Digital Marketing Best Practices for Tourism by Alicia Whalen, digital tourism marketing expert, presented at the Thompson Okanagan British Columbia Tourism Marketing Summit.

1. Digital Marketing for Tourism
Best Practices
Alicia Whalen, co-founder of A Couple of Chicks & Digital Travel Expert

2. #soundbites
1. Digital Travel Landscape + What’s Next?
2. Driving Successful Cross Platform Campaigns
3. NEW Game-Changing Innovations + Technology
4. Measuring Success
5. Takeaways, Tips & Best Practices
Event Social Reach:

3. 1.
The
Digital
Travel
Landscape
#TravelBCBest

4. FACT: 90% of all media interaction are screen based
Source: @Nielsen 2013

5. What’s
the
impact
?

7. What are we doing online?!

10. Over the past 5-years, online travel booking revenue
has grown by more than 73%
57% of all travel reservations now made online. (eMarketer; 2014)
Most mobile travel
research and booking!
—will occur on smart
phones rather than
tablets. !
#TravelBCBest

11. #TravelBCBest

12. #TravelBCBest

14. ! Sharing across platforms
! Sharing in real-time
! Telling YOUR stories

15. #TravelBCBest
What’s Next:!

16. 1. Google Claims a Stake in Travel!
• Google is the MOTHERSHIP of Digital
• Travel is tied into Search
Dream + Research + Compare = Buy
• Search has become crowded and expensive
• Travel Marketers Must Focus on Local + Mobile
Optimization: Google+, Google Business Listing + Places
• Let the Big Travel Brands (Hotel brands OTA’s, MetaSearch engines
like Kayak and Tripadvisor, Airlines and Travel aggregators)
play the Paid Search game
And focus on…!

17. " Being Found !
" Converting the Sale !
& Delivering the Experience!!

18. Specifically… !

19. 2. Fragmented Travel Buying Process!
It’s complicated….!

20. So what’s a Marketer to do?!
DMO’s, Hotel Brands, Airlines are nervous about
their place in the consumer buying process.!
All are battling to remain in control of the customer!

21. Digital Marketing Must Do’s!

22. 3. Social Media and the “Reviewousphere”!

23. Why is Social Media important to us?!
Travel is about Marketing the Experience!
• Travel reviews critical in driving revenue!
• Today’s connected consumer wants to
talk to you!

24. Deliver the Experience!
#ILOVEBC
#Roadtrippin
Listen, Respond, Participate + Repeat!

25. 4. It’s all about that Data…!
Knowledge is power!

26. Measure and Adjust!
Big or Basic…Know your Data!

27. MEASURE: Google Analytics Goal Tracking!

28. Do you know what drives traffic to your cash register?!

29. Track ROI of Social Media!
Track a Conversion to the Cash Register!

30. The
Roadmap:
Driving
Successful
Digital
Campaigns
across
platforms
#TravelBCBest @acoupleofchicks

31. Putting it all together!
! You know your customer!
! You are ready for business!
! Build it and they will come?!

32. Not quite…!
Mobile Optimized

33. Engage
your
customer
across
digital
platforms
#Travelbcbest

34. Don’t forget about Google+ and Google Business Listing!

35. Tools
to
manage
#
Sprout
Social:
Listen
to
all
social
chatter,
post
content,
respond
+
report
#
@acoupleofchicks
Hootsuite:
Listen
and
manage
posts
across
platforms
#
Buffer:
pre-­‐tweet
at
peek
times
#
Hashtagio:
Bring
your
social
spaces
together
on
your
website
#
Revinate:
Track
reviews
and
manage
responses
#
Google
analytics
Social Hub: totafreetrial@hashtagio.com

36. Keys
to
success:
Have
a
Strategy
Content
plan
Resources
Monitor
and
Measure

37. Conclusions:
It’s
all
about
the
content
Multi-­‐channel
approach
a
must
Invest
in
a
Website
+
Social
Media
Invest
in
content
accessible
across
multiple
channels
and
devices
Partner to leverage your reach!!

39. Bring the chatter back to the CONVERSION!
Social Hub: totafreetrial@hashtagio.com

40. Thank you!