Marketing tips

We're lucky. We work in a really fun industry. 

Imagine if your job was something like promoting toilet rolls? Or making and selling widgets? Dull!

The tourism industry is all about enjoyment, fun, uplifting moments. 

So why is so much tourism marketing bland and boring?

We need to be better at talking about the joy, the sense of discovery, the playful moments, the happy days, the unforgettable experiences, the laughter, the small adventures we can offer. 

How could you do that for your bus…

There are many reasons you might not be getting the level of bookings or visitors you'd like.

One reason might be your prices: too high, or even too low ('free' can even put some people off). 

But chances are it's something else. 

You might not be showing the value of what you offer in your marketing - so your prices don't seem aligned.

You might not be differentiating yourself from your competitors. 

The words and images you use in your marketing might not be eye-catching, appealing or rel…

I'd like to suggest something that is going to sound a bit odd.

Trust me, it really can help you market your business more effectively.

Tell people about something that's bad about your business. 

Yes really. Declare a downside or a disadvantage. Don't hide it. Tell people about it. 

it doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering or something that will really put people off. Just something you're aware of. Perhaps an aspect that some people find a bit odd or off-putting. Or something that c…

I really dislike the expression food to die for. For most people it means eating something delicious. For me, it's a reminder that someone close to me could eat something that will kill her. 

I used to think people with food allergies were just being faddy and attention-seeking. Since then I've woken up to the reality. You really understand how severe food allergies can be when you’ve travelled in an ambulance, sirens screaming, blue lights flashing while someone close to you lies motionless, m…

Have you noticed an increasing number of ads and mentions of toilet paper? The newer ones have silly names like Naked Paper, Who Gives a..., Cheeky Panda. They're brightly coloured and use a fun approach to marketing, often getting lots of engagement on social media. Meanwhile more traditional toilet roll companies like Andrex stick in our minds thanks to the cute puppies. 

All this for a daily essential. Promoting toilet roll doesn't sound like a very exciting job, yet somehow all these compan…

What do you do to beat your competitors? You've basically got three options. It doesn't work well to try to do all of these, or even two of them.

Which will you choose? 

Compete on price

Some businesses compete on price, focusing on controlling their costs so they can keep their prices down. There will always be a market for anything that is cheap - but remember that value for money is also important. Cheap and value for money aren't necessarily the same...

There are downsides to competing b…

Are you all in or teetering?

Some are tinkering around the edges. Some are poised to go deeper but not quite there. 

This is to encourage you to jump and 'go all in'...

I'm talking about focusing on something - in this case a target market - and really doing everything you can to be as strong as you can in that area. There are great revenue benefits when you do. And it makes marketing much easier. 

A few examples: 

Is your business dog-tolerant, or dog-friendly? Do you just provide the basi…

We're in a trust recession - people are hesitating to spend money and make plans.

This is partly down to economic insecurity but it's also about credibility and believing what we're told. There's so much b******* about, we don't always trust what we're told or read.

We ask our visitors to trust that the services we offer will be as good as we say. They have to trust us to deliver something in the future that they can't yet see. That's tricky.

Images and videos have never been as powerful or i…

Have you got the ‘back to school’ fresh feeling? That sense of purpose, of settling down to a different rhythm once the summer is over?

I haven’t bought a new pencil case like I used to, but I’m definitely ready to be the swot, ultra-prepared for the months to come!

Here’s a quick taster of what I’ll be doing, and how I hope it can help you.

I see Autumn and Winter as key times for tourism businesses, important in two ways:

• Firstly, any extra income you can earn in these shoulder seasons i…