Creative Holiday Marketing Ideas For Tour Operators

It’s official. We’ve made it to the first week of October, which means the holiday season is just around the corner. To help you get in the spirit, we’ve put together a list of our top holiday marketing tips.

Make no mistake, these aren’t just any marketing tips. Different from other “Best Holiday Marketing Ideas” articles and blog posts you’ll find on the internet, these tips are specific to the tour and activity industry. Because we know there’s a big difference between selling picture frames and a photo-worthy experience. So tour operators, this one’s for you.

1. Embrace the holiday spirit.

The best marketing campaigns create an authentic, emotional bond with consumers. During the holidays, when feelings of togetherness and camaraderie are at their highest, building them into your marketing plan is a must.

Plus, as a tour operator, this is where you actually have an advantage over retailers. Consumers, especially millennials, are beginning to prioritize experiences over material goods. And what better than a family snowmobile trip or river rafting experience to encourage togetherness? Use this to your advantage.

• Put a best selling, family-friendly, all ages, group activity at the front of your holiday marketing plan.
• Create a friends and family or couples discount to promote group ticket purchases.
• Sweeten the deal! Add a holiday bonus to any tour or activity. For example, you could offer guests a free photo package with any purchase made in the month of December.

2. Take advantage of Cyber Monday.

Togetherness may be the reason for the season, but there’s still a little thing called Black Friday. Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, millions of Americans will be hovering over their desktop and mobile devices, scanning the internet for – you guessed it – deals! In fact, last year, 108 million people shopped online over the course of the weekend.

Even a slight discount or extra offering is enough to draw in deal-minded customers. This is a great opportunity to capture consumers early on in the sales funnel, as the limited time offering and increased value ramp up the pressure to buy.

• Elevate your weekend sale by using a website like Canva to create free, themed graphics for email banners, social media posts or Facebook advertisements. The added visual element makes customers more likely to click, share and purchase.
• Promote engagement on your social media sites by allowing customers to unlock deals on Cyber Monday by liking your Facebook page, or reposting an Instagram post with a custom hashtag.
• Or, take note from companies like REI, that fly the white flag over Black Friday weekend and promote anti-consumerism by means of the great outdoors. Challenge customers to #OptOutside or create your own fun hashtag for the cause.

3. Ramp up customer communication.

The holiday season is notorious for bringing a flood of marketing emails to your inbox. And while no one wants their business to fade into the noise, the truth of the matter is this: you have to be proactive if you want to get noticed. You might want to double or even triple the frequency in which you contact customers. Put those email lists to use, and get your tour, activity or attraction in front of excited holiday shoppers.

• Work with local businesses to create a holiday gift guide. Include other experiences in the area, local artisans, even restaurants or events with holiday promotions. You’ll gain the sharing power of the included businesses and get major bonus points for hitting on togetherness again.
• No promotions? No problem. Send some holiday cheer in the form of a ‘Happy Holidays from our team to you’ email. A little customer appreciation goes a long way.
• Use data from last year’s holiday promotions to find what worked best for your unique business. Dig into Google Analytics to help decide if email, social media or advertising deserves your focus.

4. Use geotargeting to attract the right customer.

If you aren’t already familiar with it, geotargeting refers to delivering content or advertisements based on a user’s geographic location. This is an incredibly useful and productive tool for getting in front of the right person at the right time. Both Facebook and Google offer geotargeting in their ad platforms.

• Read through this guide on location based marketing in Facebook, or study up on AdWords geotargeting with this guide.
• Target people that live in your area or surrounding towns for things like gift cards that are less time sensitive and can be used well into the future. (FareHarbor clients: Message us about setting up digital gift cards!)
• Facebook ads can target people traveling in your area too. Whether it’s to visit family or take a holiday vacation, they’re prime candidates for a fun, local experience. Go get ‘em!

Before you launch into any of these holiday marketing ideas, make sure your website’s user experience is dialed in. While good marketing will get the right customer onto your website, they still have to navigate to and through the booking process in order to make a purchase.Take this opportunity to make sure that your website is fully optimized for the ultimate user experience. And whatever you do, don’t forget – it’s the most wonderful time of the year.