Tourism marketing in autumn and winter 2020
When your business is a part of the visitor economy, it is typical of marketers to start their campaign planning for the year ahead in the off-peak season.
Many senior marketers will be turning their thoughts towards 2021 this autumn - but is there more you could be doing to see you through the autumn and winter of 2020?
We are still coping with business on a day-by-day, or week-by-week basis. The nation waits with bated breath to see if a second lockdown - or anything resembling one - will be announced in the coming days. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 mean that it is hard to plan months ahead.
So what can your organisation do to get through the next six to nine months? What should you be doing this autumn and winter - and is it anything like what you would normally do?
Make the most of the shoulder season by reaching new customers
It is a commonly accepted truth in tourism that the months either side of the summer holidays - the shoulder season - are always quieter than the peaks of August. 2020 is the year to try to fight against this. You need to be looking at campaigns, promotions and activities that continue to drive business to your site.
What audiences can you be engaging with outside of the family market? Who are they and what can you offer them?
Research these potential audiences - is it romantic young couples? Single professionals? Older, retired couples? What do they enjoy? Where do they live? We’ve talked before about persona marketing - build a picture of these potential new customers.
Review your product or service offer
While you are thinking about how to reach new audiences in the off-peak season, you will want to review what your offer is to them.
We know many businesses have pivoted during the pandemic, changing their offer or sales channels to be able to meet the needs of different audiences. What could you be doing differently to appeal to audiences in the off-peak season?
Generate new content
How does your current marketing collateral speak to these potential new audiences? Are your images and messages appealing to these customers? Spend time crafting appropriate messaging, using visuals that speak to these people, and planning how it will work on the channels those audience segments are using? Do you need to create slide decks, video content or photo slideshows? Do you need to organise photoshoots or create some talking head segments for social? Think about what will speak to your new target audiences, and plan your channel strategy.
Don’t delay
Many marketers see this time of year as a period of review, examining how things went during the giddiness of the peak season and reflecting on lessons learned. 2020 is a year where the momentum has to keep going. The challenge to recoup the income lost during the three months of lockdown means that you need to be agile and responsive. Spend some time planning your activity and get on with it.
You do not need to have a huge budget to make a difference. How you speak to your audiences organically on your digital platforms will make a difference. Small budgets can be used to effectively plan search campaigns and social media campaigns. Email marketing to a captive audience needn’t cost the world.
Reflect on how your new knowledge will inform 2021 activity
While you may not be in a position to pin down the nuts and bolts of 2021’s marketing plan, you do have the ability to think about longer term changes to the way you work, brought about by the effect of the pandemic on audience behaviour. Will you be keeping your booking system in place? Does that give you the ability to focus on relationship marketing in a way you haven’t previously? What will your events look like in future? Will those ‘pivots’ you undertook remain in place as a core part of your business plan?
Talking about these issues as a senior management team, and understanding how those decisions will affect your business model, will only serve to strengthen your preparedness for moving forward in 2021. Knowing what your organisations core goals are going to be next year, and considering how you will adapt your marketing to reflect that, is something you can be doing right now.
If you’d like to continue this conversation, and see how Roscoe Communications can support you with strategic marketing planning, please get in touch to talk about how we can work together.