For me, anytime I need information on a place or activity I jump on the internet and Google it. Instantly the info is on the computer screen in font of me. I haven’t looked in a phone book in months, and it’s been years since I read the classifieds in the newspaper. I can’t really be sure if this shift in information gathering happened gradually or if one day I typed something into a search engine and that was that.
When we opened our guide shop 8 years ago we knew we had developed an epic trip for independent travelers wanting to work hard for an awesome experience. By working hard we mean hiking through the backcountry, sweating and getting dirty. After all the hard work, our clients step out onto a glacier, no crowds, just the sound of water flowing over the ice. Trip established- check.
Next, we had to figure out how to find the clientele that would not only appreciate this type of trip, but are ‘actively’ seeking it out. I guess this is called marketing. As a new eco-adventure tour company we were bombarded with the usual “traditional marketing†avenues. Tourism councils, summer activity guides, radio, newspapers, magazines, online ad listings with chambers and other wholesale tourism promoters. And we bought it, sometimes at insanely expensive prices. However, at the end of the day we could not track the sales generated by these marketing methods. When clients were asked on their registration forms where they heard about us, mostly it was referrals and Google searches.
Then came the first review on Trip Advisor. Then another, and we were able to create our company profile on the largest travel website in the world. So now, when customers came back from our trips we started asking them to post an honest review on Trip Advisor, which they did and our ranking shot up. Suddenly the ‘where did you hear about us’ answer turned to Trip Advisor, along with the continued Google searches.
If everyone is looking for us online, and they are independent travelers who normally are not going to flip through the advertisement section at the back of some magazine, we've started wondering why we are spending hundreds of dollars per ad with these traditional methods?
As the business grew, more customers wanted some way to share their experience and photos when they got home. For a time, all we had was the Trip Advisor recommendation and a request for them to email us photos. This was somewhat successful but laborious for our clients. We needed an easy way for clients to connect with us when they got home from their vacation, post a quick comment about the day and post a photo or two.
So enter Facebook. It takes just a few minutes to Like us, write a comment and throw in a couple of photos. This networks with their friends and their friends, etc. As the website started to become more popular we put a Facebook link on each page. We started looking into key words for the website and Google ad words. Basically we wanted anything to get our link out there and to send people towards the site. By the 6th year in business we realized that our own website marketing was generating about 90% of our pre-season bookings. During the summer our walk in business has remained strong, but with the advent of smart phones people could Google or map what they wanted and be led our direction as soon as they got into town.
Does this mean traditional advertisement is dead, or ineffectual? I’m not too sure and would be hesitant to make that claim. What I do know is for our money, known results that we can track and have proven results is where we are heading. We’ll still be a member of our local Chamber, and maintain some affiliation with regional tourism councils that provide web links on their websites. As far as radio, magazine, newspaper, etc… not so much. And now that Trip Advisor has ranked us #8 in the world in adventure trips, I’ll shamelessly add a hotlink to our website
Ryan Fisher