Do you notice how online travel agencies (OTA platforms) appear to capture travelers’ attention so effortlessly? That’s because they’ve got their marketing down to a science.
As a tour operator, you can master the strategies that these marketing giants to boost your visibility and customer engagement. And that's what we're talking about here.
In my research, I have noticed three main strategies that OTA marketing uses in their ads framework. Listed below are these three and how OTAs leverage each. We are not talking about listing optimization strategies here. But this article focuses on innovative marketing lessons that OTAs use that you can use too, in your own tour business.
1. Targeted Advertising
OTA advertising uses advanced data analytics to create highly effective marketing campaigns. By leveraging sophisticated algorithms, they can sift through vast amounts of user data—including searches, clicks, bookings, and even user interactions on social media platforms. This data mining allows OTAs to understand not just the general trends but also the specific interests and behaviors of individual travelers.
For instance, if an OTA notices a surge in searches for eco-tours in Bali, they can use this information to tailor their advertising campaigns. They might increase the visibility of similar eco-tour offerings in their search results, or use targeted ads to reach users who have shown interest in sustainability and eco-friendly travel.
This targeted approach ensures that the marketing efforts are not just broad but also highly relevant to each user, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.
What Tour Operators Can Learn
As a tour operator, you can adopt similar strategies to enhance your marketing efforts and boost your bookings.
Here are three steps you can take right away:
Invest in Analytics
Start by integrating analytics tools into your website and booking system. In TicketingHub, we can integrate you with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and Google Trends.
Use these tools to gather and analyze data on what your target audience is searching for and what interests them the most.
Create Tailored Ad Campaigns
Using the data you have gathered, create ad campaigns that cater to the specific interests of your potential customers.
If data shows an interest in “affordable food tours”, target them with ads featuring your promos and budget-friendly food tour packages for a group or a couple traveling in the city.
Use OTA Advertising and Retargeting Strategies
In your analytics tools, you may see users who have visited your site but left without booking. Retarget them with a personalized email or SMS to encourage direct bookings.
In TicketingHub, we call this the Abandoned Cart Drip Campaign. When a visitor leaves a cart unbooked, our system automatically sends out SMS or Email reminders to the guest to complete his booking. It’s also a smarter way to market without spending more on ads.
Get Familiar with Your Ideal Customer Persona
Take advantage of your data when advertising on social media or in Google. In time, you’ll gain a better understanding of your customer behavior in seasons. Then, in the long run, even when you lessen advertising with ads, you can tailor-make your marketing strategy to attract customers to your tours better.
Let alone a booking system like TicketingHub that can help you with that. Learn from your customer booking patterns with analytics integrations. Then, retarget customers using smart booking tools like the Abandoned Cart Drip Campaign.
See how GetYourGuide invests in Google Ads
Lessons:
- GetYourGuide did extensive keyword research and created pages that targeted these specific search terms.
- Targeting a specific niche, like what GetYourGuide did on the 'self-guided chocolate tour' is really a smart move. This is a long-tailed keyword and it targets a very specific audience. And since they are the only ones who targeted an ad for this, they have more chances of clicks and bookings.
2. Customer Segmentation
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) effectively categorize their vast customer base into manageable segments within the travel industry. They usually base it on a variety of criteria such as demographics, behavior, travel preferences, and historical data.
This strategy allows them to tailor their marketing efforts and offerings to match the specific needs and interests of each group, maximizing the impact of their campaigns.
For example, an OTA might identify a segment of customers who frequently book luxury accommodations and prefer exclusive experiences. They can then craft targeted promotions and communications specifically for this group, perhaps offering them first access to premium packages or special loyalty rewards.
What Tour Operators Can Learn
Here are practical strategies that tour operators can implement to effectively segment and target their customer base:
Collect and Analyze Customer Data
Implement tools to capture customer data at every touchpoint, from web visits to bookings to feedback forms.
Booking systems like TicketingHub can help you categorize customers with CRM integration. You can use it to analyze and understand different customer profiles and their preferences.
Define Customer Segments
Create distinct segments for your customers based on their age, spending habits, types of tours booked, and travel motivations. For instance, segments could include budget travelers, family vacationers, couples, or adventure seekers.
Customize Offerings
Tailor your tour packages and promotions to meet the interests of each segment. For example, offer adventure tours with added thrill-seeking activities for adventure seekers and relaxing, slow-paced tours for older travelers, couples, or families.
Targeted Email Marketing
Use segmented email marketing campaigns to send personalized offers and content to these different segments. Ensure that the content is relevant to the segment’s interests to increase engagement and bookings.
Monitor and Adapt
Regularly review the performance of each segment and adapt your strategies accordingly. And during your tours, observe your customers.
What do they expect in the tour? Do they prefer a specific tour offer?
You can also hand out tour survey questionnaires for this. This can help you refine your segments and targeting tactics over time to ensure they remain effective.
Do Social Listening
Social media is also free to use to gain insights into what’s trending. Use TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Each of these platforms has its own free analytics tool. As well as social listening. Read on forums and threads on what customers look for in the kind of tours you offer.
See this Reddit thread about the best water park. From here, you can see what customers want from a water park. If you're running a water park, you can use these customer insights on how you can make your water park experience even better. You can also take advantage of your competitors' weaknesses.
If you’re yet starting in the tour operation business, it may take some time before you get to know your customers well. But the more you put in the effort finding your ideal customer persona, the more you can create tour offerings and packages that attract.
3. Personalized Marketing
Last on our list is an effective strategy that appeals to the personal tastes of travelers. OTAs excel at this. By tracking individual customer interactions and preferences, they can send personalized communications that resonate deeply with the recipient.
