The travel industry is a massive global market, and content marketing is a vital tool for companies within it. Whether you're a hotel, airline, or tourist board, content marketing can help you reach new customers and keep existing ones coming back for more.
In this guide, we'll take a look at what content marketing is, how it fits with your digital marketing strategy, and how you can use it to boost your business in the travel industry.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and engaging content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Content marketing helps companies achieve their business and marketing goals by building brand awareness, lead generation, or even to drive traffic to a website.
In the travel industry, content marketing can be used to promote special offers, highlight destinations, or provide valuable information to help travelers plan their trip. There are many types of pieces of content in several formats a company can produce. As long as it’s high-quality pieces of content, content marketing is key in any digital marketing strategy.
Why is Content Marketing Important for the Travel Industry?
The travel industry is all about selling experiences, and content creation is the perfect way to do just that. By creating great content, you can give potential customers a taste of what they can expect from your company and convince them to book with you. Content marketing can also be used to build loyalty and repeat business by providing existing customers with quality content or exclusive offers that will keep them coming back for more.
Travelers spend 53 days planning their trip before taking off. This means that you have nearly two months to make the most of your content marketing campaign You want to ensure you're at the top of the list when that traveler is looking for hotels or flights. Creating engaging content with keywords will boost your chances of making it to the first page of SERPs (search engine results page). Most people don't scroll past page one of Google; you need to be first and center to make the most significant impact.
SEO for Travel Industry Professionals
Content marketing and search engine optimization go hand in hand. Content marketing is the perfect marketing strategy to drive SEO results. Optimization of your content for the search engines can increase your chances of ranking higher in SERPs for relevant keywords and phrases. This will not only help you attract new customers but also convince existing ones to book with you again.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Use relevant keywords and phrases throughout your content to help the search engines understand what your content is about.
- Include links to your website and other relevant websites throughout your content to help boost your authority.
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate so potential customers can easily find the information they're looking for.
If you're unsure where to start, our team of experts can help you develop a content marketing strategy to help you achieve your business goals. Contact us today to learn more.
Destination Guides
One type of content that is particularly popular in the travel industry is destination guides, this is valuable and relevant content. These guides provide potential travelers with all the information they need to plan a trip. Destination guides are a great way to show off your company's knowledge and expertise and can be used to promote both popular and lesser-known destinations.
Destination guides can include all sorts of information. One type of content that you should include in your destination guide is images. Not only will images boost the likelihood of potential customers reading your content, but it also helps boost your SEO strategy. Search engines look for results that include images or videos and rank those higher than those without.
Here are a few ideas of what to include in a destination guide:
A list of must-see attractions - try to find lesser-known attractions that may entice potential customers. When travelers are in foreign countries, they often want to know the place's hidden secrets or feel like a local. The more insider information you can impart, the more likely that potential customers will trust you.
Recommended hotels - where do you recommend your customers stay? Consider including prices and links to the hotels or properties you write about. Even better, you could try to partner with a local hotel or property to offer discounts for your potential customers.
Images and videos - image and video content are kings in content marketing. People plan their trips with their eyes - they want to see their potential destinations in all lights. You don't have to be a professional photographer to take great pictures. Check out HubSpot's blog on taking great pictures with your phone.
When creating a destination guide, make sure to include relevant keywords throughout the content to help potential customers find your guide. You should also include links to your website and other relevant websites so readers can easily find more information.
User Generated Content
Another effective content marketing strategy for the travel industry is encouraging customers to share their experiences. User-generated content, or UGC, can take many forms, from online reviews and ratings to social media posts and photos. UGC is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential customers, providing an honest, unbiased view of your company.
While this takes some dedication on social media, it's possible to do with the help of a marketing agency. When looking for UGC, look for posts with great images that speak to the benefits of using your company, property, or booking service. Be sure to look through mentions of your company, what people are saying, and any pictures that are worth sharing. Remember that sharing photos without permission can get you in some hot water; make sure to reach out to the customer before sharing their content.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a relatively new addition to the world of content marketing, but they're already proving to be popular with travelers. Podcasts offer an engaging and convenient way to consume information, making them perfect for busy people on the go. What's more, podcasts can be easily shared with others, meaning they have the potential to reach a broad audience.
Your podcast could be about anything within your field. You could discuss current affairs affecting the travel industry, share tips and advice for travelers, or interview people with interesting stories to tell. One fantastic idea we've seen is podcasts recorded by travelers worldwide. So when you're in your next destination, consider recording your podcast from there, and if possible, include a local in your podcast. That's one way to stand out!
Guest Posts
Guest posting is a great way to get your company's name out there and build brand awareness. By writing guest posts for other travel-related websites and blogs, you can reach a whole new audience of potential customers. Guest posting also allows you to show off your company's knowledge and expertise and build credibility and trust with potential customers.
Alternatively, ask a peer to guest post on your blog or take over your social media for a while. This is a great way to connect with other travel companies and form partnerships. Working together to create content for each other is an excellent way to connect with new audiences. You get the benefit of reaching their followers, and they get exposure to your audience.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on working with individuals who have influence over potential customers. Influencers can be celebrities, social media personalities, or even everyday people with large followings. By partnering with influencers, you can reach a larger audience and promote your company in a more positive light.
YouTube Channel
A great way to reach potential customers is to create a YouTube channel. YouTube channels are an excellent platform for sharing destination guides, user-generated content, and even podcast transcripts. You can even recycle content to post on your YouTube channel. If you have a particularly well-performing blog, consider turning it into a video.
Or, create a video based on an infographic you've produced. There are so many ways to use YouTube to your advantage. Moreover, YouTube channels are free to set up and easy to use. Plus, with over two billion active users, there's a good chance your target audience is already on YouTube.
Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing
As you can see, social media marketing and content marketing go hand-in-hand. Producing content but not posting it to social media is a sure way to be ignored in the travel space. Likewise, posting to social media without any content strategy is a recipe for disaster. The two need to work together in order to be successful. Using social media to repost or post content like infographics or images, is part of a successful content marketing strategy.
Not every social media platform is right for every company. Take note of which platform your target audience uses most often. Facebook is still the number one social media platform and creating content for Facebook is a great way to push your brand awareness. However, if your target audience is mostly on Instagram, then focus on creating content for that platform. LinkedIn is another often forgotten social media platform that is ideal for B2B businesses.
The most important thing to remember is that content marketing and social media marketing are not a one-time effort. Content marketing should be an ongoing strategy with the goal of building trust and credibility with potential customers. Likewise, social media should be used to post new content, engage with potential customers, and build relationships.
Whitepapers For Businesses
If you want to get more leads from your content marketing strategy, consider creating whitepapers. Whitepapers are in-depth reports on a particular topic. They are usually longer than a blog post and provide more detailed information. Creating a whitepaper is a great way to show off your company's knowledge and expertise on a given subject. They can be used as lead magnets to attract new customers.
Like with all content marketing, whitepapers are great for search engine optimization. Using relevant content paired with researched keywords creates the perfect whitepaper for content marketing. A whitepaper is usually a download option from a company's website and is a great way to bring in potential customers.
Content marketing is a great way to attract new customers and promote your company. By creating engaging and informative content, you can build trust and credibility with potential customers and show off your company's knowledge and expertise. And with so many different types of content to choose from, there's sure to be a perfect strategy for your business.