Marketing tips

How can we be the 'most human'? Why do you need to be? 

Two things are occupying many minds right now: 1) war, unrest and unstable economies; and 2) AI and its impact on just about everything.

Many of us feel powerless. And when we feel like that we become indecisive. Which can be bad for tourism businesses, because although people want what you have to offer, they just don't get round to booking or making plans.

The solution?

We have to find ways to offer something more up-lifting. Somethin…

The world feels very uncertain. Anxiety is high. The news is negative. 

Planning a holiday or short break can offer a respite, something positive to look forward to. 

We can help visitors feel better, even if only for a short time. 

During times like this, we yearn for peace, for peaceful retreats. 

What can you offer? How can you describe it so potential visitors can imagine the sense of peace and how they'll feel better? 

Would you like me to get to the point and tell you what might help you tweak your marketing, or maybe you'd prefer to read a long introduction first? 

No-one has time or patience for a long introduction. Google and other search engines don't like them either. 

At school we learnt to write an enticing introduction before we go to the main part of our essay. That doesn't work as well in marketing, unless you're an experienced copywriter. So it's time to cut it out, whether on your website or whe…

When VisitBritain first started to promote Britain to Chinese visitors, there was a problem. Chinese travellers were less interested in coming to Britain than other European countries. When Chinese people were asked to think about London and what they expected to see, they thought it might be foggy, perhaps even dirty. London was rarely thought to be as attractive as Paris. Why? 

It turned out that the Chinese media had depicted London as foggy since Victorian times, drawing on descriptions in …

Artificial intelligence is having a growing impact on our daily life, and on marketing. You've probably noticed the "AI Overview" cropping up in more online searches, and maybe read about the growth of zero click results. I run a whole online course on search engine optimisation and AI overviews, so I'll leave that on one side for now (let me know if you'd like details!).

What are the broader impacts of Ai on your business and marketing? Here are a few considerations: 

I've taken to asking if …

The world feels uncertain and uneasy. Do you need to adapt your marketing? 

The quick answer: yes! 

Visitors will still come - they really want and need an escape. But they're behaving a little differently and it pays to understand what's in their mind. 

Can you adapt the images and words you use - in your social media, email marketing, website etc - to take account of these changes? 

I've been around for a long time, and gone through many ups and downs in the visitor economy. During uncerta…

Ever feel like you're wading through treacle? That no matter how upbeat and positive you are, there are always times when everything just feels like hard work. It's easy to become overwhelmed, exhausted and discouraged. Sometimes it feels like progress is painfully slow. 

Staring at the moon one starry evening, idly thinking about the original moon landing sparked a thought that might help you too. 

On 19th July 1969 no-one had ever landed on the moon. It just seemed like an impossible dream. …

Feeling tired, not enough time but need to give your marketing a quick boost? 

What's the most successful thing you've ever done to promote your business?

Which were your most effective posts on social media? 

Which of your website pages are the most popular? 

Which phrases do your visitors most often use in reviews? 

The easiest way to give your marketing a quick boost is... to repeat yourself.

You might want to tweak something lightly with different images or a few changed words, but in …

Last week I talked about people who don’t necessarily think of themselves as visitors, but who’re essential to our visitor economy – friends and relatives who come to your area and business for a gathering, celebration or just to meet up.

Promoting to these people is a little different as you’re not really promoting to them, but rather to the hosts and local people thinking where to go for lunch, or which activities to plan, or how to accommodate everyone without any family arguments.

The firs…

On a cold miserable Tuesday in January, six people went to a pub, and then ate a meal at a restaurant, before staying in a holiday cottage for a couple of days. Tomorrow they’ll go on a guided tour and visit an attraction, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at various locations. 

This Sunday, 25 people will gather to eat lunch at an out-of-the-way small restaurant. The weather forecast is awful but they’ve pre-booked and paid a deposit so they’ll still go.

I know both these sets of people. The…