4 Ways to Be Successful with Travel Marketing During a Pandemic

A global pandemic can undoubtedly put a halt on vacations, weekend getaways, and family visits. As a new fear has been instilled in frequent travelers, how can the travel industry put customer’s minds at ease while being as safe and cautious as possible? Better yet, how can companies relay this message? Here are four ways to navigate through a pandemic in the travel marketing industry.

1. Acknowledge the Pandemic and Be Honest with Your Audience

As a company, it’s vital to humanize your messaging. By disregarding current events, your business may come across as insensitive and uncaring towards your customers. Since traveling will decrease significantly during these times, communicate with your audience on how those changes will affect them. Here a few conversation starters your travel business can try.

• Talk about the health and safety precautions your company is putting into place
• Be the first source your customers go to for updates on what areas may have travel, business, restaurant, and retail restrictions
• Inspire those to travel when the pandemic is over by putting together ‘must-visit later’ content

2. Share Insider Knowledge with Your Customers

Your customers will be looking out for any information on how they can safely continue to travel during such uncertain times. As your company complies with governing authorities’ regulations, be sure to keep your customers updated with all information you may have. Any news about your operations or capacities should be regularly relayed to your audience. You’ll surely become a trusted source for all travelers.

3. Be a Leader in Your Industry—Not a Follower

A pandemic is certainly uncharted territory for many industries. If your travel business wants to come out on top, don’t wait to follow what others are doing. Set precedents by openly communicating with your audience, create new virtual ways to vacation, and lead with thoughtful marketing. However, when a crisis happens that affects the mass population, everyone must do their part to help each other. These times may be an excellent opportunity to collaborate with others in your industry to pool resources and increase reach.

4. Tell Impactful Stories

By sharing real employee and customer stories, you can create a sense of empathy between your customers and your company. Due to a pandemic, people may no longer be able to visit family members or travel for business. Talk about real issues your customers are facing and how your company is helping. For example, are you setting up webinars, podcasts, or emails? It’s crucial to be authentic here—your audience will know an embellished messaged.

During troubling times such as a pandemic, your company may be struggling to keep up with operational changes and marketing efforts. Your travel company could benefit from working with digital strategists to create a meaningful campaign. Our team at Kraus Marketing is ready to collaborate with you and put our efforts together to help your business!