Tourism has always been a vast and constantly growing industry. It was estimated to be valued at 228 million U.S. dollars in 2021. Hiking, trekking, and other walking activities have significantly contributed to this industry. Although part of adventure tourism, these activities often require lesser equipment and skill sets and are easier to participate in by all types of people.
Due to the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, many people showed renewed enthusiasm for outdoor activities. It led to an overall surge in hiking and trekking. With this surge, competitiveness within the market grew, and now companies and travel agents are vigorously marketing their hiking tours to stand out from the rest. If you are a business also offering hiking tours, you must ensure that you are strategic in marketing.
You should have a cost-effective but efficient plan that brings in as many eyes as possible and targets the audience in a tactful manner that engages them. Here are a few tips on what you can do to stand out from the crowd and get your business to flourish.
Strategies to promote your tours
Photographs of trails are your biggest asset
Your biggest asset when it comes to the promotion of your tours is the scenic beauty of the trails. High-quality photographs of the paths you have taken will set you apart from the rest of the tours as they will be specific to your business.
You can then use these photographs to create travel posters, social media content, flyers, and other promotional material. Having many pictures allows you to have new content regularly. If the posters feature breathtaking views, they are more likely to grab the attention of future customers.
Have an active social media presence
One of the most important parts of marketing is consistency. You must post regularly to keep people engaged and aware. Since social media is now a massive part of marketing in all industries, you must use it to the fullest extent.
Instagram, Meta, and Twitter draw many eyes, and you can ask your customers to tag you on their social media posts featuring your services. Regular posts on your account featuring the trails, positive customer reviews, photos sent in by customers, and new offers and deals will make people return to your social media handles and get in touch with you. You should create unique content before any events or big offers.
A YouTube page can act as an efficient and cost-effective marketing tool. You can post clips and videos featuring the trails and use them to build your online presence further.
These platforms are also a suitable medium for potential customers to reach out to you with their questions and queries. So if you are active and responsive, you can easily connect with potential customers and be known for good customer service.
Reach out to people using different mediums
Apart from social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, you should also use other mediums to reach out to people. Some other good tools are emails, text messages, and even physical flyers.
You can create specific email templates featuring photographs of the tracks, current deals, your social media handles, a booking link, and contact details. You can send these emails to people who previously hired you and other potential customers. However, you must format the emails in an eye-catching manner. The photographs need to be bright so they instantly grab attention and the booking link is front and center. The text should be limited but highlight all vital information and should be legible. You can send out monthly emails to your customers when offering special deals or packages.
Flyers or travel posters you hand out need to follow the same general rules and can be an excellent medium to connect with local customers who may be interested in your services.
https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/poster/view/c7d897a258c1ec9e6e91eed61797e398
Design a user-friendly website
You must design a strategically formatted and easy-to-use website. The website should be smooth, and the homepage should feature photographs, reviews, and, most importantly, a booking link. It is essential that booking is a quick and easy process. The homepage should not be clustered with information but should feature things that you think are important.
There should be a dedicated gallery for photographs of the trails, another page featuring your offers, a page with customer testimonials, and another with the details of the tracks, such as the location, major landmarks, etc. Other essential things that should be present on the website are the details about the company and a little insight into it, and all contact details and social media handles.
Collaborate with the locals
Local businesses and local influencers can be great collaborators for travel businesses. If the area has a lot of tourists, collaborating with popular eateries and other businesses that tourists frequent can help get the word out when people visit. It also allows you to be more involved in the community and bring in locals.
Local influencers can feature your trails and offers on their social media platforms, which can be a testament to your services. So people who are visiting the area and following the influencer or are looking for hiking services in the area can find your business.
The bottom line
All these tips and tricks can bring in new customers and promote your business if used correctly. These are simple to incorporate into your current marketing strategy and are cost-effective, hence can be used even by newer companies. All you need to do is have a strong game plan and create attention-grabbing content which is well formatted and posted regularly.
