Understanding traveller behaviour and talking to them as individuals is key to driving conversions. Why are they travelling in the first place and what do they hope to gain from their trip?
A statistic that underscores this point more than any other comes from Google’s research - 67% of travellers are more likely to book with brands that provide relevant destination information.
So how can targeted destination content drive conversions? The word 'relevant' is key. Relevant means content that is accurate, up-to-date and personalized. Sharing one-size-fits-all guides to a local neighbourhood will not impact conversions, but personalized and up to date recommendations likely will. Consider the uniqueness of different traveler types and how much a destination changes seasonally and with frequent openings/closures. You must combine knowledge of the traveller and knowledge of the destination to produce content that converts.
Travellers are overwhelmed with information and they expect the brands that they buy from to be a trusted resource. Simply offering a room or a seat on a flight isn't enough when your customer has many options to choose from. Travellers crave experiences and look to brands to help them shape an experience that they want to buy.
The inspiration stage
Planning a trip can be overwhelming because options are plentiful. Where to go? When? What to see? Where to eat? Where to avoid? The inspiration stage is the essential point at which to add value for your prospective customers and earn their business. Google's research highlights that this stage is crucial for driving conversions.
At this early stage in the travel decision-making process, people want brands to provide content to inspire and to help narrow down choices. What's in it for hotel marketers, airline marketers, and other travel marketers? Sixty-seven percent of travellers are more likely to book with a travel brand that provides relevant information for the destinations they're interested in.
Brands that offer comprehensive and insightful destination information become trusted advisors, simplifying the planning process and building confidence.
If you're looking at a hotel in a new city and they offer you detailed guides to local attractions, restaurant recommendations, and even transportation tips, you are more sold on the destination. That is true for the vast majority of travellers.
How can hotels and travel marketers leverage this insight?
The answer is by delivering a content strategy that goes beyond simply promoting your primary services. You need to find a way to produce content that meets the needs of your various audience segments, keep that content fresh and up to date and personalize it for them.
Focus on providing relevant information that caters to the specific needs and interests of your different segments This could include in-depth destination guides, curated itineraries, blog posts about local culture and events, or even interactive maps highlighting places nearby.
Don't just describe your destination; help visualize the experience a visitor might have there with rich media and detailed descriptions.
Ensure you are thinking about the traveller first, and not purely the search engine. The days of building content purely to satisfy search indexing are long gone. Creating an engaging experience once somebody lands on your site is just as important as getting the keywords in. Content should not only drive traffic by being indexed, but also drive traffic by engaging visitors and lowering bounce rates - both things that drive conversions but also ultimately impact search.
What makes content relevant?
Showcase the unique aspects of the location and how a traveller can immerse themselves and live like a local. If they lived there, what would their favourite places be? Would they have a favourite date night restaurant, place to take their kids, or cosy work spot? How much better would their visit be if they discovered these places early on with minimal effort?
A hotel should think about the property information in the same way. How can the hotel's services be personalized to drive relevance and impact conversion. If you know what kind of visitor is travelling, you can describe your restaurant differently to these different groups to increase relevance. Highlight the kids menu to families, or perhaps the cocktail offers to couples.
Different types of content are relevant at different stages of the journey. At the inspiration stage, visitors want to know the highlights and get a sense for the fantastic experience they will have there. Closer to arrival, more practical tips like nearby supermarkets and pharmacies might have the biggest impact.
Seaonality also stands out. Do you have time to create guides for Christmas markets? Or romantic spots around Valentines Day?
How to get content into your journey and keep it fresh
Obvlo's Content Engine gives hotel and traveller marketers near instant access to curated and personalized destination guides. Choose the types of guides you want to create and the destinations you need them for, then within minutes you can start previewing unique new content. By applying your distinct tone of voice you can ensure that your authentic brand shines through.
A personalization framework catering for over 100 traveller personas plus user interfaces that allow you to get up and running in hours, not months are provided as standard. Content can be delivered via a fully hosted web-app or embedded into your existing website, app and/or emails. For enterprise customers content can be consumed directly via API and distributed through custom interfaces, chatbots and various other outputs.
Obvlo's vision is to create 'local knowledge on a global scale'. In the end, travellers aren't just looking for a place to stay or a way to get there; they're looking for an experience.
Brands that help them discover and plan their experiences as early on as the inspiration stage are the ones that will ultimately drive conversions, win bookings and build lasting loyalty.
