05/29/2020

Marketing Roadmap Shared to Guide Your Messaging, Media Mix and Budget

Strategies for Building Business Now and in the Future Shared by Madden Media

Figuring out a marketing strategy right now (not to mention for the next year) seems daunting faced with all the uncertainty.     

Thanks to Madden Media, this task just got a little clearer. They presented a marketing roadmap during this wee's Ohio Travel Association’s deep-dive marketing webinar. Using travel data, sentiment research and their own travel index, Madden CEO Dan Janes and VP of Revenue Brett Gordon walked industry members through a step-by-step strategy for rebuilding business. Following the webinar, they participated in a conversation with attendees to help work through some of their marketing questions and opportunities.

Effective marketing during this time is not going to be about turning on your pre-COVID strategies and waiting for guests to respond. Madden suggests a 3-phase approach.

Phase 1: Research and Recovery

Step 1: Research and adjustments to messaging and audiences (Look back at our notes from our last webinar with Meredith marketing for ideas on what guests will be seeking both short-term and in the future)

Step 2: Campaign creative and media planning

Step 3: Campaign optimization and reporting

Phase 2: Occupancy/Attendance Improvement - Audience expansion based on post-COVID profiles, goal is to increase overall occupancy and/or attendance, as well as length of stay   

Phase 3: Yield Expansion (Improve Business Revenues, ADR, Sales Tax Revenue) – Refine audience-buying behaviors based on visitor yield

In addition to laying out an overall strategy, Madden provided details for Phase 1: Research and Recovery.  

They also walked through the travel-buying cycle, providing suggestions based on research of imagery, content and collaborations to get your visitor experience noticed. 

Among the many insights we discovered during the webinar and the Community Chat the following day are the following: 

• Booking windows are shrinking. What was once 43 days out is now less than 30 days. The number of travelers booking in less than 7 days is above the norm.  
  • Meet your travelers where they are, and make it easy to book a last-minute trip. Inspire them to take a last-minute trip 'cause you are showing them how easy it is.  

• Fewer travelers will make decisions on what to see and do while in-destination. While most leisure travelers decided on what to do once they were in a destination pre-COVID, 57% are now saying that they will do more planning.
  • Give them the opportunity to book your experiences prior to arrival by bundling, packaging, online purchasing or reservations tactics. 

• Multi-day itineraries, storytelling, bundling and packages can move your visitor experience from inspiration to consideration among the travel-buying cycle. 
  • Make it easy for them to see themselves spending a day or two, and make it even easier for them to book everything at once! 

• Inspire them first. Then let them know you are prepared. Appealing to returning visitors by reminding them of the memories they made and reducing their uncertainty by addressing safety measures is key. 
  • Don't forget what business we are in and the power of inspiration.

• Connected TV is becoming an effective and affordable way to message
  • Spots are longer, affordable and can provide valuable metrics

• Identifying your target markets, then differentiating yourself from your competition is more important than ever.
  • You can't be everything to everyone right now, and you have to understand your target markets even more-so than before.  

• Influencers are now friends and family members – people they trust.
  • How do you develop ways to leverage word of mouth?

Learn about Future In-Depth Marketing Webinars and Follow-Up Conversations 

Thank you to our sponsors for making this webinar series possible.