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INTEGRATE West Virginia - Karen Smith
- 1. Integrate West Virginia 2017 Marketing for Tourism
- 2. The Tourism Marketing Game How to Inspire Action in a World of #Content #Chaos?
- 3. People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations and stories and magic -Seth Godin
- 4. Marketing, defined 1a : the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b : the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service 2. an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer
- 5. Marketers are music makers and the dreamers….
- 6. Marketing 101…. 5 Original P’s Product Price Promotion Place People Process Physical evidence Profit make that 8
- 7. Touchpoints a typical vacation booker may visit prior to booking content
- 8. Travel marketing has always existed….
- 9. Sheraton Dive In-Go Beyond
- 11. Tourism Marketing.. • What is the product’s strengths? • What is your brand objective? Why would a consumer want to buy or book it? • Who is the target audience? • What is the competition doing or not doing to take customers? • Are you able to adapt to change? Are you dynamic and nimble? • Is the brand/product worth the “perceived” value? Is it authentic? • Can you make an “Emotional connection” with your potential guests/buyers?
- 12. • Try something different. Don’t be the same as everyone else. Be remarkable Tunnel through chaos by focusing on core values and strengths Don’t be afraid to fail
- 13. Marriott’s LGBT Ad Take Chances, Fail, Measure, Re-Group and Repeat
- 14. Break down of hotel marketing piece • Images sell • Content is King • People want to see the rooms • what are you famous for? • Make it easy to book • So what is missing in this piece?
- 15. Plant Seeds • Images tell a story • Best campaigns inspire customers to go • Create a sense of possibility • Elevate the expectation • Content is King • Use sharing to your advantage
- 16. Example of a recent campaign…
- 19. Special Offers
- 21. The best offers are straight to the point. They inspire imagination, are simple to redeem and compel action
- 23. Emirates Air
- 24. When would a sense of humor in travel marketing NOT be effective? • Repairing public relations black eye • Luxury brands tend to not use humor (they should) • Sensitive target audience • Global/Local Crisis • Controversial topics
- 25. Does this evoke emotion or make you want to visit this destination?
- 26. What’s the future look like for tourism marketing? • Experiential • Next level story telling • Retro (why would old be better than new)? • Technology • Automation
- 28. Wrap up • Everyone with a phone who goes to a hotel, on a flight or visits an attraction is potentially a “tourism marketer”-this can be a positive or negative based on the consumer’s perception • Marketing is story telling. Help your guests craft their story by giving them ideas. • Remember the 8 core marketing principles. Don't forget PROFIT! • Consumers are bombarded with messages. Best campaigns identify target audience, focus on brand strengths and watch the competition • Sense of humor can be very effective when appropriate • Be nimble and keep content relevant when possible • Call to Action • Take Chances • Measure, adjust and repeat-measure again
- 29. Marketing yourself… • Find your passion • What makes you unique? • Growth starts at the edge of the comfort zone • Don’t be afraid to make mistakes • Networks create jobs • Start at the bottom of your dream job
- 30. Thank you! Karen Smith ksmith@highwiremarketing.com @highwiremarketing.com facebook.com/highwiremarketing How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else… -R. Buckminster Fuller
Editor's Notes
- Good morning- I’m Karen Smith and I am a hotel marketer. I’ve been lucky enough to do what I LOVE professionally for about 25-28 years. Near the end of my presentation l’ll tell you a bit more about myself and how I came up with the name HIGHWIRE MARKETING show of hands… how many people here have visited a tourist destination and posted pics about it on snapchat, IG or FB? How many people here have posted a review on yelp or trip advisor? How many people have shared your experience good or more likely bad with your friends or family about where to go or more likely, where not to go based on the Travel experience you had? Congratulations! Each of you who raised your hand is a TOURISM Marketer!!!
- Today, almost anyone can be expert on “travel”. Travel Agents are no longer the only ones with knowledge about the “Best” hotels, secret dining spots or tips on how to avoid long lines at Walt Disney. Smart phones, Social Media and sites like trip advisor have created the sharing of tourism images, videos, online reviews instantly so that hotels, airlines, ride sharing companies, attractions etc. are no longer in complete ownership of their brand's stories. Look no further than the recent United airlines incident for an example of how a negative incident can go viral. Oscar Munoz, CEO for United is still doing damage control for the emotional and totally preventable actions that occurred under his helm. My point here isn’t to find fault with a company like United or to teach you how to prevent PR nightmares. That would be another complete session. But here we will touch on the subject of how a successful travel leader tunnel through that chaos to excite and inspire consumers to book with them rather than a competitor? I hope this discussion will illuminate ways you, a potential future travel marketer, can embrace this “game” this Challenge, this never ending complexity of social clutter to create loyalty, brand storytellers and ultimately drive revenue for the company you’ll work for one day.
