Are you seeing a lull in tour bookings? Don’t worry; every business has its ups and downs, but staying up-to-date with the newest technology can help you make sure you’re always booked and ahead of the competition.
Knowing how to draw in and keep clients in the crowded tourism market is a constant challenge, but with technology like Fotaflo’s photo delivery and marketing platform, customers can find you. By integrating your booking process with photo marketing tools, you can improve your lead generation and increase customer retention.
Let’s take a look at some of the best tools and techniques for tour operators to attract new customers and achieve more tour bookings. Time to jump in.
Social media marketing is your new best friend
While some people still love popping into travel agents and tour agencies to book their adventure activities, the internet has made it easier than ever for people to book by themselves. So you might say spending your advertising budget on being featured in physical brochures is a thing of the past: If you want to increase your exposure, it’s time to embrace social media.
Instagram and TikTok have over one billion active users each, so these are the places to be for digital marketing. And using Facebook and Instagram advertising is accessible for every tour operator and budget with a cost-per-click that is regularly under $1.00.
A report by The 2023 Experiences Traveler found that over one in four adults under 35 already use TikTok as their go-to source for inspiration when looking for new experiences. This makes it clear that for any adventure agency looking to gain more tour bookings, they need to start using social media to promote their business.
While the blanket strategy of offering influencers free tours in return for a reel or vlog on their experience works for everyone, we have another opportunity for you. Reward your paying customers with Instagram-worthy content and let them do the influencer marketing organically.
Employ a secret weapon: Free digital guest photos
Including guest photos in your adventure marketing is a fantastic approach to boost reservations, but how does it work, we hear you ask?
Customers love having photo evidence of the fantastic activities they take part in, but nobody really wants to pay for them. So, by using Fotaflo’s platform, you give away the photos for free and gain the money back in new bookings. By integrating the software with your booking system and downloading the app on staff phones, tour guides can snap precious memories and upload them to the platform in one click. This automatically tags the customer and sends them their exciting photos through text or email.
In addition, the Fotaflo photo albums arrive with prompts that encourage customers to post images of their adventure activities on social media, boosting word-of-mouth advertising and increasing the tour operator’s online presence.
When you reach out to previous guests in future, you can reshare their albums and, remind them of the great time they had, influencing more tour bookings. With Fotaflo, adventure digital marketing has never been so easy!
Time to get customer friendly with tech
Nowadays, consumers want simplicity. So, to get people to book your tour, you need to make it as easy as possible. A great way to achieve this is by making your website as customer-friendly as it can be.
Here are our top tips:
- Use a chatbot: Good customer service is essential to any business, so why not employ a bit of artificial intelligence (AI) to help you? This software can be added easily to your website, and you can fill it with your most frequent questions and relevant information.
- Ensure you’re mobile-friendly: A survey from AdColony revealed that 63% of US consumers stated that using a smartphone when planning a trip is extremely important. So, it’s time to double-check that your mobile website is as seamless as your desktop. Check the layout of all your pages, and turn off any popups—you can thank us later.
- Intergrated payment options: The payment process is when you can lose people. In a perfect world, people want to pay with one click, so try and get as close to this as possible. Integrate popular payment options, like Apple Pay or PayPal, into your reservation and checkout process.
Time to get customer friendly with tech
By utilizing technology, tour companies can greatly improve the number of reservations they receive. And even better, tour operators can streamline operations, deliver first-rate customer service, and maximize marketing efforts.
The potential for success for tour operators in the digital age is endless with the correct tools and a little imagination.
Interested in how photo marketing can get you more tour bookings? Check out our website or book a demo to learn more.
