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Traveler’s journey. Create content for all stages of the traveler.

Content should be thought out, created and positioned according to the stage the buyer is in. Today we explain what the traveler's journey is all about.
Picture of Salvador Galindo

Salvador Galindo

Soy consultor de marketing especializado en tecnología y mercados internacionales. Mi enfoque se basa en ofrecer respuestas originales y estratégicas que se adaptan a las necesidades específicas de cada cliente. Con una profunda comprensión de las dinámicas del marketing global, he ayudado a numerosas empresas a aumentar su presencia y competitividad, ofreciendo resultados tangibles y sostenibles.
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Depending on the stage in which the user is, he will demand one type of content or another. So, we must not only take into account what our buyer-personas are looking for, but also what they are looking for.

buyer-persona

 
and how they are looking for it, but also at what time they are looking for it.

The three stages of the buyer’s journey

Let’s suppose there is a user who wants to go on vacation and is considering which destination to go to and, of course, will have to make a final decision on which hotel to stay at. And we are that hotel, so first of all we have to sell our destination very well and finally we have to position ourselves as the perfect accommodation for their vacation.

 

aTOFU-2-buyers_journey-Amara.png

 

1. Awareness, when the user detects that he/she has a need, but does not know what it is.

This is the first stage of the buyer’s journey, when the prospect is experiencing and expressing symptoms of an unsolved problem or an opportunity to pursue. At this stage the user simply performs ‘educational’ searches to better understand what they are looking for and to give a name to their problem.

The
keywords
 used in this stage will be based on problems, opportunities or doubts that may arise in the sector.

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Of course, when talking about the traveler, this stage is somewhat blurred with the later one, that of Consideration. It is understood that the user already knows that he wants to travel or enjoy a getaway, but what he does not know yet is where, when and in which hotel he will stay. These are the points that we can influence during this and the Consideration stage.

2. Consideration, when the user already knows what he/she is looking for and studies his/her options.

At this stage, the prospect is already very clear about what is going on with them, has already named their problem or opportunity and is searching to learn more about it. He is defining and learning more about the subject in order to make the right decision later on.

During the Consideration stage you will work on
keywords
 that offer practical solutions or advice. An example of a search for a prospective traveler at this stage might be ‘What are the best beaches in Mallorca to go with children?’

We, as hoteliers, will offer you this type of information so that you get to know us through your web searches, see us as a reference company in the destination and take us into account for your accommodation.

3. Decision, when the user has already decided to make a purchase and compares products.

At this point, we could say that the prospect has already chosen the destination to visit (Mallorca) but does not yet know where to stay. Then in this last stage, the Decision stage, the user will normally shuffle between a maximum of three options, in this case, options already filtered unconsciously during the previous stages.

At this point of Decision, the keywords
keywords
 used should be based on a purchase and the brand itself. At this stage we can already talk about our brand, we can sell ourselves.

It is worth noting that, as a hotelier, you can influence this final decision beyond the user’s keyword search and your content on the blog. For example, if you have gotten the user to download a piece of content from your site in exchange for giving you his email address (you have turned him into a lead), you will be able to work the leadnurturing and provide that user with offers, information or other news that may be of interest to him or her through the email marketing and get them to book at your hotel.

The traveler’s journey, the stages of the eternal traveler

The traveler’s journey works in much the same way as the buyer’s journey, but with a more precise subdivision by the type of sector we are talking about. Tourists must be understood and we must adapt to the new ways of traveling. Staying behind is not an option.

Nowadays, the phases through which the traveler goes through are different from the process that a former tourist went through. New technologies, the Internet and, to a large extent, social networks, have made traveling a whole experience to plan and share in a very different way than it used to be.

 

Traveler's journey

 

We must start from the premise that nowadays traveling is much simpler. Now we travel more, we live the destination more intensely and we let the world know it.

The
Dreaming
 is equated with theAwareness phase. The user is thinking about traveling, but does not yet know when or where, he simply has that illusion and begins to investigate which destinations are fashionable or which are within his reach. At this point the traveler will take into account whether he/she is looking for a destination to travel with children, a destination with a water sports offer…

In the phase of
Planning
phase, equated with the
Consideration Stage, 
the traveler already has his destination clear and plans which airline to fly with, which hotel to stay in, what to visit, which restaurants to eat in…

Finally, the step that most interests us as hoteliers: Booking. This is the moment when the user makes a reservation, closes his vacation, becomes a client of our hotel if we have managed to reach him and capture him.

Fourth,
Experiencing
that which we long for so much: living experiences. This stage can be divided into pre-experiencing, experiencing and post-experiencing, since the way of organizing a trip already involves starting to experience it before even getting on the plane. Therefore, we must take this subdivision into account when creating content for users who, although they have not yet reached our destination, are already experiencing it. For example, we can create videos about excursions, a very direct way of transmitting experiences.

Last but not least, but actually present in the whole process of the traveler’s journey, there is the
Sharing
. Who does not share on social networks that in two weeks they will be drinking a mojito on the beach of some lost island? Not only do users want to travel, they want others to know how lucky they are to do so.

Sharing is an action present throughout the entire process, the user tends to post on their social networks not only when they are at the destination, but also in the stages before and after. At this point it is important to create strategies that invite the user to share publications also about our brand and make it easy for them to do so: geolocation, free WIFI in the hotel, contests…

The HubSpot methodology is the one that defines the stages of the buyer’s journey and the type of content we will work on. If you want to start working on your content marketing strategy today, taking into account the stages of the traveler’s journey, these HubSpot methodology templates will help and guide you in your first steps.