- Are you guys familiar with Seth Godin?…He really has a fantastic blog, just google his name and you’ll find it. I think it’s like the top 9 blogs of all time and his books are quick easy, thought provoking must reads for marketing. For those of you who have never heard of Seth, he’s a sales and marketing “guru” and I use that in the true sense of the word. If you really like what you see on his blog, look at the youtube videos. Books Be your Tribe, The Dip, Not settling for being mediocre Poke the Box, All marketers are Liars (no tell stories) Which leads to my favorite quote.… People do not buy good and services. They buy relations and stories and magic. That is most evident in car buying. all a car is is 4 tires, and engine and some seats to get you from point A to point B. But what makes people want to spend $160k on a Audi R8 vs a $20k Prius? Its the magic and the stories they can tell. It’s the perception of how that R8 makes them FEEL
- In my session I am going to be talking about marketing as it relates specifically to tourism. Definition of marketing? 1a : the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b : the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service 2. an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer The most important part of Marketing? The PROCESS. The key here is that marketing a good or service is always a process. It’s a journey. It’s not a destination where we arrive at the pinnacle of the product’s summit. True marketers thrive on that journey. They are constantly seeking new ways to innovate, create, entice, spark and lead their consumers. They are never satisfied.
- I think marketers are Willy Wonkas. We make the music and we lead the dreamers. Willy didn’t just sell candy, he sold a dream. It’s that dream that makes marketing so special. Otherwise any one could do it. But marketers make it magic
- 5 original p’s of marketing. I’m making 8 not to be confused with the 5 D’s of dodgeball. But marketing is similar to Dodgeball Ok, back to Marketing 101 and cue the moans. There are few things I’ve found really useful from my days in college. How to walk on a tight rope (more on that later) That when your fake ID is from Bethesda you need to know how to say Bethesda. when the bouncer is from Maryland , Beth-es-da. won't cut it. There goes my fake id. 3. That the 5 p’s of marketing would really be important in my hotel career. So important that they, the people who invent these things, added 2 more after I left college. I am adding one more of my own Profit… Product Product refers to what you are selling, including all of the features, advantages and benefits that your customers can enjoy from buying your goods or services. When marketing your product, you need to think about the key features and benefits your customers want or need, including (but not limited to) styling, quality, repairs, and accessories. You can use research and development to inform the development of new products in your business. Price This refers to your pricing strategy for your products and services and how it will affect your customers. You should identify how much your customers are prepared to pay, how much mark-up you need to cater for overheads, your profit margins and payment methods, and other costs. To attract customers and retain your competitive advantage, you may also wish to consider the possibility of discounts and seasonal pricing. Learn more about pricing your products. Promotion These are the promotional activities you use to make your customers aware of your products and services, including advertising, sales tactics, promotions and direct marketing. Generally these are referred to as marketing tactics. Learn more about promotional activities. Place Place is where your products and services are seen, made, sold or distributed. Access for customers to your products is key and it is important to ensure that customers can find you. You can set yourself apart from your competition through the design of your retail space and by using effective visual merchandising techniques. If you are not a retail business, place is still an important part of your marketing. Your customers may need a quick delivery turnaround, or want to buy locally manufactured products. If you are starting a new business, finding the right business location will be a key marketing tactic. People People refer to the staff and salespeople who work for your business, including yourself. When you provide excellent customer service, you create a positive experience for your customers, and in doing so market your brand to them. In turn, existing customers may spread the word about your excellent service and you can win referrals. Give your business a competitive advantage by recruiting the right people, training your staff to develop their skills, and retaining good staff. Process Process refers to the processes involved in delivering your products and services to the customer. It is also about being 'easy to do business with'. Having good process in place ensures that you: • repeatedly deliver the same standard of service to your customers • save time and money by increasing efficiency. Learn more about business processes, procedures and standards. Physical evidence Physical evidence refers to everything your customers see when interacting with your business. This includes: • the physical environment where you provide the product or service • the layout or interior design • your packaging • your branding. Physical evidence can also refer to your staff and how they dress and act. Consider how your store's layout, fixtures and signage can build your brand and increase your sales. Profit…marketing effort ultimately don’t matter if you don’t make money for your efforts. (Unless it’s a PR campaign-again PR not covered here) Simply put, you don’t make money you don’t keep you job you don’t get paid. Does anyone know the 5 D’s of dodgeball…dodge, duck, dip, dive and Dodge
- According to Phocus Wright (hospitality research firm) ….and this is slightly old but still relevant the typical booker…the average vacation booker touches 6 1/2 points prior to booking a major holiday. This isn’t the same if you were going to Indianapolis for a business trip. That decision boils down to location and loyalty (usually). But for holiday bookers, they typically visit review sites like trip advisor, online travel agencies and meta sites like Kayak to ensure they have the best price. They visit the main site of the company for deals, value add’s, IMAGES, news, and if they are under 50, they most likely visit social media sites like FB, IG, to see what images and the feel of the brand. THAT is CHAOS right there. Oh and it’s no surprise that women are the majority shoppers for the big family vacations.
