So we have an indication of when lockdown might end (in England at least), and there is cautious optimism that the worst is over.

But... It's still going to be a while before many can fully re-open. 

I can't offer any financial support or certainty.

All I can do is continue to offer marketing guidance and a perspective gained from a lot of years marketing, even in a crisis.

​9/11, Foot and Mouth and various recessions didn't affect the whole country in the same way as the pandemic but they - and current research - indicate that there'll be a strong bounce back once people are able to travel again. 

In the meantime, what can you do?

We now have tentative dates for re-opening so now might be a good time to get some of those 'keep meaning to do for ages' jobs done? Some of these could make your business more profitable, easier to run, and secure a better longer term future. 

Here are a few suggestions: 

We may get some lovely Spring weather with fewer crowds around. Take advantage of this time to take/re-take as many photos as you can. Think through all your marketing - website, blogs, mailings, social media - what kind of additional images would be good to have? Perhaps use this time to sort out your photo library, make sure all images are labelled, and up to date? 
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Last chance to spring clean your website before the bookings flood in? When was the last time you went through your site, page by page, with a critical eye? Or maybe ask a friend to help look at it through fresh eyes? 

Keep meaning to get your social media 'sorted'? It's likely you'll get really busy soon, and then still want to secure some off-peak business so use this time to plan out some posts, get images ready and prepare as much as you can in advance. If you do use scheduling tools, make sure you look at and respond to comments in real time. 

Is there something you've been putting off for a while but 'know' it's important? Getting to grips with Google Analytics perhaps? Do it now! I usually find the things I put off are much simpler and quicker to do once I tell myself to sit still and just get on with it...

Could you set up something you just haven't had chance to do before? A good example might be Pinterest - it's easy to use and is more of a visual search engine than a social media tool. Spend some time on it now and the positive effects will last for ages. 

Every website can be enhanced with more inspirational content and more local information. Spend a while updating local walks, new places you've discovered during lockdown and add details of other local businesses you'd to support. 

Look at how you make most of your income: I'm not suggesting exploitative price hikes but it is worth looking at the rates you charge, the service you offer, your high, low season and shoulder months. Do you need to make any adjustments, either now or in the future?

​If you normally accept a lot of one night stays is this a good time to think how you might encourage longer stays? Food and drink businesses and attractions will need to recoup lost income through up-selling and secondary spend. What staff training or other measures are in place to do this? 

Do you struggle sometimes when I say things like 'write for your target market' or 'get inside the mind of your customers'? 

Second-guessing what your guests want isn't easy. Neither is looking at your business from their perspective.

We're often too close to see the things that others see from outside. When they're pointed out, you probably say 'of course' but it's hard to see in advance. 

Can you do anything about this? Yes!

Ask your customers.

Ask them what they love, ask them what they look forward to.

Ask them why they visited you. 

You can ask them in person, by phone when you speak to them, on social media or send them an email.

If they've visited you and enjoyed their time with you, they probably won't mind being asked. They may even welcome the opportunity to reflect on lovely memories. You might offer them something such as a bottle of wine during their next stay or voucher for your gift shop in return, but that's not always necessary.

When you ask, explain that you're taking this opportunity to refresh your marketing and that their help would be appreciated. 
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Make a note of everything they say.

Note especially the words they use. For example if you run a holiday cottage, do your customers say 'holiday cottage' or 'holiday rental', or something quite different? 

There are lots of reasons why it's worth doing this. 

It's a good excuse to get in touch with customers and remind them about their previous good experience - using the indirect angle or asking for help can work well. 

Making a note of their words will help you to think about the keywords you need to use on your website to improve your search engine rankings. 

They may say something about your business that you haven't really thought about, or say something that helps you realise you're not making the most of some aspects of your business. 

It might give you ideas for some extra photos or wording on your website that you didn't consider before. 

Asking questions is a good way to increase engagement (and followers) on social media. 

It might give you ideas for blogs or future promotional ideas. 
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They might say something that you could use as a testimonial in future - with permission. 

It's great to see your business through others' eyes. It can help refresh your marketing, and give you a real boost. And we all need one of those. 

When I began working in tourism over 30 years ago, marketing was mainly about paying other people to do things you couldn't do for yourself.

