Over the last 10 years the travel trade – perhaps more than any other sector – has been transformed by the advent of the internet.
But with a tough 2009 forecast there’s a strong case for redoubling online marketing efforts. As everyone competes over a slice of a smaller pie, you can be sure your competitors will be looking at the web to give them an edge.
There are many practical and affordable ways to capitalise on the commercial opportunities offered online. My advice focuses on ways to make the most of a client’s existing web presence and how to make the consumer experience of a brand as similar online as it is offline.
Here are some practical tips to maximise opportunities with consumers without breaking the bank.
Turn visitors into customers
You might like how your website looks, but do you know how well it is performing from your customers’ point of view?
Gain some objectivity by testing the site with real users (at least six, across a range of demographics). Get them to perform basic tasks, such as searching for a certain type of holiday and making a booking. Record what happens. You will be surprised at the insight you get.
Combine this research with your web statistics and then work out what all that data means – you could commission an expert to help. For example, are some consumers dropping out of the site at places they shouldn’t? If so, why?
Your research probably won’t mean going back to the drawing board. Often, small changes such as renaming links or simplifying booking forms can yield great results.
For example, a travel client of ours produced an additional £200,000 revenue per year, simply through the redesign of its booking form. And a cruise firm saw online sales rise by more than 300% after undertaking user testing and implementing recommended changes to its website.
Get more than your fair share of traffic
So your website is ready to convert more visitors to customers. What you need now is more traffic.
There are lots of ways to drive traffic to your website, but you may not have the budget to do them all.
With search engines delivering as many as 70%-80% of visitors to websites, coming out at the top of search results (especially on Google) is almost certainly the best use of your limited resources.
If you are running pay-per-click campaigns on search engines (or thinking of giving it a go) here are some tips for making the most of your budget:
Make sure your ads only appear for searches made by people looking for your product and service
Ensure the ads you show consumers are 100% relevant to the search they make
Make sure the web pages you land consumers on within your site are 100% relevant to their search.
Pay-per-click can deliver great results, but it’s easy to waste money if you don’t optimise your campaigns on a regular basis.
And finally…
Take another look at your web stats. All being well, your online business should show signs of improvement, even in these tough times. Chances are, many of your competitors are not as web savvy as you’ve become.
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- For practical advice and more ‘How to’ features, go to www.travelweekly.co.uk/howto