How your tourism brand can benefit from the $70B VR industry
A little over a year ago when the Oculus Rift, the first mainstream virtual reality machine, was released to the public, some tourism marketing brands feared the technology could make travel obsolete. As this technology continues to improve, we beg to differ. By 2020, Tnooz projects that virtual reality will be a $20 billion business primed for the hospitality and tourism industry. The reality – virtual or not – is that machines can’t fully replace the experience of travel (yet) … but they can augment it. As digital marketers, we need to harness this incredible potential to capture travelers’ imaginations and send them to places … both figuratively and literally … that they have only dreamed about. Use virtual reality to promote a destination or experience: One of the most obvious ways to use virtual reality to support tourism marketing is at the top of the marketing funnel. In other words, your brand can use virtual reality the same way the film industry uses previews to entice and attract potential movie-goers. Instead of a replacement, consider virtual reality a “teaser” or “trailer” for your property or destination. And if photos and videos are the most engaging content digital marketers have available, then live-action, 3D, interactive experience is probably one level up. More than 75% of Facebook content is image-based; and videos garner triple-digit click ratios compared to text and copy-based emails. This is especially true for the tourism and hospitality industry because you’re selling an experience, rather than an object. Many brands are already creating virtual reality-friendly YouTube videos and blogs where people who have a virtual machine can simply press play, plug in their phone, and experience another dimension. Virtual lovers can swim with sharks, explore haunted houses, and take in the sights and sounds of world-class kitchens. Each virtual video projects the viewer into their desired atmosphere, creating a truly sensory experience that decidedly leaves them wanting more. The 360-degree visual stimulation makes the viewer feel like they are so close to the action … yet they can’t truly interact with, touch, smell, or feel the environment. Talk about one effective preview. Use virtual reality to…augment reality: The precursor and complement to virtual reality is augmented reality. Augmented reality apps allow a user to overlay maps, interest points, photos, trivia, or social opportunities on top of the world around them. When combined with a virtual reality experience, the results transform museum exhibits into interactive experiences, make tourist destinations that are off limits due to dangerous conditions or construction accessible, or allow the average visitor to experience something they couldn’t normally. Think: feeding pandas in a zoo, participating in a rocket launch at a science museum, or climbing ancient, crumbling ruins in the tropics. In this way, virtual reality can become an add-on marketing opportunity to enrich the vacation experience and create a deeper emotional bond for your visitors. Virtual reality can’t replace the feeling of a massage, or the taste of a Michelin star restaurant; but it can work alongside those experiences to either purposefully contrast them or add extra value to those experiences themselves. Virtual reality also unlocks non-traditional tourism options: Perhaps less obviously, virtual reality also allows individuals who otherwise could not travel for physical, mental, or even monetary reasons, to experience something incredible. While an able-bodied athlete might not choose a virtual reality experience over hitting the slopes, someone suffering from an injury or disability may be energized and invigorated by this singular opportunity. Virtual reality gives tourism and travel companies the chance to infuse inclusivity and sensitivity into their brand voice — which is something that provides a benefit to our shared communities and appeals strongly to the millennial purchaser. For ideas about how your brand could use virtual reality to extend your travel experience, reach out to our creative team today. Together, you can be on the cutting edge of this emerging trend and lead the change in this exciting industry.
