Marketing Your Business in a Declining Economy
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In challenging economic times, marketing becomes a crucial tool for tourism businesses to not only survive but thrive. While a recession may bring uncertainties, strategic marketing can help you attract guests, retain loyal customers, and differentiate your business.
Here are some tips to navigate marketing for your tourism business in a recession environment:
1. Focus on Value Proposition
- Emphasise what sets your property apart from competitors. Highlight unique amenities, personalised experiences, your special location, or exceptional service that guests won't find elsewhere.
- Offer value-added packages without compromising on quality. You don't have to always compete on price, but rather provide great value! That means the guest will feel like the price of what you offer is worth it based on your unique offerings.
2. Leverage Digital Marketing
- Invest in having a user-friendly website optimised for search engines (SEO). Ensure your website is mobile-responsive, loads quickly, and features high-quality visuals and compelling content. Consider the benefits of a tourism themed website on the monthly subscription plan to avoid large one-off costs for a new website design.
- Utilise social media platforms to engage with potential guests, share updates, promote special offers, and showcase your property's personality.
3. Build Relationships with Past Customers
- Leverage your existing customer base by staying in touch with past guests through email marketing campaigns. Offer them exclusive deals or incentives for repeat bookings. The domestic market is a strong opportunity for repeat business!
- Encourage customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Booking.com. Positive reviews can significantly impact future bookings.
4. Collaborate with Local Businesses
- Partner with local accommodation, attractions, restaurants, and tour operators to create attractive packages that offer a comprehensive experience. Cross-promotion can expand your reach and appeal to a wider audience.
- Participate in local events or sponsor community initiatives to increase brand visibility and show your commitment to the local community.
5. Embrace Flexible Booking Policies
- In uncertain times, flexibility is key. Offer flexible cancellation policies, discounted rates for extended stays, or options for rescheduling bookings to accommodate changing plans.
- Communicate your policies clearly on your website and during the booking process to build trust and reassure potential customers.
6. Monitor Trends and Adapt
- Stay informed about industry trends, market demand, and competitor strategies. Adjust your marketing efforts and offerings accordingly to stay competitive and meet evolving traveller preferences.
- Track how your business is performing compared to previous years and seasons and fine tune pricing to cater to different levels of demand.
- Review previous campaigns and packages to see what worked well - recycle and repeat!
In conclusion, marketing during a recession requires a strategic approach that focuses on value, digital presence, customer relationships, local collaborations, flexibility, and adaptability. By implementing these tips, you can navigate challenging economic conditions and position your property for long-term success in the hospitality industry.
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Tourism Websites
Attract and inspire customers with a well-designed website.
We have been designing and building websites for tourism operators for over fifteen years. This means we understand the DNA of the five stages of travel and how to drive bookings.
- Bespoke and themed website options
- Tourism focused mobile-friendly designs
- Sell Gift Vouchers from your website
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Social Media Marketing Packages
Build your social media engagement to grow bookings!
Create better engagement & reach with your organic posts with paid social campaigns.
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Search Engine Optimisation Packages
Drive awareness & website traffic from search engines.
Our SEO experts help more people discover your business online! By researching and incorporating specific keywords into your website content, you’ll be ranked more highly on Google and have a far better chance of being seen.
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