Gas prices have relaxed, the Canadian dollar is back to a reasonable level
Luc Courtois
Gas prices have relaxed, the Canadian dollar is back to a reasonable level and SARS is ancient history. But the tourism floodgates are still far from open, no thanks to a sputtering economy and mandatory passports just around the corner. Fortunately die-hard travelers haven't stopped traveling, they are just being much more cautious. It's basically a matter of trust and destination marketers can look to hosted web video to build that trust like no other medium around.
Yes, a confluence of external factors beyond the control of Canadian destination marketers has dramatically impacted the overall number of travelers. In 2006, same-day car trips by Americans to Canada saw the biggest drop to date, hitting their lowest level since 1972.
This is real, but what can destination businesses do besides holding these external excuses hostage until a miracle happens? While spur-of-the-moment day-trippers, often a tightfisted lot, may become relics of the past, the high-spending, die-hard traveler will barely bat an eye at all these obstacles. But they will be much more cautious about where they travel. It's all about gaining their trust.
But how? We must realize that to get the die-hard traveler's wallet back, we have to do a better job of pre-selling the experience, while breaking down all and any risk factors. Eliminate any doubt they might have about coming to your destination. You see, pretty pictures and flowery words won't cut it anymore. The traveler just isn't buying into those fancy magazine ads. Well, that is unless those ads are backed by serious and very convincing internet marketing.
I don't have to tell you that most travelers research their destinations on the Net. Travel destination decisions are heavily influenced by how well your site delivers what the prospect is looking for. If your web site is three or five years old (or even more ancient, God help you if it is!), chances are that your online marketing strategy is out of date. Not necessarily your content, but how it is being delivered.
There are some fundamental questions you should ask yourself. Is my site user friendly? Can prospects navigate easily? Does the prospect end up where I want them to end up? Is my message strategy geared to the prospect or to my competitor? This latter question is a whole other article though. The bottom line is that your web site should be working 24-7 as a virtual sales agent. When destination marketers started using the web as a marketing vehicle, we were designing sites as an online brochure. Up until a couple of years ago this was fine. A well designed brochure style site didn't do too badly with conversions. This isn't nearly as effective anymore. Now imagine a site that has incredible converting power, a site that not only delivers visual appeal, but literally speaks to the prospect and guides them where to click next.
The increase in broadband subscribers and the development of new video streaming technologies have opened the door to more creative possibilities to get your message across in a unique and interesting way. With green screens and some video editing, a live host can now turn your static web site into your very own TV channel. You can now pre-sell your prospects using the spoken word, complete with the emotional inflections that the written word could never convey.
This brings us back to trust. Whether it's a hostess at a restaurant or a greeter at Wal-Mart, it's all about establishing a level of comfort and trust, something the most gifted copywriter using the most inspired copy can rarely achieve.
But don't can your copywriter just yet. Your online host still needs a carefully written script that will not only give a full picture of your destination, but will actually guide them through your site for more information, and more importantly, for conversion. The “KISS” theory applies in full force here “Keep It Short & Sweet”. No one wants to sit and listen to someone yammer on for a half an hour, that may be fine for traditional TV, but this is Internet TV, where we all suffer symptoms of attention deficit. Short 15 to 30 second segments are all you need and all your viewer will sit through. As your host speaks to your demographic, they will get a better feel for your destination, making their decision a much easier one. Let me give you an example, a scenario we've all been through at one time or another. You've just sat down at a restaurant that you've never been to before. You're not sure what to have, so you ask your server for a recommendation. The server suggests the sautéed tenderloin with wine sauce, delivering the pitch with excitement and enthusiasm (and often very well-scripted too). The same description read fine on the menu, but then again so did all the other dishes. But listening to it right from the horse's mouth just makes it sound that much better, as you envision the mouth-watering flavours that the chef has painstakingly prepared. In essence, your server has just pre-sold the experience that you might have. You visualize yourself enjoying the dish while it is being described. And if executed convincingly, more likely than not, you'll be going with the tenderloin.
Just like at the restaurant, a host on your web site gives the visitor a clear path in which to follow, describing the experience and greatly reducing any possible doubts by pre-selling the experience. There's no better way to do that than with the spoken word, delivered instantly and effectively through web video.
It's all part of concept we call Brandcasting, where you use your own web site as an Internet TV station to effectively broadcast your brand to your visitors. You control the branding, programming, distribution and monetization of your own channel.
But video production, you ask, won't that cost an arm and a leg? It doesn't have to. In all likelihood you'll be able use content you already have still photography, video footage, etc. You're just re-purposing it and using it in a very innovative and creative way. That alone makes it a much more cost effective web site to develop.
Let's remind ourselves that solid online, offline and SEO marketing strategies still apply here. It doesn't matter how much you invest in web video functionality, it won't make a difference to your bottom line if no one visits your site. But as a start, with a brandcasting approach driving your new web site, you might never need to ask yourself, “how can I differentiate myself from the competition?” again.
Luc Courtois
President, 180 Marketing
Website:www.do180.com
BODtv: http://www.bodtv.ca
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division of Courtois & Mather Creative Inc.