6 simple marketing tips to bounce back during a pandemic

The pandemic, which will continue to affect visitors' decisions for the coming year, is forcing tourism operators to rethink their communication tools and practices. Anticipation of frequently asked questions, reassuring messages adapted to locals, online booking and flexible cancellation policies are among the essentials.

With international travel restrictions still in place, many Canadians won't be out in the sun this winter. For them, and for anyone who likes to plan their summer vacation in advance, staying close by will be the norm. It's up to you to take advantage of these opportunities. Fall is the perfect time to prepare your marketing actions.

1- Anticipate questions from your customers and reassure them

It is now more important than ever to anticipate the needs of your customers. They want to be reassured about your COVID-19 prevention measures and to know how their next visit will go. You must meet the expectations of your customers or risk losing them during planning or generating frustration and stress when they arrive.

Destination Think, a specialist in tourism marketing, suggests putting yourself in the shoes of potential visitors and then listing the questions they are probably asking. An exercise to do with your employees in contact with customers. A few tips on this subject:

- Write a message on the home page of your website or an FAQ, as did Kasa Kayak, an operator from Saint-Joseph de Madawaska, or some DMOs like Tourism Tofino. The website is the ideal tool for presenting detailed information.

- Recall the essentials in your confirmation emails.

- Update this information on all platforms where you are referenced (e.g. social media, Expedia, local tourism association, printed tools, etc.). On this subject, Google My Business has published A guide.

- Stay on the lookout for customer reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, Google, Facebook and online agency sites (Booking, Expedia). As advised eTourisme.info, it is important to answer them.

2- Adapt your photos and videos

As suggested Frédéric Gonzalo, digital marketing consultant, “we will have to rethink the choice of visuals used for our promotions, on the website, in our brochures and leaflets, etc.” This also applies to social media posts. So here are two things you should do.

Avoid showing groups of people without physical distance.

Here is just a Counterexample. Wearing a mask is mandatory on board Hornblower cruise ships in Niagara and capacity is reduced. However, the photos still show crowded boats and people without masks.

Demonstrate the application of health measures and the other impacts of COVID-19 on the experience offered.

In this respect, what does the Acadian Historical Village by Caraquet is interesting! Here is an example.

3- Offer online and direct booking

A majority of tourist operators have reduced their capacity in order to comply with public health instructions. However, your visitors do not want to be turned away due to lack of space. Booking not only helps avoid disappointments, but also queues.

In the following chart, we can see that a large majority of Canadians book generally or only online. Do you give them the opportunity?

Hotels have been offering this option for a long time. Offering an online booking platform facilitates communication with the customer. In addition, it allows them to change or cancel more easily than with an online travel agency (OTA). Today, more and more restaurants, attraction centers and campsites are establishing it. This is the case of Moncton Zoo, which now offers it through a partner, and Pays de la Sagouine, which has added online ticketing to its website.

4- Adapt your messages to residents

Local residents and tourists are bringing opportunities for the coming year, but they still need to be interested.

 Also read our article ABC of a seduction operation with residents.

In the Specialized magazine Espace, we learn that they often look for activities, businesses and different places that take them out of their daily lives. Find within your offer what best meets this target clientele and adapt your communication actions. The Ananas Project of the Greater Montreal Hotel Association targets Quebecers by promising them “unusual places” and “unsuspected assets”. A great example.

Don't forget to train your customer service employees on the new strengths to convey! Plus, locals want to be addressed as locals. For example, adapt the recommendations you make to them.

5- Adopt flexible cancellation policies

Security is at the top of consumers' concerns today, and this includes “the assurance that, if the trip cannot take place, the transaction is guaranteed with the flexibility of reimbursement or credit according to the customer's choice”, affirms Frédéric Gonzalo in A post on the end of lockdown era. Otherwise, you could lose sales, especially because of the filters that consumers can apply on OTAs.

This theme is currently very present in tourism news. Even some airlines are following this trend and are waiving ticket change fees.

6- Amplify the reach of your partners' campaigns

Promoting a destination is a team effort! Operators, you have every interest in sharing on your platforms the marketing campaigns of your tourism associations and other marketing partners with local, regional, national and sectoral expertise (and they, in keeping you informed) on your platforms. The more they are seen, the more results they will produce.

When publishing your own content, consider using Hashtags officials of your DMO. Below, we see how Acadian Peninsula Tourism uses the hashtags of the latest local, provincial and national campaigns.

And finally, do not hesitate to send your content, news and campaigns to these same associations, as did the aquarium above, so that they return the favor.

Hopefully this will allow you to bounce back better in the months to come! What are you going to start with?

 Also read our article ABC of a seduction operation with residents.

Article written in collaboration with Acadia experience.