You would think that Marketing & Branding in the Travel industry for the past 27 years would make me a “Travel Guru” with all the answers. On the contrary, this entire Covid-19 situation has made me feel like I’m a newborn just starting out again.
I guess one benefit of having “some” travel history, is that I know what the terrain is supposed to look like…so I’m able to guesstimate better than some others. But it’s still a guess if we are all being totally honest.
So, who should you pay attention to, listen to, and follow to figure out the next steps?
Who Should I Follow?
The answer is everyone. A smart person right now will NOT go “all-in” on any ONE persons assumptions…including mine. There is still so much uncertainty that no one can predict in travel. When will the island open or reduce it’s regulations for entry? When will the airlift start being more reliable? When will the consumer feel comfortable flying again or cruising again? Will they feel comfortable venturing out of a resort or will they go to All-inclusives? Seriously…this is like playing the lottery. There are way too many questions that our planning relies upon to think anyone has the answer.
Just pay attention to those around you and what they are doing. One of the things that I am doing is watching all the major brands to see what they are doing, then I draw my own conclusion. There are brands that have the money to keep their brand front of mind and don’t mind spending the money because they have it. There are brands that are doing small trickle branding just to keep relevant, but aren’t spending a lot. Some are going all social and putting their spend in engagement. So ask yourself, where do I fit in this category, what is my comfortable budget and make your own assumptions. Keep in mind that your budget should be based on what you can spend without much ROI…it’s building your base for Q4 “hopefully” and catch-up in 2021.
When Should I Start Spending Again?
If anyone has the answer, please shoot me a quick email so I can get rich too!
It’s really about your future plans I believe. I tell my clients it is so important to NOT go dark. You have probably heard that over and over again, I can’t tell you how important that is. Figure out what your budget is and then break it down to necessities.
Website:
Keep it fresh, keep it updated, and make sure your guests know when you’re going to be open.
Don’t have your “BOOK NOW” button on the site if you are not open. Guests don’t want to figure it out when you re-open by scrolling through your calendar.
DO put a “we are open date…with a book now button”. Let
Social Media:
Keep engaged with relevant information.
Don’t just post up offers and Covid-19 updates. Everyone sees it and is tired of seeing it. They watch the news.
DO make this your space to connect with future guests on a “social” level. Keep them informed in a cool way and find ways to keep yourself relevant in a fun way. Bring a smile to their faces.
Digital:
Just because you aren’t open doesn’t mean you shut down your digital presence. This affects your SEO and other things that will be hard to recoup if you shut them down.
Don’t stop cold and lose your search position.
DO keep some digital in your main gateways and be relevant when people are searching.
BONUS: During this down time, everyone is trying to figure out how they are going to promote themselves coming out of this, but few people are focused on “fixing” what is broken. For example, we have had numerous clients come to us and decide that they finally have time to update their website and make it look good. They want to fix the back end and make sure that it is showing up where it needs to be, that all the structure is done right, giving it a facelift so it looks like it belongs in this century…there are many things you can do now that pushes you to the front of the pack.
Should I Adjust My Audience or Message?
I personally feel like this should be evaluated every year. Maybe your product doesn’t change that much, but your audience does, and the way they look for you does too.
Keep in mind that every year you have a group of kids that move into the adult category and are looking for something more than their party lifestyle. You have adults moving to the family category because they have kids now and have become part of your audience. You have adults that are moving into the senior category and are looking for the laid-back lifestyle vacation. Whatever you think you are, your audience can change, and their location may change as well. Don’t lose sight of “growing” your base.
Where Do I Begin?
Do you have an agency, or do you do this on your own is the first question?
If you are doing this on your own, then you need to start researching your competitors to see what they are doing. Research your destination or city to see what the travel restrictions are. Find out through your local associations and chambers of commerce to see what they are planning to do for your location. There is a ton of information that you can find on your own, it will take some time, but I recommend you build a table with all this information, then you can just update it weekly. This will help you to always be on top of current info.
If you have an agency, then you just need to ask them to compile a competitive set for you and build a “go to market” strategy. If they are good, they will do all the research for you, and present you with a comprehensive plan that should get you out in the public eye. But wait…that’s not all…make sure they have a good plan for how to capture this audience, and what is the final goal. Is it to get a future booking? Is it just to keep relevant and have views? Is it engagement and interaction? Know what you expect from your investment.
Did I learn Anything from This?
If you feel like you just added a lot more questions to your already confusing situation, don’t worry, even those of us in the industry are shifting and maneuvering daily. We have the answer today, and it is totally insignificant the next day. We used to plan our strategies for 6 months out, minimum, now it’s hard to plan from one week to the next. The phrase “it is what it is” has never been more relevant.
Just remember that travel will never stop. It may change and you may have to adjust to keep up with it, but it will never go away. Trends may change, your “go-to” strategy may not work, there may be times that you cannot generate revenue no matter what you do, but everyone around should be in the same boat. If you see that others are prospering and you are not, then you need to see what you are doing wrong. But if you are prospering and no one else is, then you are doing it right, and hopefully, your competitor doesn’t catch on for a while. And keep in mind, things are going to keep changing, so you probably have to do this every week from now until….well….who knows?
Figment Design is a full-service advertising agency that has been developing client branding and strategies for over 23 years. Are you struggling with defining your brand and keeping it consistent? Figment Design has the expertise to help define who you are, interpret that into a message, and DRESS it up like new suit. Not sure if your business meets the criteria of your brand? The professionals at Figment Design can give your business a “check-up” and see if your current brand meets the test.
Because our agency is full-service, we can coordinate all elements of your online and offline presence to achieve maximum consistency.
Jeffrey Pankey is the president of Figment Design and has honed his craft over 23 years working with a broad range of clients. This experience helps him lead a staff of truly creative professionals with a drive to perform and impress.