We paid membership subscriptions to tourist boards so we could display their logo and they promoted our business in their "official guide to...".

We paid a fortune for advertisements in the Radio Times January edition when everyone thought about their holidays.

We paid for designers and printers to create our leaflets, and distribution companies to display them in motorway service stations and other random locations. We paid the AA or RAC to inspect our properties and give star-ratings.

None of it was very scientific. There were a lot of crossed fingers, relying on others, and battling to be part of the 'official' anything so visitors felt reassured. 

Those days are long gone.

The 'official' anything is no-longer highly prized. It's more likely to be seen as dull and behind the times as visitors hunt down authentic, off-the-beaten-track, I-got-there-first locations.  If you want to advertise, spending a few pounds to boost a post on facebook is likely to be more effective. Print material is vastly reduced.

Now marketing is much more DIY. 

Visitors write their own reviews for other visitors to see.

Even a small business can gain a worldwide audience through their website, or attract the attention of journalists through their social media. Each business is much more in control of their marketing. It's no-longer something that is done for them or to them. They don't need to pay tourist board subscriptions, or spend a fortune on print ads. 

One thing hasn't changed. There's still a lot of crossed fingers and hoping for the best... 

Most people who run tourism businesses are not marketing experts. They bought or built their business because they're hospitable, like people, enjoy catering, are proud of their area and want to show it off, or have an interest they want to share. Most have many different skills, but several things in common.

In an ideal world most of their guests and customers will return and recommend them to others. In that same ideal world, everyone will book directly so they don't have to pay commission and they'll visit year round so owners are not rushed off their feet for half the year and worried about cashflow for the rest. 

Many tourism business owners feel surprisingly alone. They're often surrounded by guests but they shoulder the responsibility of running their business alone. They keep smiling at visitors but inside worry about how they'll attract the right people at the right time, paying the right price. 

When you run a tourism business marketing is important to your success. But it's something most find difficult, partly because time and budgets are always so limited. Yet most tourism business owners end up wasting precious time and money because they have to rely on trial and error. And just when you've worked out how to use the latest social media, along comes something new! 

There's no shortage of courses, workshops, business support. They're not all practical and are often delivered by people who've never experienced the gut-wrenching anxiety that comes with running your own business. In fact, there's so much information and advice available, that's part of the problem. Who can find the time to sift through it all in search of the nuggets of good advice? 

The problems don't stop there. Most of the advice available is designed to help with just one part of marketing. It's hard to see how it all fits together and where the priorities are. 

There are countless courses and articles about how to use social media for your business.But what if you really want to know how to use it to specifically get new visitors?

But you don't know who to target? Or your social media gets people to your website but for some reason they don't book? Or maybe you've been told to use keywords to improve your SEO but you've no clue what words people search for because you're not sure what's in the minds of your potential visitors ? And so it goes on...

Strangely, very few workshops deal with things like how to charge a fair price for what you offer, which marketing to do first, or what's not worth doing. 

Most advice is ad hoc and there's little sense of progress or provision. It's not tailored to businesses at different stages of development, from starting out to expansion. 

Business owners tell me that they often feel overwhelmed. They have a huge marketing 'to do' list, but don't know what to do first. They go on courses but don't know how to put the ideas into action. They're not sure how to adapt advice for their own business. They have limited time and budgets so really need to know what will work for them. If they can spare 15 minutes a few times a week, what marketing activities would make the most difference to their business? 

It's for all these reasons that I'm starting to do something different. I hope it will help many businesses. After such a long time working with thousands of tourism businesses, I think I've worked out what works and what doesn't, what marketing is most important and when to do it, how to save money and when to spend it, how each marketing activity fits together, what you need to do to solve challenges like getting more direct bookings, building year-round businesses and getting people to stay longer. 

I've never seen a programme that's easy to access, friendly and nurturing. Or one that lets people progress at their own pace, while taking them step-by-step through more systematic marketing activities. I've never found anything that says 'do this, you could try this, but don't bother doing that' or that says 'if your budget and time are limited, here are the five things you need to do, in this order so you don't waste money or time'. 

I'm planning to fill these gaps by creating the Nurture and Grow Programme. If you've ever wanted to feel less alone in your business, to feel more supported, more certain about what to do, and less overwhelmed, the Nurture and Grow Programme is for you. If you've ever wanted someone to come along and just guide you in the right direction so you can make money without spending every moment working, this is for you.

