Now that people are starting to travel again, it is a great time to look at digital marketing trends.
Understanding these trends allows you to connect with more customers and bring in more revenue. It also helps you put your money and time into the things that will pay the highest return on investment. For example, BuzzGuru’s research shows that the ROI of influencer marketing can be 11 times greater than other types of advertisement, such as banner ads. But of course, it takes a wise approach to travel company marketing: use the influencer marketing campaign management tool to do it right.
Growth of Digital Marketing
The first trend is that companies will continue to count on digital marketing to reach current and potential customers. According to the report The US Digital Marketing Forecast, 2018 to 2023 by Forrester, the amount that companies spend on digital marketing will go up by 9% per year over at least the next three years.
Mobile Becomes Even More Important
Travelers are using their smartphones more than ever to seek out the information they want without interacting with a person. While having a mobile-friendly website that goes with the traveler each step of the way from initial interest through booking to leaving a review, it is also vital to concentrate on voice search.
Understanding how people want to use their mobile devices and voice search is vital to maximizing your digital marketing. When people head to your travel website, they are looking for information. When they use voice search, they are ready to make a purchase.
Digitalization is Allowing Guests to Enjoy Their Experience More
Especially within the hotel industry, digitalization is being used to allow guests to enjoy their experience more. For example, many hotels have installed Alexa or a similar device so that guests can communicate with the front desk or order room service without having to use their personal devices.
Additionally, more travel and tourism venues are finding ways to upgrade experiences through digitalization. For example, guests may be able to push a button at a museum to learn more about a topic or take a yoga class by watching a trainer on a screen. Additionally, as was seen many times in 2020, travelers will buy virtual experiences to destinations that they may never visit in person.
Big Data
Companies within the travel industry are relying on big data more than ever to determine what is working for them and where they are losing out to their competition. Descriptive analytics can segment the traveling public to effectively market to people by their interests, income levels, age, and a host of other factors. Predictive analytics allows those in the travel industry to predict a group’s future behavior based on what has happened in the past. Finally, prescriptive analytics will enable actions to be taken automatically to meet the traveler’s desires.
Social Media Remains Important
One trend that will continue to be important is social media, but the platforms may change over time. Therefore, it is necessary to know what your target travelers are currently hanging out and the requirements for marketing on that platform. For example, if most of your audience uses Instagram, then you need mouth-dropping photos, but if your audience uses Tik Tok, you need short humorous social media videos that users can easily share.
Influencer Marketing
Travelers feel a personal connection to the people that they choose to follow. Learning to harness these influencers to build your brand will become even more critical as distrust in sports stars, entertainers and the media continue to grow. Therefore, it will be vital for those in the hospitality industry to figure out how to connect with these individuals and have them promote your destination.
Keeping these six trends in mind will help you spend your time and money wisely on digital marketing in the travel industry. Hiring a reliable digital marketing agency will make things easier for you.
