A blog is one of the most important asset tourism businesses have at their disposal to attract visitors to their site, increase their business’ credibility and engage with potential and past guests. If you are not convinced you need a blog, my industry colleague Simon at Rezdy has written a great article on how tour operators can benefit from a blog I highly recommend you read.
Having a blog is one thing, but coming up for content to write about is another! Today I will give you 4 ideas on what you could write about if you are a tour or activities provider.
#1 Top 7 things our guests say about us
“Top x things” are articles that always catch people’s attention. Build out this blog post’s content by leveraging from:
- Recent TripAdvisor and guest reviews
TripAdvisor review integrated to blog post
- Utilise photos you took of people on tour
- And if you have a letter you have received in the mail why not scan it and include it as well
- Aim to also get a video review from your clients (using your iPhone is fine) a few days before you plan on writing the blog post
#2 The perfect itinerary when visiting “insert your location here”
Your guests will most certainly be doing a pre and a post activity or looking for pre or post accommodation. Why not make it easy and create an itinerary for them?
- Pretend you were one of your typical client and put yourself in their shoes when you write the article
- Aim to list 3 accommodation providers you recommend for your visitors to stay at. Do not just use a bullet list but highlight the benefits of each with a link to their website
- Insert some quotes from your past guests (try not to make them up!). Things like “I really enjoyed visiting xyz’s winery down the road – they had really packaged the wine tasting experience well and for $5 dollars it was a great way to end our day
- Insert a map as well. Google Maps allows you to easily create a personalised map (view here how to do it)
#3 10 things to visit on your way here from “insert closest airport”
Extend your reach by thinking about where your visitors are coming from. Create an itinerary from the airport. You will kill 2 birds with one stone as you will also be able to send them this blog post as a nice “thank you for your booking here is how to get to us” email as soon as they booked. They will really appreciate the personalised contact. Don’t forget to include elements such as:
- Tolls: is there a toll road on the way? If they are renting a car make sure you include information on how to pay the toll
- Is there a nice place they could stop half way for breakfast/lunch/dinner
- Will they land late? Do you recommend an accommodation house close to the airport?
- Are there specific things you recommend for couples vs. for families with kids in tow?
- It would also be nice to add a Google Map of the best recommended route
Creating a custom Google Map
#4 What to look for when booking a “insert your activity name here”
Now is the time to shine. Without naming your competitors (whilst being fully aware of your differences and USPs) build an article that highlights your USPs and why they are so important. If you are a hot air ballooning company for instance, you could come up with points such as:
- What is the safety rating of the provider
- Is early pickup and drop off included
- Will I receive a free photo
- Will I be fully refunded or just given a voucher in case the trip needs to be cancelled due to weather?
- Who is the pilot? is he/she a local?
- Why not creat a little video about your business and posting it on YouTube and embedding it in the blog post?
How often should I be blogging?
Blogging continuously adds fresh content to your website. This in turns attracts search engine robots to your website and shows them that you are being “active” in cyberspace. Give it a good 6 weeks and you should start to reap the rewards and see your search engine rankings improve.
On average, aim for at least 2 blog posts per month. Plan your topics in advance using our simple to use one page social media communications calendar. If your online competitors have a more active blogging strategy than yourself you may well need to up your blogging to 1 or 2 posts a week. If blogging is not your thing or you don’t have the resources to do it in house our team at UntangleMyWeb.com can help you by helping you define your communications calendar and blog on your behalf. Just
drop us an email if you would like one of us to ring you back.