If you've ever been on courses and picked up information but struggled to implement it or just lost your way from time to time and secretly wanted someone to nudge you along, Nurture and Grow is for you.

It's called NAG for short, so if you've ever needed a gentle push to help your business reach its full potential, this is for you!

Nurture and Grow is a full step-by-step programme that you can follow in your own time, using a combination of live and recorded workshops, written support and a warm, friendly online community. 

I've already got a brilliant list of lovely business owners who're waiting to step inside the programme. Some are new faces, others are people I've been helping for years.

The Nurture and Grow programme is something I've wanted to develop for ages, and now I'm actually doing it! I'm excited and energised by all the ideas in my head and the chance to help more businesses.

If this sounds like something you're interested in, email so I can add you to the (no obligation) waiting list. I'm going to limit numbers on the programme, but there'll be some special introductory offers for those on the waiting list. I'll send you the full information next week. Thanks to everyone who has already said they're interested - the response has been fantastic and is really spurring me on to build something special and as useful as I can make it. 

Do you know what information you need to include on the home page of your website to get results? 

Most people don't.

We could have a long conversation about search engine optimisation and how using lots of headings and putting the most important information at the top of the page is essential... but there are some other very straight forward things you also need to do. 

Of course every site is different and has varied objectives but it's worth checking that you're doing all these. A lot of technical research by people with much geekier brains than mine have tested all kinds of options and found that these five elements help websites perform well.

Try to include these five lements in this order: 

1. Headline: What do you do? What do you offer? This headline needs to grab attention, show the value of what you offer, preferably with an emotional appeal.

2. Sub-heading: How do you offer it? For example, where or what - a location and its benefits, what you do that's different or special. 

3. Strong image or images, which grab attention, relate to your target markets and illustrate the point you've made in the headline and sub-heading.

4. Reviews and social proof - something which reassures and builds credibility. This shouldn't be just a link to a review site lose potential visitors might leave your site too quickly.

5. A call to action - something easy (e.g. a button) that encourages visitors to take the next step, whether making a booking, visiting, signing up to a mailing list or following you on social media. 

I've had several messages recently from people who say that they've had more visitors to their website but it hasn't necessarily resulted in more bookings.

Why? Is there anything you can do? 

Quick answer: yes!

First of all, it's worth establishing that people aren't just coming to your website for five seconds and then 'bouncing out' because they don't at all like what they see. Google Analytics will help you with this.

Let's assume there's nothing fundamentally wrong with your website, and focus on other reasons why you're getting 'lookers', not 'bookers'.

Decision-making stages: 1. unaware 2. aware 3. thinking about it 4. conviction 5. ACTION - visits and bookings
 
Everyone goes through several phases before they buy or book anything. Right in the middle of this process is the 'consideration' stage: the time when people are interested and 'thinking about it' before they move on to a purchase. If your website was a clothes shop, this is the point when customers gather a few items to try on. They're open to buying something but need to be convinced it's right for them. They may try on a few things and send a photo to a friend before they buy. 

During the consideration stage potential visitors go through a lot of research and thinking: 

• what does this business offer? 
• is it right for me? 
• what are the reviews like? 
• what might be the downsides? 
• what are the alternatives?
• I want to book/visit - just need a little reassurance I'm doing the right thing. 

Some businesses are good at moving potential visitors quickly from 'maybe' to 'yes'.

Some take a while longer.

If you're getting a lot of lookers, and few bookers, it might be down to external factors (weather forecasts, government announcements) but chances are, you've just not quite made potential visitors ready to hit the 'book now' button. 

Perhaps you've given some really good rational reasons why someone should visit you, but nothing really stands out?

Perhaps your lookers need more of an emotional appeal to show them the difference between your business and others?

Perhaps you need something to just push them over the edge towards a booking? 

Or maybe you've offered a strong emotional appeal but not enough rational information - both are necessary.

You might need to look again at how you offer the right kind of reassurance to potential visitors, whether it's about being Covid-secure or offering good booking conditions? 

