During the pandemic, the travel industry was arguably one of the worst affected.
However, things are looking up for businesses as more people begin to travel.
In response to these new trends, businesses will need to revise their digital marketing strategies.
Here are the top three digital marketing trends in the travel industry, as well as strategies for responding to them.
Making Use of User-Generated Content
The travel industry is all about providing customers with memorable experiences. This lends itself well to user-generated content, which is content created by actual customers of a specific brand, product, or service.
Travelers are marketing savvy and can tell the difference between genuine content and colourful, mass produced marketing campaign. Customers, particularly in this post-pandemic environment, crave human connection. Before they commit to your business, they want to know that others like them believe in it.
You can take advantage of this by doing the following:
Providing incentives for travellers to share their experiences
Including your own employees in the process
To encourage and convert customers into brand advocates, share as much user-generated content as possible.
Creating a Customized Customer Experience
Traveling is an individual experience. People spend a significant amount of time planning and saving for vacations. They want to feel as if they are being treated as distinguished guests while on vacation.
As more people travel again, hospitality and travel-related businesses should seize the opportunity to delight both new and returning customers.
One way they can accomplish this is by serving more relevant content. Personalization will aid in the development of stronger customer connections. You can build a better profile for each user and serve them more relevant and engaging content if you track how customers interact with your content.
Hotels, for example, may begin stocking a guest’s favourite wine in a mini bar. Another example is a company that provides better seating for passengers with children in order to accommodate their families. While on board, they could also provide age-appropriate activities for the children.
Personalization that makes a customer or guest feel special helps to increase brand advocacy, customer spend, and the likelihood of repeat business.
Prioritizing Mobile
While working from home may give the impression that desktop use has increased, mobile will account for 55% of page views in 2021. Travel and hospitality companies must optimise their digital touchpoints. This will ensure that the customer journey from the homepage to the checkout page is smooth and seamless.
Mobile apps have become commonplace in the travel industry, allowing for paperless travel. Apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay make it even easier to buy services and goods all over the world. Ensure that your customer journey is mobile-friendly at all times.
Taking These Suggestions One Step Further
All of these strategies are effective when combined with a localization strategy. This ensures that you serve all of your potential customers, regardless of where they are or what language they speak. Localization ensures that your content is relevant and in the languages that your target audience prefers.
Your localization strategy is determined by your company’s needs and can range from translating your mobile app and creating localised content to using AI technology to personalise the customer journey.