- Marketing hotels is a passion of mine. I say jokingly it’s the Second oldest industry. Just because the “oldest industry” needed a place to stay. So as long as folks have been traveling, by foot or camel, or viking ship, there have been inns, b and b’s, hotels, resorts and all kinds of rooms with a “view”. People have and will always want and need to travel. We are nomadic. Our job as marketers will be how to make that journey desirable, to make that place to stay THE place to stay above the others and how to inspire those travelers to take action. This picture is a “Cairn” by the way. It has it’s orgins in Scotland, Scandinavia and Canada. It is a road marker that could survive bad weather and snow and lead weary travelers to a warm place to stay and hopefully good food and drink. So now some good stuff. Modern examples of tourism marketing….
- in the Go Beyond campaign, who do you think they are marketing to? what was the purpose of this ad? and don’t say they are willing to go beyond. That’s too obvious. What do you like about it? What is missing from this campaign? Does it inspire you to book? No right or wrong answer, just provoking thought…
- Here I’m just going to show you some travel offers I quickly pulled off my e-mails and blasts I get. If you are a consumer, you are Bombarded with offers. If you are the travel marketer how do you help that consumer clear thru this chaos? Ad’s, social media, review sites, brands, loyalty?
- Marketing for tourism we have unique opportunities and challenges. People fly in airplanes so need comfort and safety. Same with hotels. We offer a place to sleep and eat. That is an intimate thing, where people have to feel SAFE. Once the brand has assured guest those basic needs will be met, you can make an emotional connection. You can then focus on how to close the sale with offers. Now not ALL consumers need an emotional connection. But all consumers have the OPPORTUNITY for an emotional connection. The obvious ones are couples going on a honeymoon, it’s easy to help the bride make an emotional connection. But what about the road weary business traveler? Well you can make an emotional connection with him or her on other issues like comfortable beds, quick check in’s, locations close to their place of business, points, service etc. Your job as a marketer is to find your target audience emotional reason for buying and tap into it. But safety and comfort will always be at the top of list. Someone should remind Oscar Munoz about that…
- Try something different. Don’t be the same as everyone else. Be remarkable-Seth talks a lot about what it means to be remarkable… Tunnel through chaos by focusing on core values and strengths Don’t be afraid to fail…let me repeat…Don’t be afraid to FAIL. Don’t be afraid to take measured chances. That’s where the good stuff is. All Lemmings go over the cliff. Your idea may also go over the cliff but if you don’t take the chance and try something different, radical you will never know. You may be that lemming that soars…that bounces… by the way, not only does this works for marketing ideas but for your personal career as well. Calculated risks…
- This is an example of a hotel company taking a risk. Marriott, whose founder Bill Marriott is Mormon, takes a big risk in their hashtag LoveTravels campaign gently targeting LGBT couples and families. With risks, there is a way to approach it without being confrontational. The key in marketing what can be a sensitive topic is to use “nuances”. Nuances are a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. so the key is to be “Subtle” All the while you are thinking of your message, your campaign, outwitting your competition and taking risks, you also have to measure, regroup and repeat. According to Seth Godin, losers aren’t people who fail often, losers are people who fail so big they don’t try again or have one big win, they don’t know how to handle it when a failure comes along. Failure is important. Keep trying and measure it. You will find success in the PROCESS
- Going back to hotel marketing, This is an example of an e-blast I received from a fairly unknown hotel in Jerusalem. So how do they, break thru the mountains of chaos to reach their customer? By focusing on what they hotel does the best. By featuring those strengths with great images and content By making it easy for consumers to find them By making it easy to understand the offer and for lookers to Book. I can’t tell you How many great ad’s or offers I’ve seen where there is NO Call to action. No offer! A Great marketing piece will have a message. Not all marketing is geared towards booking. Your company may want to make a statement and that’s fine if that is the objective. But I will tell you for the majority of my 30 years in the travel business, most owners and operators want to make money. Remember my 8th P? PROFIT? Bottom line. Have a call to action I like this eBlast for a few reasons…the images are clean and bright. The message is simple. Gorgeous beach, thrilling destination, endless sunshine. What’s not to love? What are they famous for? The Red Sea and sunshine. They know their strengths. The call to action is clearly spelled out. toll free numbers, website, connect on Facebook. So what is missing here? How about an offer? Where is the price? Where is the hook? What about a sense of urgency with that offer?
