dream customer finding you and actually booking.
Content Writing – For Added Value and Inspiration
In the travel industry, content is king. No matter the format, travel content marketing allows you to tell your story in a way that truly resonates with your audience. It’s about creating valuable content that answers your audience’s questions, solves their problems, and inspires their next trip.
Blogging is a particularly powerful tool within digital marketing for the travel sector and a great way to target those harder to implement longer-tail keywords that don’t fit into your landing pages. Keywords such as ‘hidden spots to see in Lisbon’ or ‘the best restaurants in Croatia’ are great examples of this. A well-crafted blog can drive traffic to your site, boost your SEO, and position your brand as an authority in your niche.
But meaningful travel content doesn’t stop there. Podcasts, testimonials, press releases, case studies and cleverly crafted video series that are posted to YouTube, if optimised correctly, can all feed into your wider SEO strategy.
Social Media – Your Digital Travel Brochure
Social media is where you can turn inspiration into leads. It’s been found that 35% of people will find new travel destinations on Instagram which inspire their next trip. So imagine if your account was the one to initially capture their attention.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok are the new-age travel brochures, where stunning visuals and engaging stories are what bring new consumers through the digital door. In particular, travel social media plays a strong role in the digital marketing space as it helps build community, showcase unique experiences, and drive bookings.
The beauty of this form of travel industry digital marketing is its versatility. From user-generated content that builds credibility with an audience will see travellers 48% more likely to book. While creative destination posts and insightful videos will add that extra value to the consumer and result in your content being shared with other users and saved to be referred to later.
PPC – Driving Instant Traffic to Your Destination
During the pandemic, a lot of travel companies struggled to operate due to the on-going travel restrictions. As a result, around 78% of travel businesses decided to cut paid advertising spending post-pandemic, leaving a large gap in the market even to this day.
The silver lining here is that PPC has become a much less competitive form of digital marketing for the travel sector. For the travel industry, PPC can be a game-changer, especially when promoting time-sensitive offers like last-minute getaways or seasonal packages.
The beauty of travel PPC is in its precision. You can target by location, interests, and even specific keywords, ensuring your ads reach the right audience at the right time. It is more of an immediate form of digital marketing, with the ability to track and measure results in real-time you can quickly adjust your strategy to maximise ROI and keep those bookings rolling in.
Optimising Your Digital Marketing Within the Travel Industry
With the digital age forever changing, it’s important we understand and adapt to the way consumers plan, book, and experience travel. Whether it’s leveraging the power of SEO, creating buzz on social media, or telling captivating stories through content marketing, the opportunities are endless.
Ready to enhance your digital marketing strategies? Get in touch with our travel marketing agency today to learn more about our services and how we can help enforce your travel brand’s presence in the industry.