Perhaps your lookers aren't ready to book yet for external reasons, but they are interested? If this is the case, you need to make sure they don't just forget. So if you have a lot of lurking lookers, get them to take some action, even if it isn't a full booking - suggest they follow you on social media and sign up for your mailings so you have other chances to push them into action. 

If you've noticed an increase in lookers on your website, you're doing something right. Don't give up now - keep going and you'll eventually turn them into bookers. It's often the last few tweaks of your website, a few small changes to your social media messaging, a final mailing that makes the difference... 

Scarcity marketing is a good way to prompt people into action and get them to spend money with you.

When used well, it's a powerful tactic. 

So what is it? 

If there's something you've been thinking about buying and you only see one left on the shop shelf, what do you do?

Walk away or grab it while you can? 

When we think something is scarce, we're more likely to make a quick decision and to snap it up

Scarcity marketing uses our natural fear of missing out, or of something being sold out or fully booked, in order to spur us into action.

A simple example: 'We only have availability on x or y dates. Book now so you don't miss out'. 

Scarcity marketing means telling potential customers that something is running out, and stocks are low. Or that time is running out to book or buy. 

Most of us don't spend money quickly. We may put off making a decision, feeling that there's a better deal or something better 'out there'. We dither, trying to choose between different things, comparing prices, double-checking reviews. For every visitor who comes to you, there are probably at least another 10 who nearly came to your business, but were not convinced to do so. Offering the right kind of reassurance works for some people. A gentle nudge can work even better. 

Using scarcity messages gives people a reason to make a decision. It feels more urgent. 

If you make people feel they'll miss out, they may even be ready to pay higher prices. They'll definitely feel they've somehow triumphed by making the right decision, before others do. 

There are good and bad ways to use scarcity. Sometimes it's a little manipulative. Amazon and Booking .com have been accused of pressure-selling when they show that 'six people looking at this - only one left' style messages (which may not be true). 

Most businesses I know don't want to be 'pushy' or to fib but they could make better use of scarcity marketing. It's really about giving potential customers a gentle nudge, or reminder. They may even thank you for the prompt. 

Can you use scarcity during Covid-19?

I'm writing this during another UK lockdown, with no set date for our 'release' back into the wider world. You may be wondering if you can still use scarcity even when you don't know when you can re-open. The answer is a definite 'yes'.

Scarcity messages may be even more powerful now. After the last lockdown, bookings were very strong. People wanted to make up for lost time and some found that UK places booked up surprisingly quickly. We already know that demand is likely to be high once lockdown ends.

Three ways you can use scarcity marketing during lockdown:

• Remind people to make advance bookings now, telling that that demand is likely to be high. If you do this, you'll need to be flexible, with refundable discounts and payment terms in case lockdown is extended beyond expectations. 

• The other option is to use scarcity to build your mailing list so you can contact potential customers directly once we have an end to lockdown. Tell people you will give booking priority to people on your mailing list. This will have the benefit of giving you some reassurance that you'll be able to generate bookings quickly when the time comes, and will help you to build your mailing list for the future. 

• Promote gift vouchers now and tell potential visitors that you'll give priority to gift voucher recipients when booking re-opens. This might take a little more managing than the other two options.

Some ways to use scarcity marketing

• Give a time limit for response - convey a sense of urgency.

• Strengthen the fear of missing out (FOMO) by showing (good images) what they'll miss if they don't book/make a decision now.

• Be clear about limited availability - say what is available and stress that this is limited.

One final note: for most people the perceived risk that if they don't book now they'll miss out will be sufficient reason to take action. You don't need to offer early booking discounts as an incentive. But you could say 'before prices go up'... 

I'm often asked how to decide who your target markets should/could be, and how to get new visitors.

If your business is relatively new this can be a tricky thing to decide.

If your business is better established, you hopefully already have a good base of people who like what you do, but probably want to expand your markets. 

Many people describe their target markets in traditional terms such as "empty nesters", or "people aged 35+ from up to two hours away".

The trouble with this is it's hard to actually imagine them as real people and individuals. So the words you write on your website might sound a bit stilted and less enticing. It's hard to make social media posts really engaging when you're not really sure who you're writing for.

I've got an easier suggestion to try.

It's worth starting with the easiest and most obvious people you could attract: those who will like what you do. Doing this can also help you improve your search engine rankings because you'll use the kind of key words your potential visitors search for. 