- Stories, the best ones are the ones that inspire you, fill you with awe, make you want more and are the ones you tell over and over. Same goes with marketing stories. We want our potential and repeat guests inspired, filled with awe, wanting more and telling all their friends. Sense of possiblity is important. make it achievable. Nowadays most people think they can, in fact go to the moon!
- I currently represent a 200 room palapa style resort in Playa del Carmen Mexico, the Mahekal Beach Resort. and we recently completed a “Tax Season” Getaway campaign. This campaign was targeted at repeat customers and new guests. We used multiple marketing platforms to launch this sale. These included Search engine optimization, Search engine marketing and retargeting, Sojern campaigns, past guest e-blasts from our database, website blog posts and supporting social media posts. The creative was themed around spending your tax refund on a vacation, with a 25% off savings and food and beverage credits to use while at the resort. It was a limited time so there was a sense of urgency. So these next few slides, I am going to highlight a bit of that campaign, it was all digital and social.
- This is the eblast. We sent 22,905 emails and had an open rate of 4822 with distinct opens at 3571. The difference between the two types of opens is that Unique opens is defined as the number of the distinct recipients that have opened the campaign. Putting it simply, for each recipient that has opened this e-mail , only one open is added to the Unique opens sum, no matter how many times that recipient has opened and reopened the newsletter. The Total opens number equals the total number of times that your campaign has been opened by all the recipients who have received it. So in this case we had quite a few people open and then reopen it. or 15.7% which is pretty good for eBlast marketing campaign.
- According to trip advisor, what is the major factor to influencing travelers to book? After personal reasons (weddings, family obligations, business), a special offer is the number 2 reason cited by trip advisor for a guest to book. So it’s important to run promotions but there is a fine line to “always being on sale”.
- Here are some more examples of the offers and how we delivered them. The first is the Blog post. Apparently blogging is a huge SEO/SEM generator however it’s time consuming. To find a great blogger as well as social media marketer is very difficult. **Hint**. Companies need this and generally don’t like using SM houses to do this work. So if you have a knack for it, keep it up. It’s a great job skill! Back to the campaign. we have a snapshot of our Google ad campaign, The last post is trip Advisor. We’ve touched on the importance of TA in this discussion. TA allows companies to pay for a Business Listing where you have the availability to post special offers. by adding a tracking code to the end of your link or by creating a unique booking code when the guests call in, you can track how well the campaign does. At the end, you roll up all the metrics…eblast metrics, clicks, engagement on social media and finally and most importantly? REVENUE
- here are the overview of our marketing results. We generated $71,000 in revenue and 47 bookings. We did many bookings by phone to the resort which aren’t measured in this campaign. Some people by the nature of this kind of trip like to call and speak with a live person so we do include that. Taking into account voice bookings, this campaign produced about $120,000 for us and about a 13% ROI.
- Another Trip Advisor ad, Chaa Creek in Belize. Has all the characteristics of a great offer. It has a nice image, Limited time offer with a value added inclusion. Free night if you stay in their need month of May. and an easy to understand call to action. Either 800 number or e-mail. I’ve stayed at this resort and it is exceptional but hard to get to in the jungles of Belize. You have to make the guest feel like going 2 hours out of their way is WORTH the time. Make them feel the emotional experience. This place does that.
- What does Trip Advisor say about choosing a destination like Playa del Carmen or Belize? Trip Advisor research suggests after the culture and society of that destination, the offer is slightly ahead of the airline, with exception for millennials who care more about cheaper flights. But globally its about flat. If a guest is choosing between a getaway where there is NO promotion and no savings vs. one where they have a great deals on a resort, meal credits. They tend to look for deals. Remember the average touchpoint is 6.5 visits to EACH site for that deal savvy travel booker.
