Tourism is big business and most countries rely heavily on it to make up a significant amount of their annual GDP. In the UK, for example, the tourism industry’s worth is predicted to grow to £257bn by 2015. This is staggering growth based on the value of tourism to the UK economy in 2014, which stood at £126.9bn and contributed to 9.0% of UK GDP.
Tourism employs an awful lot of people too. Countries invest heavily in campaigns to promote their country to potential tourists and these campaigns return good results.
There are a vast amount of companies and sectors that fall under the umbrella of tourism and travel, all of which, can benefit greatly from incorporating video brochures into their marketing communication mix.
Once Upon a Time
If you wanted to go on holiday, you would need to go into a travel agent and discuss it with someone there. You would leave with a brochure and ponder the costs and options before returning to that travel agent and booking. While this can be, and in some cases is still done, it is far more convenient to book and plan a holiday online. With digital dominating the marketing sphere, getting in touch with holiday makers has never been easier and as is the case with most industries, this also brings some disadvantages.
Getting Lost
The ease of communicating with budding holiday makers through digital channels means that your message can easily become drowned out. As an example: book with an airliner and forget to tick that “I do not wish to receive promotional material” box and you will receive an increasing number of marketing emails that you may simply mark as read for quite some time before deciding to unsubscribe.
As with any industry, it is very competitive and you need that edge in order to keep ahead of your competition. The problem may not lay with how frequent your communications are, or the quality of those communications, as you could have them down to a tee. Rather, it is simply a case of being seen and standing out amongst your competitors who are looking to achieve the same goals as your company.
Standing Out
Video brochures provide the solution to this problem. Unique and innovative by nature, video brochures stand out and command attention amidst the growing stack of marketing material, both physical and electronic. When facing your next campaign and you are starting with a blank travel brochure template to work to, video brochures will bring something entirely new allowing for an even more creative brochure design that incorporates a physical product with a print, audio and visual representation of your company and message.
Utilising Video Brochures – some examples
Hotels can utilise video brochures as a new way to present a virtual tour, targeting
specific prospects in a new and engaging way. Airlines can use video brochures as a unique onboard entertainment brochure, informative piece, or, to advertise. At exhibitions, video brochures work as an excellent leave behind piece and will increase engagement and add value. Imagine taking the traditional printed keepsake and photograph from an excursion or adventure trip, and making this even more memorable by use of a video book where you can watch your experience back; a great way to not only remember your trip, but to share the experience with friends and family too.
Capturing the thrill, the experience and the excitement and portraying that to potential holiday makers is very important for effective marketing in the tourism industry. Video brochures are the perfect tool to do just this; capture the imagination and spark the sense of adventure and excitement in your end user.
What are some innovative ways you have come across to market in the tourism industry? Feel free to get in touch and like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.