People like to feel you understand them and know what they're looking for (even when they're not always sure themselves!).

They don't want to work too hard to make a decision. Anything you can do to make it easier for them to choose you is good! 

This is partly why Amazon* has been so successful. When you search for a book, they then present other options with a few 'people who chose this also liked...' suggestions. They take away the hard work and make you feel like they know your needs. 

Amazon uses expensive personalisation software. You don't need to. But you can help people make a decision in favour of your business.

It's easy. Here's how:

All you need to do is complete this sentence (you could make it a paragraph or list) starting:

"we're perfect /x name of your business is perfect for people who like..." 

For example, if you run a camp site with limited facilities, you might write:

We're perfect for people who love camping and like the idea of getting back to basics in a wonderful open space with amazing views and a pub only a mile away.

If you have a holiday cottage in a village, you might write:

Cosy Cottage is perfect for people who want to stay in a beautiful self-catering cottage in the heart of x village, with a small shop, church, lovely village green and pub.

Or if your accommodation is miles away from civilisation, you might write:

We're perfect for people who want to retreat from the world and enjoy the peace and quiet, knowing the nearest village is x miles away. 

Whatever you're promoting, you can use a sentence like this to help people feel they've found the right place for them.

It's most powerful when you use a combination of something specific plus a reason for visiting

A specific aspect could be something like a pub (give the name so it's more credible) only a mile away.

The reason for visiting could be some one who wants to retreat, who loves to discover lesser known spots, who wants to enjoy the hustle and bustle of... 


*PS. I don't like Amazon. If you'd prefer to support small independent businesses (like yours?) who pay their taxes, try Bookshop.org - they'll deliver directly to you and you can nominate your local bookshop as well so they still get some commission. 

Almost every day someone tells me they don't have any time for marketing.

I may have said it myself more than once.

If this is 100% true, then the only option might be to close the  business.

Tourism is a competitive industry and it's unlikely any business will last without any marketing at all. So what are we really saying? 


What does "I haven't got time to do any marketing" really mean? 

Do we mean we don't have any time for any marketing or just certain aspects of it? Responding to bookings, sending emails, talking to visitors are all marketing activities but we don't always 'count' them because they're everyday business essentials.

For some people 'marketing' means anything that seems a bit more effortful - posting regularly on social media, writing blogs, re-vamping your website, considering new markets and how to attract them. 

We all complain that we're too busy. We have many different claims on our time that we have to juggle, making choices about our priorities. If you say you don't have time to market your business, you might be suggesting your business just isn't a priority? Because you don't take it seriously or just lack confidence? 

Or maybe you really don't see marketing as a priority, because you're bound up with the daily grind of running a business? What if I tell you certain marketing activities could mean more higher income, fewer demanding guests, more time off?  

Some people feel they don't have time for marketing because marketing feels a bit fluffy and frivolous, not 'serious' or such 'hard work' as servicing rooms, welcoming visitors or taking them out on activities. 

For the majority though I think there are four common issues: 

1. You have every intention of finding time to market but somehow other things get in the way.

2. It feels like you need a big block of time to 'do marketing', as if it's a big job that can only be done when you have the luxury of hours and hours of free time - which never happens. 

3. Marketing feels never-ending and vague - there are so many things you could do, how do you choose and prioritise? The sheer range of things you could do is enough to cause indecision and lack of action. 

4. You're just not sure what to do, how, or when. It's hard to know what works and what's worth doing. Again, if you only have limited time, how do you choose? 

If any of these sound familiar, I have two solutions that might help. 

First of all, the most effective marketing isn't one big (expensive) thing. It's step by step, small consistent actions that build over time. Anyone can find 15-30 minutes a day to do something purposeful and to make it a habit that you just do, again and again, your marketing activities will soon become effective. 

It's massively easier to do that, or to find more time for marketing if: 

a) you have an outcome or goal in mind (e.g. if I do this now, I'll attract more visitors and earn £1000 more so I can buy...) and
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b) you know exactly what to do. An action plan broken down into smaller, easy-to-achieve steps makes this much easier. 

I'll be covering both of these solutions in more depth in the marketing challenge starting this Thursday. It's free! Make sure you sign up here before 9.00 am on 14th January. 

