Ideas & knowhow

Understanding visitors

Make your customers cry

Make your customers cry

Actually I’m not exactly suggesting that you should make your customers cry but the fact you’re reading this demonstrates the power of emotions.

Many believe that marketing is expensive or difficult. It really isn’t.

Avoid being bland.

Make an impact by being memorable.

Develop a strong emotional appeal.

Make people feel something.

That’s all you need to do.

There are many ways to do this, no matter what it is that you need to ‘sell’.

Telling a story or giving a little information that c…

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Surprise and delight to get more word of mouth publicity

How to surprise and delight for word of mouth pubicity

Ask any tourism business what's their most effective, lowest cost marketing method and they'll almost certainly answer 'word of mouth'. It's easy, it's free - and it 'just happens'. Or does it?

Most businesses just hope for word of mouth publicity and recommendations from satisfied customers. They do a good job, and hope word of mouth referrals will follow. Now we have 'word of mouth on steroids', in the form of social media so it's become even more important to impress.

Surprisingly few peopl…

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What's your niche?

What's your niche

If you wanted to kill ants*, would you buy 'Ant Killer' or 'Insect Spray'?

If you wanted to enjoy paddle boarding, would you get lessons from 'Peter the Paddle Boarding Expert' or the 'Outdoor Centre'?

If you wanted to stay somewhere cosy in Masham with an open fire would you google 'cottage in Masham with an open fire' or 'places to stay in Yorkshire'?

If you're a normal human being, your answer to each of those questions will have been the first, the most specific description.

Years ago ev…

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Small actions to save lives and build loyalty

Small actions save lives

I really dislike the expression 'food to die for'. For most people it means eating something delicious. For me, it's a reminder that my daughter could eat something that will kill her. No food is worth dying for. 

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 clo…

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Are your potential customers stuck in the 'messy middle' ?

Messy middle

I'm old enough to remember the days when people decided to book a holiday simply based on either a neighbour's recommendation or an ad in the Christmas edition of the Radio Times. Nowadays decision-making is much more complicated. You may not realise it but you're probably losing income and bookings because some of your potential guests and visitors are stuck in the 'messy middle'.

This is the name Google gives to the gap between when someone is first interested in what you offer and their …

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How to use social proof to boost your tourism marketing

social media proof
In an earlier blog I wrote about why you need to build trust. An important part of doing this is to offer ‘social proof’. Social proof is the 'evidence' that people collect from others, which influences their own behaviour. We instinctively notice what others are doing and pick up on some of that activity, believing it might be the 'correct' behaviour, or the 'right' thing to buy. 

A simple example: would you rather buy fish and chips from the shop with or without a queue outside? Rather …

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Why I need to trust you - and how to make it happen

Trust

Can I trust you? How do I know that you're trustworthy?

Does it matter? If you're running a business, yes. It really does: you can't build a business without building trust.

Few of us are ready to pay good money for something that we're not certain of, or don't trust. We may seem to happily hand over our cash for goods and services online. In our sub-conscious we're constantly asking ourselves questions.

Is this really as good as it looks?

Is it worth the money?

Is the company genuine? Is it…

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Thinking about price increases

Pricing

Are you thinking about putting up your prices?

Charging the right price is part of running a successful business. You’re in it to make money. Yet so many business owners hesitate to charge realistic prices or to increase their prices. Here are a few tips to help you feel more confident. 

Relax. You’re sensible

First things first. You’re sensible. You’re realistic.

So you’re unlikely to massively hike your prices in one fell swoop. The very fact you’re reading this means you like to consider …

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Improving visitor behaviour?

Visitor behaviour

Are you feeling happy to see your destination full of visitors, and businesses with full calendars? After months of empty rooms and attractions, it feels good to see the tourism industry starting to get back on its feet.    

The one consistent element of these difficult times has been that we’ve had to learn and adapt as we go. The need to try different approaches is ongoing, even now most businesses have re-opened.

Should we congratulate ourselves on a destination marketing job well-done? Or …

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