 

 

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1. The main challenge: your hotel needs more direct bookings

A few years ago, hotels relied heavily on OTAs and tour operators to establish an objective occupancy rate and drive guests to hotels. Until then, hotels enjoyed partnerships with travel agencies and tour operators, and guests enjoyed booking package tours.

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However, over time, trends have been changing and travelers, now and more than ever, are looking to make their own choices and book all elements of their trips on their own. Travelers are not only ready, but also willing to book a hotel directly on your website, as long as the sales conditions are similar to those of the OTAs and the booking can be made as simple as possible.

For hoteliers, direct bookings bring huge benefits. Among them, saving on commissions, improving online marketing strategy, increasing profitability and having total control over customer communication. With such promises of direct bookings, it is no wonder that more and more hotels are now pushing their marketing efforts towards the goal of increasing the number of direct bookings on the hotel website.

2. Gain a competitive advantage

It is clear that an increase in the rate of direct bookings would be beneficial for your hotel. But how to achieve this goal

In order to compete with OTAs and tour operators, your hotel must have a competitive advantage. There are two ways to have it: offering a cheaper deal, or offering more value and increasing customer loyalty. While it may be difficult for your hotel to compete with OTAs on the basis of price, offering a customized offer and establishing a trusted relationship with customers would be the best way to attract travelers.

 The key to adding value to your hotel offer is to know your customer and offer them what they need. Attracting them through the emotional factor is essential, and you must establish a genuine connection with your potential customers, conveying your beliefs so that your guests can relate to them.

When customers observe that a hotel brand really cares about their experience and tries to find the best solution to make their vacation experience unforgettable, it is easier for them to make the decision in favor of booking directly with your hotel.

A common way to add value and personalize communication with your guests is to implement a loyalty program. With a loyalty program implemented in your establishment, you will be able to tailor your messages to the needs of individual customers, understand their preferences and meet their expectations.

customer-database-hotels

3. How can your customer database help?

So, a hotel needs a loyalty program to offer valuable and personalized services to customers, and thus gain a competitive advantage. To shape your loyalty program, you must have a database of your customers with personal information about them. Hoteliers should create a customer database with basic contact information and more elaborate personal information about guests’ preferences and interests.

Acquiring this personal information will give you the ability to tailor your messages to each potential or existing customer, and offer them content, products and services that meet their particular needs. This will undoubtedly surprise them by the degree of personalization and the measures your hotel takes to provide them with the best possible vacation experience. You would be able to establish a lasting relationship with your customers based on trust, thus ensuring the most satisfied customers, who would be happy to promote your hotel brand.

4.

1. The biggest challenge: Your hotel needs more direct bookings

A few years ago, hotels relied heavily on OTAs and tour operators to achieve an objective occupancy rate and bring guests to the hotel. Until then, hotels enjoyed partnerships with travel agents and tour operators, and guests were happy to book package tours.

{{cta(‘bb2971b9-bf36-4c36-8edc-75223dba5208’)}}

Over time, however, trends have changed, and now more than ever, travelers want to make their own choices and book all elements of their trip themselves. Travelers are not only ready, but willing, to book a hotel directly on your website as long as the terms of sale are similar to those of OTAs and the booking process can be made as simple as possible.

For hoteliers, direct bookings bring huge benefits. These include saving commissions, improving online marketing strategy, increasing profitability, and full control over customer communications. With such promise of direct bookings, it’s no wonder that more and more hotels are focusing their marketing efforts on the goal of increasing the number of direct bookings on the hotel website.

2. Gain a competitive advantage

It’s clear that increasing the direct booking rate would be beneficial to your hotel. But how do you achieve this goal?

To compete with OTAs and tour operators, your hotel must have a competitive advantage. There are two ways to do this: offer a cheaper deal or offer more value and increase customer loyalty. While it may be difficult for your hotel to compete with OTAs based on price, the best way to attract travelers would be to offer a customized offer and build a trusting relationship with customers.

 The key to adding value to your hotel offering is to know your customer and offer them what they need. You need to build a genuine connection with your potential customers and communicate your beliefs in a way that your guests can relate to.

When customers perceive that a hotel brand genuinely cares about their experience and tries to find the best solution to make their vacation memorable, it is easier for them to choose to book directly with your hotel.

A common way to add value and personalize communication with your guests is to implement a loyalty program. With a loyalty program in place at your facility, you can tailor your messages to each customer’s needs, understand their preferences and meet their expectations.

customer-database-hotels

3. How can your customer database help?

So, a hotel needs a loyalty program to provide valuable and personalized services to customers to gain a competitive advantage. To design your loyalty program, you need a customer database with personal information about your customers. Hoteliers should create a customer database with basic contact information and more detailed personal information about guests’ preferences and interests.

Capturing this personal information gives you the ability to tailor your messages to each potential or existing customer and offer them content, products and services that meet their unique needs. The degree of personalization and the actions your hotel takes to offer them the best possible vacation experience will undoubtedly surprise them. You will be able to build a lasting relationship with your customers based on trust, securing the most satisfied customers who will be happy to promote your hotel brand.

4.

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