Marketing

There is a misconception that marketing is just the same as advertising i.e TV, newspapers, website that are used to promote a product or service.

Marketing is much more than that – it is the management process of identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customer needs profitably. It is a complex subject, forever changing and can be studied at degree or masters level with tourism focus. Many colleges and universities offer face to face or online courses and the Chartered Institute of Marketing offers residential and non residential courses at all levels.

You may want to try the NCTA’s new tourism marketing course “Attracting New Customers” at www. tourismmasterclass.co.uk which can be studied as a complete course or as individual modules. These are the main things you need to think about.

Who are your customers?

Before working out how to reach more you need to understand who your existing customers are. Very few businesses are all things to all people. Know your audience to ensure you communicate clearly with the highest chance of success. Are they from England or overseas, what life stages are more common, are they on holiday or business and have they been before?

Go to section YOUR CUSTOMERS to find out more about how to collect information about your customers, what they think and how they found out about your business.

Potential New Customers

It is useful to understand who your potential customers could be. Find out what sort of people are coming to your area already, when they come and what sort of services they are looking for.

Go to section UNDERSTANDING TOURISM LOCALLY to find out more.

Generating Repeat Visits

The easiest and cheapest way of attracting more customers is to encourage existing customers to return or to recommend to family and friends – or to acquaintances through social media. Here are some ideas to consider to encourage more repeat business:

Make sure the visitor experience is excellent, especially what happens when they leave

Ask for feedback and respond

Build a relationship with customers via email, newsletters, social media etc

Suggest special offers or rewards if customers return or recommend to others

Think particularly about reasons for existing customers to return when you are not busy with special offers, extras or special packages.

Acquiring new Customers

Once you have decided who to target, the next step is to work out how to reach them!

Website

If you are letting one property it may not be necessary to have a website – but you do need a presence on one. More than 50% of people use the internet to book their holiday – including those over 55. If you’ve had one for a while, think about updating your website taking particular notice of search engine optimisation, google analytics etc. Does the website really do you justice – but equally important make sure it doesn’t oversell which could lead to customer disappointment. Does the website sell the benefits of visiting you and the area – not just the product information? Do customers understand how they can reach you and how they can book – making your preferred method of contact as visible as possible is critical. Increasingly customers are accessing websites smart phones or tablets so it is worth making your website ‘mobile enabled’

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Most customers use online travel agencies to search for self catering properties so it is essential to advertise with at least one of these. Holiday Lettings www.holidaylettings.co.uk , Owners Direct www.ownersdirect.co.uk and Cottages4You www.cottages4you.co.uk are probably the most popular and they all offer slightly different payment or commission terms. Most sites will link direct to your own website.

In some areas there are good online local accommodation sites run by Destination Organisations but these vary in their effectiveness. More recently Airbnb has become a popular source of new bookings particularly for younger visitors. There are also websites which specialise in particular markets e.g. Group Accommodation if you have large properties.

Printed guides – traditionally the main way self-catering properties were advertised are becoming less popular except for the Retirees market where internet use is slightly reduced.

Social Media

Social media has quickly become an important tool for engaging with new and existing customers. It is now used regularly by 38m people in the UK with usage rising at 6% per annum. Most popular is Facebook but Twitter, Instagram and Google + are all used regularly by significant numbers. Social media is particularly useful for keeping in touch with previous customers, perhaps encouraging repeat visits or recommendations through special offers/events or new facilities. For more information see NCTA Best Practice Guide to Social Media https://coastaltourismacademy.co.uk/resource-hub/issuu/social-media-vital-for-marketing

Great Business also offers a useful guide to choosing the right social media for your business at

https://www.wix.com/blog/2014/03/social-networks-to-promote-your-business/

For comprehensive advice on how to use digital techniques in your marketing look at Visit England’s Online marketing toolkit