February 11, 2022
Many tour & activity hosts have come to the realization that advertising is a part of business. Social media ad platforms have made advertising more accessible and even more highly targeted. Never before have we had so many customizable options for narrowing in on our target audience.
And yet, we still hear stories like “I ran a campaign and didn’t see results”. When this happens, there are a few questions we must ask. Because there are many reasons an ad campaign didn’t result in new customers. Let’ go through each of these reasons and figure out ways to course-correct for your next successful campaign!
The average conversion rate for travel websites is quite low, at 0.2% That means for every 1k people that visit your website, only 20 of them will likely turn into bookings. There are hundreds of reasons why this could be happening. To name a few: website aesthetic, your offer, your pricing, how easy you make it for people to book your experience, etc.
Before you start throwing money at advertising, we always recommend getting your website conversion rate up. This requires knowing what your current conversion rate is, and updating your website in strategic ways to get the most out of it. At Junglebee we offer web design services to help you maximize your bookability – click here to learn more.
Millions of people are on social media every day – how do you decide who to put your ad out to? If you get too specific, your ad may underdeliver. If you’re too broad, you won’t get high quality leads. Targeting requires knowing your guests and narrowing in on a strong geographic, demographic, and psychographic mix.
Your first campaigns are not the time to experiment with new target markets. Focus on what you already know. If you know 90% of your guests come from a certain region, then stick with that. If you know that the majority of people who sign up for your tour are over 50, then set your ad to deliver to people over 50.
Once you get the swing of things, you can always start branching out into new demographics and experimenting. But the basic demographics are crucial when you’re first starting out. And we highly recommend taking some time to sit down and come up with a handful of highly targeted interests. Ask yourself: what magazines & publications do our guests read? What stores do they shop at? What brands do they advocate for?
For example, if you’re looking to attract outdoor enthusiasts, you might target people who read Outside Magazine and follow Patagonia. These can sometimes be better than using general interests that Facebook suggests, but of course it’s important to test everything.
You can get your ad out in front of the perfect audience, but if the messaging is off or the visuals of your ad aren’t pulling them in, it will fall flat, and you won’t see the ROI you’re hoping for. First, your imagery is what stops someone from scrolling. Without a strong visual to hook someone in, your ad will get scrolled past. This means your image not only needs to stand out, it also needs to be relevant to what your prospective guest is seeking.
For example, is the imagery peaceful and serene, or is it adrenaline-pumping and risky? An adrenaline seeker will not stop to read an ad that isn’t aligned with the sort of experience they are looking for. Learn more about upgrading your aesthetic here.
Once you’ve got their attention, your message needs to resonate. Everything from the tone of voice to the words you use are going to encourage people to click through – or not. Does your messaging feel too much like a used car salesman, trying to swindle someone into booking? Does it not sell at all? There needs to be a clear intention with the ad to get people to click through.
Sometimes everything can be perfect and it’s just not the right time for someone to book or they need more warming up. It could be worthwhile to explore a different campaign objective that is designed to build the know, like, and trust factor for your tour. This is how we drive someone deeper down the sales funnel – by giving them content that they can consume to help build a connection with your brand.
The ‘awareness’ campaign objective can be a good one for this. Especially if your website isn’t set up for conversion just yet. Choosing the right objective is one of the most strategic moves you can make. Facebook and Instagram ad objectives are optimized for the sales funnel, so ideally you would have multiple campaigns for each part of the funnel. But only if your budget is big enough to spread around.
Facebook and Instagram are more complex than simply boosting a post. You may need the help of an advertising expert on your side. Either way, we hope these considerations will help you get more out of your next adverting campaign!