Another lockdown, another period of uncertainty and lost revenue.

Hibernation seems like an attractive option. Many of us feel powerless and want to retreat from the world. 

Living in the moment and being mindful can be calming and good for mental health. But not always.

I'm not sure that focusing on the horrible reality of what's happening right now is the best way forward. 

​Taking the long view - thinking more like a butterfly than a chrysalis - can make you feel better, survive and eventually thrive. 

During the Winter do you contemplate the desolate bare earth in the garden and hope something will eventually grow? Or have you already planted bulbs and perennials so you know you'll soon see colourful blooms? 

When lockdown ends and visitors can travel again, will you tentatively emerge, nervously looking around to see what's going on around you and re-start your business?

Or will you make a joyous 'ta dah' appearance, arms wide open, leaping out of lockdown, secure in the knowledge that you're ready to recoup lost revenue, and ready to welcome visitors with some new ideas and a better, stronger business? Perhaps with the added advantage of knowing you've made your business more efficient, with systems that stop you feeling too exhausted?

Some people are good at sitting still and waiting for the storm to blow over. I'm not. I like to watch which way it's blowing and get ready for the clear up. During difficult times I feel better when I look ahead to clearer skies, armed with a plan which fuels my optimism. I'm using this enforced lockdown to make my business stronger and more effective. 

We have gained some certainties from the last lockdowns:

• visitors really value holidays, days out and chances to escape everyday life;
• and we all value time with friends and family.

So we do know that there's a strong market for what we do. There's pent up demand. 

We also know that there are many businesses waiting to welcome visitors when it's safe to do so.

Some of those businesses are about to close and retreat, to stop their social media and forget about their mailing list until they can re-open. They're the ones who'll take a while to gear up and generate more revenue. Some are actively planning how they can bounce back better and stronger. Which are you? 

If you'd like some help to put together a plan to make your business stronger, I hope you'll join me for the free Profit Programme Challenge. The idea is to help you work out what you can do in the coming year to overcome some of the losses of the last year. It's free and easy to participate - sign up here. If you're worried you might not be able to stick to a plan or lack motivation, there's something in the programme for you too!

I've already started to work on my own business plans for the future, and hope you'll be part of them. Over the last year I've noticed that many tourism business owners really need two things.

One is to feel more supported and nurtured. Most feel pretty battered and bruised so I'd like to help you feel less alone.

The other thing I've noticed is that many feel there are just too many things to do to market their business, too many different skills to learn, too many claims on their attention. This means that so many are trying to do everything at once, not necessarily successfully, and possibly wasting money.

If this sounds familiar, I have a plan! More on this soon...

What’s the longest you’ve ever waited for something  to pay off?

If you've ever felt like what you're doing isn't working, or questioned whether you should keep going - read on...

Marketing is really all about planting seeds and ideas.

Like seeds, some marketing activities grow instantly, rapidly sprouting and growing, capturing attention like a tall showy sunflower.

Others take a while to get established, perhaps growing slowly and only flowering when the circumstances are exactly right.

We don’t always know which seeds – or marketing activities - will flourish but if you plant them well in the right place, you’ll increase the chances of success. Each seed or marketing activity adds an extra layer and dimension so there's always something blooming. 
 
Sometimes you just have to be patient. It will pay off...
 
Yesterday, a TV producer called me to talk about ideas for a possible TV series after he’d read an article I wrote. I assumed it was something I wrote last month, or the month. He quickly corrected me. It was in 2016. We talked about making an award-winning documentary together (everyone needs a dream…). That conversation wouldn’t have happened without that article.
 
It reminded me of a call I received a while ago, from someone who acted as if I knew them well. “Hello Susan, it’s Andy.”  I answered in a bright jolly voice, and asked Andy how he was, while I played for time, trying to remember his voice and how I knew him.

It eventually turned out that Andy came to one of my marketing workshops fifteen years earlier. At the time he was a young inexperienced office junior and I wasn’t even sure what I’d taught on the workshop was relevant to him. Something must have struck a chord with him because when he took on a senior job at the BBC and wanted to promote their studio tours, he called to ask me to do some work for the BBC. Whatever you do today, could have a massive impact on your future - you just don't know which action will reap the best returns!