Travel marketing videos: here’s how you should use them

Table of contents

Summary

The Travel & Tourism sector is coming out of a very complicated period, and it’s doing so by bringing a new awareness of the importance of digital, even and especially at the level of communication with individual travelers. But how best to use the tool of travel marketing videos?

Travel and tourism sector: what happened?

The Travel & Tourism sector has undoubtedly been among the industries hardest hit by the emergency unleashed by the global Covid-19 pandemic. On this point, there isn’t much to add: it is something there for all to see.

But now it’s time to look beyond it: and that’s what is happening, with the first solid signs of recovery, despite all the difficulties and complicated international scenarios.

Above all, we believe, it’s a matter of looking carefully at everything that has changed, in the dynamics of this enormous Industry. These profound changes will not be transitory, and those with the right mindset for meeting the challenges of the market know that there are many opportunities to be seized behind every change.

And where do these opportunities come from? 

From many different fronts, which have something in common: the fact that they are all connected to Digital Transformation.

As you can guess, this field of inquiry is indeed vast. But we want to approach it from a well-defined angle: that of marketing and communication and specifically of travel marketing videos.

Travel marketing videos – some numbers on their effectiveness

You can’t understand the power of travel marketing videos if you don’t grasp, more generally, the extent of the effectiveness of videos as a marketing tool.

So, without belaboring the point, here are some figures on the subject:

• 55% of people pay more attention when approaching videos than any other type of content (source: omnikick.com). 
• 85% of marketers say video is the best way to get attention online (source: animoto.com).
• When viewing a video, the average user retains 95% of the message it contains; when it comes to text, that percentage drops to 10% (source: covideo.com).
• 88% of marketers said they were satisfied with the ROI (Return On Investment) of their video-based campaigns (source: oberlo.com).

In short, there’s no need to elaborate further. 

It’s also interesting to take a look at this data, all centered on the Travel & Tourism sector (source: guestrevu.com):

• 66% of people watch videos when they start thinking about taking a trip.
• 52% watch videos to get inspired about the type of trip to take.
• 65% watch videos to choose a destination.
• 54% watch videos to decide which accommodation to book.
• 63% of travelers watch videos while already at their destination, looking for ideas for activities and experiences.

Again, what emerges is very clear. video marketing plays a decisive role all along the traveler’s Customer Journey: from the very first stages of inspiration and research, to those involving the actual choice. And that’s not all: users consume a great deal of video even when they are at their destination, ready to seize as many opportunities as possible around them.

All of this can leave industry players, both large and small, indifferent. So, let’s ask ourselves: how can businesses use travel marketing videos in the most effective way?

We answer with a 5-point list with suggestions and best practices.

1) Omnichannel…and mobile first.

Let’s start with a more technical aspect, at least on the surface. Every travel marketing video campaign must be designed as omnichannel, for any type of device and platform.

But the perspective that is most decisive? It must be mobile first. Why?

It’s very simple: because smartphones are the main tool that people use to go online. 

But not only that: if we focus on the stages when the journey has already begun, the smartphone is almost always the only means available to search for restaurants, accommodations, attractions, experiences, and events in the surrounding area. And that brings us to the next point.

2) “Proximity Marketing” and “Local SEO”

Proximity marketing is a type of digital marketing that is based on data-driven dynamics. In this case, however, the data collected is closely related to the geographical location of the target audience, so-called geolocation.

This is information collected by companies through services or applications that, of course, ask for prior consent from their users: from maps to navigation systems, to social networks, weather apps, and much more.

Now, it becomes apparent how absolutely crucial this information is in better defining the recipients of travel marketing videos…an aspect related to targeting that we will focus on in the next point.

It’s also important in terms of proximity via “Local SEO” strategies: in short, it’s the optimization of search engine rankings, in a geo-localized key.

How useful can video be, in this sense? 

Let’s turn to this figure, which needs no further comment:

• On average, videos record organic search engine rankings that are up to 50 times better than links that contain only text (source: seoinc.com). 

3) The total breakthrough of personalization

We’ve already mentioned the decisive importance of the target audience. Indeed, there is no such thing as a video travel marketing campaign that is effective for everyone.

But you can make sure that your campaigns are tailored to the characteristics of each individual target audience.

This is the breakthrough of personalized videos, which is described by Forbes as “the marketing breakthrough that brands need”, and all the more so in an industry that is increasingly shifting its center of gravity toward the world of tailored experiences.

Personalized videos are videos that are automatically built based on the characteristics of each individual person viewing them. In short, businesses make one video marketing campaign, but it becomes – at the same time – multifaceted.

That’s not all. Personalized videos adapt in real time to users’ browsing choices, breaking another traditional barrier of brand-customer communication. In fact, we move from a mono-directional dynamic (the company launches a message that is passively received by its target audience) to a bi-directional dynamic (the message becomes interactive and turns into a real opportunity for exchange and dialog).

Translating this even more practically: in personalized videos, companies can carry out data-driven and user-oriented storytelling, which is complemented by tailored calls to action.

What are the implications? Primarily, a surge in engagement and conversion rates. And, a dramatic decrease in the rate of interruption of views.

Also, the possibility of upselling and cross-selling operations designed based on the individual recipient. And in the long term? A definite improvement in communication between company and customers, with a net increase in retention, thus in revenue.

This, in a nutshell, explains the personalized video revolution. And how to make them? By relying on specialized platforms such as the one offered by Babelee.

4) Social media: an indispensable channel

We can’t talk about digital marketing without considering social media, for a very simple reason: the vast majority of the audience is here, and they spend more and more time on this channel. And we focused on the 7 decisive tips for improving one’s social media videos.

Here, we’d like to emphasize something very simple: even for social media, there is no such thing as a perfect video.

First of all, you must adapt your communications based on the different types of social media: Facebook is different from Instagram, which in turn is different from TikTok. At the same time, posting a video in a Reel format is very different from doing it in a classic post.

Each destination, then, has its own technical limitations and best practices. And the secret to success is a matter of balance: not losing one’s recognizability and tone of voice and, at the same time, adapting it to different circumstances and channels.

One of the ultimate goals?

To unleash the production of so-called “user generated content“, i.e., content produced spontaneously by one’s users: these are types of content that are always perceived as more authentic and disinterested; and thus are very effective with audiences.

5) Lean on influencers…even when they are micro

The word “authenticity” popped up in the previous section, which is something that has a lot to do with this last item on our list, focusing on influencer marketing.

Let’s start with two significant pieces of data that indicate the importance of this type of marketing:

• On average, influencer marketing showed an ROI of $6.50 for every dollar spent (source: adweek.com).
• About 70% of millennials are in some way directed in their choices by influencers (source: startupsmagazine.com).

Again, what is the most powerful tool in the hands of influencers? No doubt, it’s video. 

Yet, a “problem” has emerged in recent years that undermines the very concept of influencer marketing from within.

Mega-influencers (those with one million or more followers) are now perceived by the public as very distant and unreachable superstars; in short, something very similar to the old TV and movie celebrities. And, in this way, the closeness to the audience that underlies the very concept of influencer marketing is lost. So, what are brands doing?

Quite simply,  they are relying on so-called micro- and nano-influencers, who are perceived as more authentic, close, and trustworthy, and who therefore have a fan base that is certainly more limited, but almost always more devoted and loyal.

Again, here we get a glimpse of the ripest fruit of the digital revolution, which also applies to the production of travel marketing videos: a new centrality of people, of every single person.