With the world adjusting to COVID as a fact of life, travel is making a roaring comeback in 2023. And that comeback entails several new consumer trends that visitor bureaus and hospitality businesses should be aware of.
1 | Vacationers are looking for ways to “travel light.”
More and more, travelers have been looking to slim down their luggage. Destinations that hope to lure the clutter-conscious should highlight hotels offering bulky items (such as exercise equipment) for rent, or introduce potential visitors to local businesses that can supply travel essentials.
2 | The off-season is becoming more popular.
One side-effect of a global pandemic: many people have become less comfortable with crowds. So if your area is a popular one with summer travelers, ...
If you’re anything like us, your resolution to hit the gym three times a week is going to fizzle out by mid-February. But when it comes to your business, there are a few resolutions you should work hard to keep.
1 | Take a fresh look at your brand.
What are the values and experiences that define your brand, and are they still relevant to the actual values and experiences you’re hoping to embody? Just as importantly, are they still relevant to what consumers want from a company in your space? If your most recent brand update happened a few years ago — or in reaction to a market trend that might no longer be current — the new year is ...
It’s every brand’s email nightmare: you work hard on crafting the perfect pitch, but when that email hits your prospects’ inbox, they hit the delete button without even opening the message.
How do you craft an email worth opening? And how do you close the sale once you have your prospects’ attention?
Step 1 | Choose a Catchy Subject Line
Good subject lines:
Are short. You want people to be able to read the whole thing, whether they’re on desktop or mobile! So keep your subject line to 40 characters or less.
Don’t contain “spammy” words. Avoid phrases like “buy now” or “free,” which could land you in spam filters.
Include a call to action. What is it you’re asking people ...
It’s never been easier to get in touch with your audience. Gone are the days when you were limited to print ads or even email marketing blasts. Today, savvy brands choose to reach out to customers and prospects via content they’ve created themselves (or paid someone to create for them).
But it’s also never been more confusing to choose the right strategy for your brand. There are so many different kinds of content, and each of them serves a different purpose. Here is a short introduction to some of the most common terms, what they mean, and how they help your brand in different ways.
Thought Leadership
As a general rule, this kind of content comes from the top of your organization ...
Whether digital or in print, ads are one of the best ways to get your brand in front of consumers. But given the sheer amount of information competing for your targets’ attention every day, how can you stand out?
Here are ways not to do it:
Write a novel.
Ad space is pricey, so it’s tempting to fill that space with everything you want your target audience to know. Resist that temptation. People’s eyes will slide right over an ad that is too heavy on the text. Anything more than two sentences and a couple of bullet points is probably excessive.
Combine messages.
One of the fastest ways to lose someone’s attention is by throwing too many different pieces of information at them, so ...
Your brand is your most valuable asset.
So when you trust somebody to tell your brand story for you, you want to make sure it’s the right kind of person. Someone who can write copy that’s engaging and easy to process and, most importantly, get to the heart of what your brand is about.
In other words, a journalist.
Why a journalist, you say? Seems like a marketer or ad copywriter would be a better choice.
And sure, we get it. Marketers and salespeople know how to craft an appealing message and broadcast it. But so do journalists, and they have a few other skills in their repertoire too.
Here are five reasons why journalists make the best content marketers:
1 | They can distill ...
Maybe you can’t meet your customers face to face these days, but that doesn’t mean you have to be disconnected.
Now is the time to take a look at your digital marketing toolbox and add a few new arrows to your quiver. (Yes, it’s a mixed metaphor, but you know what we mean.)
Consider these steps to keep your customers engaged and grow your pool of prospects:
1 | Send out email updates about your operations.What are you doing right now to keep serving customers? Let them know with an email blast that includes a link to your website. Once you’ve got their eyeballs on the page, they just might browse and discover new services they didn’t even know you offered.
2 | ...
