The Traveler’s Journey
April 17, 2018
We focus on connecting people to places. Using each stage of the traveler’s journey as a touchpoint to communicate with someone opens their eyes to new locations, inspires them to try new experiences, and builds their trust in traveling to new communities. But what is the traveler’s journey?
Exclusively marketing to travelers and constantly analyzing travel intent data enables us to map decision making and highlight key stages of people’s travel planning process—the traveler’s journey
See how to keep your audience engaged through the entire traveler’s journey
Awareness
People might be dreaming of their next vacation or stuck in the daily morass of regular routine. Connecting with prospective travelers during this time with prospecting messages about your destination plants the seed for future touch points in later stages of decision making.
Display ads, out-of-home ads, or video distribution on television, YouTube, or Facebook are all great ways to show off your destination. Don’t worry about logistics and specifics. Serving up storytelling highlights the look and feel of your communities. Those sights and feelings will stick with people.
Learn more about the value Madden can deliver as a Google Premier Partner
Inspiration
Why do people travel? The answer is specific to the individual. Our analysis of travelers gives us a line of sight into common answers, and gives us the ability to tailor storytelling to match their travel intents and inspire people to take a trip.
Intent-focused website content, Facebook and Instagram prospecting ads, or Spotify audio ads crafted specifically to resonate with intent-based audiences inspires people to start thinking about their next trip. Whether its food, arts & culture, outdoor adventure, or nightlife, communicating the experiences that make your destination unique will build an emotional connection between your brand and audiences—a connection they will remember when looking to plan their next trip.
Consideration
Alright, you have people considering a visit to your destination. Now what? How do you convert them to a visitation? Prospective travelers might check out your DMO website, but they will likely look directly on hotel or third-party booking websites. We use that insight to our advantage, leveraging our relationships with vendors to meet people where they are.
Targeting people who have been exposed to your prospecting messages with remarketing ads, we can serve your destination’s messages to prospective travelers on Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Google, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also use content on your website to send users to hotel and third-party booking websites. Tactics like these ensure your destination will be top of mind when they go to book their trip.
Destination
Official Visitor Guide, maps, recommendations on travel review websites, and content on your website are crucial during this stage in helping visitors plan those last-minute details and round-out their trip. You can create a digital passport that compels people to visit different points of interest in your community, and using out-of-home advertising is also a great way to emphasize a consistent brand ecosystem, reinforcing the trust visitors have placed in your destination.
Advocacy
Keep the relationship going after people leave. Remarketing ads, email newsletters, and sweepstakes are great ways to convert travelers into regular visitors.
Serving people Facebook and Instagram ads and leveraging user-generated content on your website also encourages travelers to share photos and videos from their trip—generating work-of-mouth endorsements.
Find out how to bring more advocacy to your destination marketing