Mostly, OTA sites recommend tours based on previous bookings or suggest destinations explored in search queries. This is somehow designed in their algorithms, which we cannot do on our own tour business, but you can glean strategies from the principle.
For example, if a customer frequently books wine tours, an OTA might send them a personalized email with a special promotion on upcoming wine tours in new regions they haven’t explored yet.
What Tour Operators Can Learn
Here are four actionable tips to help tour operators implement effective personalized digital marketing strategies:
Leverage Customer Data
Again, data is king. Use the data you collect to understand each customer's preferences and past behavior. Use this to create more personalized and relevant marketing messages.
Personalized Email Campaigns
Send customized emails that speak directly to your customer’s interests. Include offers based on their past bookings or destinations they have shown interest in.
Special Offers for Repeat Customers
Reward repeat customers with special offers tailored to their interests. For instance, if they’ve enjoyed several coastal tours, offer them a discount on your newest island adventure.
Use Online Booking System Tools
Online booking software like TicketingHub can help you with personalized marketing. Using CRM integration, track who’s a repeat customer and what offers they took before.
You can partner this with another tool, the message broadcast. This is a built-in messaging tool that lets you send messages to your customers via SMS or email.
The best thing? You can set it up so it will automatically send trip reminders, booking confirmations, and post-tour surveys. Use this to send special offers and discounts to your repeat customers. Or ask them for their tour feedback and offer incentives.
Conclusion
Tapping into the online travel agency’s vast market may be a good way to get more audience, but learning from how these OTAs capture their market is another smart thing.
You may not get customers as big as OTAs have, but these strategies can take your marketing game 10x further.
- Use analytical tools to tailor marketing ads to a customer persona.
- Categorize your customer segments. Create tour packages and promotions for each segment.
- Be as personal as possible when marketing, especially with repeat customers. Build brand loyalty by tracking who they are and offering special promotions just for them.
They say, “If you market to everyone, you will end up getting no one.” That’s why aim to market to each of your customers. Get to know them. Appeal to their preferences. You build this loyalty and engagement with them, and you will without a doubt grow a solid customer base.
Need help? TicketingHub is not a marketing agency but we help tours and activities market way smarter than their competitors with efficient booking processes and tools. Get your TicketingHub demo and see how we can grow your tour business.
FAQ
What Makes OTA Marketing Strategy So Effective?
- Wide Reach: OTAs have an extensive presence on established platforms, reaching travelers globally who are ready to book their next trip.
- Targeted Marketing: Using advanced algorithms, OTAs personalize ads based on users' searches and previous interactions on their sites, ensuring relevant offers.
- High Visibility: With huge investments in paid advertising on search engines, these platforms ensure their OTA presence listings are front and center.
- Ready-to-Book Audience: OTAs target users who are in the decision-making phase, increasing the likelihood of securing more bookings.
How Can Smaller Tour Companies Use OTA Marketing Strategies?
- Create Great Listings: Enhance your online visibility with captivating photos and detailed descriptions on your website and OTA listings.
- Leverage Seasonal Promotions: Utilize dynamic pricing and promotions during peak events to attract more direct bookings.
- Focus on Personal Touch: Customize your marketing to reflect the specific niche interests and preferences of your customers.
What Tools Do OTAs Use to Figure Out What Customers Want?
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: These systems help track customer interactions and build a comprehensive data profile.
- Analytics Platforms: Tools like Google Analytics provide insights into customer behaviors and preferences.
- AI Tools: Advanced tech companies are employed by OTAs to predict customer trends and tailor marketing efforts.
Using TicketingHub, we integrate seamlessly with top CRM and analytics platforms, centralizing your customer data and bookings for easier management.
How Do I Segment My Customers Like an OTA?
- Identify Key Demographics: Focus on age, location, and other demographics to understand your audience better.
- Analyze Booking Habits: Look at booking frequencies and preferred experiences to tailor your offers.
- Create Targeted Campaigns: Develop specific messages that cater to the unique interests of each customer group.
What Are Some Budget-Friendly Ways to Personalize Marketing?
- Email Marketing: Send customized emails to customers based on their past bookings and expressed interests.
- Social Media Engagement: Use your social media channels to engage customers and encourage them to share their experiences.
- Basic Automation Tools: Implement affordable automation tools to efficiently manage personalized communications.
With TicketingHub’s message broadcast tool, automate your promotional messages and customer feedback requests to maintain consistent engagement.
How Do OTAs Adjust Their Marketing for Busy and Slow Seasons?
- Increase Ad Spend During Busy Times: Boost your ad spend to capture maximum bookings during high-demand periods.
- Offer Discounts in Slow Seasons: Attract customers with competitive prices and special deals when demand is lower.
- Analyze Past Data: Leverage data from past seasons to refine your pricing and promotional strategies.
How Often Should I Update My Marketing Strategies Based on What Customers Say?
- Regular Reviews: Schedule regular assessments of your strategies, ideally quarterly or every six months.
- Use Customer Feedback: Adapt and refine your marketing tactics based on customer feedback and analytical insights.
What Are the First Steps to Shift to Data-Driven Marketing Like an Online Travel Agency?
- Assess Current Practices: Evaluate your existing marketing efforts to identify areas for improvement.
- Invest in Analytics Tools: Begin with basic analytics tools available on social media platforms to gather valuable customer insights.
- Start Small with Digital Campaigns: Launch small-scale campaigns tailored to your insights and scale based on success.
- Expand Based on Insights: Gradually increase your marketing efforts as you gain more understanding of what works.