- Repairing a PR crisis. Right now I’d recommend United NOT use sense of humor. They are rebuilding their brand. They need to reestablish confidence in their product and regain loyalty. However, after a recovery period, some brands fine using humor to poke fun of themselves can be a good way to repair PR issues. Luxury products don’t use humor. St. Regis, Four Seasons. They also don’t use promotion in major campaigns I’d like to touch on promotions later…. Sensitive target audiences. So if your hotel is near a hospital or cancer research center and many of your guests are doctors or patients, family. You would not want to use humor. This all correlates back to those 7 p’s of marketing. This is the “people part” people. Local crisis fall into this category too. I.e. hurricanes, conflict, etc. Controversial topics (war, terrorism, famine, religion, etc.) What other areas can you think when it comes to tourism?
- This is an ad for a destination that I feel misses the mark. Do you think this ad helps or hurts Las Vegas? Does it make you want to visit? Does it invoke emotion or inspire you?
- Experiential has been a trend for several years. People still want things but social media has made doing things the real measure of status. Bucket list trips Machu Pichu no..think Bhutan, Cuba, Petra… People are still people and want to keep trying to out do each other so look for those boundary pushing things to develop. Retro…we don’t always have to invent something new. Just look at what Urban Outfitters and polaroid did. Same camera, new box, net target (millennials). Who would have thought teens would go nuts for actual photos? and back to retro, with the Cyber scams don’t you think there is a new opportunity for politicians to get AWAY from e-mails and tech in the future? There’s opportunity there. What about tech? Automation in Hotels? Airlines? I see smaller crew less airlines one day that actually fly to where you want to go instead of a city near your destination. Hotels, your retina can check you in…it’s coming. There is opportunity all around in tourism. with the internet, a good idea, capture the website and go to work. You don’t need 100k in capital, you just need ideas and the desire to do it. Keep failing and one idea will succeed! How can I wrap up failing, next level, Technology, experiences, desire, tourism all in one nice little package? I give you Richard Branson and Virgin Galatic
- in Late Oct 2014, about the 55th test for this venture, Virgin Galactic crashed in the Mojave desert and one of their 2 test pilots died. It set back their Tourist to space program but it did not end the program. Branson is more determined than ever to send tourists to space. So thinking back to the earlier part of my presentation Do you think this 2 minute video tells a story? Do you think flying to outer space as a “tourist astronaut” would be a magical moment? Do they know their target audience? Who is their target audience do you think? If I told you, for only $250,000 YOU could go to their website right now and sign up to fly to space. So knowing a test pilot died, would you if money was no object? Did they have a call to action?
- Everyone with a phone who goes to a hotel, on a flight or visits an attraction is potentially a “tourism marketer”-this can be a positive or negative based on the consumer’s perception Marketing is story telling. Help your guests craft their story by giving them ideas. Remember the 7 core marketing principles Consumers are bombarded with messages. Best campaigns identify target audience, focus on brand strengths and watch the competition Sense of humor can be very effective when appropriate Be nimble and keep content relevant when possible Call to Action Take Chances Measure, adjust and repeat-measure again In a hotel let’s face it, it’s 4 walls, 2 pillows and a bed. What a sales/marketing person has to do is take those 4 walls, pillows and bed and create a STORY. If you decide to pursue a career in tourism marketing there are a few key tips you may want to remember. The primary thing that matters to a hotel, airline, attraction or other company is PROFIT, revenue. if you have a great campaign and it doesn’t produce sales then it isn’t a great campaign (unless again it’s PR). Remember it’s a process (think about the Las Vegas ad). The other tip I can give you is try, measure, tweak and then try again. Keep meticulous records of what worked, what didn’t and when you tried it. What was the offer? What was the message.
- Find your passion What makes you unique? Growth starts at the edge of the comfort zone Don’t be afraid to make mistakes Networks create jobs Start at the bottom of your dream job finally, a little bit about me….and why I am highwire marketing. About 11 years ago when I was starting my marketing company, I was trying to decide on a name for my consulting firm. So I thought about these bullets above. What is my passion? What makes me unique? It hit me. I did the swinging trapeze in the FSU Flying High circus! So I started to think about Trapeze names. But that didn’t make sense. Finally I realized, well you also walked on the HIGHWIRE and that had a lot more business metaphors, the final line between success and failure, walking the tightrope is a literal balancing act, riding a bike or standing on a chair on wire is just crazy! So that was it. I decided at that moment that what made me unique was that I was the Highwire Marketing girl. I was going to take a risk and start my own company. I haven’t hit the net yet. Thank you for listening to me today and thank you for your attention. Any questions???
- How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else… -R. Buckminster Fuller