Be Consistent
As they say, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Regular, frequent communication is a key aspect of that.
Choroszucha’s Twitter success, for example, flowed from concerted effort over weeks and months, even years. She didn’t suddenly turn this platform into the vibrant community it is today—she nurtured it over time. She has spent hours looking at a hundred different Twitter accounts, cataloging what content engaged people and what didn’t. Every morning she allocates time to what she can post on social media that day. When she launched the popular hashtag #mycannonsburg, it took regular reminders to get followers to fully latch on.
The folks at Denver Adventures nail consistency in a different realm: the website experience. With more searches and bookings taking place on mobile devices (and thanks to Google’s mobile-friendly search algorithms), Denver Adventures and other zip tours eagerly responded with mobile-friendly and responsive designs. No matter what device a customer uses, he’ll be pleased as he browses around the website and even books a tour.
It’s simple. Just take it from Sara Bell, CEO at The Gorge: “It’s like anything in marketing—if you’re going to do it poorly, you might as well not do it at all.”
In our Insider Marketing article, “How to Craft a Video That Sells Your Adventure,” we saw firsthand how poor marketing efforts undermined great ones. I said it then and I’ll say it again: if good marketing giveth, bad marketing taketh away.
These examples illustrate the value of consistent marketing in any context. Regular, quality investments communicate your business’s legitimacy and will garner better results than haphazard initiatives.
Ask “Why?”
The best marketers always have a purpose behind any initiative they launch. When you come up with a great idea, ask yourself, “why?” Does this idea really hit the mark? After a year of Insider Marketing, asking “why?” is the prevailing practice among the industry’s most successful marketers.
Take Bell, whom I mentioned a moment ago. When it came to producing videos for her home page, she could’ve filmed anything. But she dedicated one of her videos entirely to the quality of her guides. And you bet she asked herself, “why?” before that camera started rolling.
“So much of the feedback that we get from return clients is about how amazing our guides are,” Bell explains, “and that’s also a really challenging thing to communicate to people that have never been here before.”
Thus, a video about the guides. Not only are her guides a major selling point that she wants to display prominently on her website, she can also convey how special they are in a video more so than in other media.
Here’s another example: Back in October, I asked Lori Pingle about her business priorities for the fall. She replied, “Keeping my tours full and my guides occupied.” With that purpose in mind, she launched themed tours to keep her business buzzing even in her shoulder season. She didn’t wake up one morning and decide it’d be fun to have a Halloween party, it was a thoughtful campaign born from a strategic goal that turned into a successful business decision.
Across the Insider Marketing articles, there are numerous examples of zip tour owners grounding marketing initiatives in real business needs. That’s why Scott Chreist promotes his Google+ reviews, and why Jack Sharp runs Groupon deals in his shoulder seasons (albeit quite begrudgingly).
When you take the time to outline the business goals that should be driving your marketing initiatives, the end result will be far more successful.
Insider Marketing, 2016
These success stories (as well as a few instructive flops) are what you’ll find every month in Insider Marketing: actionable tips across an array of topics, with insights from owners and managers.
I know what it’s like to tackle marketing campaigns with a lot of smarts and energy, but next to no formal training. It’s a tough position, but not an impossible one. With the right resources, you can translate your knowledge and talent into results. Whether you look online (Insider Marketing, Xola University) or in your personal networks, there’s a wealth of information available.
That said, there’s still so much we’ve yet to learn. Consider Adventure Park Insider and Insider Marketing your forums for exploration and discussion. I’m optimistic about the marketing wisdom we’ll uncover in year two!
