Memorial Day is Almost Here!
Memorial Day Weekend kicks off the summer season for many tour operators around the U.S. There’s a lot on your to-do list now, I’m sure. You have a lot to worry about between making sure your guides are prepped and getting your booking system live for the swarms of customers soon coming your way.
But I’m asking you to dedicate some time to marketing this weekend, and here’s why.
Why Now?
There’s no better time to focus on catalyzing your customers’ excitement than at the beginning of a new season.
Humans are very cyclical, after all. We naturally perk up around our birthdays, the new year, even at springtime when the weather turns. These otherwise arbitrary points in time are when we dedicate ourself to new challenges. In other words, new seasons get us excited!
The beginning of your tour’s season is no exception.
Picture it: crowds of people who look like they could burst from the corners of their growing smiles. You couldn’t stage a better scene for your marketing assets.
So this weekend, when you could rival Disneyland as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” have a camera cataloguing it. Use that raw energy and emotion to continue exciting people on social media, email marketing, brochures, or whatever marketing initiative you have going this year.
The Basics of Excitement
Excitement is the secret ingredient in any marketing strategy. It’s the Holy Grail all marketers seek. When we’re excited, our body sends all kinds of physiological signals that make us feel aroused and impulsive.
In short, excitement makes it easier for your customers to act–whether that means engaging with your blog, sharing something on social media, or buying your tour.
The more you can anticipate your customers’ natural excitement and help catalyze it with your marketing, the more buzz (and hopefully sales) you’ll be able to create.
But There’s a Catch
Excitement, however, is fleeting. But with good marketing, you can make it last a little longer.
If opening weekend were in a few months, here’s where I’d list the loyalty programs you could launch, or the pricing models you could consider to get your customers pumped for the summer.
But given that Memorial Day is this weekend, here’s the fastest way to strike while the iron of excitement is hot during your opening day celebrations.
Emotional Marketing
A surefire way to elicit a reaction from you customers is to share emotional content. The marketing agency Relevance puts it well:
“People are emotional creatures. We decide and take action (including buying decisions) based largely on emotions. So, if your marketing content tries to reach your audience only through a rational approach, there’s a good chance it will fall flat.”
So ask yourself, how are you selling your tour? What emotions can you tie to your unique value proposition? If you have the fastest zip line, or the most affordable kayak tour, how can you tie that into your customers’ emotions?
Whenever I’m having a hard time putting myself in someone else’s shoes, I use this paradigm to help me approach the situation in a different way: what is my audience feeling, seeing, thinking, and doing?
Don’t miss out
Opening weekend is a natural opportunity to pour excitement into your usual marketing strategy. Just a simple heads up, like sharing some pictures or video this weekend could help that powerful emotion last a little longer. You’ll want to develop a more dedicated strategy around creating excitement in your marketing when there’s more time, but for now, your goal is to simply not miss out!