The Power of the Return Customer in Resort Marketing
From the time we’re young, many of us can remember traveling to a resort with the family. Some of us went only as far as Disney, others went to the beaches of North Carolina or California, and some even traveled abroad, either on cruise ships or possibly the ever-popular overseas trip to Europe. For many, this annual trek to a destination elicits memories and emotional appeal: everyone is having fun, they’re all happy, and they seem to let the real problems of the world slide away from them – if only for a little while. For many of us here at our Orlando ad agency, these vacations had us staying at the same resorts year after year. This was always because we had a great experience once, and the resort became a reminder of the memories brought about by a fun family vacation. In an era where we’re clouded by so much distraction, it seems much harder to get people to fall into the patterns we call traditions. That’s why resort marketers must take note: the most important customer you have is the loyal one. Loyalty is earned; people may be able to get better deals or better views elsewhere, but they keep coming back to your business because they know the resort they’ve chosen will always offer an excellent experience. Resort marketing is all about increasing the number of return visitors, and to do this, marketers should always remember to appeal to the emotions of their audience. Is the resort clientele typically young families? If yes, then it’s important to ensure the marketing emphasized the breadth of children’s activities, as Disney resorts do so well. Or, if the resort prides itself in romance, then advertising the benefits of the romantic getaway will inevitably lure couples to the destination. Showcasing these benefits through advertisers and email marketing will help people make the choice to return to the resort by leveraging their emotions to help them decide it’s time to get away from it all. In order to ensure the visitor will return to a particular resort over choosing a competitor, it is imperative to make sure that person has a great experience, and that the stay was directly in line with the individual’s expectations. Cruise lines are great at this, offering unbeatable service and luxury in order to entice visitors to return for future cruises.[quote]Some people go on numerous cruises each year, all on the same cruise line they’ve come to love.[/quote] Another great way resorts can ensure repeat visitors is by incentivizing their return. Offering discounts and upgrades through loyalty programs is a great way for resorts to continue to improve the experience with each visit. Additionally, by offering incentives to the customer, the customer is more likely to spread the word and invite others to join, which leads to more business for the resort as a whole. Resorts that offer incentives for return visits are saying, in essence, “Thank you for choosing us.” That statement makes a bold declaration about the brand and leaves a lasting impression on customers. Therefore, our Florida advertising agency suggests resort marketers capitalize on loyalty by offering exclusive offers to previous visitors, as well as encouraging them to participate in loyalty programs for more rewards down the road. Because who doesn’t love it when they’re made to feel special? [featured] Let us help you design the tools to earn loyal resort customers! Contact us today and we will get started! [/featured]
How to Create an Effective Hospital Marketing Plan
Marketing plan development is the most important step in executing a solid hospital marketing initiative. After receiving business objectives, the marketing team should create a plan to address the objectives. If the business objective is to increase market share by 2%, the marketing plan would include budget, initial measurement, research, campaign strategy, measureable campaign performance indicators, media schedule, creative strategy and projected outcomes.Here are the elements of the plan in further detail: Budget [quote]In a landscape with limited resources, it is important to properly estimate the amount of funds to be designated to each project.[/quote] Underestimating the financial and resource cost may create problems or, in some cases, may jeopardize the initiative. When allocating resources, planners must remember to take into account aspects such as personnel, project costs, technological considerations (web hosting platforms, project management systems) and design and printing fees. Performance Indicators Choosing the correct performance indicators is contingent upon knowing what is important to the hospital or service line. If the goal is to increase awareness of a new medical unit, increasing the hospital’s email list is not necessarily the best performance indicator; better metrics may include the number of new customers acquired, or data measured by patient questionnaires. Delineating these as part of the marketing plan will help hospitals keep relevant data sets, which can be useful in evaluating campaign success in future marketing efforts or in budgeting. Media Schedule A media schedule will help a company keep track of assets, project launch dates, costs and hours worked. The media schedule should be careful to take into consideration both digital and print media schedules, as well as social media pages and the resources required to keep them up-to-date. [featured]If you are a hospital marketer and need assistance in developing a marketing plan, contact us today, and let us help you to reach your business objectives![/featured] Creative Strategy The creative strategy needn’t encompass every piece of creative work expected throughout the course of the year; rather, it should focus on only the baseline message, assets and resources. The creative strategy should help copywriters and art directors see the bigger picture of the marketing plan and can help the creative team adhere to these guidelines throughout the year. Projected Outcomes Predictions help solidify goals. If, for example, performance indicators show that the campaign is coming up short of desired outcomes, this offers leeway for the team to amend the project, conduct a post-mortem and to determine the cause of the shortcomings. Over time, a collection of data can help the team to stay on course to help ensure growth and stability within the hospital. Need more expert advice? Contact us to schedule a meeting with our team of healthcare marketing aficionados!